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JIBWH&  UST  m  1 5  m 


The  Mining  Magazine 


PUBLISHED    AT    SALISBURY    HOUSE,    LONDON. 
/ 

INDEX   TO   VOLUME  XXI.        .i7> 

FROM  JULY  TO  DECEMBER,  1919.  )/%h\ 

Explanatory  Note. — Items  in  italics  are  names  of  books  reviewed  ;  illustrated  articles  are  denoted  by  asterisks  (*) ;  the  letters  (m.d.  I 
refer  to  notices  of  articles  under  the  heading  "Mining  Digest." 


PAGE 

Abbontiakoon  Progress 262 

Alaska  Gastineau,  Mining  Methods  at .{m.d.) 315 

Alaska  Juneau 138 

Alloys,  Carbon-Free,  Electric  Furnace  for (vi.d.) 250 

Alluvial  Mining,  Teaching :i 

Aluminium  from  Labradorite (m.d.) 375 

Aluminium,  Metallography  of {m.d.) 250 

Amalgamated  Zinc  (De  Bavay's) Report 61 

Amalgamation,  Steaming  in (m.d.)......  *121 

Anatolia,  Minerals  of....N.  M.  Penzer  ..."16,  *153,  -218,  279,  *337 

Anchadura 9 

Anglo-Persian  buys  Scottish  Oil 75 

Antelope Report 127 

Antelope  Mine  to  close 73,  200 

Arsenic,  Estimation  of (m.d.) 375 

Ashanti  Goldfields  Corporation 326 

Ashanti  Goldfields  Shaft  Accident 7 

Associated  Gold  Mines 200 

Associated  Nigeria  Tin  Mines 74 

Astronomy  for  Surveyors R.  W.  Chapman 124 

Audley,  J.  A.,  Refractories  in  Zinc  Metallurgy.. .(m.d.) 177 

Aurora  West Report 64 

Aurora  West  Accident 7 

Baiaghat  Reconstruction ., 200 

Bateman's  Tin  Process 34 

Bauxite  in  West  Africa A.  E.  Kitson  (m.d.) 49 

Belgian  Non-Ferrous  Metal  Industry 130,  161 

Bisichi  Tin... Report 62 

Blackwater  Mines Report 126 

Bleloch's  Theory  of  Far  East  Rand 67 

Blumental,  R.  H Spitsbergen 40 

Blythe  River  Iron  Mines 8,  136,  288 

Boston  Creek,  Ontario 38,  351 

Botha,  Louis,  Death  of 131 

Braden,  Mining  Methods  at (m.d.) 315 

Brakpan  Progress 261 

Brandlehow  Mine 101 

Briseis  Tin Report 126 

British  Association 194 

British  Guiana  Outputs 327 

British  Platinum  and  Gold  Corporation 264 

British  South  Africa  Co.'s  Claim 73 

British  South  Africa  Co.'s  Mining  Department 7 

Broken  Hill  Block  10 Report 125 

Broken  Hill  Block  14 Report  ....      125 

Broken  Hill,  British Report. ...60,  381 

Broken  Hill  Extension... (m.d.)  185 

Broken  Hill  Junction 15!) 

Broken  Hill,  North Report 3-<l 

Broken  Hill  Proprietary 136 

Broken  Hill  Proprietary Report 317 

Broken  Hill,  Prospecting  at *132 

Broken  Hill  South 263 

Broken  Hill  South  Fire 74,  288 

Buena  Tierra 9 


Bullen,  F. Jumbil  and  Trevascus 291 

Bullfinch  Proprietary 327 

Bullfinch  Proprietary Report 126 

Burma  Corporation 136 

Burma  Corporation Report 317 

Burma  Corporation  Metallurgy 258 

Burma,  Geology  of M.  H.  Loveman  {m.d.)  122 

Burma  Ruby  Mines  Report 127 

Bwana  M'Kubwa,  Flotation  at 262 

Calvert,  A.  F.,  in  Cornwall 74,  137,  201 

Camborne  Letter 34,  162,  226.  284,  355 

Camborne  Mining  School 3,  130,  256 

Cambridge,  Geology  at 256 

Camp  Bird,  Exploration  at  Depth 9 

CamDbell,  J.  M.,  on  Origin  of  Tin  and  Wolfram 322,  343 

Cariboo,  Placer  Mines  of J.  B.  Tyrrell  {m.d.) 190 

Carnegie,  Andrew,  Death  of 131 

Caucasia,  Mineral  Resources,  of 252 

Cauvery  Falls,  Hydro-Electric  Power  at 2(i:f 

Cement  from  Blast  Furnace  Slag (m.d.) 122 

Cementation  Process  in  Staffordshire (m.d.) 315 

Cerro  de  Pasco,  Pulverized  Coal  at 194 

Chemical  Prices 47,  109,  175,  237,  301,  365 

Chenderiang  Results 201 

Chillagoe  Company 8 

China  Clay  Deal 131,  164 

China  Clay  Industry H.  F.  Collins •  2<,9,  *329 

China,  Gold-Washing  in (m.d.) 122 

Chrome  in  Maryland (m.d.) 122 

Chromite  in  America im.d.)  315 

City  Deep,  Ventilation  at (m.d.) 1^7 

Clark  Tructractor 

Clifden  Estates 131.  164 

Climax  Rock-Drill  Patent 190 

Coal,  Brown,  Furnaces (m.d.) 315 

Coal  Commission :!,  31 

Coal  in  French  Indo-China (m.d.)., 

Coal  in  the  Midlands .(m.d.) 375 

Coal  Mines,  Nationalization  of 180 

Coal  Mining,  New  Method  of (m.d.) SCO 

Coal,  Powdered 133.    139,  I 

Coal,  South  African (m.d.)  . 

Cobalt,  its  Occurrence,  Metallurgy,  and    Utet 316 

Cobalt,  Ontario 38,  99,  160,  225.  291,  350 

Cobalt  Strike  Settled 75 

Collins,  H.  F China  Claj  tndustrj 269,  '329 

Colombia,  Dredging  in 261 

Colombian  Corporation 202 

Colombian  Mining  and  Exploration      9 

Commission,  Non-Ferrous  Mining.  .163,    <    ,227,284,287,353,855 

Compressed  Air  Plant R.  Peele 125 

Concentrator,  Curvilinear 229 

Congo  PiOL-r.ss S.  H.  Ball  and  M.  K.  Sbaler  (m.d.) 190 

Consoli  Ids  Reconstruction 72 

Consolidated  Goldfields  of  New  Zealand Report 126 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


10 

359 
189 
53 
189 

139 

188 
35 

856 
,  165 
♦309 

all 


Constancia  Mine  

Constantinesco  Roek-Drill 

Conveyor  for  Minesj  McDonald's (m.d.) 

Cooked  L.  H-.Teraestriai  Magnetism,  &  Mine  Surveying  (m.d.) 

Copper  Leaching  In  Australia (m.d.) 

Cop>  i  M<  tiltai  ■•■  .  Pulverieed  Coal  in Mathewson  & 

Wotberspoon 

Cordoba  Copper  Co 

Cornish  Mmejs,  State  Aid  for 

Cornish  Scientific  Societies 

Cornish  Wages 85 

;  Process  on  Silver-Refining  Fume ......(m.d.) 

Cyanide,  Gold-Zinc W.  R.  Feldtmann  {m.d.) 

Cyanide  Manufacture (m.d.) 

Cyanide  Solutions,  Solubility  of  Gold  in {m.d.) 

Daggafontein  Property '9 

Dagwin  Manganese  Properties. "<* 

Dams,  Construction  \>f B.  H.  Matthews 125 

David,  Professor  T.  vV.  Edgeworth 

De  Beers  Prosperity 825 

Derbyshire,  Oil  in 264 

Diamond  I  uttin    in  Great  Britain (m.d.) 315 

Diamond  Catting  Works 835 

Diamond  Discovery  at  Ronxville 1 

Diamond  Discovery  in  Weal  Africa 7:t 

I  ii.ni    i i.i  in-  sovery  in  West  Africa \..  E.  Kitson..  148 

Dia nd-Drill  Holes,  Straightening (m.d.) »312 

Diamond-Drilling   J.  A.  MacVicar  '.i7 

Diamond  Mining  Methods (m.d.) 815 

ad  Output      •,'•i•, 

Diamonils  in  Bouth-Wesl  Africa 969 

Diesel  Engines  for  Mines (m.d.)    ...  815 

Dolcoatb 226 

I)oico;uli  Report.... 

Dole    mi.  Labour  'Troubles  at 856 

Dorrco  Diaphragm  Pump 

Dumas,  Admiral,  on  Conservation  ol  oil  

Deep Report -  4 

Durban  Roodepoorl  Deep,  Pall  at  

Dust-Allaying  Water,  Handling (m.d.)... 

East  Pool 166 

Bast   Pool,  Flotation  at 

nd  Propri  tary 

Ecuador,  Petroleum  in (m.d.)  . 

Hay,  Mi  tallurgy  at 

Electric  Mining  Machinery S.  P.Walker 

Elecl  roplating,  Early  History  of {»'. </.).. 

Elmore  Process,  New - 

Elmore  Process,  New...  (m.d.) Ill,  1--.  249 

El  Oro  Mining  and  Railway  264 

English  Oilfields,  Ltd 7.".,  131 

English  Oilfields,  Ltd.,  and  Torbanite 901 

Enterprise  and  Giant  Consolidation  

Esperanza ,;-! 

Esperanza  Copper  and  Sulphur Report  I  ' 

Esperanza's  New  Property 188,  201 

Evans,  .1.  W.,  on  Aids  in  Geology 195 

Evans,  J.  W Geological  Problems  (m.d.)  ,  ...    24*) 

Exhibition,  Mining,  in  New  fork 

Exhibition,  Shipping  and  Engineering 231,  294 

Ex-Lands  Nigeria Report 62 

i  st  Rand IV7 

F.,r  "Bast  Urn, I W.  E.  Bleloch 3TJ 

Ear  East  Rand  Bore-holes.. 7 

Far  East  Rami  Mining  Shares  Boom 191) 

Warrant,  J.  C,  Four  Fears  as  Prisoner  of  War 81,  90,  K.7.  218 

Federation  Tin 136 

Feldtmann,  W.  R Gold-Zinc  Cyanide  (m.d.) 311 

Ferreira  Deep Report 69 

l-Yrro  Manganese,  Electric  Furnaces  for [m.d.)  *_;"•< » 

Fertilizing  Materials S.  L.  Lloyd 252 

Flotation  at  Bwana  M'Kubwa '2iv> 

Flotation  at  East  Pool 3-28,  :!•">!'> 

Flotation  at  Penarroya  1" 

Flotation  Cell,  Jones-Belmont 359 

I  lit  at  ion.  Colloids  and (m.d.) 815 

Flotation,  Gaseous  Frothing  Agent  in,  Patent  for 251 

Flotation  in  California (m.d.) 189 

Flotation  Litigation 2,  68,  828 

Flotation,  Salman  on 323,  367 

Forum  River  Tin Report 192 

1  laser  &  Chalmers  Engineering  Works 

Frontino  and  Bolivia Report :is-2 

my  in  Steel  Manufacture {m.d.) 250 

cton,  Hodgart  and  Barclay  Air-Compressor 230 

Fulton's  Electric  Zinc  Furnace (rn.dj 31o 

(iaika  Gold Report  . 

Gallard's,  J.  A.  L.,  Articles  in  Financial  Times 194 



or,  Progress  at 8,  35,  16."),  264,  355 


Geevor  Tin  Mines Report -:i77 

Geldenhuia  Deep Report 64 

Geological  Survey 

Ginsberg Report 128 

Glass  Sands  in  South  Africa P.  A.  Wagner  im.</.i 1*0 

Glencairn Report 64 

Glencoe  (Natali  Collieries Report  128 

Globe  and  Phoenix  Position 262 

Glucinum,  Chemistry  of (m.d.)  815 

Glynn's  Lydenburg Report...   .  B18 

Goch,  New.. Report 64 

Gold  Discoveries  in  West  Australia,  History  of.. C.M.I  Ian 

Gold  Market,  Free 185 

Gold,  Price  of  820 

Gold  Price,  South  African 

Gold  Production,  Statistics  of 194 

Golden  Horse-Shoe,  Geology  at  82  I 

101 

Goodchild  mi  Ore   Deposits 6 

Goodchild  on  Ore  Deposits 1.  P.  Mennell  [m.d.)  . 

Goodchil.l's  Paper,  Discussion  on 



Gowganda,  Ontario  

ora]. bite  Deposits,  Value  of .   (m.d.)....       II  i 

Graphite  In  Alabama 199 

Great  B ler  Proprietary Report..  61 

Grenville  Reconstruction I 

Grootvlei's  New  Capital 

Guatemala,  Potash  In m.d.) 69 

Hampden  Cloncurry R< 

tin  ric  i  ■  itrict 

Harris, C.  M  II  estAuei 

:n  West  Australi  i 
Hams,  i  .  m  ,  on  West  Australia 

i.  116 

nt 

California 

I  Sulphur !■•  | 

I  Mine 71 

I, his  Hydraulic  'I'm 

[noomi 

D.N.  Wadia., 

U90 

ma.  Coal  it  ■  "*•) *:J"7 

Inst  it-,' 

Institution  an  1  Inci 

Ipoh  Tin  Dredging  R< 

Iron  Ores,  Microscopical  Examination  of (m.d.) -J..o 

Jernma  ■  .1.  II.  I  . 

.11.11 Eirkland  Lake  Goldfli 



Jumbil  and  Trevascus  ..  P.  Bnlh-n 

.Inmt.il  in  Cornwall... 71,  1 

Jupiter •:•  port 1'27 

'-',;;! 

ing  Kamnnting  Tin  R-p  »rl  199 

Killifreth  Progri  

Kinta  Tin  Mines Re]    ft.....  :'17 

Kmta  Tin  Resull  -"' 

Kirkaldy  Cooling  Plant  "81 

Kirkan-11.:'  II 

Kirkland  Lake  Goldfleld H.  H.  Johi 

Eirkland  Lai - 

Eirkland  Lai                      ry wj 

Kit-on.  A.  E.  .  Bauxite  in  West  Africa  [m.d.) 49 

\.  r. Diamond  Discovery  in  Wert  Africa 148 

Kits.  ii.   \    I Geology  of  Southern  Nigeria  (m.d. 1 119 

Kleinfontein  Plant '' 

Elondyke,  A  of "»■''■' 

Krainat  Pulai Report l'2t> 

G7 

" 

61 
136 

126 

815 
59 
199 
195 
B72 
261 
►11 
:Ut 
•2 


Labour  Troubles  in  England 

Labia  lorite.  Aluminium  from (**■*.) 

Lafon  Tin  Fields,  New  

Lahat  Mines Report 

Lake  View  and  Oroya  Exploration 

Lake  View  ai  uloration Report 

Lake  View  and  Star Report 

Larder  Lake,  Ontario 

Larder  Lake,  Ontario (m.d.) 

Leaching  Copper  Ores R.  W.  Perry  {m.d.) 

Leadhills Report 

Lead,  Innovations  in  Metallurgy  of...  Lyon  and  Ralston 

Lead  in  South  Africa „  ...W.  Versfelil  (m.d.) 

Lead  Mines  in   Transvaal 

Lead  Mines  Wanlockhead John  Mitchell 

Lead  and  Zinc  in  North  of  England :t»i,  101,  166, 

League  i  t  Nations 

Leake,  P.  D.,  on  Income  Tax 


THE     MINING     MAGAZINE 


r\'.i 

Lena  Goldfields,  Bolshevism  at 10 

Lesser  Concentrator (m.d.) 59 

Levant, 166,  227 

Levant,  Accident  at 263,  285 

Libiola  Copper Report 127 

Lignite S.  M.  Darling 60 

Long  Rig  in  Rock-Drill  Practice (m.d.) *112 

Loring,  F.  C Porcupine '216 

Louis,  Henry,  on  Income  Tax 06 

Lower  Bisichi Report 62 

Lucky  Chance Report 253 

*265 
130 
97 

313 

♦240 

20 

52 

250 

327 

73 

377 

95 

250 

186 

,  222 

38 

*183 


MacDonald,  D.  J Tin  Discovery  in  West  Africa 

McNeill's  Codes 

MacVicar,  J.  A Diamond-Drilling 

Magnesite  in  the  United  States (m.d.) 

Magnesite  in  West  Australia (m.d.) 

Magnetic  Surveys 

Magnetism,  Terrestrial L.  H.  Cooke  (m.ii.) 

Magnetite,  Determination  of (m.d.) 

Malayan  Tin  Dredging 

Manganese  in  West  Africa 

Manganese  Ores A.  Harper  Curtis 

Mansfield,  Ernest Spitsbergen 

Mapping,  Quick  Reconnaissance (m.d.) 

Marshall's  Broken  Hill  Theory 

Marstrander,  R Spitsbergen. ..38 

Matachewan,  Ontario 

Matachewan,  Ontario H.  C.  Cooke  (m.d.) 

Mathewson  &  Wotherspoon Pulverized  Coal  in  Copper 

Metallurgy H39 

Mauss  Centrifugal  Concentrator (m.d.)...  59 

Melbourne  Letter 159,  224,  288,  351 

Mennell,  F.  P Ore  Deposits  (m.d.) 374 

Merrill  Plug  Valve *230 

Metal  Markets 42,  104,  170,  232,  295,  359 

Mexican  Conditions 101,  138 

Mexican  Corporation 75,  202 

Mexican  Mining  Law (m.d.) 190 

Mexico  Mines  of  El  Oro,  New  Property 202 

Middleburg  Steam  Coal  and  Coke Report 382 

Mill  Close  Mine,  Strike  at 287 

Mine  Maps,  Symbols  for , (m.d.) 250 

Mine  Supplies Stronck  and  Billyard 60 

Mine  Surveying  &  Terrestrial  Magnetism. .L.H.Cooke(m.rf.)  52 

Mineral  Industry.     Vol.27 376 

Minerals  Concentration  Co 103 

Minerals,  Searrk  for A.  McLeod 123 

Minerals  Separation  and  the  Shadow 194 

Minerals  Separation  at  Bvvana  M'Kubwa 262 

Minerals  Separation  at  Penarroya 10 

Minerals  Separation  Litigation 2,  328 

Minerals  Separation  New  Capital 261 

Minerals  Separation's  Future 68 

Mining  Corporation  of  Canada 201 

Mining  Engineers,  Register  of 3 

Mining  Engineers,  Wider  Scope  for 70 

Mitchell,  John Wanlockhead  Lead  Mines *11 

Modder  East 73,  135 

Modlerfontein,  New Report 318 

Modderfontein  Shares  Split 199 

Mongu  Report 62 

Moreing,  C.  A.,  on  Future  of  Mining  in  Cornwall 284 

Mount  Boppy Report 61 

Mount  Boppy,  Influenza  at 74 

Mount  Boppy  Reconstructed 7 

Mount  Lyeli 327 

Mount  Morgan Report 253 

Mount  Morgan  Labour 8 

Mount  Morgan  Output 74 

Mountain  Copper  Mines,  Concentration  at.  [m.d.) 250 

Mungana  Silver  Lead  Co.. 8 

Mysore's  New  Capital 327 

Naraguta  Extended Report. 62 

Naraguta  (Nigeria)  Tin  Mines Report 382 

Nationalization  of  Mines 3,  34,  130 

National  Mining  Corporation 261 

Nechi  Mines Report 63 

Nechi,  Progress  at 10 

Nechie  Consolidated 264 

Nelson  Cell  ' [m.d.) 190 

Nenthead  Mines  Closed 287 

Nickel-Copper  Separation,  Annable's  Patent 190 

Nickel  Industry  of  Ontario 290 

Nickel  Ores,  Treatment  of   Low-I  trade (m.d.)...  120 

Nickel  Plate  Gold  Mine •_»! .  1 

Niger  Company 31  s 

Nigeria,  Geology  of  Southern.... A.  E.  Kitson  {m.d.) 119 

Nigeria,  Lead  Zinc-Silver  Ores  in 186 

Norfolk  Oilfields 75 

North  Anantapur  Gold  Mines Report 377 

Norwegian  Iron  Ores (m.d.) r.m 

Nourse  Mines Report ill* 


PAGE 

Oil,  British  Mineral J.  A.  Greene  251 

Oil,  Conservation  of ' :vi\ 

Oil  in  Derbyshire 264 

Oil  in  England J.  Ford  (m.d.)  123 

Oil  in  West  Canada (m.d.) 315 

Oil  Possibilities  in  Scotland {m.d  i  315 

Oil  Prospecting F.  H.  Li  815 

Oil,  Scottish,  and  Anglo-Persian 75 

Oilfields  of  England,  Ltd 75 

Oils,  Mineral,  Tests  on.... (m.d.) 3t5 

Oil  (see  also  Petroleum) 

Ontario  Forest  Fires 99 

Ontario  Ore  Deposits,  Geology  of (m.d.)  .  .  .  250 

Oolitic  Ironstones R.  H.  Rastall  (m.d.)  122 

Ore  Deposits,  Evolution  of,  Discussion 150 

Ore  Deposits,  Goodchild  on 6 

Ore  Deposits,  F.  P.  Mennell  on (m.d.)  374 

Oroville  Dredging Report 62 

Oroya  Links Report     ...  61 

Ouro  Preto  Gold  Mines  of  Brazil  10 

Ouro  Preto  Gold  Mines  of  Brazil... Report  ..  ..  63 

Pahang  Corporation 

Palladium  in  Alaska (m.d.),  375 

■  Papua  Oil  Ventures 263 

Parsons,  C.  A.,  on  Tapping  Earth's  Heat 194 

Pas,  The,  Gold  Discoveries  at (m.d.)  315 

Patents  Published,  Recent 59,  123,  190,  251, 

Pato  Mines  Report  62 

Pena  Copper  Mine< Report 318 

Penarroya  adopts  Flotation 10 

Pengkalen  Dredging  Ground 263 

Penman,  D Rock-Drill  Practice...  .    i 

Penzer,  N.  M..  Minerals  of  Anatolia *76,  *153,  *2 

Personal 41,  103,  168,  229.  292,  358 

Petroleum  Accumulations (in.il.) 190 

Petroleum  Control,  World's 6 

Petroleum  Report  Books (m.d.).. 

Petroleum  Well  in  Scotland 201 

Petroleum  (see  also  Oil) 

Philippine  Dredges Report 317 

Phosphate  in  Queensland (m.d.) 59 

Phosphate  in  Victoria [m.d.) 123 

Phthisis  Act,  New 135 

Phthisis  Taxation,  New 7 

Pigments,  Covering  Power  of  White (m.d.)  375 

Pilares  Copper  Mine.  Mexico (m.</.i 190 

Pitchblende  in  Ontario (m.d.) 374 

Planet  Arcturus 7 

Platinum  Deposits,  Geology  of iii.J.i 250 

Platinum  in  Rhodesia ...(m.d.)  .  ...  57 

Platinum  Position (m.d.) 190 

Platinum,  Substitutes  for uu.d.) 59 

Poderosa Rep   it    ...  127 

Po:dice,  New  Capital  for 74 

Porco  Tin  Mines... 202 

Porcupine P.  C.  Loring 216 

Porcupine,  Ontario 37,  99,  201,  225   291,  350 

Potash,  Californian H.  H.  Roe  (m.d.)......  190 

Potash  Determination (m.d.) 375 

Potash  in  Guatemala (m.d  I  59 

Potash  Recovery  at  Cement  Plants A.  \V.  G.  Wilson 252 

Potash  Salts  in  South  Africa (m.d.)  .  ...  373 

Premier  Gold  Mine 821 

Premier  Mine,  British  Columbia (m.d.). 

Prestea  Block  A Report  382 

Primrose,  New Report...  128 

Prisoner  of  War,  Four  Years  as. ..J.  C.  Farrant..  31,  90,  157.  213 

Progress  Mines Repi  rt  126 

Prospecting,  Future  of 259 

Prospecting  in  West  Australia C.  M.  Harris 

Prospectusless  Companies 320 

Pulverized  Coal 133,    139, 

Pumping  Costs  and  Rainfall 227 

Quartz  in  Veins,  Genesis  of G.  J.  Bancroft  im.</.) 315 

Queensland  Coal   tm.d.) 123 

Queensland,  Wolfram  in 221 

Queensland,  Wolfram  in (m.d.) 120 

Quicksilver  Fume  Losses Duschak  and  Schuette   ....  60 

Rand,  Dust-Allaying  Water  on (m.d.) 239 

Rand  Low-Grade  Commission 72.  135,  199 

Band  Metallurgical  Practice.     Vol.11 121 

Rand,  Revival  of  Far  West 135 

Randfontein  Central's  New  Shaft 199 

Rarer  Elements,  Analysis  of  Minerals  and  Ores  o/..,.Schoeller 

and  Powell 1 376 

Rayfield  (Nigeria)  New  Capi    i    200 

Refractories  in  Zino  Metallurgy     ...J.  A,  ludley  (m.d.) 177 

Register  of  Mining  Engineers    .  ...  3 

Renong  Dredging Report 317 

Renong's  New  Property 263 

Reverberator}  Practice    W.  G.  Perkins  (m.d.) 190 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


i.'.'.i 

Rezende  Mines Report...  63 

Rhodesia  Broken  Hill ■■■  Va""£ \btot 

Rhodesia  Broken  Hill S.J.Snta 

Rhodesia,  Platinum  in. ('"•"•> J" 

Richardson,  Alex.,  and  Camborne .. - £*> 

Robinson  Deep ......... Keport 128 

Rook-Drill  Practice,  Long  Elgin ■  •  ••■■ ("»•«•)  ■•»•    J" 

Rock-Drill  Practice,  Modern D.  Penman *21,    82 


Rock  Drill,  Wave  Transmission. 


359 


Rock-Drills,  Electric ,,""■•' ,"7 

poort  United  Main  Reef Report 64 

Rooiberg  Developments ■•• ';{ 

Ropes,  Wire,  Defects  in '""'■' dl;> 

Rouxville,  Diamond  Discovery  at •■■•"••"■ 

Russia,  Journeys  in A.  L.  Simon  . 

Russo- Asiatic  Consolidated aio 


10 

346 
260 
909 

101 


st.  John  del  Rey ,.";';:,' 

rohn  lei  Rey R 

st.  John  del  Rey,  Ventilation  at  tmM.t. 

pling  by  use  of  small  Rock-Drills (m.tf.J. 

san  Francisco  del  Oro 

San  Francisco  Letter 

San  Francisco  Mines  ol  Mexico 

3an  Miguel  (upper 

Schools  of  Mines  i:  d „    ; 

ii  Report 

Selukwe  Columbia  w id  op • .    ' 

Seoul  Mining  Co.'s  Mines,  B  ""■''•'  jj™ 

S::::::::::::::::::::::::      '■>-■-  *»»» 

-v.California H.  Lang  (m.d.) 190,5 

Sheba  to  be  reopened .'••. 

Sheba  Reconstruction \r' 

Shockley.W,  n - 

Shot-Firing  ,.'"":;  as 

SiameseTin  Report....  196 

Si  he  nan  I    unlit  ions 

Siberian  Conditions     ..         -      O.  W.  Porington  (m  i. 
Siberian  Mining  Companies,  amalgamation  of -';» 

Germans  in 

Silicate  of  soda,  Commercial (m.a.j 

sihcr,  Price  of  ■• ••; 

.  Sterling Smith  and  I  nrner  (w.d. 

Silver,  Volatilization  ol F.  1".  Dewej    m.d.)... 

Bimmer  Deep !  '  •"" .. 

Simon,  a.  L Journeys  in  Ri 

Simplified  Spelling 


180 

890 

190 
198 


i -7 


Simplified  Spelling W.  H.  Bhookley.. 

Sintering  with  Powdered  Coal (*t.a.j •-- 

Sissert ;;•• 

Slags,  l.osse-  ol  copper  and  Nickel  in m.el.).. 

Slate  Refuse,  Utilizing ""••'•' 

Sin.  Iter  Problem  in  West  Australia 

Societies,  Alliance  of  Technical 

3onora  Mexican  Silver  Mini  ■ f"1 

South  Africa,  Glass  Sands  in P.  A.  W  agner  (•»•<£•)- 

South  Africa,  Lead  in *"'•''•' ;''- 

South  Afriea,  Lead  Mines  in • 

South  Africa,  Potash  Salts  in (HI.*.).. 

south  Afriean  Carbide  and  By-Prodncts  Co »■    -"' 

South  Amrriea.  Miner,,}   Deposit*  of...  .Miller  and  Smgewald     191 

South  Kalgurli  t  onsolidated •  ■■ -.. 

South  Kalgurli  Consolidated    Report -•;■( 

South-West  Africa,  Diamonds  in 

Southern  Perak  Dredging  I    I     ............... 

Speak,  S.J  Rhodesia  Broken  Hill     90S 

Speiss,  Treatment  of  ....(».«.)  >r: 

Spelling  Reform W.  H.  Shockley. 

Spitsbergen -•••■•■ ; '" 

Spitsbergen R.  Marstrander 

R.  H.  Blumental 40 

Ernest  Mansfield 95 

Spitsbergen  Advertisements 9 

Spitsbergen  Iron -'f' 

Spitsbergen,  Norwegian  Enterprise  in l»» 

Spitsbergen,  Scottish M-<    *~ 

Sulman  on  Flotation ....... • ■■•-■• ■•■  -•>•  ■;" 

sulphide  Corporation's  Acid  and  Phosphate  \\  orks  (m.d.)..     114 

Sulphide  Corporation's  Lead  Refinery tm.d.i 50 

SungeiBesi RePort 62 

Taeheometer  Tablet... Louis  and  Caunt 

inyika  Concessions 

man  Tin  Output 

Taxation,  Transvaal  Gold  Mine  

and  Lanhydrock »— "-^"oca 

Tehidy  Minerals =>,  •«,  11)4,  2b.J, 

Tekka,  Progress  at •• 

Theodolite,  New  Mining (m.d.) 

Thornthwaite  Mine 

Threlkeld  Mine 


Ticketing,  Cornish  Tin 

Tin  Alloy  Analysis  [m.&.) 189 

Tin  Alloys  [m.d.) 250 

Tin  and  Tungsten  Research (i/i  d.)..  57 

Tin  and  Wolfram,  J.  M.  Campbell  on  Origin  of 822,  348 

Tin  Dressing,  Ferguson's  Patent 251 

Tin  Fields  of  Northern  Nigeria Report.... 

Tin,  Flotation  of 88S 

Tin  for  Monuments 66 

'1  in  in  Tailing  Water (m.d.).. 

Tin  in  West  Africa D.  J.  MacDonald *265 

Tin  Minnie  in  Afriea,  Ancient  '«</.) 59 

Tin  Ores G.  M.  Davies... 

Tin  Output.  Tasmanian 74 

Tin,  i'i  B.  F.  Northrup  (m.d.)...        189 

Tin  Smelting,  Bolitho's  Patent 

Tm  Tic  Irish 

Tincroft,  Position  at 166,  26 

Tipping  Bucket,  Automatic (m.d.).. 

Tomboy  Gold  Mines 81 

37,99,  160,226,290,850 

New  Propel  i 

...41,  108,  168,  229,  S 

..ii  Gold  Mi  ... 

i  ornwall 74,  ! 

•us  and  Jumbll l  ■  BuH<  a 

Tronoh,  South 

itt,  S.  J.,  appointed  Professor '-1 

Turbine  Pumps  for  Mines 

Tyndrum  Lead  and  Zinc  Mines...  G.  V.  Wilson  (m.d.) 

t'ln  Vam  Dredging 

i  opper  Tailing,  Impounding (m.d.) 948 

Vanadium,  Extract  l<  m  i  I 

Ventilation.:'  H    I  187 

Ventilation  ■  19J 

Ventilation  ol  Dei  p  Mines  .      ..      .., 

Village  Mam  R<  i  ■  R<  port 

Wade'  •  Patenl 

Wagni  r,  P.  a  "h  Africa  (m  d.)  180 

Waibi  Electric  Work-  •    186 

Waihi  Grand  Junction Report 

Wanderer  Mine  Closed "  ; 

Wanlookhead  U  ad  Mines John  Mitchell 

Wusipika,  Ontario "' 

Wa-saii  Mini  

Water  in  Rock  Magmas  and  Veins..      J.M.Campbell.   ...    B48 
Watt  Centenary 

K<   I  01  :       ■••      8H;i 

.  Bauxite  m "     '        ■-■        ''■' 

w ,  .1   ■  ad  Discovers     ..  A.  1  .  Eitson  148 

Wesl   If rioa,  Diamonds  in ~:l 

We-t   ■  ances  in 

West  Australia, llistoryofColdDise,.v.rie-ni     (   .M.Hal 

Wi  bI   Australia,  Magnesite  in 

Wesl  Australia,  Mineral  B  C.M.Hi 

We-t  Australia,  Prospecting  in 

Wesl   Australia   Prospecting  in C.  M.  Hams    m.d. 

\\  ,  Bl  Australia,  Smelter  Problem  m 

Wesl  Rand  I  I I:' 

Wesl  Shining  Tree llKI 

West  Shining  Tree,  Ontario (m.o.) 950 

White  Lead.  Microscopical  Examination  of (m.d.) 816 

Willoughby's  Consolidated Report  31h 

Winding  Engine,  Belgian im.d.i 1 

Winding  Engine  Ropes '"■''■'  |-'-' 

WinnebahTi  D.  J.  MacDonald... 

Witbank's  V                      "  %2:' 

Wolfram  and  Tin,  J.  M   Campbell  on  Origin  of 322,  B4S 

Wolfram  in  Quei  Dsland 

Wolfram  in  Queensland [m.d.) 120 

Wonthaggi  Coalfield ••••  123 

Wotherspoon  and  Mathewson... Pulverized  Coal  in  Copper 

Smelting '•'•_' 

Wnlfenite  as  source  of  Molybdenum (m.d.) 31.) 


377 
:l-2t\ 
74 
72 
131 
286 
8 
315 
100 
100 


Zinc 
Zinc, 

Zinc 
Zinc 
Zinc- 
Zinc- 
Zinc 
Zinc, 

Zinc 
Zinc 
Zinc 
Zinc 

Zinc 
Zinc 


and  Lead  in  North  of  England        36,  100,  166,  227,  26 

Bibliography  of  Metallurgy  of 816 

Corporation 

Corporation Report. 

Dust.  Estimating  Metal  in (m.d.).. 

Dust,  Preventing  Formation  of im.d.i l'J'2 

,  Electrolytic,  Patent 251 

from  Lou-Grade  and  Compter  Ore*,  Recovery  of.. ..Lyon 

and  Ralston     377 

Furnace,  Fulton's  Electric... (m.d. 1 31a 

in  Wisconsin (■*■<*.) 190 

Metallurgy,  Refractories  in I.  A.  Audley  im.d.i 177 

Oxide  Manufacture  at  Port  Pirie i»i  d.i 

Retort  Residues,  Treatment  of im.rf.i 

Roasting  for  Electrolvsis C.  A.  Hansen  (m.d.l. 


The  Mining  Magazine 


W.   F.   WHITE,  Managing  Director. 


Edward  Walker,  M.Sc,  F.C7.S.,  Editor. 


Published  on  the  15th  of  each  month  by  The  Mining  Publications,  Ltd. 
at  Salisbury  House,  London  Wall,  London,  E.C.2. 


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Branch  Offices  : 


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Vol.  XXI.    No.   1 


LONDON,   JULY,    1919. 


PRICE 
ONE   SHILLING 


CONTENTS. 


Editorial 
Notes 


Minerals  Separation  Litigation 2 

Minerals  Separation,  Ltd.,  has  finally  won  its  case 
in  the  United  States  against  Butte  &  Superior, 
and  its  patent  for  the  use  of  any  fraction  of  1% 
of  oil  has  been  upheld. 

The  Coal  Commission 3 

Manufacturers  and  other  users  of  coal  in  this 
country  are  alarmed  at  the  possibility  of  the 
coal-mining  industry  coming  under  Government 
management. 

A  Register  of  Mining  Engineers  3 

Proposals  are  in  hand  for  the  preparation  of  a  regis- 
ter of  qualified  mining  engineers. 

Tehidy  Minerals 5 

Particulars,  with  a  map,  are  given  of  the  mineral 
royalties  of  the  Tehidy  Estate,  which  have  been 
recently  purchased  through  Dolcoath  and  East 
Pool,  and  the  campaign  of  geological  and  min- 
ing research  is  described. 

Goodchild  on  Ore  Deposits 


Mr.  W.  H.  Goodchild's  theory  of  igneous  ore  de- 
posits was  discussed  at  the  June  meeting  of  the 
Institution  of  Mining  and  Metallurgy,  many  dis- 
tinguished geologists,  petrologists,  and  mining 
engineers  giving  their  views. 

Review  of  Mining  


Articles 

The  Wanlockhead  Lead  Mines 

Joint  Mitchell 

The  Manager  of  the  Wanlockhead  lead  mines 
gives  particulars  of  a  successful  mining  district 
in  South  Scotland. 

Modern  Rock-Drill  Practice 

David  Penman,  B.Sc,  M.Inst.M.E. 

The  Kirkland  Lake  Goldfield 

H.  H.  Johnson 

The  author,  who  is  visiting  the  District  in  the  in- 
terests of  the  Kirkland  Lake  Proprietary,  gives 
his  opinion  of  the  prospects  of  the  mines. 

Four  Years  as  a  Prisoner  of  War 

J.  C.  Farrant 

The  author  continues  his  account  of  the  treatment 
of  Prisoners  of  War  sent  by  the  Germans  to 
Kurland,  Russia. 

1—3 


11 


21 


29 


31 


PAGE 

News  Letters 

Camborne  34 

Nationalization  of  Coal  Industry;  Tehidy  Minerals, 
Ltd.  ;  Tin  and  Tungsten  Research  ;  State  Aid 
for  Cornish  Mines  ;  Grenville. 

North  of  England  36 

Lead  and  Zinc;  Profit-Sharing. 

Toronto     37 

Labour  Troubles ;  Metalliferous  Production  of 
Ontario ;  Kirkland  Lake ;  Cobalt :  Boston  Creek  ; 
Matachewan. 

Letters  to  the  Editor 

Spitsbergen  Rolf  Marstrander     38 

R.  H.  Blumenthal     40 

Personal 41 

Trade  Paragraphs    41 

Metal  Markets  42 

Statistics  of  Production 44 

Prices  of  Chemicals   47 

Share  Quotations 48 

The  Mining  Digest 

Bauxite  in  West  Africa A.  E.  Kitson       49 

The  Sulphide   Corporation's  Lead    Refinery 

R.  E.  Coivles       50 

Terrestrial   Magnetism  and  Mine- Surveying 

Professor  L.  H .  Cooke       52 

The  Heidelberg  Gold  fields  54 

Tin  and  Tungsten  Research    

Platinum  in  Rhodesia //.  11.  Maufe 

Zinc  Oxide  in  Australia  58 

Short  Notices  3° 

Recent  Patents  Published 59 

New  Books   

Stronck  &  Billyard's"  The  Efficient  Purchase 

and  Utilization  of  Mine  Supplier"  

A  lex  R  ic  ha  rdson       60 


Company  Reports 


60 


Amalgamated  Zinc  (De  Bavay's) :  Ai  I  nited ;  Bisichi 

Tin;  British  Broken  Hill ;  Durb  irt  Deep    I  speranza; 

Ex-Lands  Nigeria;  Kerreira   1  G    denhuis    Deep;  Glen- 

cairn;  Great  Boulder  Pm,  Iris  Hydraulic  I'm;  Lahat 

Mines;  Lower  Bisichi  (Nigeria!  I'm  Mines;  Mongu  (Nigeria) 
Tin  Mines;  Mount Boppy Gold ;  Naraguta Extended;  NewGoch; 
Oroville  Dredging;  Oroya  1  inks;  Ouro  Preto  Gold  Mines  of 
Brazil;  Rezeiulc  Mines;  Roodepoort  United  Main  Reef;  St. 
lolm  Pel  Rey  ;  Sungei  Besi ;  Tronoh  South  :  Village  Main  Reef: 
Waihi  Grand  Junction;  Wesl  Rand  Consolidated:  Zinc  Cor- 
poration. 


EDITORIAL 


A  SECOND  exhibition  under  the  auspices 
of  the  British  Science  Guild  was  opened 
the  other  day  at  the  Central  Hall,  Westmin- 
ster. It  is  well  worth  a  visit,  and  should  be 
supported  by  all  who  take  an  interest  in  the 
application  of  science  to  industry. 


TIIH  new  Elmore  process  for  separating 
mixed  sulphides  consists  of  treating  the 
ore  or  concentrate  with  hot  strong  sulphuric 
acid,  which  converts  the  galena  into  sulphate, 
but  has  no  substantial  effect  on  the  blende. 
The  sulphate  of  lead  is  dissolved  by  means  of 
hot  concentrated  brine. 

PEACE  has  been  signed  and  a  contract 
made  by  the  English-speaking  countries 
to  come  to  the  aid  of  France  when  wantonly 
attacked.  In  certain  circles  among  mmingen- 
gineers  in  this  country  there  is  a  disposition 
to  jeer  at  the  League  of  Nations  and  President 
Wilson,  and  an  inclination  to  prophesy  acute 
friction  between  England  and  the  United 
States  before  many  years  have  passed.  To 
such  unbelievers  in  the  principle  of  good-will 
we  would  say  that  one  way  to  ensure  the 
arrival  of  a  disaster  is  to  prophesy  it  publicly 
often  enough.  In  the  present  case  we  know 
of  no  other  reason  for  expecting  the  failure 
of  the  League  or  trouble  between  England  and 
America  than  this  form  of  prophetic  wisdom. 

IN  this  issue  is  published  the  first  part  of  an 
article  by  Mr.  David  Penman  on  Modern 
Rock-Drill  Practice.  The  article  is  not  in- 
tended for  either  the  makers  or  every-day  users 
of  rock-drills,  but  rather  for  the  general  read- 
er interested  in  mining.  Of  recent  years  many 
improvements  have  been  introduced  in  rock- 
'.  drills,  among  which  the  use  of  the  hammer  ac- 
tion, the  automatic  keeping  of  the  drill  to  its 
work,  and  the  introduction  of  water  to  avoid 
the  creation  of  dust  are  the  most  important. 
The  descriptions  of  these  improvements  have 
usually  been  confined  to  strictly  technical  arti- 
cles or  to  trade  announcements,  and  the  average 
reader  who  is  not  a  specialist  has  not  had  full 
opportunity  of  grasping  their  significance.  Mr. 
Penman's  brief  review  gives  the  information 
desired  by  such  readers.  In  preparing  an  arti- 
cle of  this  character,  it  is  difficult  to  present  the 
matter  in  such  a  way  as  to  please  all  makers, 
and  an  author  is  sometimes  accused  of  having 
a  particular  axe  to  grind.  Mr.  Penman  is, 
however,  quite  impartial, and  hischoiceof  typi- 


cal machines  for  description  does  not  neces- 
sarily imply  any  expression  of  opinion  of  rela- 
tive merits. 

CONGRATULATIONS  to  Mr.  S.  J. 
Truscott  on  his  appointment  as  Profes- 
sor of  Mining  at  the  Royal  School  of  Mines. 
Mr.  Truscott  hasheld  the  positionof  Assistant- 
Professor  for  the  past  seven  years,  and  in  both 
the  lecture  room  and  the  research  laboratory 
has  proved  his  efficiency  and  enterprise.  He 
took  his  A.K.S.M.  m  1889,  the  De  la  Beche 
Medal  in  the  same  year,  and  the  Murchison 
Prize  in  L888.  I  lis  professional  experience 
has  been  gained  on  the  Rand,  and  in  the  Dutch 
Indies,  West  Africa,  and  the  Urals.  His 
book  "The  Witwatersrand  Goldfields"  is  a 
standard  authority, and  his  translation  i  t  ! 
chlag,  Krusch,  and  Vogt's  "Ore  Deposits" 
is  winning  a  similar  reputation. 

SPITS]  i  large  in  the  ad- 

vertisement columns  of  The  Tunes  and 
the  financial  papers  on  June  27,  where  the 
speech  of  thechairmanof  the  Northern  Explora- 
tion Company  was  reported  at  great  length. 
A  different  story  is  told  by  two  Norwegian  engi- 
neers elsewhere  in  this  issue.  The  chairman 
took  care  to  discount  this  class  of  evidence,  by 
alleging  that  German  influence  ay  is 

strong  and  that  it  is  being  used  to  belittle  the 
doings  of  his  company.  The  weak  point  of 
the  chairman's  case  is  that  he  produce's  no  evi- 
dence of  equal  class  to  that  of  the  eminent 
geologists  quoted  in  our  pages.  When  he  can 
produce  a  favourable  report  from  a  leading 
British  specialist  on  iron  ore  deposits,  we  ^hall 
begin  to  take  notice. 

TI I  E  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States 
has  delivered  its  supplementary  judgment 
in  connection  with  the  interpretation  of  Min- 
erals Separation  patent  835,  120,  applied  for 
on  May  29,  1905,  claiming  the  use  of  a  fraction 
of  l"o  of  oil  for  the  making  of  a  froth  by  agi- 
tation. In  the  proceedings  against  James  M. 
Hyde,  Minerals  Separation  won  its  case,  but 
subsequently  it  had  to  commence  a  second  ac- 
tion, because  Butte  &  Superior  sought  to  evade 
the  patent  by  adding  more  than  1"..  of  oil. 
Judge  Bourquin,  in  the  Montana  court,  held 
that  the  use  of  more  than  1%  was  an  infringe- 
ment, because  Butte  i.v.  Superior  added  cheap 
petroleum  to  the  effective  pine  oil  for  the  sole 
object  of  bringing  the  total  over    1%  and   so 


JULY,    1919 


evading  the  patent.  The  Circuit  Court  of  Ap- 
peals reversed  this  judgment,  and  introduced 
a  new  definition  of  "  a  fraction  of  1%,"  hold- 
ing that  "  a  fraction  "  meant  less  than  \%. 
The  Supreme  Court  has  restored  the  meaning 
of  "  a  fraction  "  to  "  anything  less  than  1%,"  but 
sustains  the  Court  of  Appeal  in  its  view  that 
the  use  of  any  frothing  oil  or  mixture  of  froth- 
ing oils,  efficient  frothers  or  not,  exceeding  in 
amount  1%  evades  the  patent.  The  case  is 
now  remitted  to  Judge  Bourquin  for  him  to 
assess  the  amount  due  to  Minerals  Separation 
for  use  of  the  process  before  the  total  oil  was 
raised  to  over  1%.  Presumably  Butte  &  Su- 
perior will  continue  to  add  cheap  petroleum, 
which  is  a  comparatively  poor  frother,  to  the 
pine  oil,  and  to  obtain  a  lower  recovery,  in 
order  to  avoid  paying  royalties  to  Minerals 
Separation. 


MINING  engineers  in  training  in  this 
country  have  little  or  no  opportunity 
of  studying  the  problems  involved  in  the  treat- 
ment of  alluvial  deposits.  It  is  to  be  hoped 
that  when  the  Camborne  Mining  School  is 
expanded,  or  when  this  school  and  the  Royal 
School  of  Mines  are  amalgamated  or  affiliated, 
a  practical  course  in  alluvial  mining  will  be 
established.  There  are  many  places  in  Corn- 
wall where  such  operations  can  be  studied. 
The  degree  of  insight  into  the  various  methods 
of  bringing  the  alluvium  to  the  sluices  would 
depend  on  the  commercial  installations  in 
operation,  but  examination  of  the  sluicing 
characteristics  of  the  deposits  and  the  testing 
of  gravels  by  drilling  could  always  be  conduc- 
ted. It  might  be  that  the  work  done  by  the 
schools  would  prove  of  value  to  the  commu- 
nity if  it  disclosed  profitable  deposits. 


NO  user  of  coal  can  accept  the  ill  -  con- 
sidered proposals  contained  in  the  vari- 
ous reports  on  nationalization  issued  by  the 
respective  sections  of  the  Coal  Commission. 
These  sections  appear  mostly  to  have  placed 
on  paper  the  views  which  they  have  often  ex- 
pressed before  and  since  the  Commission  was 
appointed.  Mr.  Justice  Sankey  issued  the  only 
unbiassed  report.  He  enunciated  a  scheme 
for  working  the  mines  by  means  of  machinery 
similar  to  the  Joint  Industrial  Councils.  Natu- 
rally, knowing  nothing  of  technical  matters, 
his  opinion  could  only  be  based  on  the  exigen- 
cies of  political  and  labour  problems.  For 
this  reason  his  recommendations  are  quite 
superficial  and  offer  no  suggestions  that  will 
help  in  improvements  in  the  mining  and  use 
of  coal ;  while,  on  the  other  hand,  he  did  not 


please  the  working  miner  because  he  attempted 
to  impose  restrictions  on  the  inalienable  right 
to  strike.  It  is  not  necessary  to  discuss  the 
miners'  proposal  to  override  the  statute  of  limi- 
tations and  rob  the  royalty-owners  without 
compensation.  That  is  not  the  basis  of  Eng- 
lish justice  or  business  principles.  Nor  need 
we  examine  closely  the  proposal  of  the  miners 
and  the  socialists  to  operate  the  mines  for  the 
benefit  of  the  worker,  except  to  say  that  if  the 
miner  thinks  only  of  himself  in  his  relation  to 
the  employer  he  at  the  same  time  plays  false 
to  his  fellow  worker  in  the  trades  and  manu- 
factures that  depend  on  cheap  and  plentiful 
coal.  The  only  way  for  a  worker  to  place 
himself  in  a  comfortable  position  and  to  pro- 
vide opportunities  of  profitable  employment 
to  others  of  his  class  is  to  be  continuously 
diligent  and  to  take  a  pride  in  his  effi- 
ciency and  and  quickness.  Users  of  coal  are 
naturally  alarmed  at  the  prospect  of  continu- 
ous rises  in  price  and  decreases  in  delivery, 
and  every  effort  must  be  exerted  to  prevent 
the  Government  from  plunging  the  country's 
manufactures  into  the  quagmire.  The  only 
recommendation  in  the  whole  of  the  reports 
that  will  be  received  by  economists  with  satis- 
faction is  that  dealing  with  the  nationalization 
of  royalties.  Under  the  proposed  system  it 
will  be  possible  to  improve  the  methods  of 
mining  and  distribution  of  coal,  and  to  inau- 
gurate comprehensive  schemes  of  generating 
power  at  the  pit's  mouth  involving  electrification 
and  recovery  of  by-products  of  gas  manufac- 
ture. It  will  also  tend  to  remove  the  old 
abuse  of  gutting  the  properties  by  working  only 
the  best  seams  and  thereby  ruining  the  others. 

A  Register  of  Mining  Engineers. 

In  his  valedictory  address  at  the  annual 
meeting  of  the  Institution  of  Mining  and  Me- 
tallurgy held  in  May,  the  retiring  president, 
Mr.  Hugh  F.  Marriott,  referred  very  briefly 
to  a  matter  now  before  the  council,  namely,  the 
preparation  of  a  register  of  qualified  mining 
engineers.  Some  years  ago  it  was  the  hope 
of  certain  reformers  to  make  the  membership 
of  the  Institution  the  test  of  efficiency  and  re- 
liability, and  they  even  went  so  far  as  to  sug- 
gest that  no  one  should  be  allowed  to  call  him- 
self a  mining  engineer  concerned  in  non-fer- 
rous mining  and  metallurgy  .  unless  he  had  the 
qualification  of  membership.  In  theory  this 
ambition  was  laudable  enough,  but  the  means 
of  judgment  as  to  suitability  of  membership 
was,  and  still  is,  on  too  narrow  a  basis  for  the 
responsibility  of  one  society.  There  are  so 
many  ways  of  becoming  dependable  mining 


THE    MINING     MAGAZINE 


JULY,     1919 


engineers,  and  mining  engineering  has  so  many 
ramifications  and  interdependencies,  that  some 
latitude  as  to  membership  of  societies  is  neces- 
sary. To  illustrate  our  meaning,  we  would 
say  that  many  men  who  belong  to  no  other 
society  than  the  Iron  and  Steel  Institute  would 
be  excellent  judges  of  the  value  and  nature  of 
the  iron  ore  deposits  at  Spitsbergen.  It  would 
appear  therefore  to  be  politic  for  the  four  so- 
cieties to  undertake  the  responsibility  conjoint- 
ly. These  societies,  the  Institution  of  Mining 
and  Metallurgy,  the  Institution  of  Mining 
Engineers,  the  Iron  and  Steel  Institute,  and 
the  Institute  of  Metals,  have  already  taken 
joint  action  in  connection  with  the  establish- 
ment of  the  Imperial  Mineral  Resources  Bu- 
reau, and  a  similar  course  is  appropriate  in 
connection  with  the  registration  of  mining 
engineers. 

The  public  has  still  to  be  protected  from  the 
quack  in  mining,  though  the  Treasury  control 
of  new  issues  has  tended  of  late  to  prevent 
glaring  cases  of  fraud  and  incompetence.  The 
proverbial  ex-tinker  is  only  hibernating,  and 
will  awake  when  his  time  comes.  It  is  well, 
therefore,  to  be  prepared  for  his  renewal  of 
activities.  It  would  be  fortunate  if  the  four 
societies  could  be  empowered  to  do  more  than 
prepare  a  register  of  competent  engineers,  for 
as  a  rule  the  victims  are  people  who  would  not 
be  aware  of  the  existence  of  a  register,  any 
more  than  they  are  aware  of  the  existence  of 
the  restraining  influence  of  such  papers  as  this 
Magazine  and  The  Financial  Times.  When 
an  objectionable  prospectus  or  similar  invita- 
tion to  subscribe  for  shares  is  circulated  pub- 
licly or  privately,  thoseresponsible  for  theregis- 
ter  should  have  active  as  well  as  passive  duties, 
and  should  have  the  power  to  take  steps  to 
suppress  a  scandal.  It  is  not  necessary  for  us 
to  say  more,  for  readers  are  well  aware  of  our 
desire  to  place  mining  on  a  respectable  footing. 
The  new  step  indicated  by  Mr.  Marriott  has 
our  entire  approval. 

Tehidy  Minerals. 

.  Readers  will  remember  that  a  year  or  more 
ago  the  controllers  of  Dolcoath  and  East  Pool 
combined  to  purchase  the  mineral  rights  of  the 
Tehidy  Estate,  in  the  Cambornedistrict  of  Corn- 
wall, an  estate  that  had  been  in  the  Basset 
family  since  the  days  of  William  the  Conquer- 
or. The  two  companies  retained  for  them- 
selves the  rights  to  the  ground  they  have  work- 
ed for  many  years,  and  also  of  adjoining  prop- 
erties that  can  be  conveniently  worked  in  con- 
junction. The  remainder  of  the  mining  rights 
were  handed  over  to  a  company -called  Tehidy 


Minerals,  Limited,  formed  early  this  year.  Of 
the  capital  (^100,000)  ^"40,000  belongs  to  Dol- 
coath and  ^20,000  to  East  Pool,  while  ^40,000 
was  subscribed  publicly.  Messrs.  Bewick, 
Moreing  &  Co., general  managers  of  East  Pool, 
and  Mr.  R.  Arthur  Thomas,  managing  director 
of  Dolcoath,  were  appointed  consulting  engi- 
neers to  the  new  company.  But  long  before 
the  company  was  formed,  the  work  of  investi- 
gating the  geology  of  the  district  was  under- 
taken by  members  of  the  staff  of  Messrs.  Be- 
wick, Moreing  &  Co.,  namely,  Dr.  Malcolm 
Maclaren  and  Mr.  \V.  A.  Macleod.  At  the 
statutory  meeting  of  the  new  company  held 
last  month,  Mr.  C.  A.  Moreing  gave  some 
particulars  of  the  exploratory  work,  and  ex- 
hibited on  the  wall  a  number  of  elaborate  plans 
and  sections  of  the  rock- formations,  iodes,  and 
workings,  which  have  been  compiled  by  the 
researches  and  deductions  of  Messrs.  Maclaren 
and  Macleod.  He  also  showed  a  map  of  the 
estate.  We  give  herewith  a  generalized  con- 
densation of  this  map,  from  which  it  will  be 
seen  that  the  estate  extends  from  G  wit  hi  an 
sands  on  the  west  to  Porthtowan  on  the  east. 
The  horizontal  hatching  indicates  the  parts  of 
the  estate  where  the  company  owns  the  whole 
of  the  mineral  rights,  either  from  the  surface 
downward  or  below  a  depth  of  15  fath- 
oms; while  the  vertical  hatching  represents 
parts  of  the  estate  where  the  company  owns 
varyingshares  of  the  mineralrights.  The  topo- 
graphy shows  the  position  of  Dolcoath  and  of 
East  Pool,  together  with  ^he  Tolgus  proper- 
ties, which  are  being  developed  by  the  latter. 
In  between,  the  position  of  South  Crofty  is 
indicated.  As  regards  the  tracts  where  the 
company  has  the  entire  rights  from  the  surface 
downward,  these  are  confined  chiefly  to  the 
line  of  the  Red  River  and  to  the  Gwithian 
sands  at  its  mouth.  It  is  probable  that  the 
company  will  associate  itself  with  the  com- 
pany owning  the  lease  of  Gwithian  sands  for 
the  purpose  of  inaugurating  a  comprehensive 
dredgmg  campaign,  and  that  it  will  undertake 
similar  work  on  the  river  itself.  As  regards 
prospective  lode-mining,  the  intention  is  to 
attack  the  deep  levels  of  the  lodes  to  the  north 
of  the  present  line  of  workings  between  Cam- 
borne and  Redruth.  In  earlier  times  proper- 
ties such  as  theSeton  have  yie  ■'■■  d  copper  ores 
from  the  killas,  otherw  .  and  there  is 

every  reason  to  believ  t  where  the  lodes 

enter  the  granite  workable  tin  ore  will  be  found. 
These  northern  lodes,  however,  enter  the  gran- 
ite at  too  great  a  depth  for  the  older  mining 
operators,  but  with  modern  improvements  in 
methods  this  fact  should  present  no  difficulty. 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


Mr.  Moreing's  system  does  not  involve  any  re- 
opening of  old  shafts  or  the  unwatering  of  old 
workings.  His  plan,  as  demonstrated  at  the 
Tolgus,  is  to  prospect  laterally  at  depth  by 
means  of  cross  cut  and  bore-hole.  British 
metalliferous  mining  has  never  before  been  the 
subject  of  so  comprehensive  a  scheme  of  ex- 
amination and  development  as  is  proposed  by 
Tehidy  Minerals,  and  Cornwall  should  reap 
great  advantage  from  the  campaign. 

Goodchild  on  Ore  Deposits. 

Last  month's  meeting  of  the  Institution  of 
Mining  and  Metallurgy  was  devoted  to  a  dis- 
cussion of  the  theory  of  igneous  ore  deposits, 
which  was  propounded  by  Mr.  W.  II.  Good- 
child  in  his  articles  published  in  this  Magazine 
last  year.  The  subject  was  introduced  by 
means  of  a  paper  containing  a  brief  summary 
of  the  subject  matter  of  the  articles,  and  by  a 
short  verbal  opening  by  the  author.  The  fact 
that  the  theory  should  be  discussed  in  this  way 
speaks  much  for  the  general  recognition  of  its 
importance,  and  the  quality  of  the  discussion 
and  the  personality  of  the  speakers  goes  to  con- 
firm this  impression.  We  feel  ourselves  ar- 
rided,  as  The  Times  dramatic  critic  used  tosay, 
that  articles  in  this  Magazine  should  be  dis- 
cussed at  a  meeting  of  the  Institution,  and  we 
thank  the  Council  for  the  compliment  implied. 
We  also  pat  ourselves  on  the  back  for  having 
recognized  the  importance  of  Mr.  Goodchild's 
theory,  and  for  having  encouraged  him  to  write 
the  articles. 

Of  the  various  speakers  at  the  meeting,  Mr. 
R.  D.  Oldham  was  perhaps  the  most  interest- 
ing, for  he  extended  the  application  of  the 
principle  of  volume  changes  to  physical  geo- 
logy. Mr.  Goodchild  himself  was  not  unaware 
of  this  application,  but  when  he  wrote  the 
articles  we  had,  owing  to  the  exigencies  of 
space,  to. advise  him  to  confine  the  discussion 
to  the  genesis  of  ore  deposits  and  not  to  tackle 
the  general  history  of  the  earth.  Mr.  Oldham 
is  one  of  our  foremost  physical  geologists,  and 
he  admitted  that  in  his  studies  there  were 
several  problems  without  solution  until  Mr. 
Goodchild  propounded  his  theory.  Faulting, 
elevation  of  mountain  ranges,  and  the  "sudden - 
origin  "  earthquake  are  now  all  explained  by 
change  of  volume. 

That  distinguished  doyen  of  petrologists,  Sir 
Jethro  Teall,  in  complimenting  Mr.  Goodchild 
on  his  work,  made  the  announcement  that  the 
founding  of  an  institute  for  the  study  of  the 
origin  of  minerals  is  being  favourably  consid- 
ered by  the  Committee  for  Scientific  and  In- 
dustrial Research.     Such  an  institute  would  be 


able  to  obtain  evidence  of  the  behaviour  of 
minerals  under  high  pressure,  evidence  which 
Mr.  Goodchild  has  naturally  been  unable  to  se- 
cure. Another  distinguished  petrologist,  Dr. 
J.  W.  Evans,  mentioned  that  Mr.  Goodchild's 
arguments  directly  controverted  the  opinion 
recently  expressed  in  America  that  pressure  had 
little  to  do  with  the  formation  of  minerals. 
For  this  reason,  if  for  no  other,  he  said,  it  would 
be  well  if  independent  investigations  were  made 
in  this  country,  instead  of  depending  as  hereto- 
fore on  the  researches  of  the  American  institu- 
tions. Dr.  Evans  differed  in  one  detail  from 
Mr  Goodchild.  He  thought  2%  of  water  in  a 
magma  to  be  far  too  little  to  produce  the  re- 
sults described,  and  he  proposed  20%  instead. 
For  ourselves  we  think  that  with  Dr.  Evans's 
figure  no  land  surface  would  ever  have  been 
formed  on  the  globe.  Dr.  J.  V.  Elsden  also 
discussed  the  paper  in  thoroughly  competent 
fashion,  though  perhaps  he  has  not  fully  ap- 
preciated the  significance  of  density  analyses 
of  minerals. 

<  >f  the  speakers  on  the  mining  engineering 
side,  Mr.  E.  T.  McCarthy  made  the  most  ap- 
preciative speech.  Mr.  H.  1  .  Marriott  and 
Mr.  II.  F.  Collins  were  a  little  sceptical  and 
cold  as  to  the  practical  value  of  the  author's 
speculations  on  the  origin  of  ore  deposits.  The 
pessimist  of  the  evening,  however,  was  Dr. 
Willet  G.  Miller.  The  only  congratulation  be 
extended  to  Mr.  Goodchild  was  based  on  the 
omission  of  the  name  Sudbury  from  the  paper. 
This  showed  that  Dr.  Miller  had  not  read  the 
original  articles  in  the  Magazine,  forthediscus- 
sion  of  the  application  of  the  theory  to  the  Sud- 
burydeposits  gave  the  (]  met  us  to  the  two  con  diet- 
ing schools  that  have  maintained  so  animated 
a  controversy  for  years.  Dr.  Miller,  was,  un- 
fortunately, right  when  he  said  that  controver- 
sies on  the  origin  of  ore  deposits  arouse  bitter 
feelings  and  professional  jealousies.  We  may 
put  this  another  way,  and  say  that  the  greatest 
tragedy  in  the  life  of  a  young  economic  geolo- 
gist is  his  discovery  of  field  evidence  which  up- 
sets his  principal's  pet  theory.  The  other  geo- 
logist from  Canada  contributing  to  the  discus- 
sion, Major  R.  W.  Brock,  was  not  quite  so 
dismal  as  Dr.  Miller,  but  he  did  not  appear  to 
think  that  the  theory  was  of  more  than  scien- 
tific interest. 

It  is  not  desirable  for  us  to  report  the  dis- 
cussion in  full  detail  on  the  present  occasion, 
for  further  discussion  will  come  forward  in 
writing,  and  Mr.  Goodchild  will  reply.  On  a 
later  occasion  we  shall  publish  a  supplementary 
article  embodying  the  new  arguments  and 
opinions  adduced  in  the  discussion. 


REVIEW  OF  MINING 


Introduction. —The  signing  of  Peace,  and 
the  conquest  of  the  Atlantic  by  aeroplane  and 
air-ship  are  the  favourable  events  of  the  month. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  labour  unrest  in  this 
country  is  an  evil  omen,  and  the  continued 
rise  in  the  price  of  coal  is  giving  manufac- 
turers great  disquietude.  Mining  and  the 
metal  market  are  still  overshadowed  by  the 
vast  Government  stocks  of  metal.  There  ap- 
pears to  be  little  hope  now  that  gold  mining 
will  receive  national  support  in  any  part  of  the 
world  ;  any  benefits  to  be  obtained  will  depend 
merely  on  methods  of  marketing. 

Transvaal. — The  Government  still  stands 
aloof  in  the  matter  of  helping  low-grade  mines, 
and  the  Rand  houses  in  vain  draw  attention  to 
the  critical  financial  position  of  many  of  the 
operating  companies.  Conditions  might  be 
improved  if  labour  was  more  plentiful,  but  per- 
mission to  resume  recruiting  from  north  of 
latitude  22°S,  the  most  likely  source  of  addi- 
tional natives,  is  refused.  The  labour  shortage 
was  clearly  indicated  by  Sir  Lionel  Phillips  at 
the  meeting  of  shareholders  of  the  Central  Min- 
ing and  Investment  Corporation  when  he  said 
that  the  plants  were  able  to  work  during  1918 
at  71%  capacity,  and  during  1917  at  81%,  as 
against  a  normal  of  about  92%. 

The  Transvaal  mines  are  expecting  another 
burden  in  the  shape  of  additional  contributions 
to  the  Phthisis  Fund  for  retrospective  pay- 
ment to  sufferers  and  dependents  of  past  suf- 
ferers. If  the  bill  passes  into  law,  probably 
the  mines  will  have  to  pay  ,£"2,000,000. 

A  serious  fall  of  hanging  wall  occurred  at 
the  Durban  Roodepoort  Deep  on  June  23,  in 
No.  1  shaft,  between  the  7th  and  11th  levels. 
It  will  take  a  month  to  repair  the  shaft. 

The  Aurora  West  reports  a  serious  accident 
at  the  mill  engines,  and  until  repairs  are  com- 
pleted it  will  not  be  possible  to  run  more  than 
45  out  of  the  80  stamps.  The  June  and  July 
figures  of  output  will  be  affected. 

It  is  announced  that  the  bores  on  Eendracht, 
Boschoek,  and  Town  Lands  in  the  Heidelberg 
districthave  been  suddenly  stopped  before  they 
had  been  sunk  far  enough  to  intersect  the  reef 
according  to  orthodox  views  of  the  geology. 
Mr.  Bleloch's  theory  is  that  the  Van  Ryn  reef 
is  nearer  the  surface  than  the  orthodox  geolo- 
gists hold.    The  position  is  not  clear  at  present. 

Diamonds. —  Reports  are  to  hand  that  a 
diamond  deposit  has  been  found  in  the  Roux- 
ville  district,  Orange  Free  State.  The  dis- 
covery was  made  in  the  course  of  digging  an 


irrigation  trench.  The  stones  are  said  to  be 
plentiful  and  of  good  quality,  the  largest  weigh- 
ing 50  carats. 

Rhodesia. — The  output  of  gold  during  May 
was  ^218,057,  as  compared  with  ^"213,160  in 
April,  and  ^239,205  in  May,  1918.  The  end 
of  the  Eldorado  mine  is  reflected  in  the  May 
return  of  £5,110  as  compared  with  ^10,233  in 
April.  Other  outputs  for  May  were  :  Silver 
17,587  oz.,  copper  297  tons,  chrome  ore  4,890 
tons,  asbestos  832  tons,  arsenic  13  tons,  coal 
45,759  tons,  and  diamonds  30  carats. 

The  British  South  Africa  Company  is  about 
to  close  its  mining  department,  probably  at 
the  end  of  the  current  year.  The  company's 
chief  engineer,  Mr.  A.  H.  Ackermann,  has 
already  resigned,  and,  as  recorded  in  the  Per- 
sonal column,  has  gone  to  Transylvania.  He 
held  the  position  for  thirteen  years,  having 
succeeded  Mr.  E.  H.  Garthwaite  in  19C6. 

The  mines  of  the  Selukwe  Columbia  com- 
pany have  recently  been  let  on  tribute,  but  are 
notnowyielding  profit  to  anybody,  so  the  whole 
property  of  the  company  is  to  be  sold  and  the 
company  wound  up. 

The  Planet  Arcturus  company  reports  that 
its  chief  properties,  the  Slate  and  Arcturus, 
have  been  put  in  order  by  the  Gold  Fields  Rho- 
desian  Development  Co.,  and  that  the  mill  will 
be  ready  to  start  at  the  end  of  this  year. 

West  Africa. — The  output  of  gold  during 
May  was  ;£"  100,827  as  compared  with  ^109,570 
in  April  and  ^"126,290  in  May,  1918.  The 
Ashanti  Goldfields  reported  a  figure  lower  than 
normal,  due  to  an  accident  at  the  shaft  which 
caused  hoisting  to  be  suspended  for  four  days. 

Australasia. — During  the  last  few  years 
the  Mount  Boppy  gold  mine  has  suffered  from 
alternate  drought  and  flood.  No  rain  worth 
mentioning  has  fallen  since  January,  1918,  and 
the  campaign  on  the  ore  around  the  old  main 
shaft,  which  began  in  February,  came  to  an 
end  in  November  for  lack  of  water.  In  March 
the  drought  was  broken,  but  the  mine  did  not 
benefit  as  much  as  some  districts  in  New 
South  Wales,  and  resumption  of  opera- 
tions was  only  temporary.  This  dislocation 
has  put  the  company  in  financial  straits,  and 
further  funds  are  to  be  raised  by  reconstruction. 
The  preference  shares  are  to  be  reduced  from 
£\  to  10s.,  and  three  new  10s.  ordinary  shares, 
credited  7s.  6d.  paid,  are  to  be  offered  to  the 
holders  of  two  £\  shares.  In  this  way  ^22,687 
of  fresh  capital  will  be  provided  if  all  the 
shares  are  taken  up.     The  ore  reserve  is  cal- 


8 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


culatedat  188,158  tons  averaging  5  dwt.,  and 
in  addition  there  is  a  large  amount  of  low-grade 
oxidized  ore  that  can  be  worked  by  open-cut. 

We  recorded  some  time  ago  that  the  Muti- 
gana  company  near  Chillagoe,  Queensland,  had 
been  put  into  liquidation  owing  to  the  impos- 
sibility of  continuing  operations  after  the  clos- 
ing of  the  Chillagoe  smelter.  Now  that  the 
Government  has  purchased  the  Chillagoe  prop- 
erty and  is  re-opening  the  smelter,  the  Mun- 
gana  mines  are  to  be  reopened.  A  new  com- 
pany has  been  formed  to  acquire  the  prop- 
from  the  liquidator,  to  be  called  the  Mungana 
Silver-Lead  Mine-  Co.,  having  a  capital  of- 
^"100,000.  Half  of  the  shares  will  be  paid  as 
purchase  price  and  the  remainder  will  be  sold 
for  cash,  and  will  thus  provide  ,{'50,000  work- 
ing capital.  The  two  mines,  the  Girofla  and 
Lady  Jane,  are  full  of  water,  the  latter  having 
been  flooded  to  extinguish  a  lire.  The  first 
work  to  be  undertaken  will  be  the  unwatering 
of  the  workings,  which  is  expected  to  cost 
,£"10,000.  The  ore  reserves  in  sight  in  the 
Lady  Jane  are  stated  to  be  estimated  at  50,000 
tons,  containing  27%  lead,  10  oz.  silver,  and 
3%  copper  ;  while  the  Girofla  is  estimated  to 
contain  107,000  tons  ore,  averaging  10  oz.  sil- 
ver, and  5"..  copper.  During  the  years  1906, 
1907,  1909,  and  1911  the  old  Mungana  com- 
pany made  a  profit  of  over  ,^90,000.  In  addi- 
tion to  increased  facilities  generally  expected 
from  the  taking  over  by  the  Government  of 
the  Chillagoe  smelter  and  the  Chillagoe  and 
Etheridge  railways,  it  is  expected  that  coke 
for  smelting  will  be  now  available  from  the 
Mt.  Mulligan  mine,  at  a  cost  of  35s.  a  ton, 
compared  with  £\  a  ton,  the  cost  previously 
ruling  at  the  smelters. 

The  transfer  of  the  Chillagoe  mines,  smelter, 
and  railway  to  the  Queensland  Government 
has  at  last  been  effected.  The  company's  sole 
remaining  asset  is  the  Mount  Mulligan  coal  de- 
posit. As  mentioned  in  the  preceding  para- 
graph, coke  ovens  are  to  be  erected.  A  satis- 
factory business  in  both  coal  and  coke  is  an- 
ticipated. 

Labour  troubles  at  Australian  mines  con- 
tinue. The  strike  at  Broken  Hill  is  not  yet 
settled,  and  now  Kalgoorlie  is  threatened  with 
a  suspension  of  operations  owing  to  the  wood- 
cutters demanding  an  impossible  advance  in 
the  rate  of  pay. 

The  labour  position  at  Mount  Morgan  has 
improved.  After  operations  had  been  sus- 
pended fora  fortnight  from  June  14,  the  Unions 
agreed  to  allow  blister  copper  to  be  transported 
to  the  Port  Kembla  refinery.  The  directors 
'hereupon  decided  to  resume  work  at  the  mine. 


The  Commonwealth  Government  has  re- 
quested Mr.  A.  A.  Boyd,  general  manager  of 
the  Mount  Morgan  mine,  to  report  on  the  Blythe 
River  iron  ore  deposits  in  northern  Tasmania, 
particulars  of  which  we  gave  in  the  March 
issue.  Mr.  Royd  will  be  assisted  by  Mr.  C. 
G.  Gibson,  geologist,  and  Mr.  (i.  W.  Young, 
mining  surveyor. 

At  the  South  Blocks  mine  at  Broken  Hill, 
worked  by  the  Zinc  Corporation,  the  lead  lode 
continues  to  develop  well.  On  the  other  hand, 
the  parallel  zinc  lode  is  not  up  to  expectations, 
and  in  depth  the  profitable  blende  occurs  only 
in  irregular  lenses.  When  the  mine  was  bought, 
it  was  expected  that  the  zinc  lode  would  pi 
vide  material  suitable  for  treatment  in  the  con- 
centration plant  employed  on  the  zinc  tailing 
dumps,  for  the  treatment  of  which  the  corpora- 
tion was  originally  formed,  when  these  dumps 
are  exhausted.  The  lode  is  failing  to  support 
these  expectations,  but  the  lead  lode  is  more 
than  making  up  for  it.  The  corporation  has 
recently  taken  a  fths  share-  in  the  Australian 
patents  right  of  the  new  Elmore  process  and 
is  proceeding  to  erect  an  experimental  plant. 
The    Amalgamated   Zinc   (Re    i  has 

adopted  a  similar  policy  in  connection  with  the 
Ganelin,  or  chloride,  process. 

Malaya.      The  report  of  the  Tekka  com 
pany  for  the  year  ended  January  31  shows  in- 
es  in  the  output  and  profit.     The  amount 
of  ground  treated  was  487,950  cubic  yards,  and 
the  output  of  tin  concentrate  510  tons.     The 
profit  was  £"72,166,  out  of  which  '"34,000  has 
been  distributed  as  dividend,  being  at  the  rate 
of  42i%.      Extra  cost  has  been  incurred  re 
cently  owing  to  the  falling  of  ground  and   the 
consequent  necessity  of  moving  the  pipe  line. 
The  current  output  is  rather  less  than  during 
1918,  but  is  sufficient  to  maintain  the  rate  of 
dividend.      A  large  balance  was  kept  in   hand 
at   the  end  of    1918   to    provide    for    R 
Profits  Duty. 

The  Pahang  Corporation  announces  the  cut- 
ting of  the  Willink's  lode  on  the  900  ft.  level. 
The  lode  at  the  point  of  intersection  is  5  ft. 
wide  and  assays  R5°o  metallic  tin  per  ton. 

Cornwall. —  The  new  treatment  plant  at 
the  Geevor  mine,  which  will  double  the  month- 
ly capacity  from  2,000  to  4,000  tons  and  the 
output  of  concentrate  from  30  to  60  tons,  will 
be  completed  shortly.  Mr.  John  M.  lies  has 
paid  another  visit  to  the  property,  and  has 
made  a  brief  report,  in  which  he  expresses 
gratification  with  the  results  of  development 
and  of  the  prospects  for  still  further  increasing 
the  ore  reserves.  He  is  of  opinion  that  with- 
in a  short  time  it  will  be  possible  to  mine  \000 


JULY,     1919 


tons  per  month,  so  that  a  further  expansion  of 
the  treatment  plant  may  be  considered. 

British  Mining. — The  Government  prom- 
ised an  inquiry  into  the  state  of  the  non-ferrous 
metal  industry  in  this  country,  but  has  shown 
no  inclination  to  take  promptstepstorelievethe 
financial  stress  caused  by  the  fall  in  prices  of 
the  metals,  higher  statutory  wages,  and  the  in- 
creased cost  of  fuel.  Our  Cornish  correspon- 
dent announces  that  the  only  benefit  offered  is 
the  loan  of  money  something  below  the  break- 
up value  of  the  machinery.  A  specific  case  of 
the  doubtful  future  of  lead  and  zinc  mining  is 
provided  by  Mr.  John  Mitchell,  who  writes  in 
this  issue  on  the  Wanlockhead  and  Leadhills 
district  in  South  Scotland.  These  fine  old 
mines  have  plenty  of  life  left  in  them,  pro- 
vided the  temporary  adverse  conditions  can  be 
weathered.  The  driving  of  the  drainage  tun- 
nel advocated  by  Mr.  Mitchell  is  a  thoroughly 
sound  proposal,  and  it  would  undoubtedly  make 
available  large  reserves  of  ore.  If  the  mines 
were  in  the  Dominions,  part  of  the  cost  of  the 
tunnel  would  be  readily  shouldered  by  the 
Government.  It  is  not  too  late  for  the  home 
authorities  to  take  the  same  interest  in  non- 
ferrous  metal  mining. 

Canada. — We  publish  elsewhere  in  this 
issue  a  short  article  by  Col.  H.  H.  Johnson  on 
the  present  conditions  at  the  Kirkland  Lake 
goldfieid.     He  was  sent  out  recently  to  advise 


Map  or  part  of  Kirkland  Lake  District 

as  to  the  policy  of  the  Kirkland  Lake  Proprie- 
tary in  connection  with  a  proposed  amalgama- 
tion with  the  Tough-Oakes,  Sylvanite,  and 
Burnside.  His  report  has  just  been  issued. 
This  contains  an  account  of  the  workings  and 
plant  of  the  Tough-Oakes  and  the  Burnside 
and  of  the  workings  of  the  Sylvanite.  The 
Tough-Oakes  plant  has  a  capacity  of  120  tons 
per  day  and  was  operating  until   July,   1918, 


having  produced  gold  worth  £"400,000  from 
127,000tons  of  ore,  and  paying  small  dividends 
for  1915  and  1916.  At  Burnside  a  30  ton  mill 
isnearly  complete.  Asthe  Tough-Oakesveins 
dip  into  the  Burnside,  an  amalgamation  would 
be  advantageous.  Exploration  at  the  Sylvan- 
ite was  suspended  on  the  outbreak  of  war,  and 
consisted  of  trenchesand  several  shallow  shafts. 
The  evidence  obtained  showed  that  the  main 
line  of  lodes  of  the  district  traverses  the  prop- 
erty. The  development  could  be  done  from 
the  Tough-Oakes  and  the  Burnside  without 
further  sinking. 

United  States. — The  exploration  by  tun- 
nel of  the  continuation  of  the  Camp  Bird  lode 
in  depth  is  being  followed  with  unusual  inter 
est.  The  first  reports  of  results  tended  toshow 
that  only  straggling  roots  were  to  be  found. 
The  latest  cable  gives  much  more  gratifying 
news.  It  is  announced  that,  in  the  ventilating 
rise,  which  is  now  290  ft.  up,  the  ore  is  con- 
tinuous, and  that  the  width  of  the  lode  is  in- 
creasing, the  last  20  ft.  averaging  $50  per  ton 
over  3  ft.  In  two  other  rises,  similarly  grati- 
fyingresultshave  been  obtained.  Atone  place 
the  ore  averages  more  than  5  oz.  gold  per  ton 
over  a  width  of  between  3  and  4  ft.  We  con- 
fess to  having  been  rather  doubtful  as  to  the 
prospects  of  finding  valuable  ore  below  the  old 
workings.  Our  congratulations  to  Mr.  J.  A. 
Agnew  on  the  successful  results  now  being  ob- 
tained are,  for  this  reason, all  the 
more  sincere. 

Mexico. — Workatthe  Buena 
Tierra  silver-lead  mine,  in  Chi- 
huahua, controlled  by  the  Ex- 
ploration Company,  was  re  com- 
menced in  May,  1918,  and  from 
then  to  the  end  of  the  year, 
1 3,063  tons  of  ore  averaging  1 0% 
lead  and  10*9  oz.  silver  per  ton 
was  sold  to  smelters.  The  re- 
ceiptswere/£'29,379,and  the  prof- 
it was  ^7,373.  Development 
is  being  vigorously  conducted 
with  gratifying  results. 

Colombia. — The  Colombian 
Mining  &  Exploration  Co.  con- 
tinues  to    provide    mild    sensa- 
tions for  the  mining  market.     At  a  meeting  of 
shareholders  held  in  the  middle  of  June,  the 
chairman  stated  that  the  gs  are  continu- 

ally filling  with  gold  ore,  or  "anchadura,"  and 
that  there  is  at  present  half  a  million  tons  of 
this  material  that  can  be  extracted,  some  of  it 
sampling  5  to  16  dwt.  We  presume  that  this 
is  clayey  gouge  matter  brought  down  by  the 
heavy  surface  drainage  characteristic  of  the 


10 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


district.  Shareholders  must  not  suppose  that 
there  is  a  perpetual  spring  of  gold.  They 
might  ask  the  chairman  whether  the  sampling 
he  quoted  truly  covered  the  half-million  tons. 
It  is  well  to  remember,  also,  that  gold  is  diffi- 
cult to  extract  from  stiff  clay. 

The  California  properties  of  the  Oroville 
Dredging  Co.  are  now  practically  exhausted, 
and  the  American  company  is  being  wound  up. 
Attention  will  in  future  be  turned  solely  to  the 
Pato  and  Nechi  properties  in  Colombia.  The 
Nechi  property  has  been  carefully  nursed,  un- 
til two  months  ago,  in  order  to  avoid  so  great 
a  share  of  the  profits  going  to  Excess  Profits 
Duty.  Opportunity  was  taken  to  work  some 
of  the  poorer  ground  and  also  part  of  the  ground 
of  the  Pato  company.  The  latter  work  was 
done  in  order  that  the  tailing  should  form  a 
barrier  between  the  river  and  the  men's  quar- 
ters, which  were  often  in  danger  from  floods 
during  the  rainy  season.  The  richer  gravel  is 
now  being  treated.  The  present  returns  show 
yields  of  67  to  98  cents  per  cubic  yard,  with 
operating  costs  at  10  cents.  The  ground  is 
easy  to  work,  as  may  be  judged  by  the  fact  that 
62,000  yards  was  handled  in  a  week  by  adredge 
with  9  ft.  buckets. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Oroville  company,  the 
chairman  gave  some  information  about  the 
Constancia  lode-gold  mine  recently  acquired 
by  the  Pato  company.  This  mine  is  situated 
a  mile  north-east  of  Anori,  on  the  Anori  river, 
which  is  a  tributary  of  the  Nechi  river,  and  is 
44  miles  south-west  of  the  Pato  property.  The 
purchase  price  is  $180,000  in  cash.  It  is  be- 
lieved that  the  property  has  been  worked  for 
140  years,  mostly  by  open-cut.  The  lodes  and 
country  rock  are  similar  to  those  characteristic 
of  the  Mother  Lode  in  Amador  County,  Cali- 
fornia. The  principal  workings  are  on  two 
parallel  veins,  which  occasionally  join.  On 
the  fourth  level  each  is  about  6  ft.  wide.  From 
1914  to  1918,  gold  worth  S3 11,000  was  extrac- 
ted from  46,000  tons  of  ore.  It  is  estimated 
that  the  present  workings  contain  reserves  of 
200,000  tons  averaging  6  dwt.  or  more  per  ton. 
It  will  be  possible  to  mine  100,000  tons  averag- 
ing 8  dwt.  per  ton  for  each  100  ft.  sunk,  and 
the  cost  should  not  be  more  than  §3*50  per  ton. 
Of  the  total  length  of  the  veins,  1 6,000  ft.,  only 
2,400  ft.  has  as  yet  been  exploited.  Mr. 
Prichard  recommends  the  erection  of  a  mill 
with  a  capacity  of  100  tons  per  day,  at  an  ex- 
penditure of  ^70,000,  to  be  enlarged  eventu- 
ally to  300  tons  at  an  additional  expenditure  of 
^80,000.  In  order  to  provide  the  capital  re- 
quired anissueof  preference  shares  is  proposed. 
Brazil. — The  persistence  of  ore  in  depth  at 


the  Morro  Yelho  gold  mine,  belonging  to  the 
St.  John  del  Rey  Company,  is  remarkable. 
The  lowest  horizon,  No.  21,  is  6,126  ft.  verti- 
cally below  outcrop,  and  though  development 
is  not  complete,  the  results  are  as  satisfactory 
as  on  the  levels  immediately  above.  On  the 
20th  horizon  the  ore-body  measures  935  ft. 
long  with  an  average  width  of  16  ft.,  and  on 
the  19th  it  is  942  ft.  long  with  an  average  width 
ol  14*8  ft.  The  assay-value  of  the  ore  has 
been  increasing,  standing  now  at  55s.  10d.,  as 
compared  with  53s.  9d.  the  year  before.  The 
reserve  down  to  the  21st  horizon  is  estimated 
at  1,209,000  tons,  sufficient  to  keep  the  null 
going  at  full  capacity  for  over  six  years.  Mr. 
George  Chalmers,  the  superintendent,  gives 
particulars  of  the  development  of  manganese 
properties  belonging  to  the  company.  De- 
spatches at  the  rate  of  3,000  tons  per  month 
were  just  begun  when  the  Armistice  was  sign- 
ed. Exploratory  work  has  also  been  done  on 
bauxite  deposits  which  promise  to  become  of 
importance  in  the  future. 

The  developments  at  the  I'assagem  gold 
mine,  operated  by  the  Ouro  Preto  company, 
have  been  comparatively  encouraging  recently, 
and  discoveries  on  the  920  and  1,040  metre 
levels  tend  to  show  that  the  deposits  are  Dot 
giving  out  at  depth  as  was  expected.  The 
mine  is  in  the  same  distrii  t  a-  the  Monro  Velho 
mine  of  the  St.  John  del  Key  company,  but 
has  not  been  so  successful  as  regards  either 
the  continuity  or  content  of  the  ore.  During 
1918  the  assay-value  of  the  ore  treated  was 
7i  dwt.,  and  the  income  about  balanced  the 
expenditure.  The  company  has  recently 
commenced  the  extraction  of  arsenic  from  the 
ore,  and  the  necessary  furnaces  have  been 
shipped  to  Brazil  for  the  purpose.  In  order 
to  pay  for  this  plant,  purchase  a  new  air-com- 
pressor, and  expand  development,  the  issue 
of  debentures  to  the  extent  of  ,£10,000  bearing 
10".,  interest  has  been  authorized. 

Spain.  At  themeetingof  MineralsSepara- 
tion,  Ltd.,  it  was  announced  that  Col.  A.  C. 
Howard  had  been  appointed  resident  manager 
in  Spam.  He  is  engaged  in  designing  a  plant 
to  treat  the  Penarroya  company's  lead  slime. 
Of  particular  interest  is  the  news  that  thiscom- 
pany  also  owns  extensive  low-grade  copper  de- 
posits, which  it  will  be  possible  to  treat  by  the 
flotation  process. 

Siberia. — The  report  that  the  Bolsheviks 
had  taken  possession  of  the  Lena  gold  mines 
is  now  declared  to  be  false.  A  message  from 
the  assistant  general  manager  at  Lenskoie  has 
been  published  stating  that  tranquil  conditions 
prevail  at  the  mines. 


THE  WANLOCKHEAD   LEAD  MINES. 

By   JOHN    MITCHELL. 

The  Manager  of  the  Wanlockhead   lead   mines  gives  particulars  of  a  successful  mining 
district  in  South  Scotland. 


THE  Wanlockhead  and  Leadhills  lead 
mines  are  situated  in  the  uplands  of  the 
south  of  Scotland,  and  adjoin  each  other, 
Wanlockhead  being  in  Dumfriesshire,  Lead- 
hills  in  Lanarkshire.  All  the  streams  from  the 
Leadhills  side  flow  into  the  River  Clyde  ;  those 
in  Wanlockhead  reach  the  River  Nith  at  San- 
quhar, and  so  on  to  the  Sol  way  Firth.  The 
two  properties  areowned  by  different  landlords, 
Wanlockhead  being  the  property  of  the  Duke 
of  Buccleuch  and  Queensberry,  and  Leadhills 
the  property  of  the  Marquis  of  Linlithgow. 
There  are  different  companies  working  the 
mines.  Wanlockhead  has  its  head  office  in 
Glasgow,  and  Leadhills  in  London.  Until  a 
few  years  ago,  the  mines  were  much  handi- 
capped by  being  about  seven  miles  distant  from 
a  railway  station,  and  in  former  times,  the  lead 
had  to  be  conveyed  to  Leith,  the  port  of  Edin- 
burgh, in  carts,  a  distance  of  50  miles.  There 
is  now  a  branch  of  the  Caledonian  Railway  in- 
to the  two  villages,  and  in  Leadhills  there  are 
sidings  that  go  right  into  the  mines  and  dress- 
ing-floors. A  very  satisfactory  service  of  pas- 
senger and  goods  trains  is  maintained.  There 
is  now  direct  communication  with  Glasgow, 
and  other  centres  of  industry.  The  villages 
are  situated  at  an  altitude  of  1,200  to  1,400  feet, 
andare  probably  thehighestin  Scotland.  They 
have  a  great  attraction  for  visi- 
tors in  summer,  for  the  air  is 
bracing  and  invigorating. 

Although  mininghas  been  car- 
ried on  for  a  long  time,  and  very 
considerable  returns  made,  the 
area  so  far  worked,  or  proved,  is 
small.  Mining  operations  have 
practically  been  confined  to  the 
veins  lying  around  the  two  vil- 
lages. The  veins  have  been 
proved  for  a  length  of  about  two 
miles  from  north  to  south,  and 
about  three  miles  from  west  to 
east.  The  geological  formation 
is  the  Lower  Silurian,  the  grey- 
wacke,  or  what  is  known  locally 
as  whinstone.  This  is  a  pretty 
hard  stone,  and  does  not  vary 
much  in  the  mining  area.  There 
aresome  beds  of  schist, andsome 
slips,  but    none    of    these    dis- 


place the  veins  to  a  great  extent,  although  the 
schist  until  recently  was  supposed  to  have  cut 
out  certain  of  the  veins  that  have  now  been 
found  to  be  lead-bearing  when  driven  through 
it.  Though  the  geological  formation  does  not 
show  much  variation,  the  filling  matter  of  the 
veins  varies  widely.  Some  veins  contain  hard 
compact  quartz,  and  others  are  filled  with  soft 
stone,  which  readily  exfoliates  when  exposed 
to  the  weather.  Some  are  filled  with  friable 
quartz,  oxide  of  iron,  and  other  vein  matter. 
Most  of  them  contain  vughs  or  loch  holes,  from 
which  some  beautiful  quartz  and  calcite  crys- 
tals are  obtained.  Some  of  the  veins  contain 
a  great  variety  of  mineral  specimens.  The  old 
heaps  of  the  abandoned  mines  are  a  happy 
hunting  ground  for  the  mineralogist.  There 
are  collections  of  the  minerals  in  most  of  the 
museums  in  Scotland,  and  some  of  the  miners 
have  very  valuable  collections. 

There  are  records  of  the  mines  having  been 
worked  for  lead  in  the  thirteenth  century.  It 
is  thought  probable  that  the  Romans  may  have 
done  something  in  this  field,  as  they  had  a  camp 
not  far  distant  and  were  not  likely  to  overlook 
the  lead  mines. 

In  the  sixteenth  century  there  was  a  large 
amount  of  gold-washing  done  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  the  mines.     There  are  records  of  gold 


Map  of  part  ok  South  Scotland  showing 
and  Wanlockhead 

11 


position  of  Leadhills 


12 


THE    MIX  INC.    MAGAZINE 


to  the  value  of  ^"100,000  having  been  recovered 
in  the  course  of  a  summer's  working  from  the 
valleys  of  the  Wanlock,  El  van,  and  Glengon- 
nar.  Anyone  interested  in  the  records  of  this 
working  will  find  a  detailed  account  in  "  God's 
Treasure  House  in  Scotland,"  by  the  late  Rev. 
J.  Moir  Porteous,  D  D.  The  gold  was  got 
from  the  gravel,  and  some  very  large  nuggets 
have  been  found.  Some  of  the  miners  still  de- 
vote a  little  of  their  spare  time  to  gold-washing. 
No  doubt  ihey  find  it  an  interesting  pastime, 
and  can  sell  the  gold  for  more  than  its  intrinsic 
value  to  people  who  have  a  fancy  for  a  little 
native  gold.  Some  people  hold  the  opinionthat 
there  is  still  a  gold  reef  to  be  discovered. 
Pieces  of  gold  quartz  have  been  picked  up  from 
time  to  time.  Last  summer  Mr.  Wilson,  of 
the  Geolcgical  Survey,  found  a  piece  of  quartz 
with  gold  through  it,  as  lar^e  as  a  man's 

There  are  records  m  Wanlockhead  of  con- 
tinuous and  sometimes  very  successful  mining 
for  239  years  without  any  suspension 
tions.  The  first  worker  was  Sir  J  imes  Stamp- 
field  (1680—1691),  then  Matthew  Wilson  to 
1710,  then  from  1710  to  1721  a  company  for 
smelting  down  lead  with  pit  coal,  probably  that 
which  came  to  be  known  as  the  London  I 
Company.  From  1721,  there  was  more  than 
one  company  operating  in  Wanlockhead  at  the 
same  time.  These  were  the  Friendly  or 
Quaker  company,  and  the  smelting  company 
already  referred  to.  These  latterly  joined  to- 
gether, and  were  succeeded  in  1734  by  Alex- 
ander ,v.  William  Telfer.  In  1755,  the  whole 
field  of  W'anlockhead  was  taken  over  by  I 
aid  Crawford,  Meason,  &  Company.  This 
company,  which  in  the  end  was  owned  by  a 
late  Marquis  of  Bute,  worked  the  mines  until 
1842,  when  the  then  Duke  of  Buccleuch  took 
the  mines  into  his  own  hands,  and  worked  them 
until  November,  1906,  when  the  present  Wan- 
lockhead Lead  Mining  Company  took  over  the 
mines.  All  of  the  companies  are  not  reported 
to  have  been  very  successful,  but  there  were 
times  when  the  mines  were  very  rich,  and  no 
doubt  large  profits  were  made.  The  mines 
were  successful  until  1832,  when  the  introduc- 
tion of  "  Free  Trade  "  brought  the  price  of  pig 
lead  down  to  £\1.  10s.  per  ton.  Before  that 
period,  steam  engines  had  been  largely  used, 
the  company  being  about  the  first  to  avail 
themselves  of  these.  Some  of  the  earliest 
nes  were  erected  at  Wanlockhead.  The 
low  price  of  lead,  and  probably  the  poverty  of 
the  mines,  led  to  the  disuse  of  the  steam  en- 
gine, and  water-pressure  engines  were  substi- 
tuted for  pumping  purposes.  These  were  eco- 
n  jmical  and  good  of  their  kind,  but  being  de- 


pendent on  water  were  not  conducive  to  steady 
work. 

Ronald  Crawford  cY.  Company,  who  worked 
the  mines  for  the  longest  period,  had  the  as- 
sistance of  some  very  able  engineers,  Smeaton 
of  the  Eddystone  Lighthouse  fame,  Symington 
who  built  the  first  steamboat,  also  the  Taylors 
who  were  connected  with  him  in  this,  and  other 
able  engineers.  The  skill  and  courage  they 
displayed  in  discovering  and  marking  out  the 
veins,  and  the  way  they  laid  out  their  works, 
reflects  the  greatest  credit  upon  them.  Many 
of  the  old  works  that  are  still  extant  give  evi- 
dence of  great  skill  and  perseverance. 

I  may  instance  a  tunnel  that  was  driven  from 
the  Wanlock  to  the  Mennock  Valley,  to  bring 
in  the  supply  which  is  still  used  for  the 

working  of  the  mine.  This  I--  1,266  yards  in 
length.  It  was  commenced  in  July,  1763,  and 
finished  on  November  4,  1774,  having  taken 
11  years  to  carry  through. 

Much  very  interesting  information  regarding 
the  early  workings  in  Leadhills  is  contained  in 
l*s  Treasure  House  in  Scotland."  I  n  this 
there  is  a  record  of  the  mines  being  let  to  the 
Monks  of  Newbattle  in  1239.  Even  in  these 
early  times  there  was  litigation,  anil  it  seems 
that  it  hail  stuck  to  the  mines  pretty  mm  h  ail 
through  their  history.  It  was  through  Mr. 
James  Hope,  an  advoi  ate,  who  successfully 
conducted  a  law  case  for  an  heiress  to  the 
mines,  whom  he  afterwards  married,  that  the 
mines  came  into  the  hands  of  the  Hopetoun 
family,  who  still  own  them.  The  mines  were 
held  in  high  repute  in  those  days,  being  called 
"  God's  Treasure  House  in  Scotland,"  "  and  it 
is  said  that  so  great  is  the  value  of  the  lead  that 
has  been  raised  from  beneath  one  of  the  moun- 
tains at  Leadhills,  that  a  competent  authority 
has  declared  that  it  would  suffice  to  pave  its 
surface  completely  with  gold  guineas  set  on 
edge."  The  competent  authority  was  prob 
ably  what  is  now  known  as  a  mining  expert, 
and  perhaps  it  might  be  safe  to  take  this  with 
the  proverbial  grain  of  salt. 

Coming  to  the  year  1747,  there  were  two 
mining  companies  working  at  Leadhills.  One 
of  these,  the  Scotch  Mining  Company,  whose 
shareholders  are  said  to  have  originated  the 
Sun  Fire  Office,  worked  on  until  1860  or  1861. 
Mr.  Horner  and  others  held  leases  on  parts  of 
the  districtatthesametime.  Mr.  Horner'slease 
was  purchased  by  the  Leadhills  Mining  Com- 
pany, but  they  were  unable  to  work  for  want 
of  water,  and  had  a  lawsuit  with  the  Scotch 
Mining  Company,  which  lasted  upwards  of 
twenty  years,  and  cost  ^"25,000.  This  led  to 
no  satisfactory  result,  and  a  compromise  was 


JULY,     1919 


13 


entered   into  in   1861,  by    which  the    Scotch 
Mining  Company  relinquished  their  lease,  and 
the  Leadhills  Mining  Company  obtained  pos- 
session of  the  entire  mining  field.      From  that 
time  the  works  have  been  carried  on  with  con- 
siderable spirit  and  enterprise.      Mr.   Nevin, 
who  was  manager,  laid  out  some  very  impor- 
tant works.     He  was  very  successful  in  dis- 
covering ore,  and  may  be  said  to  have  laid  the 
foundations  of  the  prosperity  that  has  since 
attended  the  mines  and  village.     The  present 
Leadhills  Mining  Company,  Ltd., has  been  very 
successful ;  it  has  only  a  small  capital  to  pay 
dividendson.     Thecompany  from  which  it  was 
reconstructed  returned  a  large  quantity  of  ore, 
but  during  most  of  its  time  the  price  of  lead 
ruled  low.     Forthe  last  twelve  or  fifteen  years, 
operations  have  been  chiefly  confined  to  the 
Brow  Vein,  which  has  been  remarkably  rich. 
The  whole  average  of  the  ground  cut  has  been 
high,  probably  richer  than  any  other  mine  in 
the  country,  if  we  except  the  mines  in  the  Lime- 
stone districts  of  England  and  Wales.     The 
prospects  in  the  bottom  of  the  mine  are  still 
considered  good.     The  veins  in  this  grant  are 
numerous,  and  are  sometimes  very  rich.     The 
last  company  obtained  their  ore  chiefly  from 
the  Brown  and   Raike  Veins.     The  Susanna 
Vein,  which  was  worked  in  former  times,   is 
reported  to  have  been  very  rich,  and  is  yet  con- 
sidered to  be  far  from  being  worked  out.     The 
trouble  then  was  water.     Anattempt  wasmade 
to  restart  this  some   fifty  years  ago,  but  the 
water  again  proved  too  much  for  the  appliances 
then  available.     An  engine  of  300  h.p.  was  put 
in  at  Leadhills  a  year  or  two  ago  to  generate 
electricity  and  drive  air-compressors.     There 
arealso  other  engines,  so  that  the  mine  is  pretty 
well  equipped  with  power.     Modernrock-drills 
are  used  in  the  mines,  also  electrically-driven 
pumps  and  winding  engines.     The  machinery 
throughout  may  be  considered  to  be  good,  but 
a  field  of  such   promise  as   Leadhills  is  well 
worthy  of  being  laid  out  on   a  more  compre- 
hensive scale,  and  of  having  a  shaft,  or  shafts 
of  decent  size,  these  being  vertical,  or  carried 
in  a  straight  line.     No  extensive  developments 
can   be  expected    through  the  present  shaft, 
which  for  half  its  distance  is  vertical,  the  other 
half  following  the  dip  of  the  vein  at  a   flat 
angle. 

For  the  last  52  years  up  to  the  end  of  1917, 
Leadhills  produced  88,796  tons  of  dressed  lead 
ore.  For  the  last  ten  years  of  that  period 
the  production  was  18,162  tons  of  lead  ore. 
Wanlockhead  in  the  same  period  produced 
91,509  tonsof  lead  ore,  and  8,654  tons  of  blende, 
and  in  the  last  ten  years  of  that  period  25,324 


tons  of  lead  ore,  and  6,513  tons  of  blende. 
The  returns  before  the  period  mentioned  are 
rather  difficult  to  get  at.  It  is  said  that  at  the 
time  of  the  law  plea  the  books  and  plans  were 
all  destroyed,  or  removed  from  Leadhills,  and 
there  are  no  mining  records  in  Wanlockhead 
office  prior  to  the  time  that  the  Duke  took  over 
the  mines.  It  is  understood  that  there  was  an 
old  journal  of  the  workings,  but  that  somehow 
disappeared  a  number  of  years  ago.  The 
Statistical  Account  of  Scotland  says  that  in 
the  fifty  years  prior  to  1835,  Ronald  Crawford 
&  Co.  expended  at  Wanlockhead  the  sum  of 
^500,000,  and  during  the  same  period  raised 
47,420  tons  of  lead.  At  the  price  then  ruling 
the  quantity  of  lead  named  would  be  worth 
about  £  1 ,000,000.  From  other  records  I  have 
seen,  the  production  about  the  year  1790  from 
Leadhills  was  1,400  tons  of  lead,  and  from 
Wanlockhead  1,000  tons  of  lead,  worth  ^20 
per  ton,  or  a  total  of  ^48,000,  per  annum. 
Taking  it  altogether  there  is  little  doubt  that 
this  has  been  a  rich  field,  and  that  the  works 
have  been  carried  on  fairly  successfully  over  a 
long  period. 

When  the  War  compelled  the  nation  to  look 
to  its  own  resources,  the  lead  mines  were  con- 
sidered of  national  importance,  and  the  Depart- 
ment for  the  Development  of  Mineral  Re- 
sources was  formed.  Sir  Lionel  Phillips,  the 
Controller,  and  several  of  the  Department's 
engineers,  visited  the  mines  to  see  what  could 
be  done  to  increase  production  and  help  the 
country  in  its  need.  Among  other  things  then 
suggested  was  the  driving  of  an  adit  to  serve 
both  mines,  and  I  was  asked  by  the  Controller 
to  submit  a  scheme  for  a  drainage  adit.  This 
was  a  matter  that  I  had  considered  thirty  years 
ago,  when  advising  a  company  who  were  in 
terms  for  taking  the  mines  from  the  Duke,  and 
had  almost  completed  negotiations  for  taking 
them  over,  when  a  difficulty  arose  owing  to 
rich  ore  having  been  cut,  and  ,£"2,000  per  year, 
dead  rent,  being  insisted  on.  At  that  time,  I 
recommended  the  driving  of  an  adit  from  Men- 
nock,  a  distance  of  about  two  miles,  to  unwater 
the  Wanlockhead  mines  down  to  the  80  fm. 
level.  That  same  scheme  at  a  later  period  was 
strongly  recommended  by  a  firm  of  engineers 
who  inspected  the  mines  for  the  Puke.  It  is 
a  good  scheme  still,  but  when  the  Government 
were  expected  to  take  a  hand  in  the  matter,  and 
the  scheme  was  to  serve  both  Leadhills  and 
Wanlockhead,  and  it  was  thought  the  Govern- 
ment would  bear  a  good  share  of  the  expense, 
and  that  the  two  landlords,  as  well  as  the  com- 
panies working  the  mines,  would  all  join  in  the 
expense,  a  bigger  scheme  was  recommended, 


14 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


namely,  to  drive  from  Enterkinfoot,  in  Niths- 
dale,  a  distance  of  six  miles  to  the  Wanlock- 
head  mines.  This  would  intersect  the  veins  in 
Wanlockhead  at  the  160  fm.  level,  where  the 
present  company  has  already  driven  over  300 
fm.  of  a  cross-cut,  across  the  veins  toward  Lead- 
hills,  when  the  Leadhills  company  would  have 
taken  it  up,  and  continued  it  across  their  area. 
This  tunnel  would  have  given  backs  of  80  fm. 
of  fresh  ground  below  the  bottoms  of  most  of 
the  waterlogged  mines  in  both  grants.  Most 
of  these  mines  might  be  expected  to  prove  well. 
All  theevidence  pointsinthisdirection.  There 
is  no  change  in  the  geological  formation,  and 
all  the  veins  are  known  to  be  holding  down 
strong.  It  is  admitted  and  known  that  some 
courses  of  ore  failed,  or  were  lost  through  water 
difficulties  and  other  troubles,  but  if  fresh  ground 
was  opened  out,  there  is  little  doubt  that  other 
coursesof  ore  wouldbe  opened.  In  those  veins 
that  have  been  worked  to  a  good  depth,  it  is 
seen  that  a  course  of  ore  may  fail  in  one  place, 
and  another  be  discovered  in  a  different  place. 

The  New  Glencrieff  working  in  Wanlock- 
head, now  at  about  250  fm.  from  the  surface, 
looks  quite  encouraging  for  holding  down  any 
depth.  The  Brow  Vein  at  Leadhills,  which  is 
about  the  same  depth,  is  also  holding  down 
good.  Theseminesbeing  a  good  distance  apart, 
and  there  being  a  number  of  productive  veins 
between,  there  is  every  indication  that 
quantities  of  ore  may  still  be  expected  to  h 
from  this  district.  That  there  is  a  large  future 
for  these  mines  I  am  firmly  convinced,  but  the 
plan  of  operations  to  ensure  success  should  be 
such  as  would  enable  work  to  be  carried  on  at 
a  greater  depth,  and  on  a  larger  scale  than  ever 
has  been  done  in  the  past.  If  these  come  to 
be  considered  a  national  asset,  probably  th< 
properties  would  be  worked  as  one.  This  would 
be  an  advantage  and  would  effect  a  saving  in 
several  directions.  The  tunnel  referred  to,  in 
addition  to  opening  up  the  present  mining  area, 
would  have  come  through  fresh  ground,  where 
it  might  reasonably  be  expected  productive 
veins  would  have  been  cut.  1 1  would  also  have 
given  a  chance  to  develop  a  large  amount  of 
power  from  water  that  could  have  been  dropped 
to  that  level.  The  proprietors  of  the  land 
would  have  been  certain  to  reap  large  benefits 
from  this  scheme,  and  might  have  been  ex- 
pected to  contribute  to  the  cost,  but  as  it  turned 
out,  they  were  strongly  opposed  to  it,  so  noth- 
ing has  been  done. 

Sir  Lionel  Phillips,  in  his  report,  refers  to  it 
as  follows : 

" The  Wanlockhead  &  Leadhills  Mines  have 
produced,  since  the  year   1856,   192,932  tons 


of  dressed  lead  ore,  and  6,982  tons  of  zinc 
concentrates,  which  represent  in  the  first  case 
about  95if'o,  and  in  the  second  75%  of  the  en- 
tire production  of  lead  and  zinc  ores  from  Scot- 
land, during  the  last  sixty  years. 

"  Constant  expense  and  difficulties  are  being 
experienced  in  connection  with  the  working  of 
these  mines,  owing  to  the  increasing  cost  of 
pumping,  and  a  suggestion  has  been  made  for 
draining  the  whole  district  by  means  of  a  tun- 
nel some  7  miles  in  length,  winch  would  tap 
the  workings  of  these  two  properties  at  a  low 
level,  and  at  the  same  time  would  traverse  a 
number  of  known  lead  veins,  and  possibly 
justify  reopening  some  of  the  formerly  pro- 
ductive mines.  In  addition  to  this,  important 
discoveries  might  be  made  in  ground  hitherto 
unexplored.  It  is  estimated  that  an  expendi- 
ture of  £150,000  would  be  involved  in  carry- 
ing out  thi>  work-,  but  as  it  would  take  from 
five  to  six  years  to  complete,  it  is  clearly  a 
matt'  osideration  after  the  war.     It  is 

one  of  those  cases  in  which  the  State  should 
oly  take  a   benevolent,  and  possibly  a 
financial  interest,  if  those  directly  concerned  in 
the  locality  would  incur  the  major  risk." 

The  Wanloi  khead  Mines.     Having  in 

the  foregoing  paragraphs  described  the  mining 
district  generally,  I  will  now  k'ive  details  of  the 
Wanlockhead  mines,  beginning  with  the  time 
for  which  there  are  full  records,  that 
the  date  that  the  Duke  took  over  the  mines. 
Mr.  James  Stewart  who  had  been  connected 
with  the  management  for  some  ten  years  prior 
to  1842  managed  the  mines  for  the  Duke  for 
thirty  years,  and  1  think  with  a  very  fair  n 
ure  of  success.  The  chief  workings  when  he 
hold  of  them  for  the  Puke  were  the  Loch- 
nell  and  the  Belton  ( iram.  These  became  un- 
profitable, largely  through  inadequate  means 
of  dealing  with  the  water.  He  then  turned  his 
attention  to  the  New  Glencrieff  Vein,  which 
had  been  abandoned  as  unprofitable,  and  stood 
idle  for  over  seventy  years.  He  also  reopened 
both  Bay  and  Straitsteps,  from  which  consider- 
ablequantitiesof  ore  werereturned.  The  New 
Glencrieff  proved  very  successful,  and  is  the 
lode  from  which  thereturnsarestill  beingmade. 
He  began  with  the  mines  comparatively  poor, 
and  left  them  rich.  He  had  the  satisfaction 
before  he  died  of  cutting  a  new  course  of  ore, 
which  has  probably  yielded  as  much  as  any 
shoot  of  ore  ever  discovered  in  Scotland.  He 
also  put  up  a  new  dressing  mill,  and  laid  out 
new  smelting  and  desilverizing  works  on  a 
goodscale.  This  gentleman  was  succeeded  by 
his  son,  Mr.  T.  13.  Stewart,  who  also  managed 
the  mines  for  a  period  of  about  thirty  years, 


JULY,    1919 


15 


wanlockhead 
Leadhills 

MINING      DISTR  ICTS 

Scale    of    feer. 


16 


THE     MIXING    MAGAZINE 


and  raised  a  large  quantity  of  ore  from  the 
New  Glencrieff  and  Straitsteps  Veins.  In  his 
time,  he  replaced  the  dressing  mill  with  new 
crushing  machinery,  and  self-acting  jigs,  a 
pretty  little  plant,  but  too  small  for  the  require- 
ments of  the  mine.  He  also  introduced  a  new 
water-condensing  plant  with  an  elaborate  sys- 
tem of  flues  for  catching  the  fumes  at  the 
smelting  mill,  which  resulted  in  a  great  saving 
of  lead.  Hehad  unfortunately  to  contend  with 
low  prices.  In  the  latter  part  of  the  Duke's 
time,  things  were  allowed  to  drift.  The  ap- 
pliances for  many  purposes  were  inadequate, 
and  nothing  was  done  to  provide  necessary 
machinery  for  draining  the  mines  or  to  depart 
from  old  ways  and  customs  that  had  become 
obsolete,  and  it  is  said  the  works  were  carried 
on  at  a  loss. 

Arrangements  were  made  with  the  present 
company  for  taking  over  the  mines  in  Novem- 
ber, 1906.  The  company  started  with  high 
hopes,  some  of  the  principals  believing  that  the 
mine  was  very  rich,  and  only  required  a  little 
capital  to  make  it — as  one  of  the  directors  put 
it — a  gold  mine.  As  the  difficulties  encountered 
were  greater  than  expected,  no  doubt  some 
disappointment  was  experienced.  After  a 
period  ofsomehesitation,  the  necessary  matters 
were  tackled  with  skill  and  determination,  and 
taking  the  results  as  a  whole,  from  the  start  to 
the  present  time,  the  mine  has  done  very  well. 
In  the  last  eighteen  months,  this  mine,  with 
other  lead  mines,  has  received  some  help  from 
the  Government,  but  not  sufficient  to  compen- 
sate for  the  increased  price  of  labour  and  ma- 
terials, considering  that  the  price  of  lead  was 
controlled  at  a  low  figure  during  the  war,  and 
de-controlled  as  soon  as  it  was  over,  when  the 
Government  had  heavy  stocks  to  put  on  the 
market. 

Since  the  present  company  took  over  the 
mines,  they  have  deepened  it  to  the  extent  of 
100  fm.,  over  a  length  of  nearly  a  mile.  In 
that  time  they  have  cut  195  fm.  in  shafts, 
1 ,052  fm.  in  rises  and  winzes,  6,075  fm.  in  driv- 
ing, 28,896  fin.  in  stopes  and  other  excavations, 
altogether  a  length  of  41  miles.  In  addition  to 
the  regular  developments  of  the  mine,  they 
put  out  a  trial  level  to  the  south  at  the  120  fm. 
level,  a  distance  of  half  a  mile.  This  was  only 
successful  at  the  start,  where  very  good  ore 
was  cut,  much  more  than  sufficient  to  pay  for 
the  driving,  but  the  remainder  of  the  drivage 
was  disappointing,  although  at  times  it  looked 
promising.  They  also  extended  the  two  bran- 
ches of  the  vein  north,  a  very  considerable  dis- 
tance beyond  the  former  workings.  On  the 
.v^est  branch,  they  did  not  meet  with  the  suc- 


cess that  might  have  been  expected  consider- 
ing the  size  and  strength  of  the  vein;  still, 
sufficient  ore  has  been  had  from  there  to  pay 
for  all  the  driving,  and  good  ore  is  still  being 
raised.  A  strong  opinion  is  held  that  further 
extensions  in  this  direction  will  open  good  ore. 
On  the  eastern  or  main  branch  of  the  vein  go- 
ing north,  the  management  formed  the  opinion, 
from  certain  evidences  that  they  discovered, 
that  lead  might  be  had  there  by  driving  through 
the  barren  part,  at  which  the  drivages  had 
formerly  been  suspended.  The  drivage  here 
did  not  prove  as  encouraging  as  might  have 
been  expected,  and  to  make  matters  worse, 
some  joints  led  the  drivage  a  considerable  way 
oil  the  proper  track  ;  the  survey  showed  it  to 
be  20  fm.  off  the  usual  track.  It  was  decided 
to  cross-cut  this  20  fm.,  and  say  as  little  about 
it  as  possible.  The  20  fm.  was  driven  and 
nothing  was  discovered.  Some  engineers  who 
I  the  mines  said,  "  What  are  you  driving 
there  <  hhers  said  we  would  not  get 

anything  there.  Although  disappointed  at  not 
cutting  the  vein  at  20  fm.,  it  was  resolved  to 
go  on,  and  at  21  fm.  the  vein  with  lead  in  it 
was  cut.  Some  11  fm.  was  opened  at  that 
place,  worth  15cwt.  per  fm.  A  considerable 
distance  was  driven  on  a  nice  vein,  but  with 
nothing  to  value,  when  a  shoot  of  ore  50  fm. 
in  length  was  cut,  which  is  valued  at  l\  tons 
of  lead  ore  per  fm.  I  he  drivage  has  been  ex- 
tended through  that,  and  other  small  sp< 
lead  have  been  cut.  This  is  at  the  160  fin. 
level,  and  is  in  whole  ground  to  surface.  Two 
deeper  levels  are  being  driven  up  to  this  point, 
the  200  fm.  and  the  240  fm.  There  are  sev- 
eral veins  in  this  hill  bot,h  to  the  right  and  to 
the  left,  which  may  also  be  found  to  continue 
productive  when  driven  through  the  Bchist. 
Great  things  are  expected  from  this  part,  which 
is  practically  a  new  mine. 

Another  trial  of  considerable  importance  that 
is  now  being  carried  out  is  a  cross-cut  at  the 
160  fm.  level  to  the  east,  under  some  of  the 
waterlogged  mines,  80  fm.  below  any  of  the 
former  workings.  This  has  already  intersec- 
ted some  promising  veins,  and  is  expected  to 
cut  others  shortly.  It  is  now  in  about  320  fm. 
It  has  been  carried  a  fair  size,  being  7  ft.  by 
7  ft.  and  perfectly  straight. 

When  the  present  company  took  over  the 
mines,  all  the  drilling  was  being  done  by  hand. 
The  men  were  generally  good  single-hand  bor- 
ers, some  of  them  being  experts  at  this  work. 
The  practice  was  to  drill  holes  of  a  small  di- 
ameter, using  the  highest  class  of  explosives. 
The  holes  being  placed  to  the  best  advantage, 
this  class  of  work  was  hard  to  beat  as  to  ex- 


JULY,    1919 


17 


pense  ;  but  it  was  not  possible  to  get  sufficient 
men  to  work  on  the  scale  that  the  company  de- 
sired, so  rock-drills  were  immediately  intro- 
duced for  driving  the  levels.  These  were  of 
the  heavy  reciprocating  type,  and  did  good 
work,  but  were  heavy  to  handle,  and  not 
at  all  suitable  for  the  stopes.  A  lighter  type 
of  the  same  class  of  drills  was  tried  in  the 
stopes,  but  with  only  a  moderate  amount  of 
success.  Early  in  1909,  hammer-drills  were 
introduced,  and  of  these  a  number  of  different 
types  have  been  tried.  Two  of  the  first  types 
that  were  tried  were  water-flushed,  and  did 
very  satisfactory  work,  but  the  renewals  of 
working  parts  were  expensive.  The  dry  bor- 
ing type  were  effective  and  fast  borers,  but  it 
was  seen  that  these  would  injure  the  health  of 
the  men.  When  water- flush  devices  of  differ- 
ent sorts  were  applied  to  these,  good  work  was 
done  with  them.  Some  of  these  were  self -rota- 
ting and  self-feeding,  and  when  all  was  going 
well,  the  man  could  stand  and  look  at  the  drill 
boring,  but  the  spare  parts  were  still  a  serious 
item  of  expense.  All  the  drills  that  were  tried 
in  the  stopes  were  fixed  on  a  column  and  ra- 
dial arm.  The  same  method  of  fixing  is  still 
employed,  but  all  the  drills  mentioned  have 
been  discarded  in  favour  of  air-feed  telescope 
drills,  which  are  hand-rotated  and  water-flush- 
ed. These  are  much  simpler  in  every  way. 
There  is  no  rotation  gear,  and  little  mechanism 
to  get  out  of  order,  and  the  expense  of  running 
is  very  small.  A  heavier  type  is  used  in  the 
drivages  than  in  the  stopes,  the  former  being 
100  lb.  weight,  the  latter  56  lb.  weight.  These 
are  one-man  drills,  but  there  are  generally  two 
men  with  them  in  the  stopes.  One  man  works 
the  drill,  the  other  being  engaged  sorting  the 
stuff,  and  so  on,  there  being  quite  as  much 
work  sorting  and  picking  the  stuff  as  there  is 
breaking  it  down.  In  the  drivages  there  are 
two  men  and  two  drills.  A  round  of  18  holes, 
about  3j  ft. to  4ft.  deep,  isgenerally  putin  each 
shift. 

The  method  of  working  for  some  time  back  has 
been  to  sink  40  fm.  before  putting  out  the 
drivages.  When  the  drivage  cuts  ore,  a  rise 
or  winze  is  generally  put  through,  effecting 
communication  with  the  next  level.  Then  the 
ore  ground  is  worked  away  by  overhand  stop- 
ing,  the  method  being  to  lay  a  floor  with  3  in. 
planks,  keeping  the  same  at  least  4  ft.  in  ad- 
vance of  the  heading ;  then  the  round  is  blas- 
ted down  on  the  planks,  the  stones  being  pick- 
ed out  and  thrown  forward  to  fill  up,  and  so 
allow  the  floor  to  be  extended  for  the  next  blast, 
and  the  lead  wheeled  or  shovelled  to  a  pass 
behind.  These  passes,  being  closed  at  the  bot- 
1—4 


torn,  form  a  hopper  from  which  the  stuff  is 
run  into  the  tram  wagons,  and  drawn  to  the 
foot  of  the  shaft  by  ponies,  which  draw  four 
wagons  each  journey.  At  the  bottom  of  the 
shaft,  the  stuff  is  tipped  into  a  skip,  which  is 
self-dumping,  and  empties  into  another  wagon 
at  the  top  of  the  shaft.  From  there  it  is  taken 
to  the  screens  or  grizzlies,  which  are  only  a 
short  distance  from  the  shaft. 

There  is  no  trouble  experienced  either  in 
putting  the  rises  or  the  winzes  through  the  40 
fm.  Some  of  the  drivages  have  been  put  out 
half  a  mile  without  experiencing  any  incon- 
venience as  to  ventilation,  a  9  in.  pipe  being 
carried  for  the  purpose  of  ventilation,  with  a 
water  jet  fixed  every  50  fm.  These  jets  have 
a  head  of  anything  from  20  to  80  fm.,  as  cir- 
cumstances may  permit.  Formerly  the  stuff 
was  all  trammed  by  manual  labour.  The  in- 
troduction of  the  ponies  into  the  mine  saved 
much  hard  work,  and  was  a  great  saving  to  the 
company.  Before  the  ponies  could  be  intro- 
duced, the  whole  nf  the  tram  roads  had  to  be 
re-laid  in  a  substantial  manner,  and  some  of 
the  old  levels  had  to  be  made  larger.  The 
new  levels  are  always  driven  ample  size,  these 
being  generally  about  6  ft.  wide  by  7  ft.  high. 
In  the  cross-cut  we  are  now  driving,  very 
good  work  is  being  done.  Two  men  blast  a 
round  of  fully  3  ft.  deep,  two  men  in  the  next 
shift  lifting  the  stuff,  so  that  eight  shifts 
generally  cut  a  fathom  of  ground  and  fill  the 
stuff  into  wagons  for  the  pony. 

The  efficiency  of  the  underground  men  is 
now  about  three  times  greater  than  when  the 
company  took  over  the  mines.  Of  course  the 
expense  is  not  reduced  in  the  same  ratio,  but 
the  rock-drills  and  air-winches  are  a  great  sav- 
ing of  labour,  also  the  haulage  by  the  ponies, 
and  things  are  so  arranged  that  there  is  much 
less  handling  of  stuff  in  the  mines.  There  are 
still  a  great  many  things  that  could  be  improv- 
ed. The  small  shaft  is  a  serious  drawback.  It 
has  one  good  feature,  it  is  perfectly  straight, 
but  the  two  compartments  for  winding  only 
take  a  cage  2  ft.  9  in.  by  2  ft.  6  in.  It  was 
thought  at  first  that  a  pony  could  not  be  got  down, 
but  when  they  have  their  legs  tied  up  to  their 
body,  it  is  wonderful  how  small  a  box  they  go 
into,  and  they  go  down  quite  comfortably  by 
that  method.  A  good  size  horse  could  go  down 
quite  well  if  required. 

The  whole  of  the  old  plant  at  the  mines  and 
dressing  mill  was  scrapped,  and  new  plant  put 
in  by  the  present  company.  They  also  put  in  a 
temporary  pumping  plant  when  they  took  over 
the  mines,  which  was  discarded  as  soon  as 
more  permanent  arrangements  could  be  made. 


18 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


There  are  three  Babcock  &  Wilcox  steam  boil- 
ers, having  a  combined  heating  surface  of  be- 
tween 6,000  and  7,000  superficial  feet.  These 
provide  steam  for  the  pumps  in  the  mine,  the 
largest  of  these  being  a  Riedler  pump,  at  the 
160  fm.  level,  which  throws  400  gallons  of 
water  per  minute  to  the  adit  level.  There  is 
another  of  the  same  class  of  pump  at  the  80  fm. 
level,  with  a  capacity  of  300  gallons,  which  it 
also  delivers  at  the  adit  level.  This  last  is 
only  worked  at  times  when  the  water  is  heavy. 
There  are  other  pumps  in  the  deeper  levels,  as 
well  as  auxiliary  pumps  in  several  parts  of  the 
mine.whichareall  driven  either  by  steamorair. 
The  steam  pipes  are  well  covered  with  non- 
conducting material.  The  pumps  are  consid- 
ered to  be  fairly  efficient,  but  the  mine  is  get- 
ting deep,  and  there  is  a  limit  to  where  steam 
can  be  efficiently  used. 

There  are  two  air-compressors,  one  750  cu- 
bic feet  of  free  air  per  minute,  which  is  now 
kept  as  a  standby,  another  of  1,000  cubic  feet, 
which  is  a  very  efficient  machine  and  supplies 
air  at  80  lb.  pressure  for  all  present  require- 
ments. The  boiler  plant  also  supplies  steam 
for  the  winding  engine  and  the  two  engines 
that  drive  the  dressing  plant,  also  two  small 
engines  for  hoisting  waste. 

At  the  dressing  plant  the  stuff  is  tipped  over 
grizzlies,  the  oversize  being  shovelled  on  to  a 
pan  conveyor,  where  the  stones  are  picked  out. 
This  conveyor  delivers  into  the  stone-breaker, 
from  which  it  drops  on  to  another  conveyor, 
which  deposits  it  in  the  hoppers  behind  the 
crusher.  The  smalls  from  the  grizzlies  are 
run  into  these  hoppers  by  small  tram  wagons. 
The  stuff  then  falls  on  to  a  shaking  screen, 
which  takes  out  the  small,  and  gives  a  regular 
and  steady  feed  to  the  roller  crushers.  These 
are  30  in.  by  16  in.,  the  one  being  a  duplicate 
of  the  other.  The  ore  is  elevated  from  the 
crushers  to  the  trommels.  There  are  two  series 
of  seven  trommels,  the  first  being  10  m.m., 
which  returns  the  oversize  to  the  crusher,  and 
the  last  2\  m.m.  These  serve  fourteen  four- 
compartment  jigs.  The  slime  plant  consists 
of  six  Buss  tables,  3  James  sand  tables,  and  3 
James  slime  tables  ;  a  double  dipper  wheel 
raises  the  middlings  for  re-treatment ;  there 
are  also  a  double  system  of  water  classifiers 
for  sand  tables,  saddle-back  classifiers  for  the 
finer  tables  and  slimers,  and  two  mechanically 
worked  dolly  tubs.  The  chat  plant  consists  of 
a  small  roller  crusher  with  six  jigs,  four  of 
these  being  four-compartment.  In  commenc- 
ing to  jig  through  a  10  m.m.  hole,  there  is  not 
a  great  deal  of  clean  ore  recovered  at  that  size 
from  the  first  jig,  but  a  good  deal   of  clean 


waste  is  thrown  off,  and  the  chats  are  taken  to 
the  chat  mill  to  be  re-crushed.  The  waste 
from  the  jigs  is  clean  and  free  from  ore.  The 
slime  plant  is  effective,  but  it  might  be  further 
extended  with  advantage,  as  it  is  difficult  to 
get  the  very  last  of  the  ore  out  of  the  slime. 
The  lead  ore  is  trammed  to  the  smelting  mills. 
The  blende,  which  is  dressed  up  to  50  or  52% 
zinc,  is  sold  to  the  zinc  smelters. 

As  the  mines  are  in  a  high  place,  and  get 
more  than  the  usual  quantity  of  frost  and  snow, 
the  machinery  is  all  housed  in  a  steel-framed 
corrugated-iron  shed,  which  is  heated  with 
steam,  the  water  being  brought  from  the  reser- 
voir in  earthenware  pipes,  which  are  deep- 
ly covered  in  the  ground.  The  severity  of  the 
weather  does  notpreventdressingbeing  carried 
on  regularly. 

The  lead-smelting  plant  is  situatedabout  one 
mile  from  the  dressing  floors,  and  consists  of 
two  roasting  furnaces,  five  Scotch  hearths,  and 
oneslag  hearth.  There  is  awater-wheel,  which 
drives  the  blower  for  the  Scotch  hearths.  It 
also  drives  an  exhaust  fan  to  take  away  any 
smoke  that  may  be  blown  out  to  the  injury  of 
the  men  working.  Only  the  slime  ore  is  roast- 
ed, the  rest  being  fed  direct  to  the  Scotch 
hearths.  These  are  simple  to  run,  are  econo- 
mical for  fuel,  and,  as  the  ore  is  clean  and  of 
uniform  quality,  they  are  considered  to  be  the 
most  suitable  for  the  requirements  here.  This 
system  of  smelting  has  one  disadvantage, 
namely,  a  large  percentage  of  the  ore  is  carried 
away  in  fume.  But  there  is  a  very  good  sys- 
tem of  condensing  here,  and  a  large  propor- 
tion is  recovered.  The  condensing  plant  con- 
sists of  a  brick  condenser,  in  which  the  smoke 
travels  through  a  number  of  chambers,  where 
a  fine  spray  of  water  is  brought  to  play  on  it, 
and  washes  the  bulk  of  the  fume  into  settling 
ponds,  the  remainder  being  caught  in  long 
flues  that  wind  round  the  hill,  very  little  escap- 
ingthroughthe  stack  at  the  top.  Upto  1910,  the 
lead  was  desilverized  on  the  mine,  but  owing 
to  the  then  low  price  of  silver  and  the  scarcity 
of  labour,  it  was  found  more  advantageous  to 
sell  the  silver-lead  to  silver  refiners,  who  had 
more  up-to-date  plants.  The  process  practic- 
ed here  was  the  Pattison,  which  made  a  high 
class  of  refined  lead,  the  Queensberry  brand 
having  a  good  name  in  the  market.  The  silver 
was  made  quite  pure,  and  sold  to  the  silver- 
smiths. 

The  company  put  in  a  private  siding  at  the 
railway  station,  and  made  a  tram  road  to  the 
smelt  mills,  a  distance  of  two  miles.  The  coal, 
ore,  and  other  materials,  are  drawn  over  this 
by  horses  to  the  bottom  of  a  steep  incline  by 


JULY,    1919 


19 


Glencrieff  Shaft  and  Dressing  Plant  of  the  Wanlockhead  Company. 


the  station,  where  the  tram  wagons  are  hauled 
up  to  the  railway  station  by  an  air-winch. 

The  following  table  maybe  interest  asshow- 
ing  the  cost  of  mining  and  dressing  for  the 
twelve  months  ended  December,  1914,  as  com- 
pared with  twelve  months  ending  December 
31,  1918: 

1914  1918 

£    s.  d.  £     s.  d. 

Total  Cost  per  fm 7  17  5  18  16  3 

Cost  of  Wages  per  fm 3  11  11           8     6  10 

Cost  of  Fuel  per  fm 12  3           3     6  7 

Cost  of  Explosives  per  fm 0  11  3           14  5 

Cost  of  Stores  per  fm 0  18  4           1   18  1 

Cost  of  Timber  per  fm.  (Min- 
ing)   0     4  8           0  16  2 

Total  Cost  per  ton  of  Lead  Ore 

and  Blende  7     9  8  22  11  1 

Cost  of  Wages  per  ton  of  Lead 

Ore  and  Blende  3     8  5  10     0  1 

Cost  of  Fuel  per  ton  of  Lead 

Ore  and  Blende  113           3   19  11 

The  produce  of  the  mines  has  not  increased 
in  the  same  proportion  as  the  cost,  and  the 
Wanlockhead  mines,  although  not  at  present 
in  any  financial  straits,  are  looking  to  the  fu- 
ture with  considerable  anxiety.  In  the  report 
of  the  last  general  meeting  of  the  Leadhills 
Mining  Company,  the  chairman   stated  that 


they  could  not  go  on  without  drawing  on  their 
capital  if  the  War  Bonus  was  not  refunded  by 
the  Government.  The  managing  director  in- 
timated that  they  would  not  carry  on  at  a  loss. 
The  Wanlockhead  Mining  Company  have  in- 
timated to  their  workmen  that  they  are  seri- 
ously considering  the  position  as  to  whether 
they  will  go  on  working  at  a  loss,  now  that  the 
Government  are  not  refunding  the  War  Bonus. 
The  position  is  certainly  difficult,  but  1  think 
that  mines  that  are  in  a  position  to  do  so  might 
take  some  risk, as  one  might  hope  that  the  pres- 
ent times  are  abnormal,  and  that  the  price  of 
lead  at  least  will  in  time  adjust  itself  to  the 
prices  ruling  for  labour  and  materials  ;  but  no 
doubt  the  position  is  full  of  uncertainty,  and 
there  may  be  a  stoppage  in  both  the  mines. 
If  there  was  mutual  goodwill  between  the  com- 
panies and  the  workmen,  and  no  further  in- 
crease of  costs,  I  would  recommend  any  that 
I  had  to  do  with  to  go  on .  If  costs  are  to  con- 
tinue to  increase  without  a  corresponding  in- 
crease in  the  produce,  I  would  hesitate  to  make 
this  recommendation.  The  efficiency  in  Wan  - 
lockhead  has  been  considerably  increased,  and 
could  be  still  further  increased.     The  company 


20 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


can  do  something  in  this  direction,  and  the  men 
can  do  a  great  deal  by  duly  recognizing  the 
value  of  their  own  time  when  at  work,  keeping 
the  machines  and  machinery  steadily  at  work, 
and  by  the  careful  use  of  the  machines  and 
materials  supplied  to  them. 

The  following  comparative  figures  of  lead, 
zinc,  etc.,  produced  show  that,  as  to  produc- 
tion, Wanlockhead  and  Leadhills  are  above  the 
average  per  person  employed,  as  compared 
with  the  lead  and  zinc  mines  of  the  United 
Kingdom. 

1914  191? 

s.  d.               -     d. 

United  Kingdom...  Approxi- 
mately          109     2  4        136     0     0 

Wanlockhead   188     6  -4 

Leadhills Approximately      153     8  0       _'-!!     0     0 

It  would  be  useful  information  if  every-one 
had  to  give  the  amount  of  the  ground  cut,  and 
its  value,  as  well  as  the  amount  recovered. 
Taking  16  tons  to  the  fathom,  the  value  of  the 
stuff  broken  in    Wanlockhead   in    1914 

*  of  dressed  lead  ore,  and  1*62%  of  blende, 
having  a  total  value  per  fm.  of  £\0.  9s.  6d. 
In  1917,  the  figures  were  3'59"..  lead  ore, 
1*34%  blende,  value  ^13.  13s.  3d.  Leadhills 
for  the  same  period  would  give  for  1914,  say, 
10 ",.  of  lead  ore,  and  total  valve  per  fm.,  ^fl9. 
7s.  Od. ;  for  1917,  7*52%  ol  lead  ore,  and  total 
value  per  fm.  for  lead  ore  and  value. 
^25.  9s.  9d. 

Leadhills  has  been  much  the  richest  of  the 
two  mines  for  a  number  of  years  back,  and 
has  probably  larger  reserves  of  rich  ore  ground 
laid  open  for  stoping,  but  looking  a  few  years 
forward,  it  would  be  very  difficult  to  say  which 
would  be  the  most  productive.  It  is  greatly 
to  be  hoped  that  both  mines  will  continue  to 
go  on,  and  be  successful,  as  it  i>  no  light  mat- 
ter for  2,000  people  to  be  thrown  out  of  em- 
ployment, especially  in  a  district  like  this, 
where  the  people  have  much  to  attach  them  to 
their  mountain  homes,  but  it  would  be  particu- 
larly sad  after  so  many  had  gone  out  to  fight 
for  the  country,  numbers  of  whom  will  not  re- 
turn. It  is  to  be  hoped  that  those  who  have 
fought  for  their  homes  will  not  find  that  they 
have  to  look  for  new  ones  now  that  they  are 
home.  Those  who  remained  at  home  did  so 
because  the  Government  wanted  their  work 
here.  The  women  also  in  Wanlockhead  came 
forward,  when  asked,  to  help  to  carry  on.  Some 
thirty  women  gave  their  services  to  the  mine 
in  Wanlockhead  in  the  time  of  need,  no  women 
having  ever  been  employed  in  the  mines  be- 
fore. They  deserve  credit  for  the  good  work 
they  did.  I  think  that  if  the  mines  had  a  price 
ior  their  products  commensurate  with  the  in- 


creased rates  of  labour  and   materials,  they 
could  still  go  on  and  prosper. 

For  many  years  the  mines  have  provided  a 
living  for  a  most  respectable  and  industrious 
class  of  people. 

One  of  their  own  poets  says  of  the  men  : 
For  the  chiels  are  as  likely  a  set  as  ye'd  meet, 
Frae  the  muir  and  the  glen  tae  the  square  and  the 

street, 
Big,   buirdly,   and  bauld,  like  the  hills  o'    their 

hame, 
And  no  cruppen  doon  \vi'  inherited  shame  ; 
Hut  gaiin  frae  the  knee  tae  their  grave  in  the  glen, 
I.'ke  their  faithers  afore  then,  the  walins  o'  men. 

I  am  indebted  to  the  Wanlockhead  Company 
for  the  use  of  their  plans,  and  to  Mr.  William 
Mitchell  for  preparing  plans  and  sketch    , 


Magnetic    Surveys   as   an    aid    in 
Geological   Examination. 

The  report  t  t   the  Conjoint  Hoard 

of  Scientfic  Societies  contains  some  informa- 
tion relating  to  m  it   Melton 

Mowbray  and  Irthlingborough,   in    Leio 
shire,  undertaken  by. Messrs.  G.  W.  Walker, 

\.  1  1  v\         n.      The   last- 

named  devised  an  instrument  for  determining 
magnetic  susceptibilities.  The  chiet  results 
of  the  investigation  may  be  summarized  as 
follows:  It  has  been  proved  that  the  relative- 
ly small  magnetic  disturbances  at  Irthling- 
borough may  be  correlated  with  the  presence 
there   of   the   bed  v.        lampton    iron-ore. 

The  Melton  Mowbray  disturbances,  however, 
cannot  be  attributed  either  to  Jurassic  iron- 
stone, or  to  any  sedimentary  deposits  which 
may  underlie  the  area.  Any  deposits  of  the 
ordinary  iron-ores  (ferrous  carbonate  or  red 
or  brown  hematite),  had  they  existed,  must 
have  lain  so  near  the  surface  in  order  to  pro 
duce  the  observed  effects,  that  they  could 
scarcely  have  escaped  detection  by  ordinary 
geological  examination.  These  disturbances, 
on  the  other  hand,  appear  to  be  connected  with 
the  tectonics  of  the  deep-seated  formations. 
The  investigation  has  led  to  two  important 
conclusions:  1.  With  a  suitable  modification 
of  the  instruments  the  small  magnetic  dis- 
turbances caused  by  the  Jurassic  iron-stones 
are  capable  of  detection,  and  may  be  of  use  in 
determining  the  boundaries  of  concealed  fields 
of  these  ores  in  areas  not  affected  by  larger 
disturbances  due  to  other  causes.  2.  It  prom- 
ises to  throw  light  upon  the  tectonics  of  the 
older  iocks  where  overlain  by  more  recent  for- 
mations, and  thus  to  afford  assistance  in  solving 
problems  of  great  practical  importance,  such 
as  the  determination  of  the  limits  of  concealed 
coalfields. 


MODERN   ROCK-DRILL  PRACTICE. 


By  DAVID  PENMAN,  B.Sc,  M.lnst.M.E. 


Introductory. — Next  to  the  invention  of 
gunpowder  and  dynamite  nothing  has  contri- 
buted so  largely  to  progressin  tunnelling,  shaft- 
sinking,  prospecting,  and  development  work 
generally  as  the  introduction  and  improvement 
of  the  mechanically-operated  rock-drill.  The 
process  of  drilling  shot-holes  in  hard  stone  was 
slow  and  laborious  in  the  extreme  when  the 
only  available  means  of  doing  so  consisted  in 
utilizing  the  force  of  gravity  and  the  power  of 
a  man's  arms.  But  with  the  advent  of  the 
successful  machine  drill  a  new  era  was  initi- 
ated in  which  rapid  progress  even  in  the  har- 
dest ground  was  possible  and  man-power  could 
be  utilized  to  an  extent  and  with  an  effective- 
ness never  dreamed  of  under  the  old  conditions. 
The  credit  of  inventing  the  first  self-operated 
rock-drill  belongs  to  the  United  States  of 
America,  where  Couch  of  Philadelphia  in  1849 
patented  his  machine.  Previous  to  that,Trevi- 
thick,  in  Cornwall, applied arotary  steam-driven 
boring  machine  to  drilling  shot-holes  in  lime- 
stone near  Plymouth,  and  Brunton,  of  the  same 
county,  invented  a  machine  called  a  wind-ham- 
mer which  was  driven  by  compressed  air.  Also 
in  America  two  brothers,  J.  M.  and  J.N.  Singer, 
used  a  large  drop  drill,  of  which  twelve  were  put 
in  use,  in  the  blasting  required  in  the  construc- 
tion of  a  canal  in  Illinois.  None  of  these  appli- 
ances, however,  can  be  strictly  termed  the  fore- 
runner of  the  modern  power  drill,  and  probably 
the  first  invention  embodying  the  principle  un- 
derlying the  action  of  the  present-day  machine 
was  that  patented  by  J.  M.  Fowle,  of  Boston, 
U.S.A.,  in  1850.  This  drill  was  operated  by 
steam  ;  the  possibilities  of  compressed  air  had 
not  then  been  fully  realized.  The  drill  bit  was 
made  to  form  an  extension  of  the  piston  rod  and 
the  whole  machine  was  fed  towards  the  rock  as 
the  drill  tool  advanced  in  the  hole.  The  pis- 
ton was  given  a  slow  rotary  motion.  In  Ger- 
many in  1853,  Schumann  used  a  drill  in  the 
mines  near  Freiberg  which  exhibited,  though 
in  an  imperfect  form,  many  of  the  features  of 
the  modern  power-drill.  In  France,  too,  in 
1855,  M.  Fontainmoreau  invented  a  drill  oper- 
ated by  compressed  air  which  had  both  a  ro- 
tary and  a  forward  movement,  while  M.  Som- 
meiller  in  1861  to  1863,  using  an  improved 
form  of  Mr.  Bartlett's  drill  (patented  in  1855), 
did  very  good  work  in  the  Mt.  Cenis  tunnel 
and  in  the  mines  at  Moresnet,  Belgium.  This 
latter  drill  was  also  actuated  by  compressed 
air.     These  drills  were  the  precursors  of  the 


modern  hammer-drill.  The  air  was  caused  to 
produce  a  rapid  succession  of  blows  on  the  end 
of  the  boring  tool.  About  the  same  time  a 
drill  invented  by  Gen.  Haupt,  and  subsequently 
improved  by  Taylor,  was  employed  with  good 
results  in  the  St.  Gothard  tunnel.  This  ma- 
chine was  further  improved  by  Burleigh,  who 
used  it  in  the  Hoosac  tunnel  in  Massachusetts. 
Mention  should  also  be  made  of  Bidding, 
who  used  a  reciprocating  hammer-drill,  oper- 
ated by  steam,  as  early  as  1853,  of  Schwarz- 
kopf, Sach,  Lisbet,  and  Bornhardt  on  the  Con- 
tinent, and  Crease  in  England,  all  of  whom 
did  something  to  advance  the  development  of 
rock-boring  appliances  during  the  early  sixties 
of  last  century.  The  proper  automatic  rota- 
tion of  the  drill  steel  was  a  difficulty  with  the 
early  inventors,  and  it  was  not  till  1866  when 
Jordan  and  Darlington  invented  the  rifle  bar 
and  ratchet  method  that  the  problem  was  ade- 
quately solved.  In  1 870  Osterkamp  attempted 
to  anticipate  the  now  well-known  hand  ham- 
mer-drill in  so  far  as  the  holding-up  of  the 
drill  is  concerned,  but  the  recoil  of  the  ma- 
chine was  too  great  and  the  drill  had  to  be 
mounted  on  a  carriage  or  frame.  Thereafter 
followed  drills  by  Beaumont  and  Appleby 
(though  this  was  a  rotary  drill),  Ferroux,  Dar- 
lington, Burleigh,  McKean,  Franke,  Schram, 
Ingersoll.andmany  others.  The  valve  motion 
of  the  earlier  drills  was  either  of  the  tappet 
type  or  of  the  piston  variety.  For  example, 
the  first  Climax,  and  the  Rio  Tinto  drills  used 
the  tappet  valve,  while  the  Darlington  and  the 
Adelaide  had  no  proper  valves,  the  piston  it- 
self acting  as  the  valve.  The  tappet  valve 
proved  a  success  and  is  still  used  in  modern 
drills,  but  the  valveless  drill,  though  simple 
and  having  few  moving  parts,  was  a  poor 
hitter,  and  the  principle  was  abandoned,  to  be 
revived,  however,  in  the  modern  valveless  sto- 
ping  drill.  In  the  subsequent  developments 
many  makers  have  vied  with  each  other  to 
produce  a  powerful  and  reliable  drill.  First 
place  must  be  given  to  our  American  cousins 
for  the  great  work  they  have  done  in  bringing 
the  rock-drill  to  its  present  stage  of  perfection. 
Chief  among  American  m  ikers  who  have  a 
well-earned  reputation  in  the  history  of  rock- 
drills  are  the  Ingersoll-Kand,  the  Sullivan,  the 
Chicago  Automatic  Tool,  and  the  Denver 
Rock-Drill companies.  In  England,  Holman 
Brothersand  Mr.  W.  C.  Stephens,  of  the  Climax 
company,  have  done  a  vast  amount  of  work  in 


22 


THE    MIXING     MAGAZINE 


the  development  of  both  the  piston  and  the 
hammer-drills.  Various  manufacturers  in 
Sweden,  Germany,  France,  South  Africa,  and 
Australia  have  likewise  contributed  to  the 
general  progress. 

In  the  present  article  attention  is  given  to 
those  drills  which  have  proved  of  outstanding 
worth  as  well  as  to  some  of  the  more  recent 
improvements.  It  must  be  borne  in  mind, 
however,  that  the  number  of  drills  on  the 
market  to-day  is  very  great  and  that  in  a  com- 
paratively short  article  it  would  be  impossible 
to  give  anything  like  a  full  description  of  all 
the  successful  machines. 

The  Piston  DRILL. —  In  this  form  of  rock- 
drill  the  drilling  steel  is  fixed  in  a  chuck  at- 
tached toan  extension  of  a  reciprocating  piston. 
The  piston  and  the  bit  therefore  move  together. 
With  such  an  arrangement  the  machine  itself 
must  necessarily  be  of  considerable  weight, 
making  it  imperativeto  fix  the  drill  to  some  form 


extends  through  the  cylinder  head,  which  is 
bushed  so  as  to  reduce  friction  and  secure 
air-tightness.  The  piston-rod  terminates  out- 
side the  cylinder  in  the  U-bolt  chuck  U  which 
is  designed  to  grip  the  drill  steel  by  means 
of  bushing,  gripping  pad,  and  wedge.  The 
bit  is  placed  in  position  and  the  wedge  press- 
ed forward  by  hand.  The  grip  of  the  chuck 
on  the  steel  is  tightened  by  the  first  few  blows 
of  the  piston  against  the  rock.  A  blow  with 
a  hammer  or  jumper  promptly  loosens  the 
wedge  and  releases  the  drill  steel.  The  nuts 
on  the  V  bolt  are  chiefly  for  adjustment,  and 
to  compensate  for  stretch  and  wear.  In  the 
position  shown  in  the  figure  live  pressure  air 
is  entering  the  cylinder  behind  the  piston 
which  is  on  its  forward  or  hitting  stroke,  while 
the  air  in  front  of  the  piston  is  escaping  to  the 
atmosphere  through  the  exhaust  port.  The 
valve  V  controls  the  admission  and  exhaustion 
of  the  air.  This  action  is  described   in  detail 


Fig.  1.     The  Hoi. man   Piston   Drill. 


of  support.  This  renders  it  unsuitable  for  some 
purposes.  Nevertheless,  partly  by  reason  of  its 
size,  which  enables  a  powerful  blow  to  be  struck, 
and  partly  from  the  efficient  sludging  or  mud- 
ding  produced  by  the  to-and-fro  motion  of  the 
steel  in  the  drill-hole,  it  is  admirably  adapted 
for  most  kinds  of  development  work,  such  as 
the  sinking  of  shafts  and  winzes,  the  driving  of 
levels  and  cross-cuts,  and  wherever  deep  shot- 
holes  are  required.  There  are  many  drills  of 
the  reciprocating  type  in  use  at  the  present  day 
and  the  principle  of  action  of  all  of  them  is  the 
same,  though  each  possesses  its  own  little  dif- 
ferences in  detail. 

For  the  purpose  of  explaining  in  general 
terms  the  operation  of  a  reciprocating  rock- 
drill,  the  Holman  drill,  which  has  been  in  use 
for  many  years  and  which  has  done  very  good 
work,  may  be  selected.  Referring  to  Fig.  1, 
P  is  the  piston,  which  is  provided  at  its  larger 
diameter  with  leather  piston  rings  so  as  to 
render  it  air-tight  in  its  cylinder.  The  piston- 
od  R,  which  is  an  integral  part  of  the  piston, 


later.  On  the  hitting  stroke  the  piston  shoots 
straight,  and  the  drill-bit  strikes  a  clean  and 
powerful  blow  on  the  rock  at  the  bottom  of 
the  drill-hole.  On  this  stroke  the  rifled  bar 
I  rotated  slightly.  Just  before  the  end  of 
the  stroke  the  valve  is  thrown  over  so  as  to 
admit  live  air  in  front  of  the  piston  and  con- 
nect the  rear  with  the  exhaust.  The  piston 
now  makes  the  backward  stroke,  pulling  the 
drill-bit  outwards  in  the  hole.  During  this 
stroke  the  piston,  which  carries  a  twist  nut,  is 
given  a  slight  rotation  by  the  rifled  bar,  the  latter 
being  prevented  from  rotating  by  a  ratchet  and 
pawl  arrangement  at  its  rear.  Thus  on  thenext 
forward  stroke  the  drill-bit  strikes  at  a  differ- 
ent part  of  the  bottom  of  the  drill  hole.  As 
the  hole  deepens,  the  cylinder,  which  slides  in 
two  Y-shaped  guides,  forming  the  cradle,  is 
fed  forward  by  rotating  the  handle  H  of  the 
feed-screw  F,  which  works  through  a  nut  in 
the  drill  casing  under  the  cylinder.  In  addi- 
tion to  providing  a  means  of  keeping  the  drill 
up  to  its  work,  the  feed  allows  of  a  variation 


JULY,     1919 


23 


in  the  length  of  stroke  of  the  piston.  When 
it  is  required  to  withdraw  the  drill-bit  from  the 
hole,  the  drill  cylinder  is  run  back  on  the 
screw,  the  air  pressure  having  been  previous- 
ly cut  off.  The  drill  is  built  in  sizes  ranging 
from  2i  in.  diameter  and  5  in.  stroke,  to  3*  in. 
diameter  and  7  in.  stroke.  The  heavier  drills 
are  chiefly  used  in  development  work  and  in 
tunnelling  and  quarrying,  while  the  2\  in.  and 
the  2\  in.  drills  are  intended  for  use  in  the 
stopes.  The  weights  of  the  last-mentioned 
drills  are  1001b.  and  1401b.  respectively. 
The  heaviest  size  weighs  380  lb.  The  length 
of  feed  varies  from  1 8  in.  in  the  2\  in.  drill  to  30 
in.  in  the  3|  in.  drill.  The  larger  the  drill 
of  course  the  larger  the  diameter  and  depth  of 
hole  which  can  be  drilled  easily.  Thus,  where 
particularly  heavy  charges  of  explosive  are 
desirable,  the  heavier  the  drill  the  better  with- 
in limits  and  consistent  with  other  desiderata. 
For    stope    work    a    light    drill    is    essential. 


holes,  but  it  proved  so  successful  for  this  pur- 
pose and  it  possessed  so  many  advantages 
over  the  large  and  heavy  reciprocating  drill  in 
regard  to  portability,  ease  of  handling,  and 
suitability  for  cramped  and  awkward  situa- 
tions that  manufacturers  soon  began  to  pro- 
duce models  suitable  for  a  much  wider  range 
of  work  than  was  at  first  thought  practicable. 
Now  they  are  being  used  to  an  enormous  ex- 
tent for  almost  all  conditions  of  rock-drilling, 
both  in  coal  and  metalliferous  mining. 

The  chief  requisites  of  a  good  hammer- 
drill  are  :  (l)  strong  and  compact  in  construc- 
tion, (2)  light  in  weight,  (3)  effective  in  drill- 
ing, and  (4)  simple  in  construction  and  opera- 
tion. Every  manufacturer  of  rock-drills  now 
includes  one  or  more  forms  of  hammer-drills 
among  his  products.  All  of  them  endeavour 
to  produce  a  drill  to  conform  to  those  require- 
ments, and  where  all  are  so  good  it  is  a  diffi- 
cult matter  to  discriminate.     Some  of  the  best- 


Fig.  2.     The  Holman  Hammer-Drill. 


Other  well-known  piston  drills  are  the  Inger- 
soll-Sergeant,  Chicago  Giant,  and  Slogger, 
Stephen's  Imperial,  Climax,  Siskol,  Denver 
Waugh  or  Dreadnaught,  Sullivan  Liteweight 
and  Hyspeed  drills.  The  valve-action  of  sev- 
eral of  those  drills  will  be  described. 

The  Hammer-Drill.  —  The  hammer- 
drill  differs  in  principle  from  the  piston  drill 
in  respect  that  the  drill  steel  is  not  attached 
to  the  piston  rod  but  is  held  at  rest  in  the 
chuck,  and  instead  of  being  reciprocated  is 
simply  struck  a  series  of  blows  from  the  rapid- 
ly moving  piston  or  hammer  in  the  cylinder 
of  the  drill.  The  idea  of  the  hammer-drill 
is  an  old  one,  but  it  was  not  until  comparatively 
recent  years  that  it  attained  the  high  degree  of 
perfection  which  has  enabled  it  to  be  utilized 
to  such  an  extent  as  is  seen  to  day.  Prob- 
ably no  single  individual  has  done  more  to 
develop  the  hammer-drill  than  Mr.  George 
Leyner,  of  Philadelphia,  whose  name  will  be 
always  associated  with  the  history  of  rock- 
drilling.  Leyner  was  one  of  the  first  to  fore- 
see the  great  possibilities  of  the  hammer  type 
of  drill.  The  drill  was  primarily  designed  for 
light  work  and  comparatively  shallow   bore- 


known  makes  are  the  drills  of  the  Holman 
and  Climax  companies,  the  Flottmann,  Jack- 
hamer,  Hardy-Simplex,  Sullivan  Rotator,  and 
Leyner- Ingersoll  drills. 

The  parts  of  a  hammer-drill  are  clearly 
shown  in  Figs.  2  &  3,  showing  a  Holman  and 
a  Climax  Britannia  respectively.  In  Fig.  2, 
H  is  a  freely  moving  hammer  which  strikes  a 
rapid  succession  of  blows — 2,000  to  3,000  per 
minute — on  the  anvil  A,  which  transmits  the 
force  of  the  blow  to  the  drill  steel  D,  which  in 
turn  transfers  the  impact  to  the  rock.  In  the 
Jackhamerand  similar  hammer-drills  the  anvil 
is  omitted  and  the  hammer  hits  the  steel  direct. 

The  hammer-drill  may  be  subdivided  into 
three  classes, namely  (a)those which  aresimply 
held  in  the  hand,  that  is,  hand  hammer-drills, 
(b)  those  which  are  designed  to  be  mounted 
on  supports  and  have  a  screw- feed  similar  to 
the  reciprocating  drill,  that  is,  cradle  hammer- 
drills,  and  (c)  those  with  automatic  telescopic 
air-feed.  The  last  is  illustrated  by  Fig.  2 
and  the  first  by  Fig.  3. 

The  Valves. — There  is  no  more  important 
part  of  a  successful  rock-drill  than  the  valve 
motion.     The  types  of  valves  in  use  may  be 


24 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


.  ■< v   -•<    By  (c-t  -tt. 


2:  BRITANNIA  MODEL  H.H. DRILL- 


M  HaMhUOMtfL  _  . 

42  ■  •       .     '  ■" 

<  ■  .'ilin 


£l_S 


Fig    J.    The  Climax-Britannia  Hammer-Drill 


divided  into  the  following  classes: 

(1)  The  tappet  valve; 

(2)  The  spool  or  air-piston  valve  ; 

(3)  Auxiliary-operated  valves; 

(4)  Piston  valves  ; 

(5)  The  flap  valve  ; 

(6)  The  ball  valve. 

The  Tappet  Valve. —This  valve  was  the 
earliest  successful  form  for  regular  work. 
Examples  of  drills  in  use  which  employ  the 
tappet  valve  are  the  Chicago  Giant  and  the 
Climax  drills.  Referring  to  Fig.  4,  the  piston 
will  be  seen  to  have  two  enlarged  portions. 
As  shown  in  the  illustration,  the  piston  is  just 
on  the  point  of  making  the  forward  stroke,  the 
valve  V  being  in  the  position  which  allows 
live  air  to  pass  into  the  cylinder  port  P-  and 
thence  into  a  space  behind  the  piston  ;  the 
front  of  the  cylinder  is  in  communication  with 
the  exhaust  E  through  the  port  Pt.  When 
the  piston  has  nearly  reached  the  end  of  its 
stroke  the  raised  portion  lifts  the  rocker, 
which  shunts  the  valve  into  the  position  for 
reversing  the  stroke  of  the  piston.  In  the 
Giant  drill  illustrated  the  rocker  and  valve  is 
actuated  chiefly  by  the  rear  end  of  the  piston  ; 
while  in  the  Climax  either  end   operates  the 


valve  alternately.  The  tappet  valve  is  posi- 
tive in  action  and  it  cannot  readily  stick.  It 
is  the  only  form  which  is  equally  suitable  for 
air  or  steam,  as  in  the  spool  valve  the  con- 
densation of  the  steam  interferes  with  the  ac- 
tion of  the  valve.  Makers  who  use  the  spool 
valve  in  their  air  drills  have  for  this  reason  to 
employ  the  tappet  valve  where  steam  is  to  be 
the  motive  power.  On  the  other  hand  the 
tappet  valve  is  more  subject  to  breakages 
than  the  spool  valve. 

The  Corliss  valve  used  in  one  form  of  the 
Wizard  drill  differs  somewhat  from  the  ordin- 
ary tappet  valve.  Two  tappets  are  used  and 
these,  operated  by  inclined  surfaces  on  the  pis- 
ton, impart  a  rotary  or  turning  motion  to  the 
valve.  It  is  claimed  that  the  quick  and  easy 
valve  action  obtained,  combined  with  liberal 
port  area,  provides  a  means  of  changing  rapidly 
from  pressure  to  exhaust  and  so  ensures  rapid 
reversal  of  the  piston.  By  this  means  a  high 
velocity  of  operation  is  attained. 

The  Spool  VALVE. — An  example  of  this 
form  of  valve  is  that  used  in  the  Siskoldrill.  In 
Fig.  5  the  piston  is  making  its  forward  stroke. 
The  valve  is  in  the  position  which  allows  live  air 
to  pass  down  the  port  C  into  thecylinder  D.   At 


25 


Fig.  4.     The  Chicago  Giant  Drill,  showing  Tappet  Valve. 


^P-^'.       ~     ■■    |-      .., 


-"' 


~1 


Fig.  5.     The  Siskol  Drill,  showing  The  Spool  Valve. 


the  same  time  air  fromthefrontof  thepiston es- 
capes through  the  port  C1  to  the  exhaust  K,  as 
shown  by  the  arrows.  Now  the  valve  is  held 
in  this  position  because  live  air  is  pressing  on 
the  surface  B1,  while  at  the  same  time  the  end 
of  the  valve  F2  is  connected  with  the  exhaust 
K  through  the  hole  in  the  valve-spindle.  The 
other  end  of  the  valve  is  also  acted  on  by  live 
air,  but  as  the  area  here  is  less  than  the  area 
at  B,  the  valve  is  held.  But  as  soon  as  the 
piston  uncovers  the  port  hole  J  live  air  rushes 
into  the  space  B1,  and  as  the  total  area  sub- 
jected to  the  live-air  pressure  here  is  now 
greater  than  at  B,  the  valve  is  forced  over.  A 
similar  action  takes  place  on  the  back  stroke. 
The  Sullivan  Liteweight,  Imperial,  Holman 
cradle-hammer,  and  other  drills  use  this  type 
of  valve. 

The  Hardy-Simplex  hammer-drill  (Fig.  6) 
is  much  favoured  for  stone  work  in  British 
coal  and  metalliferous  mines  and  in  quarrying. 
It  is  also  being  largely  used  abroad.  The  ac- 
tion is  similar  to  that  of  other  drills  mentioned. 
The  valve  is  a  pressure-operated  spool-valve, 
and  owing  to  its  short  movement  is  very  eco- 
nomical of  air. 

The  Auxiliary  Valve. — This  form  of 
valve  is  to  some  extent  an  attempt  to  combine 


the  outstanding  points  of  the  tappet  and  spool 
valves.  The  first  drill  to  adopt  auxiliary 
valve  motion  was  the  well  known  Sergeant 
machine  now  manufactured  by  the  Ingersoll- 
Rand  Company.  In  the  Ingersoll-Sergeant 
drill,  as  in  machines  using  the  tappet  valve, 
the  piston  is  in  two  sizes.  On  the  forward 
and  on  the  backward  strokes  the  piston  strikes 
the  auxiliary  or  trigger  valve,  which  consists 
of  a  light  arc-shaped  piece  of  steel  working  in 
a  groove  and  having  one  end  or  the  other  pro- 
jecting slightly  into  the  cylinder,  as  shown  in 
the  figure  (Fig.  7).  As  the  piston  raises  this 
trigger  valve,  a  small  port  is  uncovered  which 
allows  pressure  air  to  escape  from  one  end  of  the 
spool  valve,  so  that  the  valve  is  shot  over  into 
a  position  admitting  live  air  into  the  opposite 
end  of  the  cylinder  from  that  which  had  just 
previously  been  connected  with  the  pressure 
supply  and  putting  that  end  now  into  com- 
munication with  the  exhaust.  Other  drills 
using  a  similar  valve  to  that  described  are  the 
Chicago  Slogger  and  the  Sullivan  Hyspeed. 

Another  well-known  and  highly  successful 
drill  using  this  principle  is  the  Holman  drill. 
The  arrangement  here,  however,  is  sufficiently 
different  from  the  others  to  warrant  special 
mention.     Two  trigger  or  auxiliary  valves  are 


26 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


Fig.  6.    The  Hardy-Simplex  Drill,  show  Spool  Valve. 


used.  They  consist  of  steel  balls  as  shown  in 
Fig.  8.  The  ball  valve  C  is  shown  lifted  off 
its  seat  and  so  allows  the  air  in  the  end  ol  the 
valve  chest  at  E  to  exhaust  through  the  port 
shown  between  the  upper  and  lower  balls. 
At  the  same  time  the  ball  D  is  held  down  on 
its  seat  by  the  spring,  and  pressure  air  enter- 
ing the  valve  chest  at  F  pushes  the  valve 
over,  allows  the  air  to  obtain  access  through 
the  port  G  to  the  upper  end  of  the  cylinder  and 
air  from  the  lower  end  of  the  cylinder  to  ex- 
haust through  the  port  H.  The  enlarged  parts 
of  the  piston  operate  the  ball  valves  alternately, 
thus  producing  reversal  of  the  valve. 

The  Flap  Valve. — The  outstanding  point 
about  the  flap  or  butterlly  valve  is  its  simplic- 
ity of  design  and  action.  It  is  employed  in 
the  Jackhamer  and  Leyner-Ingersoll  hammer- 
drills  and  in  some  types  of  piston  drills  made 
by  the  Ingersoll-Rand  Company.  It  is  also 
used  in  the  Meco  hammer-drill.  Thevalvecon- 
sists  of  a  single  piece  of  steel  having  two 
wings  and  oscillating  on  a  central  trunnion  by 


the  unbalancing  of  the  air  pressure  on  the 
wings.  The  action  will  be  clearly  understood 
from  Fig.  9  on  the  opposite  page.  In  the 
figure  live  air  which  enters  at  So  passes  to 
the  rear  of  the  piston  and  forces  it  forward. 
At  the  same  time  air  from  the  front  of  the 
piston  escapes  at  the  other  wing  of  the  valve 
at  l-i  into  the  exhaust.  When  the  piston  has 
travelled  far  enough  to  uncover  the  other  ex- 
haust port  EEfl, live  air  passes  through  the  lat- 
ter and  acting  on  the  lower  wing  of  the  valve 
balances  the  pressure  on  the  upper  wing.  At 
the  same  time,  however,  the  exhaust  port  E  E  , 
is  covered  by  the  piston  and  the  compression 
of  the  imprisoned  air  in  front  of  the  piston 
throws  over  the  valve.  Fig.  10  shows  the 
Jackhamer  hammer-drill  in  which  the  flap 
valve  is  used. 

The  Ball  Valve. — This  form  of  valve  is 

used  in  the  Flottmann  hammer-drill  and  also 
in  the  Chicago  Hummer,  Stoper,  and  Gatling 
drills.  The  action  will  be  understood  from  Fig. 
1 1.     The  valve  consists  of  a  hollow  steel  ball 


Fig.  7.     The  Ingersoll-Sergeant  Drill,  showing  the  Ai-xiliary  Valve  Motion. 


JULY,    1919 


27 


~^ 


Fig.  8.     The  Holman  Auxiliary  Valve. 


|  in.  diameter,  and  is  specially  hardened  and 
ground.  The  bail  works  in  a  cage  or  chamber 
as  shown  in  the  figure.  The  air  is  obtaining 
access  to  the  rear  of  the  cylinder  as  shown  by 
the  arrows.  This  live  air  also  presses  on  a 
portion  of  the  surface  of  the  left-hand  half  of 
the  sphere,  but  the  total  pressure  tending  to 
force  the  ball  to  the  right  is  less  than  the 
pressure  acting  towards  the  left,  since  the  pres- 
sure acts  over  the  whole  of  the  surface  of  the 
right-hand  half  of  the  sphere.  When  the 
piston  has  moved  far  enough  to  uncover  the 
exhaust  ports,  which  are  in  the  cylinder  itself, 
the  pressure  is  suddenly  released  from  the 
right-hand  side  of  the  ball  and  the  valve  is  shot 
over  against  the  right-hand  port  exposing  the 
left-hand  port  to  the  entry  of  live  air.  On  the 
return  stroke  of  the  piston  the  operation  is  re- 
peated.    The  travel  of  the  valve  is  only  §  in. 


This  form  of  valve  is  simple,  strong,  tight,  and 
not  liable  to  stick.  In  the  Climax  Britannia 
hand  hammer-drill  a  light  tubular  valve  is  used 
instead  of  a  ball-valve. 

The  Piston  Valve. — The  piston  valve 
was  one  of  the  earliest  forms.  The  Darling- 
ton drill,  and  subsequently  the  Adelaide,  em- 
ployed this  type  of  valve.     They  were,  how- 


Fig.  9. 


The  Ingersoll-Rand  Butterfly  or  Flap 
Valve. 


f/fOIVT  HIM  SPRlHO  ffS 

SSLf    LOCK.'NC  MOT 


NT    &OTAT*  O'V 


Fig.  10.    The  Ingersoll-Rand  Jackhamer  Drill. 


28 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


Fig    11.    The  Ball  \\i.\i 


>: '   -^T^kk  r—' 


Fig.  12     The  Hi 

ever,  feeble  hitters,  and  for  a  time  the  principle 
of  makingthe  piston  itsown  valve  fellintoabey- 
ance, to berevivedlater, however,  in  the  Murphy 
hammer  -  drill  and  in  various  forms  of  sto- 
ping  drills  introduced  during  the  last  few  years. 
The  action  is  illustrated  in  Fig.  1 2,  which  refers 
to  the  Holman  valveless  stoping  drill.  The 
hammer  or  piston  H  is  constructed  in  two 
diameters  with  a  narrower  portion  between. 
The  pressure  air  enters  at  A,  fills  the  space  be- 
tween the  two  portions  of  the  hammer,  and  also 
gets  behind  the  hammer,  and  the  latter  is  shot 
forward.  After  a  portion  of  the  distance  has 
been  travelled  the  piston  covers  the  inner  end 
of  the  port  B  and  the  rest  of  the  stroke  is  com- 
pleted by  the  expansion  of  air  behind  assisted 
by  the  live  air  acting  on  the  difference  in  the 
two  diameters  of  the  piston.  When  the  port 
D  is  uncovered  the  air  is  exhausted.  Shortly 
afterwards  the  port  C  is  uncovered  and  pres- 
sure air  gets  to  the  front  of  the  piston  and 
the  return  stroke  commences.  On  C  being 
again  closed  the  air  works  behind  the  piston 


expansively  and  towards 
the  end  of  the  stroke  ex- 
hausts through  E. 

The  A  i  r  -  F eed 
Drill. — This  class  of 
drill  is  a  comparatively 
recent  development.  It 
is  specially  designed  for 
work  in  the  stopes.  The 
forward  feed  of  the  drill 
during  boring  is  perform- 
ed automatically  by  the 
pressure  of  the  supply 
air  on  the  end  of  a  tube 
which  fits  and  slides  in- 
side another  cylinder, 
(see F,  Fig. J).  Theoper- 
ator  is  thus  relieved  of 
the  strain  and  trouble  of 
keeping  the  drill  up  to 
rk.  The  rotation  is 
by  hand,  i  g.  hows 
one  form  of  the  drill  by 
in  Brothers.  The 
Climax  Company  make 
two  forms,  the  Hydro 
max  and  the  Hydromite 
drills,  in  both  of  which  a 
waterfiush  is  used. 

The  Hardy  Patent  Pick 
Co.,  Ltd.,hasrecently  in- 
troduced a  telescopic  air- 
feed  hammer  -  drill  spe- 
cially designed  for 
in  stopes,  drifts,  and  rises. 
The  drill,  known  as  the 
Water-Jack,  is  shown  in 
Fig.  13.  It  possesses 
several  features  similar 
to  other  drills  of  the  air- 
feed  pattern.  The  valve 
is  of  the  air-thrown  spool 
type,  and  rotation  is  by 
hand.  An  anvil  block  is 
interposed  between  the 
piston  and  the  drill  steel, 
a  feature  which  is  em- 
ployed in  the  other  air- 
feed  hammer-drills  men- 
tioned above.  Water  is 
fed  under  pressure 
through  the  anvil  and 
thence  through  the  drill 
steel  to  the  bottom  of  the 
bore  hole.  For  relative- 
ly light  work  these  drills 
give  excellent  results. 

(To  be  continued). 


View  of  Gull  Lake  from  Tough-Oakes. 


THE  KIRKLAND   LAKE  GOLDFIELD. 

By   H.    H.   JOHNSON,   M.Inst.  M.M. 

The  author,  who  is  visiting  the  district  in  the  interests  of  the   Kirkland  Lake   Proprietary, 
gives  his  opinion  on  its  prospects. 


IN  the  midst  of  the  general  activity  which  is 
being  manifested  in  mining  development  in 
Northern  Ontario,  Kirkland  Lake  stands 
out  prominently  in  the  foreground  to-day.  To 
anyone  who  has  not  been  in  close  touch  with  the 
field  during  the  whole  war  period,  it  is  certainly 
surprisingly  interesting  to  see  the  progress 
which  has  taken  place  in  those  years  of  diffi- 
culty, due  to  lack  of  adequate  transport  facili- 
ties, labour,  and  stores.  It  is  evident,  how- 
ever, that  one  factor  has  never  been  lacking  by 
those  on  the  spot,  and  that  is  confidence. 

There  is  now  a  continuous  stretch  of  2\ 
miles,  from  the  west  end  of  Gull  Lake  to  the 
west  of  Kirkland  Lake,  of  gold  mines  in  all 
stages  of  active  operations,  while  the  width  of 
the  belt  is  expanding  to  at  least  half  a  mile. 
The  properties  most  concerned  at  the  moment 
are  briefly  as  follows  from  east  to  west : 
Tough-Oakes,  120  ton  mill,  developing  ;  Burn- 
side,  30  ton  mill,  developing;  Sylvanite,  de- 
veloping ;  Black,  developing ;  Ontario  Kirk- 
land, developing ;  Hudson  Bay,  developing; 
Wright-Hargreaves,  200  ton  mill  in  prepara- 
tion, developing;  Lake  Shore,  60  ton  mill, 
running  ;  Minaker,  developing  ;  Teck-Hughes, 
100  ton  mill,  running;  Kirkland  Porphyry, 
developing;  Kirkland  Lake  (Beaver)  150  ton 
mill,  running;  Elliot-Kirkland,  developing. 
Farther  to  the  west  the  Mclvor  is  developing, 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Lake  Shore,  and  in 
addition  to  those  mentioned  there  are  a  number 


of  properties  north  and  south  of  them  which  are 
being  opened  up. 

The  Provincial  Government  having  decided 
to  provide  improved  means  of  transport  from 
the  railway  at  Swastika,  the  local  inhabitants 
were  recently  asked  to  state  their  opinion  as  to 
which  would  meet  their  requirements  best,  a 
branch  railway  six  miles  long  with  two  stations 
and  a  service  of  one  train  a  day,  or  a  good  ma- 
cadam road  suitable  for  motor-lorry  traffic. 
The  latter  was  almost  unanimously  asked,  so 
the  Hon.  G.  H.  Ferguson,  Minister  of  Lands, 
Forests,  and  Mines,  after  a  personal  investiga- 
tion, promptly  authorized  its  construction  at 
an  estimated  cost  of  $75,000,  and  work  has  al- 
ready been  commenced.  This  will  undoubt- 
edly prove  a  great  incentive  to  further  work  on 
outlying  claims.  Judging  by  the  way  motor 
traffic  is  competing  with  the  railway  on  short 
hauls,  its  flexibility,  and  facility  for  delivering 
freight  and  passengers  to  their  own  doors,  it  is 
likely  that  this  road  will  be  the  forerunner  of 
a  large  programme  of  permanent  high-road 
construction  in  the  North  Countrv. 

Like  the  experience  in  most  mining  camps 
it  is  becoming  apparent  that  many  of  the  early 
ideas,  amounting  almost  to  dogmas,  concerning 
the  occurrence  of  the  ore-bodies  have  to  be  con- 
siderably modified  in  the  light  of  actual  ex- 
perience, and  it  is  now  possible  to  form  opinions 
which  closely  fit  the  facts. 

It  is  clear  that  the  intrusions  of  felspar  and 


29 


30 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


quartz-porphyry  into  the  sedimentaries  have 
been  both  the  cause  of  the  fracturing  and  the 
media  from  which  the  mineral-bearingsolutions 
were  derived.  But  there  has  also  been  later 
faulting  of  considerable  magnitude  where  no 
appreciable  ore  deposition  has  taken  place,  if 
one  neglects  the  occasional  occurrence  of  brec- 
ciated  ore  in  the  fault-filling.  This  is  well  il- 
lustrated by  the  so-called  east  and  west  mud- 
seam  which  has  been  proved  for  long  distances 
and  has  been  driven  on  for  hundreds  of  feet 
without  finding  ore.  Probably  there  are 
several  such  seams,  though  it  has  been  com- 
monly assumed  that  wherever  found  it  is  one 
and  the  same.  Again,  the  main  north  and 
south  fault  on  the  Tough-Oakes  appears  to 
produce  a  horizontal  displacement  of  350  ft., 
besides  a  considerable  vertical  movement, 
while  no  gold  values  are  met  with  on  it,  nor  as 
a  rule  in  its  immediate  vicinity. 

There  has  also  been  a  subsequent  period  of 
ore  deposition  to  these  faults,  however,  as  is 
proved  by  veins  in  some  instances  going  con- 
tinuously through  the  faults  without  displace- 
ment. There  seemsgood  reason  to  classify  the 
veins  as  a  whole  into  two  series,  an  older  and 
younger,  the  former  being  perhaps  most  closely 
related  to  the  porphyry  and  generally  the 
richer,  although  good  values  are  found  in  both. 

So  far,  development  has  demonstrated  that 
veins  have  quite  frequently  improved  in  depth, 
this  being  particularly  the  case  at  the  Lake 
Shore  and  Kirkland  Lake  mines,  down  respec- 
tively 400  and  700  ft. ;  and  also  that  blind  veins 
exist, or  at  leastonly  outcrop  in  lakes  or  swamps 
where  there  is  no  chance  of  finding  them. 

It  is  improbable  that  individual  veins  have 
the  continuity  of  strike  that  was  sometimes 
claimed  for  them  in  earlier  days,  and  certainly 
the  ore  occurs  in  fairly  well  defined  payshoots. 


On  the  other  hand  the  old  idea  of  there  being 
one  definite  line  of  ore-body  is  completely  dis- 
proved by  the  series  of  veins  found  paralleling 
oneanotheracrossmore  than  2,400  ft. of  country 
at  fairly  close  intervals,  while  over  wider  gaps 
encouraging  veins  are  found  two  milesand  more 
to  the  north  in  the  Goodfish  Lake  vicinity. 

Mining  methods  have  greatly  impro\ed. 
Settled  development  policies  are  being  carried 
out  instead  of  merely  applying  the  original 
Cobalt  method  of  gouging  out  high-grade  as 
soon  as  struck,  a  method  which  suited  that  field 
at  the  time  quite  well.  As  an  instance  one 
might  mention  the  Lake  Shore  mine,  where 
from  60%  to  70 %  of  the  mill  rock  comes  from 
development  faces,  and  the  average  recovery 
is  about  $24  per  ton. 

The  surface  plants  are  uniformly  of  a  high 
order  of  substantial  design  and  efficient  work. 
The  general  practice  is  stage  crushing,  ball- 
milling,  tube-milling,  and  counter-current  cya- 
n illation.  Electric  power  has  almost  entirely 
superseded  steam,  the  cost  of  the  former  being 
about  $50  per  h.p.  per  annum,  basedon400  h.p. 
average  load,  the  load  factor  being  over  70%. 

Labour  is  now  quite  plentiful  and  wages  are 
high,  and  with  the  rapidly  growing  town  of 
Kirkland  Lake  with  its  organized  municipality 
the  district  bids  fair  to  be  one  of  the  most  pros- 
perous in  Northern  Ontario. 

Since  Colonel  Johnson  sent  us  the  forego- 
ing article,  his  report  made  for  the  Kirkland 
Lake  Proprietary  Company  as  to  the  advis- 
ability of  effecting  an  amalgamation  with  the 
Tough-Oakes,  Burnside,  and  Sylvanite  com- 
panies has  been  published.  A  brief  resume  of 
the  recommendations  in  this  report  is  given  in 
Review  of  Mining,"  together  with  an  outline 
map  of  the  properties  and  their  neighbours. — 
Editor.] 


The  Lake  Shore  Mine 


FOUR    YEARS    AS    A  PRISONER    OF  WAR 

By   J.   C.   FARRANT. 

(Continued  from  the  June  issue,  page  353). 

The  author  continues  his  account  of  the  treatment  of  Prisoners  of  War  sent  by  the  Ger- 
mans to  Kurland,  Russia. 


There  were  469  of  us  in  this  building  at  Erb- 
sen  Krug,  with  three  flights  of  stairs  and  two 
narrow  exits.  Fire  alarms  were  practised. 
Seven  minutes  was  the  quickest  time  recorded 
for  clearing  the  place.  Fortunately  a  fire  never 
occurred  here.  There  were  five  carbide  lamps, 
so  most  of  the  rooms  had  none  other  than  home- 
made lights.  These  lights  consisted  of  an  Oxo 
tin,  a  strip  of  shirt,  and  dripping.  It  broke  our 
hearts  to  burn  dripping,  but  there  was  no  alter- 
native, as  candles  were  unobtainable.  We  of- 
fered to  buy  carbide  lamps,  but  we  were  told 
that  there  was  insufficient  carbide.  During 
most  of  the  eighteen  months  we  were  in  Rus- 
sia, we  were  compelled  to  supply  our  own  light 
in  the  manner  above  described,  except  when 
we  were  at  Libau. 

January  7,  1917.  Temperature  zero.:: 
Camp  routine  :  Parade  7  a.m.  pitch  dark,  men 
worked  till  3  p.m.,  and  returned  for  soup  at 
4  p.m.  The  work  consisted  of  building  a  light 
railway  to  connect  up  the  various  villages  and 
towns.  There  was  no  doctor  here,  only  a  Ger- 
man sanitat.  Serious  cases  were  despatched 
by  sleigh  to  Libau.  This  meant  a  25  mile 
drive  in  an  open  sleigh  to  Hasenforth  the  near- 
est station. 

January  9.  Lager  III.  burnt  to  the  ground ; 
the  men  lost  all  their  kit  and  food. 

January  10.  I  made  a  bet  with  Jerry  Now- 
land  that  peace  would  be  signed  bv  January  1, 
1918. 

January  17.  10°  below  zero,  several  men 
brought  back  to  lager  with  frost  bite. 

January  20.  Inspecting  German  Captain 
came  from  Libau.  Chief  Petty  Officer  Bacon 
and  P.  O.  Picton-Warlow  wereordered  in  front 
of  the  Captain.  I  went  as  well  to  know  why 
the  money  sent  from  home  six  months  ago  had 
not  reached  me.  The  Captain  asked  if  there 
were  any  complaints  ;  a  large  number  of  com- 
plaints was  made.  The  complaint  or  rather 
question  which  abruptly  terminated  the  inter- 
view was  the  following  :  Q.  Is  this  a  punish- 
ment Kommando,  as  all  men  who  do  wrong 
at  Libau  are  sent  here  ?  A.  By  German  mili- 
tary code  such  a  question  from  a  prisoner  of 
war  is  forbidden.     We  were  then  dismissed. 


*  The  degrees  of  temperature  recorded  in  these  notes  have  been 
converted  to  Fahrenheit  scale  from  the  actual  Centigrade  readings 
taken  by  the  writer. 


After  the  Captain's  visit  a  German  doctor 
visited  the  camp  twice  weekly.  Water  for 
the  camp  was  supplied  from  a  well.  The  pump 
was  continually  breaking  down,  and  on  many 
occasions  we  were  reduced  to  molten  snow  for 
drinking  purposes. 

January  22.  Warmer.  15  degrees  of  frost. 
Bisset,  of  R.N.V.R.,  Clyde  Division,  was  kick- 
ed and  struck  with  bayonet  by  Dolmetcher  M. 
Bisset  had  reported  sick.  M.  ordered  him  to 
work.  Bisset  refused  and  was  handled  as 
above.  His  only  "  offence  "  was  that  he  wish- 
ed to  see  the  doctor.  Bisset  handed  in  later 
a  written  statement  of  this  affair  to  the  Ger- 
man Lieutenant.  Although  bloodwas  drawn  the 
the  wound  was  not  serious.  The  general  atti- 
tude for  this  German  interpreter  was  such  that 
the  camp  was  in  a  state  of  mutiny  on  Janu- 
ary 28  and  some  of  the  N.C.O's  drafted  a  letter 
to  the  Lieutenant.  On  January  29  M.  was  trans- 
ferred to  guard  duty,  which  made  life  in  the 
lager  more  tolerable. 

February  1 .  New  routine.  Reveille  5  a.m., 
coffee  5.30.,  parade  6.15.,  work  6.30.,  finish  4 
p.m.;  men  took  lunch  with  them. 

February  2.  10  degrees  below  zero.  All 
men  recalled  at  10  o'clock,  40  men  frost-bitten 
and  some  of  the  guards. 

February  3.  Fell  in  one  hour  later.  Whole 
party  recalled  at  midday  on  account  of  cold. 
Several  more  cases  of  frost  bites  among  men 
and  guards. 

During  the  very  cold  spells  it  was  impossible 
to  work,  as  the  ground  was  like  iron.  There 
were  very  few  guards  up  in  this  Godforsaken 
place,  about  1  guard  to  35  men,  and  this  short- 
age of  guards  was  very  neatly  turned  to  ac- 
count. As  before  mentioned,  the  work  con- 
sisted of  levelling  ground  for  a  light  railway, 
the  engineers  laying  out  the  line  ahead  of  our 
working  parties.  There  was  a  good  deal  of 
cutting  and  filling,  but  when  it  came  to  rilling, 
the  men,  when  opportunity  offered,  started  fill- 
ing upwithlumps  of  iceandsnowcoveringthese 
with  a  good  layer  of  earth. 

Our  men  left  this  region  in  the  spring  of 
1917,  and  in  the  summer  when  those  chunks 
of  ice  had  melted  the  greater  part  of  the  pris- 
oner of  war's  work  had  to  be  done  over  again, 
as  the  line  in  that  section  was  more  like  a 
miniature  switch  back.       Ever  since  we  had 


31 


32 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


been  in  Russia  we  worked  6h  days  a  week, 
and  every  Sunday  afternoon  there  was  a  parade 
of  some  kind  or  other.  The  Mutiny  Act  was 
read  by  the  Lieutenant  once  a  month.  The 
amount  of  leisure  time  was  confined  to  the 
evenings,  about  2  hours,  as  we  had  to  be  in 
bed  by  9  p.m.  These  Sunday  afternoon  par- 
ades were  intensely  annoying,  as  it  was  the 
only  time  the  men  had  for  washing  their 
clothes.     It  was  all  part  of  the  "  reprisal." 

February  20.  Our  red-letter  day,  though 
we  didn't  know  it  until  later.  The  100  K.N.D. 
men  attached  to  this  Company  were  told  off  to 
pack  all  their  gear.  This  made  our  fifteenth 
move  since  leaving  Doberitz.  At  10  a.m.  we 
paraded.  Each  man  received  half  a  loat  i 
two  days.  We  were  offered  uncooked  horse 
lights  as  well,  but  we  did  not  accept  them,  a^ 
we  still  had  some  food  from  the  parcels  sent 
from  home.  We  set  off  at  10.30  a.m.  Our 
packs  were  loaded  on  sleighs.  Three  men 
with  frost-bitten  toes  also  rode  on  sleighs. 

We  reached  lager  II.  at  5  p.m.  where  the 
"mad  500"  (British  Tommies  from  Mi'mster 
lager)  were  installed.  It  was  bitterly  cold  in 
the  barn.  The  thermometer  stood  at  zero  on 
the  wall  outside,  and  it  wasn't  much  above  in- 
side. Many  men  walked  up  and  down  all  night 
as  it  was  too  cold  to  sleep.  I  turned  in  with  the 
sanitats,  who  had  a  stove  m  their  room.  In 
spite  of  the  cold  the  boys  of  No.  II  Company 
turned  out  their  band  and  gave  us  a  concert. 
They  played  with  overcoats  and  scarves  on, 
and  were  alternately  stamping  their  feet  and 
blowing  on  their  fingers.  The  men  at  this  la- 
ger had  previously  had  their  instruments  taken 
away  from  them  for  refusing  to  play  on  some 
German  feast-day  when  requested  by  the  Ger- 
man kommandant.  The  concert  given  in  our 
honour  was  the  first  since  the  occasion  cited 
above.  This  was  the  first  music  we  had  heard 
since  we  left  Doberitz  and  we  just  did  appre- 
ciate it. 

We  reached  Libau  at  midnight  on  Febuary 
21.  On  the  23rd.,  20  volunteers  were  called 
for  to  load  up  packs  at  the  station.  I  made 
one  of  the  party.  When  we  arrived  at  the 
station  we  were  told  off  to  load  provisions  and 
furniture.  Among  the  provisions  was  a  15 
litre  jar  of  rum.  As  soon  as  this  was  loaded 
m  the  railway  truck  a  sentry  was  put  in  the 
truck  to  guard  it. 

Our  party  consisted  mostly  of  North  Sea 
fishermen,  and  they  were  all  old  "  Gefangs." 
Two  or  three  of  them  started  an  earnest  con- 
versation with  the  guard  and  English  cigar- 
ettes were  offered  and  accepted.  As  soon  as 
one   topic  was  finished  another  was  started. 


Meanwhile  the  others  were  busy  with  the  jar 
which  was  in  one  corner.  It  was  quite  dark- 
inside  the  truck  and  an  empty  5  lb.  jam  tin  was 
filled  not  once  but  many  times  without  detec- 
tion. Different  men  engaged  the  guard  in  con- 
versation, in  order  to  give  each  man  a  fair 
chance.  By  the  time  the  guard  tumbled  to  the 
game  several  of  the  party  were  well  ''  alight," 
and  as  we  were  all  to  entrain  the  same  even- 
ing for  Mitau,  the  question  of  reporting  the 
matter  didn't  disturb  us. 

We  returned  to  the  lager  about  6.30  p.m. 
and  paraded  immediately;  at  s  p.m.  600  men 
left  the  lager  and  entrained  at  Libau.  500 
disentrained  at  Mitau  on  the  next  day,  while 
our  party  of  100  went  on  to  Ekau. 

February  25.  We  marched  17  kilometres 
in  a  blizzard,  and  arrived  at  Reiskatte  at  2  p.m. 
red  a  barbed  wire  enclosure  in  which 
were  two  or  three  dugouts.  Over  the  gate  a 
sign  bore  the  words  "  Vergeltung  Lager"  (Re- 
prisal Camp).  We  were  kept  on  parade  for 
>urs  in  the  snow.  New  numbers  were 
given  us  and  our  kits  searched.  We  were  then 
told  to  go  into  the  dugouts,  and  as  usual  we 
were  overcrowded. 

February  26.  We  paraded  at  6  a.m.  The 
lieutenant  in  charge  announced  through  an  in- 
terpreter that  we  100  men  would  be  sent  daily 
into  the  trenches  to  work,  as  German  prisoners 
of  war  were  employed  by  the  British  in  their 
trenches.  While  they  continued  to  keep  Ger- 
man prisoners  under  shell  fire  so  long  should  we 
be  kept  here.  Further  a  man  or  men  would 
be  shot  upon  the  slightest  provocation 
ringste  Gegenstandigkeit).  We  were  then  told 
to  write  home  and  state  that  we  were  in  the 
German  tiring  line.  The  lager  was  about  5 
kilometres  from  the  first  line. 

We  were  then  split  into  two  groups  of  40  and 
60.  The  60  party,  which  was  the  day  shift, 
left  the  lager  at  6. 1 5  a.m.  Our  party  of  40  left 
at  4  p.m.  and  met  the  others  returning,  who 
said  that  they  had  bsen  under  firemostof  theday 
but  no  casualties.  We  arrived  at  the  third  line 
at  6  p.m.,  where  we  were  given  shovels.  A 
lieutenant  addressed  our  guards,  telling  them 
we  were  on  no  account  to  cease  working,  and 
rubbing  it  in  that  the  German  prisoners  were 
receiving  brutal  treatment  in  the  British  lines. 

The  first  night's  work  consisted  of  shovel- 
ling snow  out  of  the  third  line,  which  was  com- 
pletely filled.  The  first  lines  of  German 
trenches  were,  in  this  section,  from  50  to  300 
yards  from  the  Russian  line.  The  second  Ger- 
man trench  was  200  yards  from  the  first,  and 
the  third  trench  200  yards  from  the  second. 
The  place  had  once  been  a  forest,  but  shell  fire 


JULY,     1919 


33 


had  swept  it  clean. 

We  returned  to  the  lager  at  3  a.m.  tired  out. 
We  had  been  away  from  the  lager  .  1 1  hours. 
The  Germans  weren't  content  with  this,  for 
the  next  morning  the  night  party  had  to  do  an 
hour's  camp  fatigue  from  10  to  11  a.m. 

March  7.  At  Point  111/35,  50  yards  from 
first  line,  150  yards  from  Russian  line,  pulling 
sleighs  loaded  with  timbers,  frequently  had  to 
take  shelter  from  machine-gun  fire.  German 
soldiers  in  trenches  bore  us  no  malice,  and 
were  surprised  that  we  should  be  working  here. 

March  2.  Our  party  carrying  "  bird  cages" 
weighing  about  3001b.,  two  men  to  a  "bird 
cage,"  having  to  carry  them  1  kilometre,  usually 
done  with  five  rests.  They  cut  our  shoulders, 
and  it  was  the  most  straining  work  I  have  ever 
done.  These  bird  cages,  as  we  called  them, 
were  about  18  ft.  long,  and  consisted  of  a  4  in. 
pole  with  wooden  crosses  at  each  end  and  one 
in  the  centre,  round  which  barbed  wire  was 
wound.  They  were  about  5  ft.  high,  and  were 
used  to  repair  the  barbed  wire  entanglement. 
We  walked  25  kilometres  between  4  p.m.  and 
2.30  a.m.,  carrying  from  6  p.m.  till  1  a.m.  We 
had  to  keep  moving  to  prevent  frost  bite,  but 
my  linger  was  bitten  in  spite  of  that. 

March  3.  Below  zero.  We  were  in  the 
second  line,  and  were  stamping  our  feet  for  six 
solid  hours.  The  ground  was  like  iron.  We 
couldn't  work.  We  were  supposed  to  trim  off 
corners  and  level  off  the  bottom.  The  guards 
were  dancing  up  and  down  as  well.  They 
were  relieved  every  two  hours.  A  Russian 
machine  gunner  had  located  us,  so  we  had  to 
keep  our  heads  down. 

March  5.  Day  shift  called  5.15.  Coffee 
(for  want  of  a  better  name  as  it  was  made  from 
burnt  barley  and  other  stuff)  5.45.  Fell  in 
6.15.  Trenches  at  8  a.m.  Four  of  us  were 
digging  a  hole  for  a  rubbish  shoot.  The  picks 
were  blunt,  and  we  didn't  pick  two  barrowfuls 
all  day.  Scott,  one  of  the  party,  was  cursing 
the  cold  and  things  in  general  with  vehement 
bitterness,  when  his  pick  fell  out  of  his  hands 
and  down  he  went  from  exhaustion.  I  went 
over  to  him,  but  he  was  motionless.  I  asked 
the  guard  to  let  us  take  him  into  a  dugout. 
He  merely  shrugged  his  shoulders  and  said 
"  Esgeht  nicht."  While  I  was  expostulating 
with  the  guard  a  German  N.C.O.  came  up  and 
he  allowed  us  to  take  Scott  into  a  dugout  where 
he  thawed  out.  He  was  helped  back  to  the 
lager  when  we  returned. 

Just  after  we  had  taken  Scott  in,  our  little 
party  was  subjected  toabout  20  rounds.  They 
were  bursting  unpleasantly  close.  The  guard 
was  alright,  in  the  lee  of  a  substantial  dugout, 
1—5 


but  we  were  in  the  open,  but  that  guard  wouldn't 
let  us  get  shelter  until  the  same  N.C.O.  came 
out  of  a  dugout  and  ordered  the  guard  to  take 
us  to  an  "  Unterstand,"  that  is  a  specially  con- 
structed shelter,  until  the  firing  was  over. 

March  7.  We  were  searched  for  diaries  and 
some  were  found.  We  were  now  beginning 
to  feel  the  effect  of  insufficient  nourishment  as 
all  the  food  we  had  brought  with  us  had  been 
eaten.  We  were  strictly  on  German  rations, 
which  were  2/5ths  of  a  3  lb.  loaf  per  day  per 
man.  This  was  the  only  solid  food  we  had. 
Coffee  substitute  was  served  at  5.30  a.m.,  and 
soup  at  night.  What  soup  it  was  !  consisting 
of  dried  vegetable  or  pigeon  peas,  or  horse 
beans.  Theamount  of  solids  in  the  soup  never 
amounted  to  more  than  two  or  three  spoonsful. 
Twice  a  week  we  were  supposed  to  have  meat. 
The  meat  was  boiled  in  the  copper,  but  before 
we  drew  our  soup  the  solid  meat  was  fished  out, 
and  cut  up,  and  divided  among  the  guards. 
The  same  graft  was  carried  on  with  the  jam,  a 
large  portion  being  scooped  out  from  our  issue 
for  the  guards.     We  never  had  potatoes. 

March  11 .  (Sunday).  We  had  all  looked  for- 
ward to  thisday  forarest,  and  to  mend  and  wash 
our  things,  but  we  were  disappointed.  We 
were  called  at  5  a.m.  and  were  kept  shovelling 
snow  till  11  a.m.,  returned  to  lager  for  soup  at 
4  p.m.  We  were  marched  to  trenches  and 
worked  till  2  a.m.,  returning  to  lager  at  3.30 
a.m.,  badly  done  up.  One  man  collapsed.  It 
was  the  coldest  night  yet,  10°  below  zero. 
From  my  knees  down  my  legs  were  numb  for 
11  hours.  We  had  been  working  for  nearly 
20  hours. 

March  12.  On  account  of  an  alleged  entry 
made  in  C's  diary  to  the  effect  that  we  were 
working  sixteen  hours  a  day,  the  actual  work- 
ing hours  were  extended  as  punishment  for  re- 
cording incorrect  statements.  Theguardswere 
lectured  and  their  attitude  to  us  from  now  on 
was  distinctly  hostile,  as  they  had  to  partici- 
pate in  the  longer  period. 

The  actual  time  at  night  in  the  trenches  was 
from  6  p.m.  till  2  a.m.  No  matter  if  the  work- 
was  finished  ornot,  onehourpause  was  allowed. 
By  orders  issued  we  were  not  allowed  in  the 
German  dugouts,  and  to  stand  in  the  trenches 
for  an  hour  without  working  meant  getting 
frost-bitten.  Inordertoprevent  this  we  worked 
straight  on,  but  the  damned  swine  wouldn't 
allow  us  to  leave  an  hour  earlier.  So  while 
this  bitter  weather  continued  we  worked  an 
extra  hour.  The  guards  were  doing  an  hour 
on  and  an  hour  off,  going  to  warm  dugouts  for 
their  stand  easy. 

{To  be  continued). 


34 


THE    MINING   MAGAZINE 


NEWS   LETTERS. 

CAMBORNE. 

Nationalization  of  Coal  Industry. — 
Now  that,  as  anticipated,  the  Coal  Industry 
Commission   has    reported   in   favour  of  the 
nationalization  of  the  country's  coal  industry, 
it  is  for  the  non-ferrous  mining  industry  of 
the  West  of  England  to  express  a  considered 
opinion  as  to  whether  nationalization,  if  adop- 
ted by  Parliament,  is  likely  to  result  in   the 
maintenance,  or,  as  seems  probable,  in  an  in- 
crease in  existing  coal  prices,  with  its  resultant 
serious   effect  on   the   mining   of   non-ferrous 
metals.    The  Cornish  Chamber  of  Mines  took 
no  steps  to  present  evidence  before  the  Com- 
mission as  to  the  relation  of  high  coal  prices  to 
working  costs  of  the  tin  mines,  although  great 
stress  has  properly  been  laid  by  the  representa- 
tives of  Cornish  companies,  when  the  financial 
results  have  been  laid  before  the  shareholders, 
of  the  great  burden  which  the  much  increased 
price  for  coal  has  involved.     This  inaction  m 
such  an  important  matter  is  much  to  be  de- 
plored.    A  Chamber  of  Mines  is  essentially  an 
organization  to  protect  the  interests  of  themine 
operator,  and  no  opportunity  should  be  lo^t  in 
combating  all  movements  which  will  increase 
working  costs  without  any  offsetting  benefit. 
The  same  apathy  seems  likely  to  prevent  the 
presentation  of  evidence  before  the    Income 
Tax  Commission,  now  sitting, as  to  the  present 
unfairness  of  the  incidence  of  income  tax  on 
mines,  a  really  very  important  matter  to  many 
Cornish  mines.    However,  the  point  now  to  be 
considered  is  whether  the  non-ferrous  mining 
industry  is  likely  to  be  unfavourably  affected 
by  the  nationalization  of  the  coal  industry,  and, 
if  so,  steps  should  be  at  once  taken  to  join  in 
the  opposition  movement  which  is  now  being 
organized.     Soon  it  may  be  too  late,  and  then 
lamentations  and  protests  will  be  useless.     At 
the  time  of  writing,  a  further  rise  in  the  price 
of  coal  is  threatened  by  the  coal  owners  ;  how 
it  is  to  be  met  by  most  of  the  mines  in  Corn- 
wall is  a  conundrum  which  it  is  by  no  means 
easy  to  solve. 

There  can  be  little  doubt,  whatever  the  fate 
of  the  proposal  to  nationalize  the  coal  industry 
may  be,  that  the  Government  will  decide  on 
the  purchase  by  the  State  of  the  coal  royalties 
of  the  country, seeing  that  publicopiniongener- 
ally  is  in  favour  of  this  step.  It  might  now  be 
considered  whether  it  would  not  be  wise  to  ad- 
vocate the  purchase  by  the  State  of  all  miner- 
als. Much  capital  has  been  kept  out  of  the 
West  of  England  by  the  onerous  and  often  un- 
reasonable conditions  laid  down  by  some  of  the 


mineral  owners  who,  not  infrequently,  are  un- 
willing to  take  any  monetary  risks,  but  insist 
on  a  royalty  whether  the  mine  is  being  opera- 
ted at  a  profit  or  not.  The  substitution  of  the 
State  for  the  privateowner  could — if  the  people 
so  willed — enable  the  principle  of  "no  profits, 
no  dues  "  to  be  adopted, and  some  of  the  iniqui- 
tous conditions  now  insisted  on  by  certain  own- 
ers to  be  abolished.  Besides,  too,  the  State 
would  be  concerned  to  see  its  mineral  wealth 
exploited,  and  might  therefore  not  be  indis- 
posed to  join  financially  in  drainage  and  de- 
velopment schemes,  as  is  not  unknown  in  the 
Colonies.  It  is  a  large  question,  but  one  which 
might  with  advantage  be  considered  jointly  by 
the  organizations  which  represent  the  metal 
mines  in  this  country. 

Ti  iiinv  Minerals,  Ltd. — The  statutory 
report  of  this  company  shows  that  the  whole 
of  the  40,000  shares  of  £\  each  offered  for 
public  subscription  in  February  last  were  taken 
up,  and  already  it  appears  that  a  detailed  ex- 
amination of  this  large  and  important  mineral 
area,  situated  in  the  heart  of  the  Mining  di- 
vision, has  been  made  by  I>r.  Malcolm  Mac- 
laren,  the  eminent  geologist,  and  by  Mr.  \Y. 
A.  Mai  leod,  who  both  are  much  impressed  by 
its  great  potentialities  from  the  mining  stand- 
point. See  plan  in  another  part  of  this  issue. 
— Editi  >k.  The  greater  part  of  the  estate  has 
already  been  extensively  mined,  and  the  faith 
of  the  engineers  is  based  on  the  fact  that  the 
lodes  hitherto  worked  have,  in  the  main,  only 
been  worked  in  the  killas,  whereas  experience 
has  proved  that  their  mineral  content  increases 
in  richness  in  the  granite.  A  recent  and  ex- 
cellent illustration  of  this  is  shown  in  the  case 
of  the  famous  Rogers  lode  at  East  Pool  & 
Agar, which  was  poor  in  the  killas.  The  granite 
throughout  the  estate  will  be  met  with  at  a 
depth  not  unreasonable  for  exploitation  ;  the 
extreme  limit  is  given  at  338  fathoms.  It  is 
fairly  evident  that  lateral  development  from 
shafts  now  in  use  and  below  the  bottom  of  the 
old  workings  will  be  the  plan  of  exploitation 
adopted  ;  the  capital  cost  of  pumping  out  the 
accumulation  of  water  makes  that  method  pro- 
hibitive. The  /"40.000  provided  will  not  go 
far  to  prove  this  large  area,  but  there  are 
powerful  financial  groups  behind  the  company 
who  can  doubtless  provide  the  wherewithal  if 
conditions  and  results  so  justify. 

Tin  and  Tungsten  Research.  —  Re- 
cently there  was  published  in  the  Western 
Morning  News  some  correspondence  between 
a  Mr.  C.  G.  Bateman  and  the  Research  Board, 
from  which  it  appears  that  the  former  claimed 
to  be  able  to  demonstrate  a  new  process  or 


JULY,     1919 


35 


method  which  would  give  a  much  improved 
extraction  of  tin  and  wolfram,  but  a  condition 
precedent  to  such  demonstration  anddisclosure 
of  the  process  was  that,  if  proved  successful, 
he  should  be  paid  a  "  permanent  retaining  fee 
of  ,0,000  per  annum  and  an  additional  ^100 
per  annum  in  respect  of  every  one  per  cent, 
improvement  over  10  per  cent,  in  the  increased 
amount  of  tin  and  wolfram  concentrates  ob- 
tained." The  Board  were  unable  to  agree  to 
this  on  the  ground  that  "their  resources  and 
their  work  are  likely  to  terminate  within  a  limi- 
ted period,"  and  they  suggested  that  Mr.  Bate- 
man  should  secure  provisional  protection  by 
means  of  patenting  his  process.  This  he  is  not 
content  to  do,  because  he  "attaches  little  value 
to  patents  "  owing  to  the  costly  litigation  which 
a  patentee  is  often  involved  in  to  protect  his 
patent.  It  is,  of  course,  true  that  a  patent  is 
but  an  invitation  to  litigation,  and  it  seems  a 
pity  that  some  plan  cannot  be  devised  by  the 
Board  to  guarantee  that  an  inventor  shall  sub- 
stantially benefit  if  his  process  is  really  worth 
adoption.  Whether  Mr.  Bateman's  process 
will  do  what  he  claims  for  it  is  another  story  ; 
inventors  are  usually  optimistic  people.  He 
definitely  states  that  it  isnot  aflotation process. 

State  Aid  for  Cornish  Mines. — The 
memorandum  on  this  subject  prepared  by  Mr. 
F.  D.  Acland,M.P.,for  submission  to  the  War 
Cabinet,  referred  to  in  the  last  issue,  has  now 
been  published,  but  no  new  points  have  been 
made,  except  that  special  emphasis  is  laid  on 
the  "  ugly  industrial  position  in  West  and 
North  Cornwall  "  likely  to  be  created  if  some- 
thing more  than  the  unemployment  dole  is  not 
provided  by  the  Government.  Mr.  Acland's 
principal  suggestion  is  that,  pending  the  long 
promised  inquiry,  the  Government  should  pro- 
vide financial  assistance  by  means  of  "  advan- 
ces against  realizable  assets  and  to  taking  a 
definite  share  in  approved  development  work." 

The  decision  of  the  Government  was  com- 
municated by  letter  dated  June  25,  1919: 
With  reference  to  the  previous  communica- 
tions on  the  subject  of  assistance  to  the  Cornish 
Tin  Mining  Industry,  I  am  directed  by  the 
Board  of  Trade  to  inform  you  that  it  has  now 
been  decided  that  there  shall  be  an  inquiry 
into  the  whole  position  of  the  Non -Ferrous 
Mining  Industry  of  the  United  Kingdom  with 
a  view  to  deciding  if  the  industry  can  be  placed 
on  a  satisfactory  commercial  footing  ;  and  that 
in  the  meantime,  in  order  to  enable  mining 
operations  to  continue,  His  Majesty's  Govern- 
ment shall  make  advances  to  approved  mines 
up  to  an  amount  somewhat  below  the  break- 
ing-up  value  of  their  plant  and  machinery  as 


established  by  independent  valuation, such  loans 
to  bear  interest  and  to  be  repayable  in  a  short 
term  of  years,  and  the  offer  of  such  advances 
to  be  open  only  until  the  report  of  the  inquiry 
has  been  received  and  a  decision  taken  there- 
on. I  am  to  add  that  the  Board  of  Trade  will 
be  glad  to  receive  at  an  early  date  applications 
for  such  advances.  The  applications  should 
be  in  each  case  for  a  definite  amount  and 
should  be  accompanied  by  a  detailed  statement 
of  the  financial  position  of  the  applicant  com- 
pany and  of  the  security  offered,  together  with 
such  information  as  to  the  condition  and  pros- 
pects of  the  mine  in  question  as  is  likely  to 
assist  the  Board  in  arriving  at  a  decision.  I 
shall  be  glad  if  you  will  communicate  the  con- 
tents of  this  letter  to  the  interests  concerned." 
This  decision  does  little  to  advance  matters, 
because  already  money  can  be  obtained  locally 
on  the  security  of  fhe  break-up  value  of  the 
machinery. 

Geevor. — The  report  of  Mr.  J.  M.  lies  on 
this  mine,  referred  to  briefly  in  the  last  issue, 
has  now  been  published,  and  he  states  that 
although  he  had  formed  a  high  opinion  of  the 
value  of  the  property  on  a  previous  visit,  the 
development  since  has  very  much  strengthened 
that  opinion,  and  he  records  his  view  that  a 
very  small  amount  of  further  development  will 
justify  increasing  the  plant  for  the  treatment 
of  a  much  larger  monthly  tonnage  than  the 
4,000  tons  of  ore  which  the  mill  now  being 
completed  will  handle.  He  figures  that  by 
milling  4,000  tons  per  month,  60  tons  of  tin 
concentrate  should  be  produced,  and  if  this 
result  materializes,  as  appears  likely  from  the 
value  of  the  ore  reserves,  then  Geevor  will 
rank  as  the  third  largest  producer  in  Cornwall. 

Demand  for  Increased  Wages. — The 
demand  for  increased  wages  for  all  classes  of 
mine  employees  put  forward  recently  by  the 
Workers'  Union  can  hardly  be  unexpected,  al- 
though probably  the  extent  of  the  increases 
demanded,  particularly  those  for  surface  work- 
ers, is  a  matter  for  surprise.  Indeed  it  is  not 
too  much  to  say  that,  in  the  present  parlous 
state  of  the  industry,  the  demands  are  absurd, 
and  it  is  out  of  the  question  for  the  mine-own- 
ers to  meet  them.  The  officials  of  the  Workers' 
Union  are  quite  aware  of  this;  they  know  per- 
fectly well  that  few  mines  in  Cornwall  are  even 
meeting  costs,  much  less  earning  dividends, 
and  that  with  tin  metal  at  less  than  ^"280  per 
ton,  only  abnormally  rich  or  shallow  tin  mines 
in  the  West  of  England  can  even  "clear  their 
heels"  under  existing  conditions.  This  being 
so,  one  can  only  assume  that  this  is  a  move  by 
the  Union  to  force  the  Government  to  finan- 


36 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


cially  assist  the  industry  toenable  higher  wages 
to  be  paid.  It  has  long  been  conceded,  for  in- 
stance, that  the  surface  workers  are  underpaid, 
taking  into  consideration  the  existing  cost  of 
living  ;  indeed  it  will  be  recalled  that  the  depu- 
tation from  the  Joint  Industrial  Council,  which 
waited  on  the  Parliamentary  Secretary  of  the 
Board  of  Trade  on  January  30  last,  pointed 
out  that  the  abnormal  conditions  caused  by  the 
war  had  prevented  the  worker  from  being  paid 
a  wage  adequate  to  meet  the  increased  cost  of 
living.  If  this  is  not  the  explanation,  then  it 
must  be  assumed  that  the  demands  have  been 
drawn  with  a  view  to  allowing  some  latitude 
for  a  compromise.  It  is  not  difficult  to  fore- 
shadow what  will  happen  if  the  Union  refuses 
to  recede  from  the  position  taken  up.  The 
mine  owners,  being  unable  to  meet  the  in- 
creases demanded,  however  much  they  might 
like  to,  will  refuse,  and  this  will  bring  about  a 
strike.  Industrial  strife  is  about  the  only  thing 
which  will  make  the  present  Government  move, 
and  so  a  strike  will  probably  have  the  effect  of 
hastening  the  promised  inquiry. 

To  return  to  the  demand  of  the  l"  ni<  in .  1 
out  below  a  brief  summary  of  the  claim  : 

Rock  drillers  on  develop- 
ment 15s.  per  shift  minimum 

Rock  drillers  on  stoping     13s.  6d. 

Allotherclassesof  under- 
ground work  12s.  6d.      ,, 

Allotherclasses(under  16 

years  of  age)  25s   per  week  rising  to  30s. 

after  one  year 

In  the  case  of  afternoon  shifts,  five  shifts  to 
count  as  six.  ( )vertime  at  the  rate  of  time 
and  a  half  for  ordinary  days ;  double  time  for 
Sundays  and  public  holiday-. 

Surface  Mechanics  1-  Sd.  per  hour  minimum 
Engine  drivers  d.    ,,       ,. 

All  others  (men)  In    4d 

Boys  starting  at  14  years 

of  age  18s.  per  week- 
Women  30s 

(iirls  (under  18  years  of 

age)  20s 

Hours  of  ordinary  surface  workers  to  be  44 
per  week,  shift  workers  48.  Overtime  on  the 
same  basis  as  underground  workers  (see  above) . 
Those  working  continuously  running  machin- 
ery to  be  paid  for  all  meal  hours. 

It  has  been  figured  in  the  case  of  one  large 
mine  working  in  the  Camborne  district,  that 
these  demands  equal  7s.  per  ton  of  ore  milled. 

Grenville. — It  is  understood  that  this 
company  will  shortly  be  reconstructed,  suf- 
ficient new  capital  being  provided  to  pay  off 
the  existing  bank  mortgage,  and  for  the  vig- 
orous development  of  the  property.  The  new 
manager  is  Mr.  J.  Nile. 


NORTH   OF   ENGLAND. 
Lead  and  Zinc. — The  outlook  is  no  brighter 

than  a  month  ago.  Everything  is  still  in  a 
state  of  suspense.  Consternation  prevails.  So 
far  the  applications  that  have  been  made  to 
the  Board  of  Trade  have  been  without  result. 
No  answer  can  be  obtained  :  and  the  time  is 
fast  approaching  when  the  mines  will  have  to 
close  down  or  run  without  any  assistance  what- 
ever to  pay  the  war  wages.  A  number  of  the 
mines,  I  understand,  are  still  waiting  on,  in  the 
hope  that  some  satisfactory  reply  may  be  forth- 
coming. The  Lead  and  Zinc  Mining  Associa- 
tion has,  in  fact,  recommended  their  members 
to  take  no  irrevocable  step.  This  is  undoubt- 
edly sound  advice,  for,  after  all,  Sir  Auckland 
Geddes  on  May  30  did  definitely  promise  that 
the  decision  of  the  Government  should  be  com- 
municated to  owners.  It  is  true  that  the 
anxious  inquiries  of  mine  managers  have  elici- 
ted no  response.  Hut  there  is  just  the  chance 
that  no  news  may  be  good  news.  Hope  need 
not  be  abandoned  until  it  is  crushed.  What, 
however,  does  the  Go\  eminent  expect  to  hap 
pen  in  the  industi 

PROFIT-SHARING.  At  one  of  the  mines,  I 
understand,  a  long  conference  took  place  be- 
tween the  Union  officials  and  the  management 
concerning  a  profit-sharing  scheme  that  had 
been  submitted  by  the  owners.  The  company 
had  been  led  to  believe  that  the  Union  would 
welcome  some  method  of  profit-sharing  if  the 
basis  were  such  as  would  not  jeopardize  the 
standard  rates  of  pay  to  which  they  are  appar- 
ently determined  to  adhere  come  what  may. 
men  seemed  to  realize  that  working  costs 
must  include  a  proper  charge  for  depreciation, 
and  the  scheme  had  on  the  whole  a  good  recep- 
tion. I  have  had  access  to  the  scheme,  whi<  h 
appears  to  meet  any  difficulties  and  objections 
raised  by  the  Union.  It  is  essential  that  such  a 
scheme  must  be  distinguished  by  simplicity,  and 
the  scheme  of  which  I  write  undoubtedly  exhib- 
its that  feature.  The  first  thing  to  doisto  ascer- 
tain the  average  monthly  working  costs,  which 
must  include  wages,  materials,  carriage,  office 
expenses,  royalty,  salaries,  insurances,  and  an 
agreed  fixed  charge  for  depreciation,  but  ex- 
cluding of  course  income  tax  and  capital  ex- 
penditure. Afterthat  has  to  be  determined  the 
average  monthly  revenue  from  sales  of  concen- 
trates, excluding  rents  receivable  and  interest 
upon  investments.  The  division  of  the  cost 
by  theaverage  price  gives  the  tons  which  should 
be  raised  to  meet  the  working  costs.  1  he 
actual  output  is  known,  and  the  excessof  actual 
tons  of  output  above  the  output  needed  to  bal- 
ance  working   costs   would  be   profit   tons  on 


JULY,     1919 


37 


which  £3>  per  ton  would  be  paid  to  the  men. 
At  the  mine  in  question  the  charges  consist  of 
a  wages  bill  plus  all  accounts  for  materials  pur- 
chased during  the  month.  No  monthly  stock- 
taking is  carried  out  because  with  an  average 
of  six  months  the  figures  are  sufficiently  ac- 
curate. In  the  event  of  especially  large  pur- 
chases of,  say,  timber,  the  item  is  spread  over 
three  months  in  order  to  avoid  violent  fluctua- 
tions of  costs.  A  bonus  of  £3  per  ton  on  profit 
tons,  would  probably  suffice  to  yield  the  men  an 
increase  of  anything  from  8d.  to  Is.  6d.  per 
shift.  A  question  that  might  be  raised  is  : 
would  it  be  possible  for  men  working  the  re- 
duced number  of  hours  per  week  to  get  the  out- 
put necessary  to  bring  profit  tons  ?  The  merit 
of  the  scheme  is  that  it  arouses  the  sporting 
instinct  of  the  men.  Imagine  the  interest 
which  would  be  taken  in  a  large  chart  exhibited 
at  the  mine  on  which  are  shown  two  graphs, 
one  representing  the  tons  to  meet  costs,  and 
the  other  representing  actual  outputs.  The 
narrowing  of  the  gap  between  the  two  graphs 
and  the  gradual  overhauling  of  the  profit  graph 
would  surely  stimulate  the  workpeople  to  such 
exertion  as  they  were  never  before  responsible 
for.  Who  that  recollects  the  devicesemployed 
to  produce  record  War  Loans  can  doubt  that 
seeing  clearly  how  by  the  expenditure  of  extra 
energy  they  can  benefit  themselves  the  work- 
people would  have  a  new  interest  stirred  in  their 
work  ?  It  would  not  necessarily  mean,  as  mine 
managers  well  know,  that  satisfactory  results 
were  to  be  obtained  wholly  by  severe  labour. 
The  gap  between  the  two  graphs  could  be  de- 
creased partially  by  the  mere  act  of  starting 
promptly,  and  working  until  the  expiration  of 
the  allotted  time.  The  taking  of  an  intelligent 
interest  intheir  work  would  initself  substantial- 
ly raise  the  workman's  production.  And  more 
than  this,  it  lies  largely  within  the  power  of  the 
men  to  bring  down  working  costs.  How  much 
might  not  be  saved  by  the  care  of  tools,  and 
economy  in  the  use  of  explosives  and  other  ma- 
terial ?  The  stoppage  of  careless  waste  would 
play  apart  in  bringing  thetwographs  nearerthe 
other.  How  much  waste  of  ore  in  stopes  could 
not  be  avoided  by  men  keen  on  producing  profit 
tons?  Every  ton  lost  in  cutting  fresh  ground 
before  every  particle  of  ore  in  the  old  ground 
was  recovered,  the  miners  would  know,  would 
enlarge  the  gap.  Once  get  the  men  interested 
in  the  chart,  and  the  efficiency  of  the  mine 
would  mount  rapidly  no  less  in  the  office,  in  the 
dressing  department,  in  the  fitters'  and  black- 
smiths' shops,  than  in  the  workings  of  the 
mine.  For  all  about  the  place  would  partici- 
pate in  the  profit-sharing,  from  the  clerk  to  the 


miner.  Once  the  benefits  began  to  be  derived 
it  is  improbable  that  the  workmen  themselves 
would  tolerate  slackness  on  the  part  of  any  of 
theirfellows.  The  authorof  this  scheme  would 
like  the  foremen  to  have  double  bonus,  and  he 
is  even  sanguine  that  if  adopted  and  proved 
sound  and  satisfactory,  it  might  lead  eventually 
to  the  extinction  of  contracts.  This  letting  of 
contracts  is  a  hopeless  system.  It  leads  to 
endless  friction,  and  resolves  itself  mainly  into 
prolonged  haggling  over  terms  which  engenders 
friction  and  breeds  suspicion.  Onestrong  point 
about  the  scheme  is  that  it  settles  all  dispute 
about  the  price  of  metal.  As  the  price  goes 
up  fewer  tons  are  needed  to  raise  the  output 
above  the  profit-ton  line  ;  as  the  price  falls  a 
greater  production  must  be  forthcoming  for  the 
bonus  to  be  earned.  I  hope  to  give  details  of 
the  scheme  in  a  later  report. 

TORONTO. 

June  12. 

Labour  Troubles.— The  general  feeling 
of  unrest  and  dissatisfaction  prevalent  among 
the  working  men  of  Canada,  which  has  resul- 
ted in  protracted  strikes  in  Toronto,  Winnipeg, 
and  other  cities,  has  affected  the  mining  camps 
of  Northern  Ontario.  Demands  for  increased 
pay,  shorter  hours,  and  recognition  of  the 
Union  have  been  made  by  the  miners  at  Porcu- 
pine, Cobalt,  and  Kirkland  Lake,  and  refused 
by  the  companies,  and  a  strike  at  the  two  lat- 
ter districts  is  likely  to  take  place  very  shortly. 
Many  of  the  mines  are  making  preparations 
to  close  down. 

Metalliferous  Production  of  On- 
tario. —  Returns  received  by  the  Ontario 
Bureau  of  Mines  for  the  three  months  ended 
March  31  show  a  decrease  in  the  value  of 
metalliferous  production,  which  amounted  to 
$10,182,479  as  compared  with  $14,297,905  for 
the  corresponding  period  of  1918.  The  princi- 
pal decline  was  in  nickel  and  copper  in  matte, 
the  value  of  the  former  being  $2,692,800,  as 
compared  with  $5,806,200,  and  the  value  of 
copper  in  matte  being  $588,280,  as  against 
$1,748,990  for  the  first  quarter  of  1918.  Sil- 
ver production  shows  a  decrease  in  value  from 
$3,152,700  to  $3,740,843,  and  the  output  of 
gold  a  drop  from  $2,265,521   to  %  .'.026,536. 

Porcupine. — Progress  at  the  Dome  Mines 
is  handicapped  by  labour  diffii  ulties,  and  ow- 
ing to  the  shortage  in  the  working  force  the 
mill  is  only  treating  about  O00  tons  of  ore 
daily.  The  cost  of  operations  is  about  30% 
higher  than  before  the  war,  being  about  $3'35 
per  ton.  Development  work  on  the  Dome 
Extension    property,  which   is   being  worked 


38 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


under  option,  has  placed  a  large  body  of  ore  in 
sight,  stated  to  assay  over  $5  per  ton.  The 
Hollinger  Consolidated  has  announced  another 
dividend  of  1%,  making  the  third  disbursement 
this  year.  In  view  of  steadily  improving  con- 
ditions and  an  increasing  output,  it  is  expected 
that  the  payment  of  1%  dividends  every  four 
weeks  will  shortly  be  resumed.  At  the  Mc- 
Intyre  the  main  shaft  is  being  continued  to 
the  depth  of  1,375  ft.,  where  another  main 
haulage  will  be  established.  An  intermediate 
level  is  being  run  between  this  and  the  1 ,000  ft. 
level.  When  these  workings  have  been  com- 
pleted the  shaft  will  be  sunk  further.  Recent 
finds  have  added  considerably  to  the  ore  re- 
serves. About  15,000  tons  monthly  is  being 
treated,  of  an  average  grade  of  Sin  to  the  ton. 
A  mining  plant  is  being  installed  at  the  Clif- 
ton -  Porcupine,  a  short  distance  from  the 
Dome.  The  Davidson  is  now  on  a  regular 
producing  basis,  the  small  mill  working  at  ca- 
pacity with  mill-heads  averaging  SJ0  per  ton. 
The  ore-body  at  the  500  ft.  level  has  been 
driven  on  for  75  ft.,  the  high  grade  of  the  ore 
being  well  maintained.  A  winze  is  being  sunk 
from  the  500  ft.  level  to  open  up  a  large  body 
of  ore  on  the  700  ft.  level.  The  1  )ome  Lake 
mill  is  treating  high-grade  ore  from  a  large 
lens  on  the  600  ft.  level. 

KlRKLAND  LAKE. — The  Lake  Shore  during 
April  treated  1,800  tons  of  ore  for  a  yield  of 
$44,781,  being  an  average  of  $24*88  per  ton. 
The  Tough-Oakes  has  developed  an  ore  re- 
serve sufficient  to  keep  the  mill  in  operation 
for  half  a  year.  Development  work  will  be 
steadily  continued,  and  the  mill  will  not  be 
put  in  operation  until  later  in  the  season.  The 
Wright- 1  largreaves  is  making  good  progress 
with  the  construction  of  a  200  ton  mill,  which 
will  be  the  largest  in  the  district,  and  is  ex- 
pected to  be  ready  for  operation  in  the  autumn. 
The  Teck- Hughes  during  April  produced  gold 
to  the  amount  of  ^27,216  from  the  treatment 
of  2,602  tons  of  ore,  the  average  gold  content 
being  $10*46  per  ton.  Mining  has  been  re- 
sumed on  the  Hohenaur  property  adjoining  the 
Kirkland- Porphyry.  At  the  Ontario- Kirkland, 
vein  No.  1,  which  dropped  out  of  the  shaft  at 
a  depth  of  190  ft.,  has  been  cross-cut  at  the 
300  ft.  level  where  it  shows  a  width  of  5  ft. 
The  shareholders  of  the  Canadian  Kirkland 
have  ratified  an  agreement  giving  a  controll- 
ing interest  to  the  Crown  Reserve  of  Cobalt. 
The  Berry  claims,  comprising  about  200  acres 
near  the  Burnside,  have  been  optioned  to  in- 
terests associated  with  the  Mclntyre  of  Porcu- 
pine. 

Cobalt. — The  Nipissing,  during  May,  pro- 


duced oreof  an  estimated  net  valueof  $347,751, 
and  shipped  bullion  from  Nipissing  and  cus- 
tom ores  of  an  estimated  net  value  of  $  102,578. 
Underground  work  during  the  month  was  at- 
tended with  satisfactory  results.  Veins  99 
and  109,  each  about  2  in.  wide,  on  being  open- 
ed up  showed  ore  containing  over  5,000  oz. 
silver  to  the  ton.  The  Mining  Corporation  of 
Canada  has  suspended  work  on  its  property 
in  the  south-eastern  part  of  Bucke  Township. 
Three  veins  were  cross-cut  at  300  ft.,  but  com- 
mercial values  were  not  encountered.  The 
Temiskaming  has  taken  an  option  on  the 
Cochrane  property  adjoining,  and  agrees  to 
spend  S3, 500  per  month  in  development.  The 
Northern  Customs  Concentration  has  leased 
the  Silver  Cliff  property,  and  is  taking  out  low- 
grade  ore.  A  high  grade  vein  has  been  found 
on  the  surface  on  the  Paragh  property.  The 
management  of  the  McKinley- Darragh  is  ar- 
ranging to  carry  on  extensive  explorations  m 
the  south-eastern  part  of  the  property.  The 
Nipissing  has  dropped  its  option  on  the  Ophir 
mine. 

CR1  i  K. — At  the  Miller  Independ- 
ence a  vein  containing  16  ft.  of  high-grade  ore 
has  been  cross-cut  at  the  100  ft.  level.  Equip- 
ment for  a  large  reduction  plant  has  been  or- 
dered, and  contracts  have  been  let  for  clearing 
a  right  of  way  for  the  power  line. 

M\  i.v  ii  kwan.  -This  field,  which  is  at- 
ing  much  attention,  is  to  be  provided  with 
electric  power  by  the  development  of  Matache- 
wan Falls,  six  miles  to  the  north.  The  falls 
have  a  nearly  vertical  drop  of  41  ft.  At  the 
Matachewan  mine,  formerly  the  Otisse,  a  rich 
lens  of  ore  showing  visible  gold  has  been  found 
between  the  50  and  100  ft.  levels.  A  group 
of  claims  lying  northeast  of  the  Matachewan 
are  to  to  developed  by  a  company  under  the 
name  of  the  Matachewan- Rand  Gold  Mines. 

LETTERS  to  the  EDITOR 

Spitsbergen. 

The  Editor: 

Sir — As  a  Swedish  mining  geologist  who 
has  spent  two  summers  in  Spitsbergen,  allow 
me  to  send  you  a  criticism  of  the  projects  of 
the  Northern  Exploration  Company,  an  Eng- 
lish company  that  has  much  advertised  its 
iron  and  marble  properties. 

In  one  of  the  pamphlets  issued  by  this  com- 
pany, entitled  "Spitsbergen's  Mineral  Wealth, 
its  Vital  Importance  to  British  Trade  and  In- 
dustry "  (also  appearing  as  a  series  of  articles 
in  The  Financier,  October  and  November, 
1918),  Mr.  Mangham,  of  the  Northern   Ex- 


JULY,    1919 


39 


ploration  Co.,  expresses  his  conviction  (p.  16) 
"  that  the  famous  Swedish  iron  mountain  at 
Gellivare  was  outclassed  by  the  Northern 
Exploration  Company's  iron  mountain  at  Re- 
cherche Bay,  Spitsbergen,  without  reckoning 
the  further  immense  deposits  believed  to  exist 
in  the  related  ranges.  Prior  to  the  discovery 
of  the  Recherche  Bay  mountain  the  Swedish 
mountain  was  admitted  to  contain  the  largest 
and  richest  deposits  of  magnetite  known,  but 
it  was  dwarfed'"'  by  the  Spitsbergen  iron  de- 
posits of  the  Northern  Exploration  Co.  The 
Recherche  Bay  mountain  is  about  12  English 
miles  long  against  the  Gellivare  mountain's 
length  3 i  miles;  has  a  breadth  of  three  miles 
and  a  height  of  1,400  ft.  against  525  ft."  .  .  . 
and  (p.  22)  :  "  If  we  promptly  avail  ourselves 
of  the  magnificent  resources  Spitsbergen  now 
offers — and  no  hitherto  undeveloped  region  of 
the  world  can  compare  with  it  in  respect  of 
ore  abundance,  high  -  grade  quality,  cheap 
production,  and  easy  transport — we  shall  not 
only  hold  our  own  against  all  rivalry,  but  we 
may  regain  the  former  ascendency  of  our  iron 
and  steel  industry  over  European,  if  not 
American,  competitors.  If,  on  the  other  hand, 
we  neglect  that  opportunity  we  may  imperil 
our  future  as  an  industrial  nation  "...  also 
(p.  37)  "  it  is  indeed  doubtful  if  these  deposits 
can  be  paralleled  in  the  whole  world." 

So  the  pamphlet  runs ;  they  are  brave  words, 
which  could  hardly  be  "  dwarfed,"  but  not  ex- 
actly the  words  of  an  expert  or  a  responsible 
company. 

Now,  I  happen  to  know  the  results  of  de- 
tailed reports  on  the  same  deposits,  made  from 
1912  to  1916  by  three  iron  experts,  one  Nor- 
wegian and  two  Swedish  mining  engineers  of 
repute,  and  their  conclusions  could  certainly 
not  be  more  disconcerting  to  the  reader  of  the 
pamphlet,  for  they  all  independently  come  to 
the  conclusion  that  the  iron  deposits  at  Re- 
cherche Bay  are  of  no  value  and  that,  even 
with  the  most  favourable  position  as  to  min- 
ing and  market  conditions,  the  deposits  could 
not  be  worked.  The  last  examination  was 
made  by  a  Swedish  engineer  in  1916;  he  spent 
one  entire  summer  on  a  thorough  examination 
of  the  Recherche  Bay  deposits,  and  his  results 
were,  if  possible,  even  more  disheartening  than 
those  of  the  earlier  engineers.  Although  the 
predominant  constituent  of  the  iron  minerals 
present  is  magnetite,  the  ore-body "  had 
no  effect  on  the  magnetic  needle  unless  the 
needle  was  placed  directly  on  the  mineralized 
part  of  the  rock  ;  while  the  amount  of  ore 
present  was  so   insignificant   that  it  was    im- 

*  The  italics  are  mine. — K.M. 


possible  for  the  engineer  to  collect  a  proper 
sample  for  a  milling  test. 

The  mountain  alluded  to  in  the  reports  of 
the  Northern  Exploration  Co.  does  not  con- 
sist of  iron  ore,  but  of  dolomite  of  Cambrian- 
Silurian  age,  which  is  intercalated  with  thin 
stripes  and  bands  of  quartzite.  The  ore,  which 
is  a  very  pure  magnetite  and  hematite,  mostly 
the  former,  is  found  as  thin  covers  on  the 
cleavage  planes  of  the  quartzite,  and  as  small 
vein  fillings  that  only  at  one  place — and  very 
locally — reached  a  thickness  of  half  a  metre, 
mostly  only  a  few  centimetres.  The  frag- 
ments and  boulders  of  quartzite,  being  covered 
with  this  thin  film  of  iron  minerals,  may  lead 
to  the  false  conclusion  that  large  quantities  of 
ore  are  present ;  by  breaking  the  stones,  how- 
ever, the  barren  rock  appears. 

This,  then,  is  the  iron  mountain  of  the 
Northern  Exploration  Company  on  Spitsber- 
gen, the  mountain  that  "outclasses  the  famous 
Gellivare  mountain  in  Sweden  and  that  hardly 
can  be  paralleled  in  the  whole  world." 

No  one  knows  the  mineral  deposits  of 
Spitsbergen  better  than  the  Norwegian  geolo- 
gists and  mining  engineers,  who  for  the  last 
13  years  continuously  and  systematically  have 
carried  out  the  exploration  of  the  entire  west 
and  north  of  Spitsbergen.  Such  phrases,  as 
are  to  be  found  in  the  reports  of  the  Northern 
Exploration  Co.  regarding  the  mineral  wealth 
of  the  islands,  as  (p.  7)  "The  abundance 
and  diversity  of  minerals  there  is  probably  un- 
paralleled in  any  area  of  like  extent  on  the  face 
of  the  globe"  ...  (p.  19)  "  Spitsbergen  simply 
teems  with  mineral  wealth  .  .  .  There  are  no 
fewer  than  16  minerals  on  the  properties  of 
the  Northern  Exploration  Company  .  .  .  Prob- 
ably no  equivalent  area  in  the  whole  world 
can  compare  with  west  Spitsbergen  for  the 
abundance  and  diversityof  its  mineral  wealth," 
etc. — such  phrases,  I  say,  are,  to  put  it  mildly, 
utterly  astonishing  to  us,  who  not  only  have 
traversed  the  coast-lands  of  Spitsbergen  every- 
where, and  mapped  it  topographically  and 
geologically,  but  also  the  inland  plateaus  in 
every  direction. 

Far  from  being  rich  on  ores  and  minerals, 
Spitsbergen  is — excepting  the  coal  deposits — 
rather  poorly  supplied  with  mineral  wealth. 

The  Northern  Exploration  Company  also 
mentions  guano  deposits  in  Horn  Sound, 
stretching  5  miles  inland.  In  1917  and  1918 
three  Norwegian  geologists,  together  with  their 
topographical  surveyors,  traversed  e'very  cor- 
ner of  the  land  surrounding  Horn  Sound,  and 
they  found  —  well  —  some  birds'  excrement 
here  and  there,  as  such  material  usually  is,  on 


40 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


the  rocks  on  the  north  side  of  the  bay. 

Personally  I  have,  during  my  two  summers 
stay  on  Spitsbergen,  had  the  occasion  to  ex- 
amine the  so  much  advertised  marble  deposits 
of  the  Northern  Exploration  Company  at 
King's  Bay.  The  stone,  which  is  a  brecciated 
limestone,  cemented  with  calcite  veins,  takes 
a  beautiful  polish  and  has  beautiful  colours, 
but  it  is  so  scattered  and  broken  throughout 
the  deposit  that  it  is  useless  for  anything  else 
than  very  small  articles. 

There  are  a  considerable  number  of  other 
statements  in  the  company's  reports  and 
pamphlets  that  could  be  criticized  and  con- 
troverted, but  the  above  is  sufficient. 

Ri  'i  i     M  UtS  1  RANDE  R. 

Kulhuset,  Telemarken,  Norway, 
June  2. 

The  Editor  : 

Sir — There  has  been  a  good  deal  of  contro- 
versy lately  about  the  mineral  wealth  of  Spits- 
bergen, and  a  brief  recapitulation  of  a  paper 
read  by  Mr.  Adolf  Hoel  at  a  recent  sitting  of 
the  Norwegian  Geological  Society  may  be  of 
interest  to  you.  The  paper  was  entitled  :  "  The 
Coal  and  Ore  Deposits  of  Spitsbergen,  their 
oornic  Value  and  theii  1  Hstribution  among 
Different  Nations.  * 

The  author  of  the  paper  is  probably  the 
greatest  authority  on  the  geology  of  Spitsber- 
gen. He  was  formerly  a  Government  Geolo- 
gist, but  has  since  entered  private  service,  and 
he  has  spent  the  last  ten  or  twelve  seasons  on 
Spitsbergen,  occupied  with  exploration  work. 

Speaking  of  the  much  discussed  iron-ore  de- 
posits, Mr.  Hoel  seated  that  as  early  as  1909 
he  had  come  across  numerous  pebbles  i  if  mag- 
netite and  hematite  in  a  moraine  on  Prince 
Charles  Headland.  Such  stones  have  since 
been  found  at  numerous  points  along  the 
west  coast.  Mr.  Hoel  succeeded  in  identify- 
ing the  nature  of  the  formation  accompanying 
the  iron  ores,  and  this  formation  has  been 
ascertained  in  a  narrow  strip  at  various  locali- 
ties near  the  coast.  All  deposits  hitherto 
found — with  the  possible  exception  of  that  on 
Prince  Charles  Headland  —  are,  however,  too 
poor  for  exploitation. 

The  iron-ore  deposits  north  of  Bell  Sound 
and  on  Martin's  Range  (or  Iron  Mountain) 
near  Recherche  Bay  have  been  closely  ex- 
amined at  different  times  by  a  Norwegian  and 
two  Swedish  experts,  and  have  been  proved 
to  be  without  the  least  economic  value.  The 
ore  is  very  pure,  but  it  occurs  in  quite  narrow 
streamers  seldom  attaining  a  width  of  1  ft. 
In  places  a  number  of  streamers  run  parallel, 


but  the  iron  contents  of  the  entire  mass  are 
in  all  cases  so  low  as  to  exclude  the  idea  of  an 
exploitation.  The  ore  consists  almost  entirely 
of  magnetite,  yet  the  deposit  does  not  influence 
the  magnetometer. 

The  accessible  parts  of  Spitsbergen  have  by 
now  been  fairly  well  explored,  yet  no  ore  de- 
posits of  any  importance  have  been  discovered. 

The  exploitation  of  other  minerals — except- 
ing coal — has  hitherto  likewise  proved  disap- 
pointing. The  Spitsbergen  marble,  on  which 
a  great  amount  of  money  has  been  spent,  is 
too  friable  and  quite  useless  for  architectural 
purposes.  Several  hundred  tons  of  phosphor- 
ite and  gypsum  from  deposits  near  Cape  Thot  - 
sen  (Icefjord)  have  been  shipped  to  Norway. 
The  former  proved  of  too  low  a  grade  to  pay. 
The  gypsum  is  being  tested  at  cement  works. 
An  asbestos  deposit  of  some  extent  has  been 
worked  for  two  seasons  near  Recherche  Bay, 
but  DO  spinning- fibre  has  been  produced. 

I  will  not  dwell  on  Mr.  Hoel's  description 
of  the  well-known  coal  deposits.  The  seams 
worked  occur  in  the  Tertiary  formation.  They 
are  of  great  extent  and  regularity,  and  the 
value  of  the  properties  vai  ies  as  they  are  more 
or  less  favourably  situated  foi  transport  and 
shipping.  The  largest  and  most  valuable  prop- 
erties are  held  by  Norwegian  companies  who 
in  191*  shipped  55, 0<  coal,  employ 

ing  600  workmen.  In  the  same  year  4,000 
tons  was  shipped  from  Swedish  owned  proper- 
ties (100  employees),  and  J, 500  tons  from 
mines  in  Russian  possession  (40  employees). 
English  companies  employed  50  workmen, 
but  exported  no  coal. 

Mr.  Hoel  pointed  out  that  the  scientific  ex- 
ploration of  the  country  is  mainly  due  to  Nor- 
wegian enterprise.  Thus  64  Norwegian  ex- 
peditions of  a  wholly  or  partly  scientific 
character  have  visited  Spitsbergen  within  the 
last  hundred  years,  beginning  with  Professor 
Keilhan's  expedition  in  1827.  Besides,  the 
majority  of  foreign  expeditions  sailed  on  Nor- 
wegian ships  and  with  Norwegian  crews  and 
generally  with  Norwegian  members  on  the 
staflf.  Almost  all  men  employed  in  the  mines 
at  present  are  Norwegians. 

The  present  political  status  of  Spitsbergen 
as  "terra  nullius"  seems  impracticable  in  face 
of  the  growing  industrialization  of  the  country, 
and  a  more  definite  arrangement  islooked  upon 
as  inevitable.  Prom  the  reasons  stated  above, 
and  considering  the  geographical  position  of 
the  Island,  there  is  a  strong  feeling  here  that 
Norway  has  the  first  claim  to  Spitsbergen. 
R.  H.  Blumental. 
Kristiania,  May  29. 


JULY,    1919 


41 


PERSONAL. 


A.  H.  Ackermann  has  left  for  Transylvania. 

Sir  Frederick  Black,  the  Government's  repre- 
sentative on  the  board  of  the  Anglo- Persian  Oil  Co.,  has 
been  appointed  a  managing  director  of  the  company. 

G.  W.  Campion  is  here  from  West  Africa. 

F.  C.  Cann  is  expected  from  Queensland. 

Frank  Carroll,  representing  the  Ingersoll  Rand 
Co  ,  has  been  visiting  Australia. 

A.  G.  N.  Chalmers,  son  of  George  Chalmers,  super- 
intendent, has  been  appointed  assistant  superintendent 
for  the  St.  John  del  Rey  Company. 

W.  R.  Degenhardt  is  home  from  Burma. 

F.  Julius  Fohs,  an  American  oil  engineer,  has 
passed  through  London  to  Palestine,  where  he  will 
make  investigations  for  the  Zionist  Organization  of 
America. 

Arthur  W.  EASTLAKEand  William  Sutton,  who 
were  for  many  years  associated  with  the  late  Sir  Bover- 
ton  Redwood,  have  entered  into  partnership.  Robert 
Redwood  will  co-operate  with  them  in  connection  with 
the  examination  of  oil  samples,  and  W.  H.  Dalton  in 
connection  with  geological  matters. 

J.  Jervis  Garrard  is  here  from  South  Africa. 

A.  Gernet  has  left  for  Russia. 

A.  Goldwater  is  expected  from  Nigeria. 

H.  D.  Griffiths  has  left  for  Burma. 

R.  G.  Hall  is  here  from  Burma. 

Sir  Thomas  H.  Holland  is  on  his  way  home  from 
India. 

Lt.-Col.  A.  C.  Howard,  D.S.O.,  M.C.,  late  of 
the  R.E.  41st  Division,  has  been  demobilized,  and  is 
now  in  Spain. 

Austin  Y.  Hoy  is  back  from  the  United  States. 

J.  G.  Lawn  is  here  from  South  Africa. 

Dr.  Malcolm  Maclaren  has  left  for  Bucharest. 

T.  Bruce  Marriott  has  returned  from  South 
America. 

L.  J.  Mayreis  is  here  from  Burma. 

F.  P.  Mennell  has  been  visiting  the  newly-dis- 
covered tinfields  of  Portuguese  East  Africa. 

Arthur  H.  P.  Moline,  superintendent  of  Bendi- 
go  Amalgamated,  has  been  appointed  general  manager. 
E.  C.  Dyason  has  resigned  as  managing  director,  but 
retains  his  seat  on  the  board. 

William  Neill,  manager  for  the  Cassel  Cyanide 
Co.,  has  been  visiting  the  United  States,  Canada,  and 
Mexico. 

C.  E.  Pargf.ter  has  gone  to  Abu,  Egypt. 

Floyd  W.  Parsons,  editor  of  Coal  Age,  has  been 
appointed  to  the  editorial  staff  of  the  New  York  Satur- 
day Evening  Post,  which  has  recently  started  a  busi- 
ness and  science  section. 

W.  Pellew-Harvey  is  home  from  Australia. 

Wallington  A.  Pope  has  gone  to  Nigeria  as  mana- 
ger of  the  Dua  property. 

G.  E.  Stephenson  has  returned  from  Egypt  and 
will  be  leaving  shortly  for  New  Zealand. 

E.  O.  Teale  is  here  from  the  Gold  Coast. 

W.  E.  Thomas  has  moved  his  office  to  6,  Drapers 
Gardens,  London,  E.C. 

Scott  Turner  has  been  appointed  consulting  engi- 
neer to  the  Mining  Corporation  of  Canada.  His  office 
is  at  the  Bank  of  Hamilton  Building,  Toronto. 

Edward  Walker  has  been  on  holiday  in  the  Isle 
of  Wight. 

A.  B.  Watson  has  returned  from  Nigeria. 

J.  P.  B.  Webster  has  returned  from  Siberia. 

Lt.-Col.  H.  H.Yuill,  D.S.O.,  M.C.lateControl- 
ler  of  Mines,  First  Army,  B.E.F.,  has  joined  the  firm 
of  Bainbridge,   Seymour  &  Co.,   Ltd.     Col.    Yuill    is 


M.Sc.  of  McGill  University,  Montreal. 

Two  medals  of  the  Institution  of  Mining  Engineers 
have  beenawarded  this  year,  toDR.  AUGUS1  E  Rateau 
and  Victor  Watteyne  respectively. 

The  John  Fritz  Medal  has  been  awarded  to  Gen- 
eral G.  W.  Goethals,  the  builder  of  the  Panama 
Canal. 


TRADE   PARAGRAPHS 

The  Iron  &  Coal  Trades  Review,  of  which 
Harold  Jeans,  A.R.S.M.,  is  editor,  has  moved  its 
offices  from  165,  Strand,  to  Bessemer  House,  Duke 
Street,  Adelphi,  London,  W.C.2. 

John  Browning,  140,  Strand,  London,  W.C.2., 
send  us  catalogues  of  petrological  and  metallurgical 
microscopes,  and  of  spectroscopes  and  spectrometers. 
The  firm  also  deal  in  second-hand  instruments,  and 
issue  lists  of  such  as  are  on  sale. 

The  India  Rubber,  Gutta  Percha,  &  Tele- 
graph Works  Co.,  Ltd.,  of  Silvertown,  London,  E., 
send  us  a  pamphlet  describing  the  wide  scope  of  their 
manufactures.  Mining  men  will  be  interested  in  their 
conveyor-belts,  rock-drill  hose,  and  golf  balls. 

The  Cambridge  Scientific  Instrument  Co  , 
Ltd.,  of  Cambridge,  send  list  No.  191,  dealing  with 
thermo-couple  potentiometers.  These  potentiometers 
are  particularly  intended  for  use  in  checking  thermo- 
couple pyrometers.  They  are  made  in  two  patterns, 
suitable  respectively  for  workshop  and  laboratory  use. 

James  Keith  &  Blackman  Co.,  Ltd.,  of  27,  Far- 
ringdon  Avenue,  London,  E.C. 4,  send  us  list  Y97  just 
issued  dealing  with  small  electric  blowing  fans  such  as 
are  suitable  for  smith's  forges.  Particulars  are  also 
given  of  small  exhaust  fans  intended  for  removing 
smoke  and  fumes  furnaces  of  various  descriptions 

Chalmers  &  Williams,  Chicago  Heights,  Illinois, 
send  us  a  leaflet  describing  their  various  machines  for 
comminuting  ore  :  stamp-mills,  gyratory  crushers,  jaw- 
breakers, crushing  rolls,  tube-mills,  ball-mills,  Hunt- 
ington mills,  and  Symons  disc  crushers.  Forty  4S  in. 
Symons  crushers  are  in  use  at  Chuquicamata,  and 
eighteen  at  the  Ajo  mine,  Arizona. 

The  Oliver  Continuous  Filter  Co.,  of  San 
Francisco,  reports  that  the  American  Smelters  Securi- 
ties Co.  has  recently  purchased  for  the  Veta  Grande 
mill  at  Parral,  Chihuahua,  six  12  ft.  diameter  by  16  ft. 
Oliver  filters  with  complete  vacuum  equipment.  The 
mill  capacity  is  being  increased  to  600  tons  per  day. 
Sales  of  similar  equipment  have  been  made  to  the  Ben- 
guet  Consolidated  Mines  at  Benguet,  Philippine  Is- 
lands, and  to  the  Government  cyanide  plant  in  the 
Dutch  East  Indies. 

The  Norton  Company,  of  Worcester,  Massachu- 
setts, has  recertly  secured  the  English  rights  to  the 
trade-mark  "  alundum,"  the  aluminous  product  for 
which  it  is  noted.  The  company  has  issued  its  1919 
edition  of  refractories.  It  contains  many  additions, 
including  an  extensive  range  of  sizes  of  tubes,  muffles, 
and  cores,  as  well  as  newly  developed  shapes  and  a 
newproductknown  as  "electrically  sintered  magnesia." 
Prices  are  given  of  the  various  products  A  number 
of  tables  and  charts  and  a  complete  bibliography  of 
alundum  snd  crystolon  refractories  have  been  included. 
These  make  it  useful  as  a  reference  book  in  connection 
with  high  temperature  electric  furnace  products 

Adam  Hilger,  Ltd.,  75a,  Camden  Road,  London, 
N.W.I,  send  us  a  pamphlet  describing  the  latest  im- 
provements in  their  spectrometers.  The  instruments 
described  are  :  (a)  A  Lummer-Getarcke  Parallel  Plate, 
(6)  A  Fabry  &  Perot  Etalon,  (c)  A  Michelson  Echelon 
Diffraction  Grating.     They  are  designed  to  be  suitable 


42 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


Daily  London  Metal  Prices  :    Official  Closing  Prices  on 

Copper,  Lead,  Zinc,  and  Tin  per  Long  Tons  ;  Silver 


Silver 

Copper 

Lead 

Standard  Cash 

Standard  (3  mos  ) 

Electrolytic 

Best  Selected 

Soft  Foreign 

June 

d. 

£ 

<;. 

d. 

£ 

s. 

.1 

£ 

s. 

d. 

£ 

s. 

d. 

£ 

s. 

d. 

£ 

s. 

d 

s. 

d. 

I 

s. 

d 

£ 

s. 

d.   £ 

s.  d. 

11 

54i 

79 

10 

0  to 

79 

15 

0 

80 

5 

0  to 

80 

10 

0 

83 

0 

0 

to 

84 

o 

0 

83 

0 

0  to 

0 

0 

22 

5 

0  to  22 

10  0 

12 

54* 

80 

0 

0  to 

80 

5 

0 

80 

12 

6  to 

80 

17 

6 

83 

10 

0 

to 

84 

0 

0 

S3 

0 

0  to 

84 

0 

0 

22 

10 

0  to  22 

15  0 

13 

54 

81 

12 

6  to 

Bl 

17 

6 

82 

7 

6  to 

82 

12 

6 

85 

10 

0 

to 

f-6 

0 

0 

B5 

0 

0  to 

B6 

0 

(1 

22 

15 

0  to  23 

0  0 

16 

54| 

82 

15 

0  to 

S3 

5 

0 

S3 

10 

0  to 

B3 

IS 

0 

86 

0 

0 

to 

88 

0 

0 

85 

0 

0  to 

86 

0 

0 

23 

B 

6  to  23 

7  6 

17 

545 

82 

2 

6  to 

S2 

7 

6 

82 

17 

6  to 

S3 

2 

6 

86 

0 

0 

to 

S8 

0 

0 

85 

10 

Oto 

S6 

111 

0 

17 

6  to  23 

2  6 

18 

54| 

S3 

15 

0  to 

0 

0 

10 

0  to 

84 

15 

0 

66 

10 

0 

to 

88 

10 

0 

B5 

10 

0  to 

86 

lo 

0 

17 

6  to  23 

2  6 

19 

54* 

84 

5 

0  to 

84 

10 

0 

85 

0 

0  to 

S5 

5 

0 

86 

10 

0 

to 

10 

0 

85 

10 

0  to 

86 

in 

0 

_>2 

17 

6  to  22 

12  6 

20 

54* 

86 

5 

0  to 

86 

10 

ii 

87 

5 

0  to 

>7 

10 

0 

89 

II 

0 

to 

92 

0 

0 

0 

0  to 

90 

0 

0 

15 

0  to  22 

10  0 

25 

53:,' 

86 

7 

6  to 

66 

12 

6 

87 

7 

6  to 

S7 

12 

G 

89 

a 

II 

to 

92 

0 

0 

88 

0 

0  to 

'HI 

0 

0 

22 

in 

5  0 

2* 

88 

Q 

0  to 

88 

5 

0 

88 

15 

0  to 

89 

0 

0 

90 

0 

0 

to 

93 

0 

0 

89 

0 

0  to 

01 

0 

0 

10 

0  to  22 

5  0 

25 

54A 

53* 

87 

0 

0  to 

B7 

5 

0 

88 

n 

0  to 

88 

10 

0 

90 

0 

0 

lo 

93 

0 

0 

0 

0  to 

01 

0 

0 

22 

0 

0  to  22 

5  0 

26 

86 

7 

6  to 

86 

12 

6 

87 

10 

0  to 

S7 

15 

0 

90 

0 

0 

to 

93 

0 

0 

89 

0 

Oto 

91 

0 

0 

22 

2 

6  to  22 

5  0 

27 

ssl. 

87 

5 

0  to 

B7 

10 

0 

5 

0  to 

88 

10 

0 

91 

0 

a 

t.. 

93 

0 

0 

00 

0 

Oto 

91 

0 

0 

22 

2 

6  to  22 

5  0 

30 
July 

1 

53 

86 

15 

0  to 

-7 

0 

0 

88 

0 

0  to 

88 

5 

0 

91 

0 

0 

to 

93 

'I 

0 

90 

0 

Oto 

91 

0 

0 

u 

7 

6  to  22 

10  0 

— 

S7 

5 

0  to 

B7 

10 

0 

88 

5 

0  to 

" 

10 

0 

91 

0 

0 

I.. 

95 

0 

0 

90 

0 

0  to 

91 

0 

0 

5 

0  to  22 

7  6 

2 

53 

89 

0 

0  to 

89 

5 

(1 

90 

n 

0  to 

90 

5 

o 

92 

0 

0 

to 

97 

0 

0 

90 

0 

0  to 

91 

II 

II 

12 

10 

0  to  22 

15  0 

3 

533 

91 

5 

0  to 

91 

in 

o 

92 

5 

0  to 

92 

in 

0 

11 

II 

to 

99 

0 

0 

90 

0 

0  to 

0 

I 

22 

12 

6  to  22 

17  6 

4 

53* 

91 

10 

0  to 

91 

15 

0 

92 

10 

0  to 

02 

1 

0 

95 

0 

0 

lo 

99 

0 

0 

94 

0 

0  to 

95 

0 

0 

10 

0  to  22 

15  0 

7 

53* 

91 

0 

0  to 

94 

5 

0 

95 

0 

0  to 

95 

5 

II 

0 

0 

t.. 

101 

0 

0 

94 

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95 

0 

0 

22 

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0  to  23 

0  0 

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95 

0 

0  to 

95 

5 

0 

96 

0 

0  to 

96 

5 

0 

97 

II 

I  1 

102 

c 

0 

96 

0 

0  to 

97 

I) 

1 

23 

n 

0  to  23 

2  6 

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334 

97 

10 

0  to 

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98 

10 

0  t<> 

98 

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100 

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105 

0 

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96 

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23 

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17  6 

10 

95 

111 

0  to 

0 

0 

96 

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100 

1.. 

105 

0 

0 

0 

0  to 

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0 

12 

17  1. 

for  use  on  the  modified  form  of  Hilger  Wavelength 
Spectrometer  (Constant  Deviation  Type).  Thus  ap- 
plied, the  Fabry  iV  Perot  Ktalon  affords  a  means  of 
determining  wavelengths  to  a  very  high  accuracy  ; 
while  either  the  Echelon  or  the  Lu  miner  ■<  iehn  k<-  l'late 
will  demonstrate  the  Zeeman  effect,  the  effect  of  pres- 
sure on  the  lines  of  the  spectrum,  or  the  minute  struc- 
ture of  any  desired  lines,  with  a  minimum  of  trouble 
and  with  the  great  intensity  of  light  that  distinguishes 
these  powerful  devices  for  high  resolving  power. 
At  the  same  time  the  wavelengths  ol  the  lines  under 
observation  can  be  read  off  direct  from  the  drum  of 
the  Wavelength  Spectroscope.  The  mode  of  applica- 
tion to  the  Wavelength  Spectrometer  lias  the  further 
great  advantage  that  a  large  number  of  the  lines  of 
the  spectrum  can  be  examined  at  one  and  the  same  time, 
all  the  lines  which  are  visible  in  the  eyepiece  being 
simultaneously  subjected  to  the  analysis  of  the  I. lim- 
ber Plate,  of  the  Fabry  &  Perol  I- talon,  or  of  the 
Echelon,  as  the  case  may  be.  1  -"abrv  &  Perot  I 
is  constructed  with  a  distance  piece  consisting  of  a 
hollow  cyclinder  of  fused  silica  between  the  plates. 

METAL   MARKETS 

Copper. — The  feature  of  the  situation  during  June 
was  the  important  upward  movement  in  the  price 
of  the  metal.  This  has  chiefly  emanated  from  America, 
where  a  considerable  advance  has  taken  place,  amount- 
ing to  about  2c.  per  lb.  during  the  period  in  question. 
While  the  start  of  this  rise  seemed  to  have  been  largely 
in  sympathy  with  Wall  Street  movements,  which  stimu- 
lated some  speculative  interest  in  the  metal,  it  has  been 
carried  further  by  considerable  purchases  of  copper  by 
the  ultimate  consumers  in  that  country.  The  market 
here  has  moved  in  sympathy,  and  it  is  believed  also  by 
a  little  assistance  in  the  shape  of  support  to  the  stand- 
ard market  in  London  by  American  interests.  At  all 
events,  the  standard  market  has  been  active,  the  aggre- 
gate transactions  having  considerably  increased,  while 
the  turnover  occasionally  amounted  to  as  much  as  1,000 
tons  in  a  day.  Values  have  risen  substantially,  the  im- 
provement amounting  to  £8  in  the  case  of  cash  metal, 
and  £9  for  three  months.  Electrolytic  copper  also 
went  up  in  price  on  this  side  to  the  extent  of  about 
£9.   10s.  per  ton.     A  good  demand  has  been  experi- 


enced from  consuming  trades  in  this  country,  and  the 
fact  that  most  of  the  inquiry  since  the  conclusion  of 
hostilities  has  been  for  copper  in  the  shape  of  win 
rather  than  ingot  bars,  has  depleted  the  stocks  of  wire 
bars  in  this  country,  while  even  for  shipment  from 
America  a  considerable  premium  is  asked  for  that  de- 
scription In  manufactured  copper  a  good  inquiry  has 
also  been  seen,  in  which  India  has  largely  participated. 
An  interesting  development  is  the  reported  ottering  of 
Ameru  and  yellow  metal  to  India. 

The  rice  of  cash  standard  copper  in  June 

May  191  June 

M  •  -.  /110.  5s. 

Ii  .  —The  past  month  has  seen  a  moderate  an. ount 
of  activity  in  the  standard  market,  which  has,  roughlv, 
fluctuated  from  slightly  over  £230  to  a  little  ovei 
per  ton  for  cash  metal.  The  close  at  the  end  of  May 
was  at  £232.  7s  6d.  fur  cash  From  this  level  values 
improved  until  on  June  19 cash  standard  stood  at  /  24 3 
5s.  Subsequently  values  reacted  somewhat  until  the 
end  of  the  month  when  cash  metal  stood  at  /238.  5s. 
and  three  months  at  £236  5s.  A  satisfactory  feature 
of  the  situation  has  been  the  continuation  of  business 
in  Eastern  markets.  Prices  there  have  occasionally 
approximated  the  parity  of  values  here,  but  latterlv 
have  shown  a  tendencv  to  keep  rather  above  this  mar- 
ket, which  seems  to  be  attributable  to  the  demand  in 
that  quarter  for  direct  shipment  to  the  United  States  An 
item  of  considerable  interest  to  the  tin  market  generally 
was  the  announcement  of  the  raising  of  the  import  em- 
bargo in  America  as  from  the  end  of  June.  This  was 
first  announced  as  applying  to  tin  ore  and  concentrates, 
but  latterly  the  metal  itself  was  added.  It  seems 
to  be  generally  understood,  however,  that  it  is  improb- 
able that  permission  will  actually  be  given  to  import 
anv  metal  into  that  country  before  the  end  of  July. 
This  is  presumably  to  put  all  buyers  on  a  similar  foot- 
ing, so  that  those  who  have  accumulated  metal  near 
at  hand,  such  as  in  Canada,  will  not  be  put  in  a  more 
favourable  position  than  those  who  have  to  await  ship- 
ment from  the  East.  It  will  also,  no  doubt,  give  the 
American  smelters  an  opportunity  to  dispose  of  some 
of  the  metal  accumulated  owing  to  their  having  with- 
held from  the  market  to  assist  the  Government  in  dis- 
posing of  their  stocks.  Business  in  this  country  has 
only  been  on  a  moderate  scale,  the  South  Wales  tin- 


JULY,     1919 


43 


the  London  Metal  Exchange. 

per  Standard  Ounce. 


Standard  Tin 


Zinc 

(Spelter) 

Cash 

3  mos. 

£ 

s. 

d.   £ 

s. 

d. 

£ 

s. 

d.  £ 

s. 

d. 

£ 

s. 

d.   £ 

s. 

d. 

36 

5 

0  tc  36 

15 

0 

236 

10 

0  to  236 

15 

0 

2  2 

15 

0  to  233 

0 

0 

36 

5 

0  to  36 

15 

0 

237 

0 

0  to  237 

10 

0 

23  j 

5 

0  to  233 

10 

0 

36 

10 

0  to  37 

0 

0 

238 

0 

0  to  238 

10 

o 

235 

0 

0  to  235 

10 

0 

36 

10 

0  to  37 

0 

0 

241 

5 

0  to  241 

15 

o 

237 

10 

0  to  238 

0 

0 

36 

10 

0  to  37 

0 

0 

239 

10 

0  to  240 

0 

0 

235 

10 

0  to  236 

0 

0 

3d 

10 

0  to  37 

0 

0 

242 

10 

0  to  243 

0 

0 

339 

0 

0  to  238 

10 

0 

36 

10 

0  to  37 

0 

0 

243 

0 

0  to  243 

0 

0 

239 

0 

0  to  239 

10 

0 

37 

5 

0  to  37 

15 

0 

242 

15 

0  to  243 

10 

0 

238 

15 

0  to  239 

0 

0 

37 

10 

0  to  37 

15 

0 

239 

0 

0  to  240 

0 

0 

235 

15 

0  to  236 

0 

0 

38 

5 

0  to  33 

15 

0 

240 

10 

0  to  241 

0 

0 

r>: 

0 

0  to  237 

10 

0 

38 

5 

0  to  38 

15 

0 

242 

0 

0  to  242 

10 

0 

238 

0 

0  to  238 

10 

0 

38 

5 

0  to  38 

15 

0 

239 

5 

0  to  239 

15 

0 

2  36 

0 

Oto236 

5 

0 

33 

10 

0  to  39 

0 

0 

238 

5 

0  to  23S 

15 

0 

235 

5 

0  to  235 

15 

0 

38 

15 

0  to  39 

5 

0 

238 

0 

0  to  238 

10 

0 

2  36 

0 

0  to  236 

10 

0 

39 

0 

0  to  39 

7 

6 

239 

10 

0  to  240 

0 

0 

236 

10 

0  to  237 

0 

0 

39 

10 

0  to  40 

0 

0 

240 

0 

0  to  240 

10 

0 

238 

0 

0  to  238 

10 

0 

39 

15 

0  to  40 

0 

0 

241 

0 

0  to  241 

10 

0 

238 

15 

0  to  239 

0 

0 

39 

15 

0  to  40 

0 

0 

243 

10 

0  to  244 

0 

0 

241 

0 

0  to  241 

5 

0 

W 

0 

0  to  40 

10 

0 

248 

0 

0  to  248 

10 

0 

2(5 

5 

0  to  245 

10 

0 

40 

2 

6  to  40 

12 

6 

247 

0 

0  to  247 

10 

0 

244 

10 

0  to  244 

15 

0 

■41 

12 

6  to  42 

5 

0 

249 

10 

0  to  250 

0 

0 

247 

10 

0  to  247 

15 

0 

H 

15 

0  to  42 

0 

0 

250 

0 

0  to  250 

10 

0 

248 

10 

0  to  249 

0 

0 

plate  trade  being  rather  quiet. 

The  average  price  of  cash  standard  tin  in  June  1919, 
-was  £238.  8s.  2d.  ;  May  1919,  £234.  9s.  5d.  ;  June 
1918,  £331.  10s.  ;  and  May  1918,  £364.  7s.  8d. 

Lead. — Values  of  this  metal  have  shown  little  ma- 
terial change  during  the  month  of  June.  At  the  end 
of  May  the  official  prices  were  £22.  15s.  to  £23.  About 
the  middle  of  the  month  prices  had  improved  to  £23. 
2s.  6d.  to  £23.  7s.  6d.,  while  at  the  end  of  June  the 
close  is  £22.  7s.  6d.  to  £22.  10s.  The  Government 
stocks  of  the  metal  in  this  country,  exclusive  of  old 
metal  and  scrap,  on  June  1  amounted  to  119,907  tons, 
compared  with  109,012  tons  on  May  1,  so  that  the 
stock  had  increased  on  the  month  by  10,895  tons.  The 
fact  that  the  stocks  are  so  large,  and  have  shown  an 
increase,  coupled  with  the  fact  that  large  stocks  of 
Mexican  lead  are  understood  to  exist  in  the  United 
States,  while  good  quantities  of  the  metal  are  also 
available  in  Australia,  has  had  rather  a  subduing  effect 
on  the  market  in  general.  The  consuming  trades  in 
this  country  do  not  appear  to  have  made  such  good 
progress  as  was  expected  at  one  time,  but  at  the  pres- 
ent level  of  values,  lead  appears  to  be  considered  a 
fairly  cheap  purchase,  and  rather  more  interest  has 
been  shown  in  the  metal  on  'Change.  The  outlook  is 
obscure,  owing  to  the  prevalence  of  such  large  stocks, 
but,  as  prices  seem  to  be  below  cost  of  production,  this 
may  have  a  stabilizing  effect  on  the  market. 

Average  prices  of  soft  pig  lead  :  June  1919,  £22.  12s. 
2d.  ;  May  1919,  £23.  18s.  6d.  ;  June  1918,  £29  ;  May 
1918,  £29. 

Spelter. — This  market  has  shown  a  good  tone  dur- 
ing June,  values  having  steadily  improved  until  at  the 
close  they  showed  a  rise  of  about  £3  compared  with  the 
end  of  May.  The  strength  has  been  largely  derived 
frbm  America,  wherepriceshaveadvanced  fromslightly 
over  6c.  to  about  7c.  per  pound  during  the  same  peri- 
od. The  generally  satisfactory  tone  of  the  market  has 
stimulated  a  considerable  demand  from  consumers, 
and  it  is  understood  that  the  Government  recently  has 
been  able  to  dispose  of  fair  quantities  of  the  metal. 
Refined  spelter  (99'9%)  has  not,  however,  improved  to 
the  same  extent  as  virgin,  owing  to  the  fact  that  the 
demand  for  brass-making  purposes  has  not  been  so 
important  as  that  for  galvanizing.  Other  grades  of 
the  metal  have  been  well  held,  hard  spelter  fetching 


up  to  about  £28.  10d.,  while  Indian  brands  of  hard  have 
realized  £36.  10s.  Rather  more  inquiry  for  spelter 
has  been  seen  from  the  galvanized  sheet  trade,  which 
is  a  satisfactory  feature,  as  this  particular  trade  has 
not  been  an  important  buyer  for  a  long  time. 

Average  prices  of  spelter  :  June  1919,  £36.  19s.  6d.  ; 
May  1919,  £35.  13s.  9d.  ;  June  1918,  £52  ;  and  May 
1918.  £52. 

Zinc  Dust. — High-grade  Australian  zinc  dust  88 — 
92%  purity  is  steady  at  £70  per  ton  f.o.r. 

Antimony. — There  is  no  change  in  English  regulus, 
which  is  still  quoted  at  £45  per  ton.  Rather  more  in- 
terest has  been  seen  in  foreign  regulus  on  spot,  and  £44 
has  been  paid  for  Chinese.  French  antimony  has  also 
been  offering  here,  and  the  embargo  has  now  been 
lifted  upon  imports,  so  that  it  may  not  be  long  before 
arrivals  come  in. 

Arsenic. — The  market  is  still  quiet,  but  firm.  The 
price  of  white  delivered  London  is  about  £35  per  ton. 

Bismuth. — 12s.  6d.  per  lb   nominal. 

Cadmium. — 6s.  9d.  to  7s.  per  lb. 

Aluminium. — £150  per  ton  for  the  home  trade. 

Nickel. — £l95per  ton  for  the  hometrade,  and  £210 
per  ton  for  export. 

Cobalt  Metal. — 12s.  6d.  to  13s.  per  lb. 

Cobalt  Oxide. — 7s.  9d.  per  lb. 

Platinum. — 450s.  nominal  per  oz. 

Palladium. — 500s.  nominal  per  oz. 

Quicksilver. — Themarketis  firmatabout£l8  .10s. 
to  £l9  per  flask. 

Selenium. — 12s.  to  15s.  per  lb. 

Tellurium. — 95s.  to  100s.  per  lb. 

Sulphate  of  Copper — £48  per  ton  f.o.b.  for  ex- 
port, and  £45  for  the  home  trade. 

Manganese  Ore. — The  market  is  dull,  and  Indian 
grades  arequoted  nominally  about  2s.  3d.  c.i.f.  perunit 

Tungsten  Ores. — Wolframite  65%,  30s.  perunit, 
and  scheelite  30s.  per  unit. 

Molybdenite.- 85%  75s.  per  unit. 

Silver  has  fluctuated  during  the  month,  having 
touched  54sd.  for  spot  standard,  but  on  balance  the 
market  on  the  month  is  unchanged,  the  quotation  be- 
ing 53d.  at  the  end  of  June.  The  price  of  fine  in  New 
York  touched  112ic,  but  closed  the  month  at  108^c. 

Corundum. — 90°o,  nominal. 

Graphite.— 80%  c.i.f.  U.K.,  £40  to  £45  per  ton. 

Iron  and  Steel. — The  ore  market  has  been  firm 
owing  to  the  increase  in  freights,  and  it  is  believed  that 
values  of  hematite  will  have  to  advancefurther  in  conse- 
quence. Meanwhile  considerable  stringency  has  been 
experienced  in  the  hematite  iron  trade,  there  being  lit- 
tle prompt  iron  obtainable,  while  there  is  little  disposi- 
tion to  sell  forward.  A  good  demand  was  felt  for 
Cleveland  pig  iron,  but  latterly  business  has  been  quieter 
owing  to  the  approach  of  the  holiday  season.  Home 
prices  stand  at  164s.  for  No.  1  and  160s.  for 
Cleveland  G.M.B.  and  No.  4  foundry,  with  No.  4  forge 
at  157s.  to  158s.  In  the  manufactured  iron  and  steel 
trade,  a  strike  of  engineers  on  the  Tees-side  somewhat 
hampered  operations,  but  an  early  settlement  is  antici- 
pated. Meanwhile ship-platesareingooddemand,  but 
the  inquiry  forsectional  material  is  comparatively  quiet. 
There  is  a  good  deal  of  American  material  on  oiler,  and 
as  the  tendency  in  freights  seems  to  be  downwards,  this 
may  increase  competition  from  that  source.  An  inter- 
esting item  in  this  connection  is  that  the  tender  of  the 
United  States  Steel  Products  Co.  lor  5,000  tons  of  tram 
rails  for  Glasgow  has  been  accepted  at  a  price  of  £l  7.  9s. 
c.i.f.,  against  the  best  British  quotation  of  £19.  Is.  3d. 
It  is  reported,  however,  that  America  is  talking  prices 
up,  but  at  the  same  time  works  there  seem  to  be  in  need 
of  orders. 


44 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


STATISTICS. 

Production  op  Gold  in  the  Transvaal 


Transvaal  Gold  Oi  hi  is 


Rand 


Oz. 

January,  1918 1  694.121 

February  ...  637.571 

March    677.008 

April  697.733 

May    720,539 

June   708.908 

July    716010 

August  719.849 

September   686.963 

October 667.955 

November    640.797 

December    630.505 

Year  1918 

January.  1919  

February  621.1S.S 

March 694.825 

April  676.702 

May    ,  706.158 


Value 

£ 
3.033,653 
2.802.477 
2.957,614 
3.046.045 
3.141.915 
3.091.058 
3.127.174 
3.144,211 
3,008.267 
2.887.455 
2.797,983 
2.723.836 


221.734 
13.854 

15.540 
17.554 
18,242 
18,837 


676 

636.72S 
712.379 
694.944 


2.704.647 
3.025.992 
2.951.936 


Natives  Employed  in  the  Transvaal  Mines. 

Gold  Coal 

mines  mines 


Diamond 

mines 


Total 


April  30.  1918 182.492 

May  31 179.879 

June  30    179.028 

July  31 178.412 

August  31    179.390 

September  30    179.399 

October  31  173.153 

November  iO 160.275 

December  l\  ■  152.606 

lanuarj 

February  28    172,359 

March  31 175.620 

April  30    175.267 

May  31 ' 


11.322 
11.211 
11.473 
11.790 
11.950 
12.108 
11.824 
1 1 ,826 
11.851 


11,863 

11,168 
11,906 


4.753 
4.773 
4.747 
5.011 
4,954 

4.749 
4,016 
3.1SX) 

5.080 
5.742 
5.939 


198,567 
195.863 

195.213 

196.395 
189.726 

167.637 


I'l.'-r- 
192.915 
191.547 


Cost  and  Profit  on  the  Rand 

Compiled  from  official  statistics  published  by  the  Transvaal 
Chamber  of  Mines.    The  profit  available  for  dividends  is  about 
the  u'tKhii;  profit. 

Workg  Work'g  Total 

cost         profit  working 

per  ton   per  ton  profit 


Tons 

milled 


Yield 
per  ton 


January.  1918..  2 

February  1 

March .' 

April    2 

May  2 

June 2 

July 2 

August ? 

September  2 

October  2 

November 1 

December  1 


167.411 
946.338 
107.561 
181.609 
237,6*4 
i. :4.20s 
.167.869 
.158.431 
060.635 
015.144 
899.925 
855.991 


s.  d. 
6    4 

5  11 


C 
703.665 
577.396 
596.109 
670. *7 I 
716.963 
736.694 
702  it>' 
676.146 
600.330 
531.774 
ISO.  1(>2 
507.860 


Year  1918    24.922.763 


27   11        21     7 


6    0 


January.  I919-  1,942.329 

February 1,816,352         28 

March 2.082.469 

April  ...    1 .993,652     I    28 


23 

0 

23 

> 

22 

6 

22 

9 

547.793 

573.582 
573.143 


Production  of  Gold  in  Rhodksia  and  Wkst  Africa. 


Rhodesia.                        West  Africa. 

1918 

1919                 1918                 1919 

£ 

253,807 

232.023 

230.023 

239,916 

239.205 

225.447  « 

251.740 

257.096 

136.783 
145.460 
192.870 

£                                            £ 
211,917            107,863             104.063 
220.885             112.865             112.616 
225,808            112,605             1 12, M S 

213.160            117  520            109,570 

Mav 

21S.057            126.290            100. S27 

June 

—                  120.273                — 

July     

—                  117,581 

—                  120,526                — 

September  ... 

115.152 
—                   61,461               — 

November    ... 
December    ... 

108.796 

—                  112.621                — 

Total 

2.652.250 

1.333.553            539.619 

Aurora  West    

Bantjes 

Barrett 

Brakpan    

City  ,\;  Suburban    

City  I  >eep 



Cons.  Main  Keef    

Crown  Mine>  

Durban  Roodepoorl  Deep 

■.iid  P.M. 

. 
Geduld 

Geldenhuis  Deep  • 
Ginsberg  

-  Lydenburg 
Coch 

imenl  G.M.  Areas    • 
I  Iin  a 
Jupiti  r 

Kleinfontein 
Knighti 
Knights  1  <r>  p 

l.aiigid 
Lnipaard's  Vlei .. 

il  1  lull 

Modderfontein 
Modderfoutem  B 

New  I'nihed 
Nourse  ■ 
Primfose 
Princi  i 

teili  I'l-nll  • 

m  ■  ■ 
Robinson  1  >*■«-.  ■ 

Simmer  \  Jack 
Sim  mi 

Van  Ryn 
Van  R  ■ 
Villagi 

Village  Main  1 
West  Rand  ' 

Witwatersrand  (Knights) 
Witwatenrand  I  '•  •  . 
Wolhuter 


May, 

1919 

Treated 

Value 

14.800 

16,511 

_ 

633 

j-  800 

91.024 

18.270 

32.036 

50.000 

98.556 

45.800 

56.606 

50.230 

71,812 

164.000 

226.079 

24.100 

35.300 

1 10,000 

141.800 

33.600 

53.983 

43.000 

65.198 

49.500 

10.400 

3.885 

7.078 

16.700 

125.000 

12.1N0 

16.102 

23.600 

59.480 

70.485 

22.500 

93.100 

73.415 

42.200 

53.467 

20.850 

— 

14.450 

84.500 

177.709 

55,000 

44.200 

92.852 

12.200 

40.900 

55.431 

20.300 

18.651 

20.500 

27.655 

144.000 

166.162 

40.900 

43.215 

52.200 

72.354 

23.800 

21.557 

51.500 

63.616 

5».8O0 

58.4t8 

43.700 

41.956 

36.070 

67.4F7 

10.300 

25.025 

16.830 

24.596 

35.900 

34.231 

49.600 

103.492 

47.200 

67.572 

19.400 

33.120 

38.375 

35,500 

31.600 

35.543 

30,000 

37.440 

Ma\ 


Abbontiako' 

Abosso  

Ashanli  Goldfields 
Prestea  Block  A 

Ta>iuah 

hi 


,  IN  Gold  (H  ii  i  i  ?. 


Treated 

£ 

8.040 

15.546 

7.390 

12.336 

- 

32.406 

15.140 

22.779 

5.120 

14.184 

2.037 

2.893 

Antelope   

Cam  &  Motor 

Eldorado  Banket  

Falcon   

Gaika  

Globe&  Phicnix 

Lonely  Reef 

Rezende    

Rhodesia.  Ltd.  

Shaniva     

Transvaal  &  Rhodesian 
Wanderer 


May.  1919 


Value 


Tons 
3.215 


£ 
4.341 


3.396 

5.770 

30.162* 

3.306 

5.4M 

6.034 

S.508* 

4,680 

24.403 

5.500    1 

12.3431 

390     ! 

1.113 

56.C61 

34.024 

1.700 

5.400 

*  Gold.  Silver  and.  Copper  ;  t  Ounces  Gold  ;   I  Gold  &  Silver. 


JULY,    1919 


45 


Wbst  Australian  Gold  Statistics. 


Production  of  Gold  in  India. 


Reported 
for  Export 

07.. 


January,  1918 

'February 

March    

April 

May 

June    

July    

August   

September  ... 

October 

November  ... 
December  ... 
January,  1919 

February  

March    

April  

May    


Delivered 

to  Mint 

oz. 


Total 
oz. 


1,4*4 
2.739 

733 

nil 

33 

525 


73,703 
76.987 
69  730 
66.079 
73.701 
74,904 
72.081 
76,156 
74.057 
71.439 
70,711 
61,314 
69,954 
66,310 
65,158 
63,465 
6S.655 


Total 

value  £ 


72,155 
64,053 

67.0*3 
66.158 
63.498 
69,180 


306, 

272 

284 
281 
269 
293 


49» 
208 

779 
,120 
720 


*  By  direction  of  the 
from  July,  1916,  to  Nove 


Federal  Government  the  export  figures 
mber,  1918,  were  not  published. 


Australian  Gold  Returns. 


Victoria. 

Queensland. 

New  South 
Wales 

1918           1910 

1918 

1919 

1918 

1919 

January  ... 
February  . 

March 

April    

£               £ 
32,134      36,238 
58.113      46.955 
65,412  .   40,267 
26,849         — 

£ 

47,600 
45.470 
48.020 
47,600 

£ 
37J0O 
43,330 
48.000 
61.200 

£ 

25,000 
28,000 
30.0C0 
30,000 
45,000 
32,000 
25,000 
21,000 
32,000 
40,000 
25,000 
38.000 

£ 
18.000 
24.000 
16,000 
24,000 
16.000 

June 

July   

August    ... 
September 
■October  ... 
November 
December 

Total    ... 

45,765 
64,347 
61,163 
65,751 

70,674 

- 

51,420           — 
51,000           ~ 
44,600           — 
45,900            — 
54,400 

38,200           — 
56,281            — 

674,655 

123.461 

578,213  i    227.830 

370.000 

98,000 

*  Figures  not  received. 
Australasian  Gold  Outputs. 


May,  1919 


Treated 


Value 


Associated    

Associated  Northern  (  Iron  Duke 

Blocks (  Victorious 

Blackwater 

Bullfinch  

Golden  Horseshoe    

Great  Boulder  Prop 

Ivanhoe 

Kalgurli 

Lake  View  &  Star 

Mount  Bo ppy 

Oroya  Links    

Progress    

Sons  of  Gwalia  

South  Kalgurli 

Talisman 

Waihi 

Waihi  Grand  Junction •• 


6,161 

2,034 
2,208 
5,006 
12,636 
13.622 
18,243 
2,703 
9.623 

1,507 

1,650 

12,758 

8,498 

15.119 
5.670 


£ 

8,673 

1,820* 

3,180 

3,326 

5,146 

23,587 

39,53* 

31,570 

5,929 

11,604 

10,8161 

1,689 

17,460 

11,006 

25,1591 
8,246? 


!  Surplus  ;  t  Total  receipts  ;   t  Gold  and  Silver  to  May  17. 
§  23  days  to  May  17. 


Miscellaneous  Gold 

Output. 

May,  1919 

Treated 

Value 

Tons 

13,506 
2,500 

7,200 

10,500 

33,950 
1.530 

£ 

3,663+1 

8,989 

10,087 

Philippine  Dredges  (Philippine  Islands) 
St    John  del  Rey  (Brazil)    

770§ 

12.960 

40.000 

26.1501  1 

3,200 

1916                 1917 

1918                 1919 

£                £ 

192.150            190.047 
183.264     1        180.904 
186.475     .       189,618 
192,208            185,835 
193,604     !        184,874 
192,469     |        182,426 

£ 

176.030 
173.343 
177.950 
176.486 
173.775 
174.375 
171.950 
172.105 
170.360 
167,740 
157.176 
170,630 

£ 

162,270 
153.775 
162.793 
162.550 
164.080 

February  

Mav 

T 

July      

192,784 
192,330 
191,502 
192,298 
205,164 

181,005 
183.630 
182,924 
182,388 
190,852 

September   ... 

November    ... 
December    ... 

— 

Total 

2,305,652 

2.214,163 

2.061.920 

807.465 

Indian  Gold  Outputs. 


Balaghat    

Champion  Reef  •■■ 
Hutti  (Nizam's)  ... 

Jibutil    

Mysore 

North  Anantapur 

Nundydroog   

Ooregum 


May.  1919 


Tons 
Treated 


2.550 
11.853 


24,578 
1.000 
9.004 

12,900 


Fine 
Ounces 

2.194 

7,080 

900 

13,712 

913 

6,450 

7.359 


Base  Metal  Outputs. 


British  Broken  Hill 


Broken  Hill  Block  10 


Arizona  Copper Short  tons  copper 

|  Tons  lead  concentrate-.-- 
r  Tons  zinc  concentrate-..- 

I  Tons  caibonate  ore  

!  Tons   lead   concentrate 
I  Tons  zinc  concentrate. ... 

I  Tons  refined  lead 

I  Oz.  refined  silver  


Burma  Corp 

Cordoba  Copper 

Freemantle  Trading...  Long  tons  lead  

North  Broken  Hi!.    .-l^^ZZ^ZZ. 

Poderosa Tons  copper  ore    

Rhodesian  Broken  Hill-. -Tons  lead  and  zinc 

Tanganyika Long  tons  copper 

Tolima Tons  silver-lead  concentrate 

{  Tons  zinc  concentrate 

""  )  Tons  lead  concentrate 


Mav. 
1919 


1.200 
807* 
600* 
130* 

1.113 
917 

1.587 
ISO. 371 


650* 

26.3731 

208 

1,221 

955 

50 


Zinc  Corp. 


*  One  week  ;  tTwo  weeks. 


Imports  of  Ores  and  Metals  into  United  Kingdom. 
Long  tons. 


June 
1919 


§  Ounces,  fineness  not  stated  ;    I  I  Profit,  gold  and  silver 


Tons 

Iron  Ore    3  23  683 

Copper  Ore 417 

Precipitate   140 

Metal   •• 5.002 

Copperand  Iron  Pyrite   14.064 

Tin  Concentrate    

,,    Metal... 

Manganese  Ore 

Lead,  Pig  and  Sheet 

Zinc  (spelter)  1.977 

Zinc  Oxide  

Barytes 

Rock  Phosphate 

Brimstone    57 

Boracic  Compounds 795 

Nitrate  of  Potash 1.327 

lb. 

Quicksilver...  375,000 


Year 
1919 

["ons 

2.555 

5 
68 

136 

8 
194 
152 

54 

1 

10 

10 

5 
5 
5 


884 
760 

.005 

.601 
.258 

.231 

070 
.256 
160 

,3*7 


1,313,100 


46 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


United  Statks  Metal  Exports  and  Imports. 


Exports 


Copper  Ingots 
Copper  Sheets 
Copper  Wire. 
Lead,  Pig 

Zinc 

Zinc  Sheets-- 


Mar. 

April 

Tons. 

Tons. 

5.843 

7,965 

381 

580 

5.375 

1.47V 

3.091 

2.375 

7,214 

16.075 

2,396 

962 

Imports. 


Antimony 

Tin  Ore 

Tin.., 

Manganese 

Ore 

Tungsten 

Concentrate 
Pyrites 12.959 


Mar. 
Tons. 
591 
1.066 
3. 57  J 

48.23b 

675 


April 

Tons. 
433 
534 
225 

59.470 

'    314 
25.294 


Outputs  of  Tin  Mining  Companies. 
In  Tons  of  Concentrate. 


Nigeria  : 

Abu 

Anglo-Continental  

Benue  

Berrida  

Bisicbi 

Bongwelli  



Ex-Lands  

Pilani  

Forum  River 

Gold  Coast  Consolidated  

<  j ii r u in   River  .... 

jantar  

Jos    

Kaduna  

Kano  

Kassa-Ropp  

Kern 

Kuril    

Kuskie 

Kwall 

Lower  Bisichi  

Lucky  Chance 

Minna  

Mongu 

Naraguta    

Naraguta  Extended    

New  Lafon    

Nigerian  Tin 

Ningbi 

N  N,  Bauchi 

Offin  River  

Rayfield 

Ropp    

Rukuba  

South  Bukeru  

Sybu    

Tin  Areas  

Tin  Fields 

Toro 

Federated  Malay  States  : 

Chenderiang 

Gopeng   

Idris  Hydraulic    

[pob 

Kainunting     

Kinta    

Kledang  

Lahat  

Malayan  Tin 

.Pahang    

Rambutan 

Sungei  Besi   

Tekka 

Tekka-Taiping 

Tronoh    

Tronoh  South  

Cornwall : 

Cornwall  Tailings  

Dolcoath    

East  Pool   

Geevor    

South  Crofty    

Other  Countries  : 

Arainayo  Francke  (Bolivia) 

Hriseis  (Tasmania) 

Deebook  (Siam)  

Mawchi  (Burma) 

Porco  (Bolivia) 

Renong  (Siam) 

Rooiberg  Minerals  (Transvaal)  ■ 
Siamese  Tin  (Siami    

Tongkah  Harbour  (Siain)    

Zaaiplaats  (Transvaal) 


Year 

1918 

Tons 

33 

207 

146 

275 
17 
60 

312 

37 
274 

30 

99 
141 
228 
ITS 

60 
133 
118 

12 

108 
99 

27 
40 
476 

478 
280 

87 

435 
120 

13-' 
94 
40 
96 

108 
17 

179 
979 
136 

245 
236 

399 
730 

1,877 
207 
408 
508 
400 

1,36* 
133 

140 
787 
1,336 
352 
598 

1.816 
327 
398 
658 
227 
615 
335 
989 

1.528 
563 


.Mai 

1919 

Tons 

2 


41 
59 

199 
12 
25 
36 
20 

115 


34 

41 

228 
18 
26 
>5 
21 

124 
20 
77 

105 
40 


Year 

1919 

Tons 

10 

42 
1 

57 

20 

34 

118 

9 

72 

14 

45 

49 
109 
103 

69 

36 

30 

119 

3 


li 

14 

245 

161 

(;3 

104 

25 

16 

143 

15 

307 

419 

17 

23 

14 

34 

3 

52 
376 
93 
61 
96 
179 
5 
15* 
291 

75 
114 
197 
130 
604 


292 
495 
186 
222 

851 

104 
137 
295 
114 
394 
164 
264 
461 
255 


Nigerian  Tin  Production. 
In  long  tons  of  concentrate  of  unspecified  content. 
Note       These  .figures  are  taken  from   the   monthly  returns 
made  by  individual  companies  reporting  in  London,  and 
probably  represent  85%  of  the  actual  outputs. 


1911          1915          1916 

1917          1918 

1919 

Tons 

January  485 

February    ...       469 

March 502 

April    482 

May  480 

July  432 

August 228 

September           289 
October                272 
November  ...       283 
December  ...       326 

Tons       Tons 

417  531 
358           528 

418  547 
444            4^6 
357           536 
373           510 
455            506 
438           498 
442           535 
511           584 
467           679 
533           654 

Tons 
667 
646 
655 
555 
509 
473 
479 
551 
538 
578 
621 
655 

Tons 
678 
668 
707 
584 
525 
492 
545 
571 
520 
491 
472 
518 

Tons 
613 
623 
587 
531 
436 

5.213        6  504 

6.927 

6.771 

TOTAI  :KATE    AT    REDRUTH    TlCKETINGS. 

Value 


July  1 

July  15   

July  29 
Augu-: 
August 

•iber  9 

October  7...— 

r  21   ... 

abet  2 

tier  16 
December  30 


1704 

114 
142 
1424 

:»5i 
1364 

mi 
150 
1663 
1754 


£"199  12 
(210  19 

£203  7 
■ 

£197  16 

£195  13 
I 
■ 

£>8    6 


Total  and  A 

January  13.  1 

January  27   

February  10 
Februarv 

March  10 

March  24 



April  22 

May  5  

May  19  

June  2  

June  16... 

June  30 


4.094 


160 

1354 
153 

144* 
1484 
1344 
134$ 

1264 
140 
139 
136 


Details  of  Redruth  Tin  Tn  • 


June  2 


Tons 
Sold 


E.  Pool  J*  Agai 

.  No.  la 
..  No  lb 
„      No    lc 

Dolcoatb,  No.  1 

No.  la  

No   lb  

No.  2 

A 

South  Crofty.  No.  1 

No.  la 

Grenville  Utd..  No.  1 

.,       No.  la 

..       No   2 

Tincroft  Mines.  No.  1 

„  ..      No.  la 

Levant  Mines.  No.  1 
No.  la 

Wheal  Bellan 

Hingston    Downs 

Trencrom  Hill 


Total I4fi 


Realized 


£    s.  d 
118  IS    0 

118  5 
lis  15 

118  15 
127  10 
12-  15 
129    5 

62  15 
112  15 
126  0 
126  15 

119  0 
118    0 


June  16      J une  30 


Tons 
Sold 


126  15 

127  7 
129  15 


129  15     0 


139 


Tons 
Sold 


10 
10 

10 
10 

9 

'.' 
') 

4 

11 
11 

7 

6 
6 
B 

7 


136 


JULY,     1919 


47 


Production  of  Tin  in  Federated   Malay  States. 

Estimated  at  70%  of  Concentrate  shipped  to  Smelters.     Long 
Tons.     *  Figures  not  published. 


January     •• 
February  ... 

March    

April  

May 

June   

July    

August  

September  . 

October 

November 
December  , 


1915 

1916 

1917 

1918 
Tons 

Tons 

Tons 

Tons 

4,395 

4,316 

3,558 

3,149 

3.780 

3.372 

2,755 

3.191 

3.653 

3.696 

3,286 

2,608 

3,619 

3,177 

3.251 

3,308 

3.823 

3.729 

3,413 

3.332 

4,048 

3.435 

3,489 

2,950 

3,544 

3,5!7 

3,253 

3,373 

4,046 

3,732 

3,413 

3,259 

3,932 

3,636 

3,154 

3,166 

3.797 

3.681 

3,436 

2,870 

4,059 

3,635 

3,300 

3,131 

4,071 

3,945 

3.525 

3,023 

46.767 

43,871 

39.833 

37,370 

1919 

Tons 
3,765 
2.673 
2.819 
2,855 
3,404 
2,873 


Stocks  of  Tin 
Reported  by  A.  Strauss  &  Co. 


Long  Tons. 


Straits  and  Australian  Spot  

Ditto,  Landing  and  in  Transit 

Other  Standard,  Spot  and  Landing  ... 

Straits,  Afloat 

Australian,  Afloat 

Banca,  on  Warrants 

Ditto,  Afloat   

Billiton,  Spot 

Billiton,  Afloat    

Straits,  Spot  in  Holland  and  Hamburg 

Ditto,  Afloat  to  Continent 

Total  Afloat  for  United  States 

Stock  in  America 

Total 


May  31 
1919 


Tons 

1.199 

797 

613 

2,044 

336 

105 


75 

10 

100 


5,279 


June  30, 
1919 


Tons 

1,816 

971 

793 

1,824 

332 


265 
25 
182 


6,208 


Shipments,  Imports,  Supply,  and  Consumption  of  Tin. 
Reported  by  A.  Strauss  &  Co.     Long  tons. 


Shipments  from  : 

Straits  to  U.K 

Straits  to  America    

Straits  to  Continent 

Straits  to  Other  Places  

Australia  to  U.K 

U.K.  to  America   

Imports  of  Bolivian  Tin  into  Europe.. 

Supply : 

Straits   

Australian    

Billiton 

Banca    

Standard  

Consumption  : 

U  K.  Deliveries 

Dutch         

American   

Straits,  Banca  &  Billiton,  Continen 
tal  Ports,  etc 


Straits  in  hands  of  Malay  Government 

„      controlled  by  U.S.  Government 
,,  „  „  French  and  Italian 


Governments. 


Banca  and  Billiton  controlled  by  Dutch 
Government 


June 
1919 


Tons 

1.349 

25 

265 

1,107 

150 

1,540 


1,639 
150 


1,375 
52 


PRICES   OF   CHEMICALS.    July    8 

£  s.  d. 

Alum  per  ton 

Alumina,  Sulphate  of , 

Ammonia,  Anhydrous per  lb. 

0'880  solution   per  ton 

Carbonate per  lb. 

,,  Chloride  of,  grey per  ton 

,,    pure per  cwt. 

Nitrate  of  per  ton 

,,  Phosphate  of 

Sulphate  of   

Antimony  Sulphide per  lb. 

Arsenic,  White per  ton 

Barium  Sulphate 

Bisulphide  of  Carbon 

Bleaching  Powder,  35%  CI 

Borax  , 

Copper,  Sulphate  of    

Cyanide  of  Sodium,  100% per  lb 

Hydrofluoric  Acid    , ,, 

Iodine ,, 

Iron,  Sulphate  of per  ton 

Lead,  Acetate  of,  white 

,,      Nitrate  of   

,,      Oxide  of,  Litharge   , 

,,      White  

Lime,  Acetate,  brown 

grey  80% 

Magnesite,  Calcined 

Magnesium  Chloride ,, 

,,  Sulphate , 

Methylated  Spirit  64°  Industrial     per  gal. 

Phosphoric  Acid  per  lb. 

Potassium  Bichromate   

Carbonate  per  ton 

Chlorate  , per  lb. 

Chloride  80%     per  ton 

Hydrate, (Caustic)  90% 

Nitrate 

Permanganate    per  lb. 

Prussiate,  Yellow 

Sulphate,  90%   per  ton 

Sodium  Metal  per  lb. 

,,        Acetate per  ton 

Arsenate  45  % 

,,        Bicarbonate   ,, 

,,        Bichromate    per  lb. 

,,        Carbonate  (Soda  Ash)...    per  ton 
,,  ,,         (Crystals)    ... 

,,        Chlorate per  lb. 

,,        Hydrate,  76%   per  ton 

,,         Hyposulphite , 

Nitrate,  95% 

,,        Phosphate 

,,        Prussiate per  lb. 

,,        Silicate    per  ton 

,,        Sulphate  (Salt-cake) , 

,,  ,,         (Glauber's  Salts)     ,, 

,,        Sulphide , 

Sulphur,  Roll 

,,  Flowers 

Sulphuric  Acid,  Non- Arsenical... 
140°T. 
,, 
., 

Superphosphate  of  Lime,  1S'\ 

Tartaric  Acid per  lb 

Zinc  Chloride per  ton  25 

Zinc  Sulphate , 


17 

0 

0 

19 

0 

0 

1 

10 

33 

0 

0 
6* 

50 

0 

0 

4 

0 

0 

58 

0 

0 

114 

0 

0 

17 

10 

0 

1 

3 

35 

0 

0 

12 

0 

0 

54 

0 

0 

15 

0 

0 

39 

0 

0 

45 

0 

0 

10 
7 

14 

0 

5 

0 

0 

85 

0 

0 

59 

0 

0 

45 

0 

0 

52 

0 

0 

10 

0 

0 

17 

0 

0 

25 

0 

0 

16 

0 

0 

11 

0 

0 

6 

7 

1 

9 

1 

6 

85 

0 

0 

1 

2 

30 

0 

0 

150 

0 

0 

60 

0 

0 

3 

6 

1 

9 

40 

0 

0 

1 

3 

53 

0 

0 

48 

0 

0 

9 

10 

0 

11 

10 

0 

0 

4 

5 

0 
8 

23 

10 

0 

16 

0 

0 

21 

0 

0 

25 

10 

0 
7j 

12 

0 

0 

3 

0 

0 

3 

0 

0 

22 

0 

0 

20 

0 

0 

21 

0 

0 

5 

0 

0 

7 

5 

3 

9 

7 

6 

5 

0 

0 

3 

2 

0  25 

0 

0 

22 

0 

0 

48 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


SHARE  QUOTATIONS 

Shares  are  £~1  par  value  except  where  otherwise  noted. 


GOLD,    SILVER. 
DIAMONDS  : 
Rand  : 

Bantjes 

Brakpan 

Central  Mining  (£8)    

Cinderella 

City  &  Suburban  (£4) 

City  Deep 

Consolidated  Gold  Fields 

Consolidated  I.anglaagte 

Consolidated  Main  Reef 

Consolidated  Mines  Selection (10s). 

Crown  Mines  (10s  )  

Daggafontein 

Durban  Roodepoort  Deep 

East  Rand  Proprietary 

Ferreira  Deep ■* 

Geduld 

Geldenhuisl1  

Gov't  Gold  Mining  Areas 

Heriot 

Jupiter 

Kleinfontein 

Knight  Central 

Knight's  Deep 

Langlaagte  Estate 

Ml  y<  i  &  Charlton 

Modderfontein  (£4) 

Modderfontein  B 

Modder  Deep 

Nourse 

Rand  Mines  (5s.) 

Rand  Selection  Corporation 

Randfontein  Cl  ntral 

Robinson  (£5) 

Robinson  Deep  A  (Is.) 

Rose  Deep 

Simmer  &  Jack 

Simmer  Deep 

Springs 

Sub-Nigel 

Van  R>n  

Van  Ryn  Peep 

Village  Deep  

Village  Main  Reef ■ 

Witwatersrand  ( Knight's) 

Wilwatersrand  Deep   

Wolhuter 

Other  Transvaal  Gold  Mines 

Glynn's  Lydenburg 

Sheba  (5s.)  

Transvaal  Gold  Mining  Estates  ... 

Diamonds  in  South  Africa 

De  Beers  Deferred  (£"2  10s.) 

Jagersfontein  

Premier  Deferred  (2s.  6d.) 


JulyS 

1918 

£    s.   d. 


July  7 

1919 

£    s.  d. 


Rhodesia  : 

Cam  &  Motor 

Chartered  British  South  Africa 

Eldorado 

Falcon 

Gaika 

Giant 

Globe  &  Phoenix  (5s.) 

Lonely  Reef 

Rezende.. 

Shamva 

Wanderer  (3s.)   

Willoughby's  (10s.) 

West  Africa  • 

Abbontiakoon  (10s.) 

Abosso 

Ashanii  (A<.)    

Prestea  Block  A 

Taojuah 


West  Australia  : 

Associated  Gold  Mines  

Associated  Northern  Blocks  — 

Bullfinch  

Golden  Horse-Shoe  !£"5) 

Great  Boulder  Proprietarv(2s.)- 

Great  Fingall  (lOsI 

Ivanhoe  (£"5)    

Kalgurli 

Sons  of  Gwalia  


2  9 

3 

4  7  6 

3  10 

6  3  9 

9  0  0 

4  0 

5  3 

17  0 

13  9 

3  0  0 

2  16  3 

1  14  f, 

1  18  9 

17  0 

1  0  6 

14  6 

14  6 

15  9 

1   4  0 

2  0  6 

2   1   5 

1  5  6 

1   5  0 

10  3 

9  0 

3  9 

5  <J 

12  6 

11   3 

1  18  0 

■ 

12  6 

11  3 

3  13  9 

1  17  6 

1  0  0 

15  0 

4  0 

5  0 

14  0 

13  6 

3  0 

6  9 

7  6 

1  ■ 

1  0  6 

4  17  6 

4  18  9 

24  0  0 

26  10  0 

7  12  6 

7  10  0 

16  3  : 

16  3 

2  13  9 

2  17  6 

4  12  6 

10  6 

13  k 

15  6  , 

19  6 

5  0 

5  0 

2  9  1 

3  16  3 

2  16  3 

1  5  0 

19  6 

18  0 

3  12  0  , 

3  12  (, 

18  0  1 

16  3 

14  6 

1  5  0 

1  5  0 

7  3 

12  6 

4  0 

19  6 

1   1   3 

9 

1  3 

15  6 

15  0 

14  10  0 

23  7  6 

4  2  6 

6  5  0 

6  12  G 

11  6 

6  0 

15  0 

1  3  0 

7    9 

5  6 

1   2  0 

13  0 

14  0 

17  6 

7  6 

1  9  6 

1  7  0 

1  16  3 

2  13  9 

4  2  6 

5  2  6 

1  18  9 

1  18  9 

1  0 

1  0 

5  0 

6  6 

3  9 

5  3 

7  6 

10  0 

19  6 

1    ..    9 

3  9 

5  9 

15  0 

17  3 

3  0 

4  0 

3  0 

3  9 

1  9 

1  5 

2   1   5 

1  13  9 

10  0 

9  9 

1  9 

1  3 

1  17  0 

1  IS 

9  0 

li  6 

8  3 

r.  6 

Gold,  Silver,  con<. 

Others  in  Australasia  : 

Mount  Boppy,  New  South  Wales 

Talisman,  New  Zealand... 

Waihi.  New  Zealand    

Waihi  Grand  Junction.  New  Z'lnd 

America  : 

Alaska  Treadwell  (£5).  Alaska 

Buena  Tier'ra,  Mexico 

Camp  Bird.  Colorado 

Casey  Cobalt,  Ontario 

El  Oro.  Mexico 

Esperanza.  Mexico  

Frontino  ft  Bolivia,  Colombia 

I.e  Roi  No.  2  (£5). British  Columbia 
Mexico  Mines  of  Kl  Oro.  Mexico  . 

Oroville  Dredging.  California  

Plymouth  Consolidated.  California 

St    John  del  Rey.  Brazil  

Santa  Gertrudis.  Mexico 

Tomboy.  Colorado 

Russia  : 
Lena  GoldheM> 
Orsk  Priority  


July  5 

1918 

£    s.   d. 

6  0 

15  0 

1   17  6 

15  0 


I»J|UA 

Bala  ghat 

Cha;.  2s.  6dl 

Mysore  (10s.)  

i  Anantapur 
Nondydroog  (10a 
Ooregum  (10s  )    ... 


COPPER 

Arizona  Copper  (5s).  Ai  icons 
Cai-  nee 

Chillagoe  (10s. I.    . 
Cordoba  (5s.).  Spain 
Great  Cobar  (£5).  NSW  ... 
Hampden  Cloncarry,  Queensland 
K\ ihtim,  Ru    la 
Messin  1 1 

nt  Elliott  (£"5).  Queensland  .. 
Mount  Lyell,  Ts 
Mount  Morgan,  Queensland 

Namaqua  (i  2),  Cape  Province 

Rio  Tiuio  (£5).  Spain 

Spassky,  Rossis 

Tanalyk,  Russia 

TansaiiMk.i    <     nuo  and  Rhodesia 

.  n 

LEAD  ZI1 

Bkokkn  Hn  i. 
Amalgamated  Zinc 

British  Broken  Mill   . 
Broken  Hill  Proprietar)  (8a 
Broken  Hill  Block  10  (£101... 

Broken  Hill  North 

Broken  Hill  South 

Sulphide  I  15s  )  

Zinc  Corporation  (10s .).. 

Asia 

Burma  Corporation  

Irtysh  Corporation 

Russian  Mining 

Russo-Asiatic 

TIN 

Aramayo  Francke.  Bolivia 

Bisichi.  Nigeria  

Briseis.  Tasmania 

Dolcoath.  Cornwall 

East  Pool,  Cornwall 

Ex-Lands  Nigeria  (2s.).  Nigeria  ... 

Geevor  (10s  )  Cornwall  

Gopeng,  Malay  

Ipoh  Dredging,  Malay     

Malayan  Tin  Dredging,  Malay 

Mongu  (10s.),  Nigeria  

Naraguta,  Nigeria 

N.  N.  Bauchi  Pref.  (10s .''.  I 

Ord.  (10s.). 
Pahang  Consolidated  (5s.).  Malay. 

Rayfield.  Nigeria   

Renong  Dredging,  Siani   •• 

Ropp  (4s.),  Nigeria 

Siamese  Tin,  Siam  

South  Crofty  (5s.),  Cornwall 

Tekka.  Malay   

Tekka-Taiping,  Malay     

Tronoh.  Malay   


12 
12 
13 

6 
10 

8 
12 

6 
5  12 
18 
I  2 
17 
14 
13 

1     7 
13 


5 

2   13 

3 

1     2 

18 


2     8 
2   10 

1 


3  5 
1  - 
I  II 
1  12 
67  10 

I 


2  0 

1     2  6 

3   14  6 

6  10  0 


1  6 

2  10 

3  4 
1  17 
3  5 

12  0 

1  9 

1  k 


14 

6 
10 

1  9 
3 

1      2 

1  18 

2  1 

14 

17 
12 
7 

12 
H 

2  6 

3  6 

2  12 

3  15 
3  15 

2     2 


July  7 

1919 

£   s     d 

i  G 

8  9 

2     5  0 

12  6 


4     7  6 

1  2  0 
11  3 

2  10  0 


1   12 

18 

I     4 

2 

1  2 
15 
10 
11 

7     5 

i    a 

19 

15 


I   12     6 
16     3 


2     1 

2     6 

1 

1 

I 

19 

1   13 

5 


I     5 

1  19 

2  3 


I      I 
1     0 


3  0 

1  3 

1  3 

2  0 
S9  10    o 

1  5    6 

1  15     0 

i  18    9 

5  2     6 


7   13     9 

I     0    0 
4  11    G 


19 

17 

12 
7 

!6 

2  5 

3  2  I 

1  13  9 

4  5  0 

5  7  6 

2  5  0 


Share  capital  expanded 


THE   MINING  DIGEST 

A     RECORD     OF     PROGRESS     IN     MINING,    METALLURGY,    AND     GEOLOGY 

In  this  section  we  give  abstracts  of  important  articles  and  papers  appearing  in  t ethnical  journals  and 

proceedings  of  societies,  together  with  brief  records  of  other  articles  and  papers ;  also  reviews  of  new 

books,  and  abstracts  of  the  yearly  reports  of  mining  companies. 


BAUXITE   IN   WEST  AFRICA. 


The  report  of  Mr.  A.  E.  Kitson,  Director  of  the 
Gold  Coast  Geological  Survey,  for  1917,  just  received, 
contains  an  account  of  the  high-grade  bauxite  deposits 
near  the  summit  of  Mt.  Ejuanema.  During  the  five 
months  occupied  in  the  examination,  three  trenches, 
varying  from  40  to  70  ft.  in  length,  4  to  5  ft.  in  width, 
and  3  to  8  ft.  in  depth,  were  dug  in  different  parts  of 
the  top  of  the  mountain.  Shafts  have  since  been  sunk, 
with  the  aid  of  explosives,  on  the  mountain  to  prove 
the  thickness  of  the  deposit.  The  evidence  so  far  ob- 
tained shows  that  the  bauxite  is  about  20  ft.  thick,  and 
that  it  merges  into  unaltered  clay-shales,  which  lie  a 
few  feet  beneath  it. 

Mt.  Ejuanema  stands  on  the  Kwahu  plateau,  two 
miles  to  the  west-south-west  of  Mpraeso,  and  about  a 
mile  to  the  south  south-west  of  Obomen.  It  is  about 
2,530  ft.  above  sea-level,  and  rises  about  1,000  ft  above 
the  Asuboni  river  on  the  plateau.  In  its  upper,  very 
steep  portion  it  has  a  more  or  less  oval  shape,  the  lon- 
ger axis  being  nearly  east-west.  In  its  lower  portion 
on  the  northern  side  there  are  several  spurs  trending 
northward  into  the  valley  of  the  Asuboni  river.  These 
spurs  branch  from  the  main  mountain  at  the  foot  of 
the  very  steep  part  consisting  of  sandstone  cliffs,  50  ft. 
high  in  places,  at  from  250  to  300  ft.  below  the  sum- 
mit. They  are  separated  from  one  another  by  little 
narrow  deep  valleys,  in  which  aresmall  streams,  peren- 
nial along  the  whole  or  parts  of  their  courses.  These 
streams  flow  into  the  Asuboni  river.  On  its  south- 
western side  the  mountain  presents  vertical  faces  to 
the  valley  below.  These  comprise  two  escarpments, 
an  upper  one,  varying  from  some  300  to  500  ft.,  con- 
necting the  top  of  the  mountain  with  the  Kwahu  plat- 
eau ;  the  lower  one,  from  200  to  400  ft. ,  connecting  the 
plateau  with  the  valley  below,  and  forming  the  Kwahu 
scarp,  up  which  the  four  paths  from  the  valley  below 
rise  to  the  towns  of  Mpraeso,  Atibbi,  Obomen,  and  Obo 
on  the  plateau. 

The  rock  formations  consist  of  a  series  of  irregularly 
alternating  sandstones,  sandy  shales,  and  clay-shales 
disposed  horizontally,  though  in  some  places  there  are 
slight  inclinations  to  north  and  north-east.  The  clay- 
shales  are  a  few  inches  to  5  ft.  thick  in  some  places, 
but  in  others  have  a  thickness  of  more  than  100  ft.  One 
of  the  thickest  beds  is  on  the  top  of  Mt.  Ejuanema. 
Another  comprises  the  tops  of  the  three  spurs  off  the 
northern  slope  of  the  mountain.  A  third  is  at  the 
town  of  Obo,  some  three  miles  to  the  north-west.  De- 
nudation has  operated  intensely  on  the  Kwahu  plateau, 
with  the  result  that  these  deposits  of  sandstones  and 
shales,  of  various  shades  of  grey,  green  brown,  yellow, 
chocolate,  and  purple  colours  have  been  deeply  ero- 
ded, and  in  the  larger  valleys,  such  as  the  Asuboni  with 
an  erosion  of  1,000  ft.,  have  lost  the  greater  part  of 
their  masses.  The  result  of  this  is  that  on  the  top  of 
Mt.  Iijuanema,  and  at  numbers  of  places  in  the  valleys 
at  difterent  altitudes  there  are  remnants  only  of  the 
original  beds  of  clay-shales. 

Through  some  chemical  action  not  definitely  known 
at  present,  but  probably  due  to  the  downward  circu- 
lation of  water,  and  to  weathering,  the  original  clay- 


shales,  which  consist  of  hyrated  silicate  of  alumina, 
have  been  altered.  They  have  lost  nearly  the  whole 
of  the  silica  they  contained  and  thus  the  derived  ma- 
terial is  hydrated  alumina.  No  fossils  of  a  definite 
character  have  been  found  in  these  deposits,  so  their 
age  is  uncertain,  but  it  is  probable  that  they  belong  to 
the  Devonian  or  to  the  Carboniferous  period,  since  the 
beds  show  a  strong  lithological  resemblance  to  beds 
occurring  along  the  coast  at  Accra  and  near  Sekondi 
in  which  fossils  provisionally  regarded  by  Dr.  A.  Mor- 
ley  Davies  as  of  Middle  Devonian  and  Lower  Carboni- 
ferous age  respectively,  have  been  found.  These  sedi- 
ments rest  on  a  granitoid  rock  varying  considerably  in 
character  from  place  to  place.  Some  of  it  is  an  acid 
granite  consisting  of  a  flesh-pink  felspar,  quartz,  and  a 
little  black  mica  ;  other  portions  have  a  pale  green  fel- 
spar, clear  quartz,  black  mica,  and  hornblende. 
Though  normally  granitic  in  structure,  it  is  also  por- 
phyritic  with  large  crystals  of  felspar.  It  is  an  exceed- 
ingly pretty  rock  and  would  make  a  handsome  and  dur- 
able building  and  ornamental  stone.  The  line  of  junc- 
tion between  the  basement  rock  and  the  overlying  sedi- 
ments shows  that  the  original  surface  of  the  granite 
was  uneven  when  the  sediments  were  deposited  on  it. 
At  the  Durabong  Su  the  actual  base  of  the  sediments 
consists  of  pockets  of  a  chocolate  to  purplish  clay- 
shale  filling  hollows  in  the  granite,  while  here,  and  at 
the  Obomen  and  Obo  scarps,  the  lowermost  bed  of  the 
sediments  is  an  arkose,  a  granitic  gravelly  sandstone 
or  grit.  Immediately  overlying  these  are  fine  indura- 
ted sandstones  and  sandy  and  clay-shales  in  thin  beds. 
Broadly  speaking  the  foot  of  the  scarp  is  the  base  of 
the  sedimentary  series. 

Bauxite  shows  definitely  in  situ  along  the  whole  of 
the  rim  of  the  top  of  the  mountain,  and  on  the  surface 
over  a  large  part  of  the  top  ;  also  apparently  in  situ 
at  various  places  below  the  broken  rim  for  100  ft.  in 
vertical  distance  below  the  top.  On  the  northern  slope 
of  the  mountain  a  sandstone  ledge,  approximately  100 
ft.  lower  than  the  flat  top  of  the  mountain,  shows  a 
fairly  well  marked  division  between  the  clay-shale  beds 
with  bauxite  overlying  and  the  underlying  sandstones. 
There  is  no  doubt  that  the  top  of  the  mountain  had 
originally  a  cap  of  clay-shales,  in  places  probably  100 
ft.  thick.  Whether  that  cap  consisted  solely  of  clay- 
shales,  or  had  intercalated  thin  bands  of  sandstones  is 
a  point  that  must  remain  unsettled  for  the  present.  On 
the  surface  at  several  places  on  the  top  there  area  few 
bits  and  small  slabs  of  sandstone  showing  worn  faces. 
These  may  be  the  remnants  of  this  bed  of  sandstone 
or  they  may  owe  their  presence  there  to  human  trans- 
port. The  latter  is  probably  the  correct  view,  for  there 
is  evidence  that  the  aborigines  frequented  the  place, 
and  probably  made  their  last  stand  for  existence  be- 
hind a  low  curved  wall  of  blocks  of  bauxite  near  the 
western  end  of  the  mountain,  the  remains  of  which  are 
now  visible. 

Of  the  three  trenches  dug  on  the  top  of  the  moun- 
tain two  are  at  places  where  the  surface  consists  of  red 
soil,  and  where,  with  the  exception  of  one  small  piece, 
no  massive  bauxite  was  visible  close   to   them.     The 


1— G 


49 


50 


THE    MIXING    MAGAZINE 


third  is  in  a  portion  where  numerous  blocks  of  bauxite 
outcrop  at  the  surface.  Trench  No.  1  is  75  ft.  long, 
4  ft.  broad,  and  7  ft.  deep.  The  upper  portion  of  the 
3  to  4  ft.  shows  red  soil  only.  In  the  lower  portion  of 
3  ft.  there  are  big  lurrips  and  masses  of  bauxite,  with 
soil  containing  granular  bauxite  between  them,  while 
the  greater  part  of  the  bottom  is  massive  bauxite  of  un- 
proved thickness.  The  proportion  of  bauxite  and  of 
bauxitic  soil  in  a  given  layer  3  It  thick  is  estimated  at 
and  37  5  ".,  respectively.  Trench  No.  2  is  40 
ft.  long,  4  ft.  broad,  and  8  ft.  deep.  The  upper  4  ft. 
consists  of  red  soil.  In  the  lower  4  ft.  there  are  great 
blocks  and  big  lumps  of  bauxite,  with  red  soil  and 
granular  bauxite  between  them.  In  a  given  layer  of 
3  ft.  in  thickness  the  proportion  of  massive  bauxite  is 
66'6%  and  that  of  granular  bauxiticsoil  33  3.  Trench 
No.  3  is  50  ft.  long,  divided  into  two  almost  equal  parts, 
A  and  J'.  Pari  A  is  24  ft.  long.  3J  ft.  wide,  and  5 ft. 
deep.  In  part  B  there  are  such  large  blocks  of  bauxite 
at  the  surface  or  immediately  below  it  that  sinking  was 
discontinued  at  2  ft.  In  part  A  the  material  tfa 
out  consists  of  small  blocks  and  pieces  of  bauxite,  to- 
gether with  red  soil  mixed  with  innumerable  particles 
and  nodulesof  bauxite  from  less  than  thesize  of  a  pin's 
head  to  that  of  an  orange.  The  total  quantity  of  baux- 
ite in  this  rubble  is  considerable,  but  it  has  not  been 
included  in  theestimate,  which  gives  bauxiteabor. 
of  the  total  mass. 

From  the  granular  character  of  the  red  material,  like 
soil,  occurring  among  the  massive  bauxite  Mr.  I. 
formed  the  opinion   that  the  greater  part  of  it,  if  not 
the  whole,  was  incoherent  bauxite.     Samples  fi 
alysis  were  collected,  but  they  were  lost   in   transit   to 
England,      Further  samples  were  obtained  durn  j 
and    taken    to    Kngland    in    September.       This    ma- 


terial was  sieved  through  a  40-mesh  sieve,  and  the 
coarse  and  the  fine  portions  are  now  being  analysed 
separately.  There  is  little  doubt  that  all  of  the  coarse 
material  is  bauxite,  while  much  of  the  fine  material 
shows  the  same  granular  character  as  the  coarse,  and 
comprises  about  5%  of  the  whole  of  theinterstitial  ma- 
terial. Thus,  of  the  whole  of  it  among  the  massive 
bauxite  about  95%  consists  of  granular  bauxite  and 
since  each  of  the  two  kinds,  namely,  the  massive  baux- 
ite and  the  rubbly  loose  matter,  may  be  taken  as  ap- 
proximately 50"o  of  the  whole  mass,  the  latter  repre- 
sents about  2  5",,  of  the  whole.  One  partial  an 
has  been  received  to  date.  This  shows:  silica,  17 
alumina 38*17%  ;  ferric  oxide,  20  94",,  ;  titanium  oxide, 
;  and  water  20*36%.  A  rational  analysis  of 
this  sample  gives  :  free  alumina,  24  5"..  ;  combined 
alumina,  13  7%  .  and  quart/,  1*4%  ,  so  probably  near- 
ly the  whole  of  the  silica  shown  by  the  partial  analy- 
sis exists  combined  with  the  13'7",.  of  alumina  in  the 
form  of  clay.  Should  the  additional  analyses  give 
similar  results,  and  assuming  that  the  whole  of  this 
clay  be  removable  by  elutriation,  the  alumina  in  the 
!'•  would  be  abon:     -  i  bii  does  not  take  into 

consideration  the  ferric  oxide,  some  of  which  e 
the  form  of  the  hydrate.     If  so.  washing   should  re- 
move it.  and  then   the  percentage  of  alumina  in   the 
pondingly    increased.     The 
average  of  seventeen  analyses  of  this  massive  bauxite 

ilnmina  60*55%,   ferric  oxidi 
titanium  o  silica    1  42    ,,  moisture  25 

with  a  little  lime  ami  magnesia,  together  less  thai  1 
By  the  caustic  soda  processof  cot;  bauxite  into 

alumina,  ore  of  tins  grade  should  of  alumina. 

iluminium. 
(  >ther  ile;  noun  in  the  distrut 


THE    SULPHIDE    CORPORATION'S   LEAD   REFINERY. 


In  our  last  issue  we  quoted  two  papers  read  at  the 
1918  meeting  of  the  Australasian  Institute  of  Mining 
Engineers  describing  the  smelting  and  pot-ro  i 
plants  of  the  Sulphide  Corporation  at  Cockle  I 
where  the  lead  concentrates  from  the  Central  Mine, 
Broken  Mill,  are  treated,  together  with  custom  ore  and 
concentrate-.  Herewith  we  quote  from  another  paper, 
read  at  the  same  meeting,  describing  the  lead  refinery, 
written  by  R     E.  Cov 

The  lead  refinery  building  is  a  lofty,  well-venti- 
lated oneof  hardwood  frame,  with  galvanized  iron  walls 
and  roof,  and  consists  of  five  spans  running  north  and 
south.  <  overing  a  total  length  of  236  ft.  Each  span  is 
composed  of  nine  bays  of  13  ft.  centres,  making  the 
total  width  of  the  building  117  ft.  It  is  situated  con- 
veniently at  a  distance  of  100  yd.  from  the  smelters 
Through  the  third  span  of  the  building  runs  a  5  ton 
electric  overhead  travelling  crane,  of  a  3  motor  type, 
with  a  span  of  29ft.  The  crane  runway  extends  over 
a  railway  line,  which  connects  the  smelters  to  the  re- 
finery. This  crane  is  used  for  handling  bullion,  coal, 
melting  kettles,  lead  pumps,  v.  A  3  ton  crane  of 
similar  type,  but  with  a  50  ft.  span,  runs  through  the 
fifth  span  of  the  building,  and  also  extends  over  the 
railway  line  already  mentioned.  This  crane  is  used  to 
load  the  soft  lead  into  railway  trucks,  or  to  stack  lead 
awaiting  shipment  in  the  area  covered  bv  the  crane's 
operations. 

The  installation  is  in  two  units  in  parallel,  each  unit 
-ting  of  :   one  50  ton  copper  drossing  kettle,  one 
4o  ton    an  Ittner,    two  44    ton    desilverizing 

pans,  one  40  ton  refiner,  one  38  ton  market  kettle,  one 
moulding  ring  ;  and  common  to  both  sets:  one  small 
furnace  for  working  up  skimmings  and  drosses,  one 


antimony  dross  furnace,  one  gas  producer  for  retort- 
turnace,  one  four  bottle  regenerative  gas-fired  retort- 
furnace,  two  single  bottle  oil  fired  tilting  retort  uir- 
naces,  three  concentrating  cupels,  two  finishing  cupels, 
electrolytic  parting  plant,  gold  and  silver  melting  fur- 
naces 

The  44  ton  desilverizing  kettles  and  38  ton  market 
kettles  are  handled  on  special  runways,  centred  over 
their  respective  kettl-  These    runways  are 

carried  on  two  14  in.  by  7  in  <  )regon  beams  supported 
on  C  I.  brackets  and,  spiked  to  these  It  in.  bv  7  in. 
beams,  are  the  rails  which  ill-bearing  i 

To  this  crawl  is  suspended  a  tackle,  from   which  are 
hung  slings  to  lift  the  kettles.      The  travelling  of  these 
is  done  by  hand,  but  is  easily  operated  by  one  man 
Ordinarily,  these  crawls  are  used  to  hang  and   travel 
the  Howard  presses  and  stirrers. 

There  are  three  working-floor  levels  in  this  build 
No.  1,  on  the  dump  level,  known  as  the  cupel  refiner 
parting  room  and  tiring-floor  level  ;   No,  2,  on  a  level 

n.  lower  than  this,  known  as  the  mouldir. 
soft  lead  storage  floor  :  and  the  other.  No.  3  floor,  be- 
ing elevated  7  ft.  above  the  No   1  or  refiner  floor.    This 
elevated  floor  is  know  n  as  the  top  floor,  and  is  the  one 
from  which  the  melting  kettles,  softeners,  desilverizing 
kettles,  &c,  are  worked.     This  floor  is  built  in  rein- 
forced concrete,  with  indented  bar  reinforcement.     It 
is  designed  to  carry  12j  cwt.  per  super  ft.,  having  12  in 
bv  1  2  in.  columns  on  3  ft.  6  in.  sq.  footings.     The  beams 
are  24  in.  by  12  in.  up  to  27  in.  by  15  in.,  according   to 
span.     The  floor  proper  has  a  total  thickness  of 
Sin    of  this  being  4-2-1  mixture,  the  other  inch 
a  specially  finished  floating  coat,  laid  while  the  main 
body  was  still  plastic.     The  advantage  of  the  elevated 


JULY,    1919 


51 


floor  is  that  it  allows  a  more  perfect  ventilation  for  the 
men  engaged  working  on  the  No.  1  floor  level,  and  also 
provides  storage  space  for  the  various  material  used  in 
connection  with  the  operations.  It  also  shows  easy  ac- 
cess from  one  end  of  the  building  to  the  other.  The 
various  furnaces  are  connected  to  three  stacks  of  simi- 
lar construction  through  the  three  main  parallel  flues 
running  underground. 

The  base  bullion,  after  being  drossed  and  moulded 
(25  bars  per  ton)  at  the  smelters,  is  run  on  trucks  via 
a  low-level  railway,  direct  to  No.  1  electric  crane,  slung 
and  hoisted  in  two-ton  lots  to  the  copper-drossing  ket- 
tles. The  bars  are  charged  into  the  kettle,  melted  at 
a  low  temperature,  and  the  copper  dross  skimmed. 
This  dross  is  treated  in  a  small  liquating  furnace,  and 
the  liquated  bullion  returned  to  the  refinery,  the  cop- 
per dross  going  to  the  smelters.  The  molten  metal  in 
the  copper-drossing  kettle  is  then  transferred  to  the 
antimony  softener  by  means  of  a  direct-coupled  electri- 
cally-driven Rumsey  centrifugal  pump.  These  pumps 
are  an  innovation  in  Australian  refinery  practice.  The 
pump  is  permanently  fixed  in  a  frame,  which  rests  on 
the  circumference  of  the  kettle,  and  so  arranged  that, 
when  in  position,  the  pump  is  immersed  to  the  full 
depth  of  the  kettle.  The  casing  is  provided  with  spac- 
ing studs  to  keep  it  from  actually  resting  on  the  bottom. 
The  time  of  pumping  40  tons  is  twenty  minutes. 

The  antimony  softener  is  the  usual  reverberatory 
type,  water-jacketed,  and  lined  with  magnesite  bricks 
at  the  litharge  level  ;  the  end  jacket  is  centrally  chan- 
nelled, the  channel  leading  into  a  removable  inclined 
spoilt,  carrying  the  litharge  into  portable  slag  pots. 
After  charging,  fhe  furnace  is  strongly  fired,  giving  an 
oxidizing  atmosphere,  the  resultant  litharge  being  con- 
stantly run  off  at  the  channel  and  acting  as  a  vehicle 
for  carrying  off  the  antimony  and  arsenic.  Towards 
the  end  of  the  operation  the  furnace  is  allowed  to  cool 
back,  and,  the  crust  of  litharge  is  skimmed  by  hand. 
The  further  treatment  of  the  antimony  and  arsenic  dross 
will  be  referred  to  later.  The  operation  takes,  accord- 
ing to  the  antimony  and  arsenic  contents,  from  eight 
to  twelve  hours,  from  time  of  charging  to  time  of  dis- 
charging into  the  desilverizing  pans. 

When  clean  the  metal  is  tapped  into  one  of  two 
desilverizing  pans,  and  the  gold  and  silver  separated 
by  the  Parkes  process.  No  attempt  is  made  to  separ- 
ate the  gold  and  silver  in  the  crusts,  the  whole  alloy 
being  mixed  and  retorted.  The  gold  and  silver  con- 
tents are  very  variable,  but  only  two  zincings  are  made. 
The  spelter  is  added  in  cakes,  melted  on  the  surface 
and  stirred  in  mechanically  by  means  of  the  Howard 
rope-driven  stirrer.  The  first  zinc  alloy  is  pressed  off 
by  the  Howard  press,  which  is  worked  by  pneumatic 
pressure,  and  conveniently  handled  by  an  air  hoist  sup- 
ported by  a  carriage  on  overhead  runway.  The  sec- 
ond zincing  is  skimmed  by  hand.  The  pressed  alloy 
goes  direct  to  the  retorts. 

The  desilverized  lead  is  then  syphoned  to  the  refiner, 
of  the  usual  reverberatory  jacketed  type,  on  the  lower 
floor,  and  the  zinc  and  any  remaining  antimony  are  re- 
moved as  a  dross  by  skimming.  The  refined  lead  then 
passes  by  gravity  to  the  market  kettle,  from  which  it 
is  syphoned  into  a  pot  and  runner,  and  moulded  in  a 
semicircular  rake  of  hundredweight  moulds,  further 
skimmed  and  trimmed,  weighed,  stacked  by  means  of 
an  electric  crane,  and  is  then  ready  for  shipment, 

The  skimmings  from  the  antimony  softener  are  stacked, 
and  treated  periodically  in  the  antimony  dross  furnace, 
a  furnace  with  refractory  lining,  but  no  water-jackets. 
The  material  is  charged  in  3,000  lb.  lots,  mixed  with 
sufficient  fine  coal  to  reduce  the  bulk  of  the  metal,  the 
antimony  and  arsenic  remaining  in  the  slag.     The  slag 


and  metal  are  periodically  run  oft,  the  former  into  a 
bed,  the  latter  into  a  five-ton  kettle,  from  which  it  is 
moulded  into  bars  and  returned  to  the  copper-drossing 
kettles.  The  slag,  when  cold,  is  broken  up  and  further 
treated  in  a  small  blast-furnace,  the  metal  carrying  the 
antimony  and  a  trace  of  arsenic.  This  antimonial  lead 
is  melted  in  a  kettle,  and  the  antimony  percentage  is  re- 
duced by  dilution  with  refined  lead  to  the  requisite 
quantity  for  marketable  shrapnel  lead,  and  moulded 
into  dumpy  hundredweight  bars. 

Returning  to  the  pressed  silver-zinc  alloy  from  the 
desilverizing  kettles,  this  is  charged  in  12cwt.  lots  to 
the  inclined  bottles  of  the  gas-fired  retort-furnace,  the 
zinc  distilled  and  condensed,  and  the  retort  bullion 
ladled  into  moulds. 

The  two  tilting  retort  furnaces  are  a  special  feature 
of  the  plant,  and  are  worked  by  one  attendant.  Each 
furnace  is  supplied  with  a  low-pressure  burner  using 
oil  from  the  Mond  gas  plant.  This  oil,  which  is  also 
used  in  the  gold  and  silver  melting  furnaces,  is  a  heavy 
distillate  from  the  tar,  and  has  proved  very  efficient. 
The  amount  of  oil  used  is  26  gal.  per  shift  of  eight 
hours.  One  charge  of  10  cwt.  of  alloy  is  finished  each 
shift.  The  retorted  bullion  from  the  tilting  furnace  is 
lower  in  zinc  than  that  from  the  gas-fired  retorts.  The 
life  of  the  retorts  in  the  tilting  furnaces  is  very  good, 
and  for  simplicity  of  operation  the  furnaces  are  a  great 
success.  When  ready,  the  molten  metal,  instead  of 
being  ladled  as  in  the  case  of  the  ordinary  retort,  is 
poured  by  tilting  the  furnace  direct  into  moulds  placed 
at  the  requisite  height  on  a  stepped  portable  frame. 
The  retorted  bullion,  assaying  2,000  to  2,500  oz.  Ag  per 
ton,  passes  to  the  concentrating  cupels,  where  it  is 
worked  up  to  concentrated  bullion,  the  lead  passing  oft 
as  litharge,  which  is  granulated  in  water,  the  final  alloy 
containing  approximately  16,000  oz.  silver  and  gold  per 
ton.  The  charge  held  by  the  cupel  or  test  increases 
with  use  from  lOcwt.  to  14c\vt.  The  concentrated 
metal  is  ladled  into  moulds  and  transferred  to  the 
finishing  cupel.  Here  it  is  worked  up  to  dore,  which 
may  undergo  a  further  transference  to  a  drying  cupel, 
that  removes  the  last  traces  of  lead  by  absorption.  The 
pure  dore  is  then  ready  for  moulding  for  the  parting 
operation  into  anodes  ;  these  are  rectangular  plates 
about  Jin.  thick,  weighing  approximately  lOOoz. 

The  electrolytic  parting  plant  is  furnished  with  36 
earthenware  cells  of  the  Balbach  type.  Each  cell  con- 
tains two  wooden  paraffined  cradles  with  inner  frames, 
holding  the  cloths  (10  oz.  linen  duck).  The  anodes  lie 
horizontally  on  the  cloth,  and  are  just  immersed  in  the 
electrolyte.  The  electrolyte  is  essentially  a  solution  of 
silver  nitrate  carrying  as  impurities  a  small  quantitv  of 
lead  nitrate  and  a  considerable  amount  of  copper  ni- 
trate. The  solution  is  slightly  acid,  usually  about  3 
grm.  per  litre  of  free  nitric.  The  current  is  passed  to 
the  anode  by  means  of  a  contact  piece  (usually  of  pure 
Ag),  and  the  silver  deposited  as  pure  crystalline  metal 
on  the  carbon  cathodes,  which  lie  on  the  bottom  of  the 
cell.  The  silver  is  raked  forward  periodically  and 
drained  on  the  lip  of  the  cell,  withdrawn,  washed  in  a 
separate  wooden  vessel,  and  stored  loose  in  draining 
boxes.     When  comparatively  dr\  »ed  in  very 

light  calico  bags,  charged  to  a  Morgan  tilting  lurnace, 
and  run  into  bars  of  l,050oz.  The  gold  remains  as  a 
sludge  on  the  cloihs.  This  is  di  '.  inquarted  with 
three  times  its  weight  of  silver,  am!  re-parted  to  give  a 
denser  product.  Anv  remaining  silver  is  dissolved  In- 
boiling  with  concentrated  sulphuric  acid,  the  gold 
washed  free  of  silver,  and  melted  in  a  Rockwell  oil- 
fired  furnace  into  bars  ol  about  600  oz.  The  silver  is 
remarkably  pure,  assaying  099-9  fine  and  carrying  only 
traces  to  4dwt.  of  gold  per  ton. 


52 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


All  kettles  and  furnaces,  with  the  exception  of  the 
retorts,  are  Bred  direct  with  coal,  butlater  on,  nodoubt, 
these  will  be  heated  by  means  of  Mond  gas.     At  pres- 


ent, however,  the  supply  is  not  available,  and  it  is  im- 
possible to  build  further  producers  until  the  supply  of 
steel  plates  becomes  more  plentiful. 


TERRESTRIAL   MAGNETISM  AND   MINE-SURVEYING. 


In  our  issue  of  September  last,  Professor  L.  H. 
Cooke  drew  attention  to  the  influence  of  terrestrial 
magnetism  on  mine-surveying,  and  discussed  the  in- 
vestigations on  this  subject  made  by  Dr.  Charles  Chree 
ai  Kew  Observatory.  Dr.  Chree  read  a  paper  before 
the  Institution  of  Mining  Engineers  last  year  entitled 
"Terrestrial  Magnetism  in  relation  toMine Surveying." 
Professor  Cooke  contributed  to  the  discussion  on  the 
paper.  By  permission  of  the  Council  of  the  Institu- 
tion we  are  enabled  to  reproduce  herewith  Professor 
Cooke's  remarks,  which  are  published  in  Vol.  LV  of 
the  Transactions. 

Many  misconceptions  on  this  subject  are  current, 
and  have  even  found  their  way  into  the  text-books  ; 
thus,  it  is  often  stated  that  the  needle  points  to  the 
terrestrial  magnetic  poles;  or,  again,  with  greater  ap- 
pearance of  precision  of  phrase,  that  the  planes  of  mag- 
netic meridians  of  different  places  intersect  at  the  ter 
restrial  magnetic  poles  :  or,  again,  that  the  needle  is 
subject  here  to  violent  disturbances  which  frequently 
amount  to  one  or  two  degrees  '  Dr.  Chree's  paper  will 
dispel  many  such  foggy  inaccuracies  incidentally,  but 
its  chief  service  will  be  to  shatter  the  blind  unreason- 
able faith  in  the  random  misuse  of  the  needle 

The  main  source  of  trouble  is  the  reference  of  the 
surveys  to  a  "  mean  magnetic  meridian  "  ;  then  follows 
the  misconception  that  the  "  mean  magnetic  meridian  " 
can  be  determined  with  a  compass,  a  dial,  or  a  com- 
pass-theodolite, despite  the  fact  that  the  sighting  plane 
(plane  of  collimationi  of  the  instrument  is  never  paral- 
lel with  the  zero  line  of  the  needle-scale  ;  that  the  geo- 
metric axis  of  the  needle  does  not  as  a  rule  coincide 
with  its  magnetic  axis  ;  that  the  pivot  is  never  exactly 
at  the  centre  of  the  needle  ring  that  the  line  joining 
the  two  points  of  the  needle  does  not  pass  through  the 
point  of  the  pivot,  etc  Naturally  follows  the  crude 
notion  that  from  a  map  of  isogonals,  or  from  a  list  giv- 
ing the  declinations  at  various  places,  or  by  applica- 
tion to  a  magneticobservatory,  trueorgeographic north 
can  be  found  by  way  of  a  knowledge  of  the  mean  mag 
netic  declination  Dr.  Chree  specifically  condemns 
two  of  these  fallacious  modes  of  proceeding,  but  the 
tale  of  errors  will  never  be  ended  except  by  a  more 
rational  training  and  stricter  testing  of  the  mine-sur- 
veyor, a  point  made  by  Mr    W.  H    <  ialletlv 

Again  and  again,  surveyors  blame  the  instrument- 
makers  because  no  two  compasses  will  give  exactly 
the  same  measure  for  the  magnetic  azimuth  of  the 
same  draft.  Professor  Cooke  has  in  his  charge  an  in- 
strument which  has  the  trough  compass  attached  5^ 
degrees  in  error,  but  he  considered  its  enormity  a  rare 
piece  of  good  fortune  ;  for  even  the  most  negligent  of 
students  could  see  that  the  instrument  was  faulty  and 
be  induced  to  interest  himself  in  the  simple  and  readv 
means  of  neutralizing  the  error,  namely,  by  the  aid  of 
a  line  of  orientation.  A  few  years  ago  Mr.  E.  W. 
Newton,  the  well-known  instrument-maker,  of  Cam- 
borne, Cornwall,  showed  Professor  Cooke  his  records 
of  tests  of  groups  of  needles,  each  group  having 
been  cut  from  the  same  strip  of  steel.  When  plac- 
ed one  after  another  in  turn  on  the  same  pivot  in 
the  same  compass,  the  readings  they  gave  differed  com- 
monly by  a  few  minutes  up  to  about  \  degree.  The 
non-coincidence  of  the  magnetic  and  geometric  axes 
of  the  needle  and  the  failure  of  the  line  joining  the 
two  points  of  the  needle  to  cut  the  supporting  point — 


one,  or  the  other,  or  probably  both  together — were 
doubtless  the  causes — almost  if  not  entirely  irremedi- 
able. The  orientation. line,  rationally  used,  cuts  out 
not  only  the  constructional  blunders  like  that  of  the 
5\  degrees  just  mentioned,  but  also  these  irremediable 
errors,  as  well  as  that  due  to  the  eccentricity  of  the 
pivot  ;  and  largely  reduces  errors  arising  from  the 
regular  and  irregular  changes  in  the  position  of  the 
magnetic  meridian. 

The  use  of  maps  showing  "smoothed  "  isogonals  is 
recommended  in  error  by  almost  all  the  recent  British 
text-books  on  mine-sun.  eying,  a  fact  which  lends  force 
to  Dr.  Chree's  warning  ;  his  further  hint  that  even  the 
unsmoothed  isogonals  of  Nc^  5  and  'of  the  K  ticker 
and  Thorpe  maps  do  not  tell  the  whole  truth,  should 
help  to  keep  surveyors  from  attempting  to  lake  a  value 
for  the  magnetic  declination  from  any  such  map,  if  the 
value  is  to  be  used  in  good  work  in  mine-surveying. 
Here  and  there  in  some  of  the  northern  coalfields  are 
volcanic  necks  piercing  the  Coal  Measures,  such 
bodies  of  more  or  less  banc  rock  mav  cause  local  dis 
turbance  which  will  generally  escape  representation  on 
small  maps.  Dumbarton  Kock  is  such  a  neck  (not  in 
the  Ci  here  a  century  ago  a  compass  set 

up  at  various  points  on  a  straight  line  running  nearly 
tangent  to  the  neck  showed  v  <-i  ■ 

of  the  azimuth  of  the  line  The  late  Mr.  J  Henderson 
and  Mr  W.  Tbomashave  both  called  attention  to  great 
deflections  of  the  needle  they  have  encountered  in  their 
surveys  of  Cornish  mines  ;  and  an  acquaintance,  when 
surveying  a  certain  colliery,  finds  the  magnetic  meri- 
dian fairlv  abruptlydepartsfrom  its  usual  position 

ng  from  one  part  of  the  colliery  to  another  part 
I  'ossibly  in  such  cases  of  areal  disturbance,  the  sin 
should  make  use  of  several  lines  of  known  orientation, 
as,  for  example,  the  lines  of  a  tnangulation  system 
Fortunately  such  local  disturbances  seem  to  be  rela- 
tively rare  in  the  collieries,  but  it   would  be  of   inter 
est  and   value  to  learn   whether  the  local  disturbing 
agencies  affect  the  temporary  change  (diurnal  varia- 
tion   and    irregular   disturbance).      In    other    words, 
whether  the  Kew  data  could  be  usefully  applied  in  such 
cases. 

Mr  W.  G,  Walker  states  that  the  effects  of  the  rock, 
the  presence  of  iron  railways  or  electric  currents  in  the 
mine,  and  secular  and  daily  variation  of  the  normal 
magnetic  forces  make  the  use  of  surface  values  even 
near  the  mine  quite  inadmissible  underground.  This 
might  be  discouraging  if  magnetic  orientation  were 
a  thing  born  only  yesterday  but  it  has  had  a  scienti- 
fic basis  for  three-quarters  of  a  century  in  Germain, 
and  the  scores  of  successes  attained  are  ugly  facts  for 
Mr  Walker's  views.  One  striking  example  is  worth 
quoting  :  mine  surveyor  Schmiedicke  made  an  under- 
ground traverse  between  two  plumb-wires  suspended 
in  shafts  550  metres  (600  yards)  apart,  conditions  which 
afford  a  trustworthy  means  of  finding  the  azimuths  of 
the  drafts.  Two  drafts  were  afterwards  oriented  mag 
neticallv,  with  results  as  follows  : 


Azimuth 

Azimuth 

Difler 

Praft 

from 

by  way 

ence  in 

traverses 

of  niacnet 

seconds 

1   to     2 

155°  31'  08" 

i0'  42" 

43  to  44 

359c  15'  32" 

359*  15'  37" 

5 

We  cannot  hope  to  approach  such  accuracy  unless 
we   adopt   instruments    with   filar  suspension    of  the 


JULY,     1919 


53 


needle.  Apart  from  the  body  of  evidence  obtained  in 
mine-surveying  practice,  the  practical  concordance  of 
the  regular  and  irregular  variations  of  the  declination 
at  the  surface  and  underground  has  been  established 
by  the  synchronous  tests  organized  by  Bergrat  E.  Bor- 
chers  in  an  observatory  at  the  surface  and  in  another 
545  metres  (596  yards)  underground  in  the  Eleonore 
mine,  Clausthal,  at  intervals  during  the  years  1843  to 
1846.  This  was  the  first  time  that  comparative  obser- 
vations had  been  made  at  so  great  a  depth,  and  for 
their  trustworthiness  speaks  the  reputationof  Borchers, 
a  magnetician,  an  inventor  and  improver  of  mine  sur- 
veying instruments,  appliances,  and  methods,  and  a 
scientific  mine-surveyor  whose  wonderful  results  in 
practice  were  the  admiration  of  his  age.  Earlier  ob- 
servationsin  the  Freiberg  mine,  and  later  ones  by  Ober- 
markscheider  Schmid  and  the  magnetician  Liznar  for 
a  depth  of  1,000  metres  (1,094  yards)  in  the  deep  Adal- 
bert shaft  at  Przibram  confirm  Borchers'  observations, 
and  tend  to  show  that  Clausthal  is  not  an  exceptional 
case.  So  far  the  observations  were  at  most  made  no 
more  frequently  than  every  5  or  15  minutes,  but  in 
1906  self-registering  observatories  were  installed  at  the 
surface  and  813  metres  (839  yards)  below,  in  the  Mono- 
pol  Colliery,  Westphalia,  and  the  tests  were  conduct- 
ed by  mine-surveyor  Stiepel,  who  had  been  specially 
trained  at  Potsdam.  No  noticeable  difference  showed 
itself  in  the  curves  of  the  two  stations  on  quiet  days, 
or  on  days  of  irregular  but  slow  disturbance,  and  no 
noteworthy  discordance  in  the  quicker  swings.  In 
1903  L.  A.  Bauer  investigated  the  possibility  of  opera- 
ing  self-registering  instruments  in  the  Lake  Superior 
copper. mines  and  found  the  conditions  exceptionally 
good,  in  the  absence  of  electric  installations,  at  a  depth 
of  nearly  a  mile  below  the  surface  ;  but  delay  in  the 
delivery  and  the  defective  character  of  the  German  in- 
struments prevented  the  carrying-out  of  the  work. 
Owing  to  electric  installations,  the  conditions  are  no 
longer  favourable.  Mr.  T.  Russell,  of  the  Great  Lakes 
Survey,  reported  that  in  the  Tamarack,  4,760  ft.  below 
ground,  the  diurnal  range  of  the  declination  and  the 
times  of  elongations  were  about  the  same  as  those  ob- 
served at  the  surface,  while  the  dip  was  27  minutes 
less. 

From  the  body  of  evidence  it  would  seem  that  we 
may  arrive  at  the  important  practical  conclusion  that 
underground  magnetic  declination  and  its  regular  and 
irregular  variations  are  much  the  same  as  at  the  sur- 
face if  there  is  no  great  mineral  orartificial  disturbance ; 
and  the  absence  of  mineral  disturbance  is  fairly  gen- 
eral in  the  coalfields. 

But  magnetic  research  is  much  wanted  in  disturbed 
areas  whether  shown  in,  or  omitted  from,  the  Riicker 
and  Thorpe  maps.  Mr.  V.  Watteyne  has  called  atten- 
tion to  the  distortion  of  the  plans  of  some  Belgian  col- 
lieries owing  to  the  non-verticality  or  twisting  of  the 
magnetic  surfaces  of  force  ;  and  Prof.  Haussmann  and 
hisstudents  in  the  Diepenlinchen  zinc  minehave  shown 
that  it  is  probable  that  the  run  of  the  magnetic  lines 
of  force  at  grass  differs  from  their  underground  course. 
But  these  irregularities  seem  to  be  rare  exceptions, 
as  rare  as  those  for  difference  of  elevation  at  the  surface. 
One  would  like  to  know  what  correction  Mr.  Walker 
applies  for  difference  of  elevation  in  his  surface  surveys. 
Doubtless  with  every  change  in  elevation  or  profundity 
there  is  some  change  in  declination  ;  but,  according 
to  the  available  evidence,  the  amount  must  be  very 
minute  whether  man  observes  on  the  mountain-tops  or 
in  the  mine-bottoms.  Commonly  in  surveying  in  a 
district  free  from  local  disturbance  one  can  rely  on  the 
same  value  of  the  declination  holding  good  for  a  mile 
at  the  surface  ;  and  on  a  priori  grounds  one  may  be- 


lieve that  the  change  will  be  generally  much  less  for 
a  mile  of  depth  than  for  a  mile  horizontally. 

While  the  British  Empire  has  allowed  Germany  a 
three-quarters-of-a  century  start  in  magnetic  orienta- 
tion, her  Roberts  shaft-plumbing  system  stands  well 
ahead  of  all  other  methods  in  the  world  for  orienting 
an  underground  survey  from  a  single,  deep,  vertical 
shaft  independently  of  the  needle.  The  optical  meth- 
ods appear  to  break  down  in  depth,  owing  to  difficul- 
ties of  visibility,  and  perhaps  also  of  air-refraction  and 
reflection,  which  will  give  food  for  consideration  of  the 
Ordnance  Survey  when  they  are  easily  transferring  the 
geographic  meridian  to  the  bottom  of  deep  shafts. 
The  optical  plumbing  method  of  the  geodesian  Nagel 
is  no  longer  applied  even  in  the  county  of  its  origin  or 
in  Austria,  and  its  description  has  been  deleted  from 
the  latest  text-books.  The  method  with  the  miner's 
transit-instrument  which  he  has  modified  from  the 
astronomical  instrument  (not  the  transit-theodolite  or 
the  misnamed  American  "  transit  ")  has  a  far  surer 
scientific  foundation  and  better  chances  of  success. 
While  this  purely  British  method  overtops  all  its  op- 
tical rivals,  and  with  the  improvements  introduced  by 
Prof.  E.  Liveing  and  Prof.  G.  R.  Thompson  permits 
of  reducing  the  mischaces  of  vibration,  refraction,  etc., 
by  repetition  and  averaging,  it  halts  at  a  moderate 
depth,  owing  to  limitation  of  visibility,  and  awaits  fur- 
ther aid. 

More  than  one  contributor  to  the  discussion  has 
questioned  the  applicability  of  the  Kew  data  to  the 
whole  of  the  coalfields,  and  Dr.  Chree  himself  states 
that  science  is  so  little  advanced  that  he  is  not  in  a  posi- 
tion to  say  what  is  the  desirable  number  of  observa- 
tories in  this  country.  As  the  publication  of  the  Kew 
data  arose  out  of  the  writer's  (Professor  Cooke's)  pro- 
posal to  procure  a  self-registering  declinometer  for  the 
Royal  School  of  Mines  and  to  extend  the  benefits  of 
its  records  to  the  country,  it  is  perhaps  desirable  to 
state  the  grounds  on  which  that  proposal  was  made. 
Apart  from  its  educational  uses  for  staff  and  students, 
it  was  hoped  to  stir  up  a  greater  number  of  surveyors 
in  this  country  to  take  an  interest  in  diurnal  variation 
and  irregular  disturbance. as  a  probable  source  of  the 
occasional  waste  of  their  efforts  or  the  occasional  poor 
quality  of  their  results.  While  one  recording  instru- 
ment was  looked  upon  as  a  good  and  useful  begi)iiiing 
only,  it  should  be  recollected  that  Riicker  and  Thorpe 
in  their  magnetic  survey  reduced  to  the  epoch  Januarv 
1,  1886,  used  a  correction  which  was  the  algebraic  sum 
of  the  diurnal  variation  at  the  local  time  and  of  the 
disturbance  registered  at  Kew  at  the  Greenwich  mean 
time  at  which  the  observations  were  taken  They 
applied  the  Kew  data  over  the  whole  of  the  British 
Isles,  a  much  greater  area  than  that  of  the  coalfields, 
and,  as  a  test  of  the  validity  of  their  procedure,  thev 
picked  out  stations  in  Ireland  and  Scotland,  where  two 
or  more  observations  were  made  at  times  when  the 
diurnal  variations  differed  by  more  than  4'.  Taking 
the  extreme  western  and  northern  stations,  for  West 
port  they  found  the  values  23°  55',  23  5"4'  ; 

for  Portree,  23°  216',  21'  22'T  :  and  for  Stornoway 
23° 50'7',  23°48'4',  23  50 T .  The  results  for  the  coal- 
fields, which  are  all  nearer  Kew  and  in  perhaps  less- 
disturbed  localities,  should  be  no  worse,  and  may  be 
better. 

The  late  Prof.  Brathuhn  arranged  a  number  of  ori- 
entations at  mines  in  the  Ilarz  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  the  Clausthal  Observatory,  in  the  Mansfeld  copper 
district,  near  Barsinghausen,  etc.  The  results  were 
corrected  in  duplicate  for  diurnal  variation  and  distur- 
bance from  the  data  provided  both  by  the  Clausthal 
Observatory  at  distances  of  from  7  to  62  miles,  and  bv 


54 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


the  W'ilhelmshaven  Observatory  at  the  much  greater 
distances  of  from  94  to  204  miles.  The  greatest  differ- 
ence of  any  pair  of  results  reached  only  47  seconds  of 
arc,  and  the  average  difference  of  twenty-six  results  1  8 
seconds.  Brathuhn  thought  in  1888  that  he  was  en- 
titled to  draw  the  conclusion  that  a  good  central  ob- 
servatory in  Clausthal  would  satisfy  the  requirements 
of  mining  and  mine  surveyiug  of  the  whole  of  Prussia. 
However,  the  lapse  of  time  and  further  experience 
made  him  less  confident,  and  in  1892  he  wrote  that  if 
important  orientations  were  in  hand,  the  time  from 
10  a.m.  to  2p.m.  should  be  avoided,  becausethechange 
in  the  position  of  the  needle,  owing  to  the  diurnal  vari- 
ation, was  at  a  maximum  in  these  hours,  and  places 
east  and  west  might  sutler  from  the  difference  of  local 
time  and  consequent  non-concurrence  of  the  diurnal 
variation.  In  the  later  editions  of  his  Lehrbuch  der 
Markscheidekunst  (see,  for  instance,  the  fourth  edition, 
1908,  page  364)  he  extends  his  ban  over  the  time  from 
6  a.m  to  3  p.m.,  unless  the  declinometer  is  in  the  im- 
mediate neighbourhood  ;  he  would  have  distant  curves 
used  only  forevening  and  night-work,  and  then  only  if 
there  were  no  disturbance. 

Brathuhn  probably  had  in  mind  the  attainment  of 
such  fleckless  results  as  those  of  Schmiedicke.  As  Dr. 
Chree's  invaluable  tables  show  the  relative  infrequency 
of  disturbances  in  the  morning  hours,  and  as  Riicker 
and  Thorpe's  corrections  were  fairlv  successful,  it 
is  possible  that  the  Kew  data  may  suffice — between  2 
a.m.  and  noon  —  for  most  of  our  mineral  fields.  How- 
ever, in  the  night-hours  electric  trams  stop  running 
and  much  other  electric  work  ceases. 

As  irregular  disturbances  occur  on  the  majority  of 
days,  and  as  the  method  of  smoothing  the  curves  tends 
to  conceal  the  smaller  vagaries  of  the  magnet,  a  very 
great  increase  in  the  accuracy  of  the  corrections  for 
the  fluctuations  of  the  magnet  would  be  secured  if  the 
Kew  authorities  would  issue  the  actual  declination 
curves  smoothed  only  as  regards  artificial  electric  dis- 
turbance. 

As  the  irregular  disturbances  and  the  ordinary  diur- 
nal changes  in  the  northern  and  Scottish  coalfields  are 
slightly  larger  than  those  of  the  south,  a  further  in- 


crease in  the  accuracy  of  the  corrections  would  result 
if  the  declination  curves  of  Eskdalemuir  could  also  be 
published. 

Proportional  interpolation  for  places  situated  in  the 
Midlands,  etc.,  with,  perhaps,  a  slight  further  correc- 
tion of  the  ordinary  diurnal  change  for  the  difference 
of  time  or  longitude,  would  probably  give  all  the  ac- 
curacy desirable  for  most  of  the  important  work  of  the 
surveyor  A  better  way  of  interpolating  may  be  pos- 
sible later.  His  most  difficult  tasks,  however,  would 
demand  the  use  of  two  instruments,  especially,  per 
haps,  in  disturbed  areas. 

In  any  case,  the  use  of  a  surface  line  of  known  orien 
tation  is  desirable  for  comparison  ;  and  if  surveyors 
would  use  the  better-class  olds  methods  of  orientation, 
compare  their  results  with  those  corrected  by  the  light 
of  the  Kew  data,  and  publish  their  results,  some  guid- 
ance would  be  obtained  for  the  future  as  to  where  scien- 
tific research  could  be  best  applied.  The  actual  curves 
of  Kew  and  Eskdalemuir  would  enable  the  surveyor  to 
take  out  corrections  to  his  magnetic  azimuths  for  any 
5  minutes  of  the  day,  and  would  reduce  the  uncertain 
tv  in  the  magnetic  angles  nearer  the  very  desirable  fig 
ure  of  1  minute  of  arc.  At  the  present  time,  perhaps, 
we  can  hardly  expect  such  an  expense  to  be  incurred  . 
but  on  the  resumption  of  more  normal  conditions  the 
suggested  improvement  will  doubtless  receive  the  con- 
sideration of  the  Meteorological  Office.  Meanwhile, 
in  addition  to  the  two-hourly  averages,  or  in  place  of 
them,  the  values  of  the  Kew  and  ilskdalemuir  declina- 
tions for  points  of  time  (not  averages  for  2  hour  or 
other  lengthy  spells),  should  be  published  I'mfessor 
Cooke  suggests  that  the  values  for  7,  7-30,  8.  8  30,  9, 
9-30,  10,  10  30,  and  11  a.m.  (G  M  T  i  should  be  given. 
However,  he  has  known  many  diallers  to  find  it  conveni- 
ent to  survey  in  the  afternoon  and  evening  and  night, 
and  although  their  hours  are  more  liable  to  disturbance 
than  those  of  the  morning,  it  might  be  well  to  issue 
observatory  values  for  such  times,  but  at  less  frequent 
intervals.  Moreover  the  possible  freedom  of  the  i.ight- 
hours  from  troubles  due  to  electric  power  is  to  be  taken 
into  consideration.  Professor  Cooke  concluded  by 
paying  a  high  tribute  to  Dr.  Chree  for  his  work 


THE   HEIDELBERG   GOLDFIELDS 


We  continue  our  abstract  of  a  series  of  articles  ap- 
pearing in  theSo//r/i  African  Mining  and  Engineer- 
ing Journal  giving  a  history  of  the  Heidelberg  gold- 
fields.  In  the  last  issue  the  abstract  ended  with  the 
publication  of  Dr.  E.  T.  Mellor's  theory  that  the  work- 
able reef  of  the  Par  East  Rand  basin  is  a  continuation 
of  the  Main  Reef  Leader  of  the  older  part  of  the  Rand . 

Dr.  Mellor's  lecture  was  almost  immediately  follow- 
ed by  a  challenge  on  the  part  of  Mr.  Bleloch  Mr. 
Bleloch  threw  down  the  glove  on  the  grounds  that  Dr. 
Mellor  was  reported  to  have  defied  "  all  unorthodox 
geologists  and  prospectors  and  less  learned  obsei  \ 
to  pick  out  Main  Reef  Leader  banket  from  among  a 
mixed  lot  of  Main  Reef  Leader  and  Van  Ryn  foot-wall 
reef."  Mr.  Bleloch  claimed  his  ability  to  separate  in 
a  similar  way  "specimensof  Van  Ryn  Reef  from  speci- 
mens of  Nigel  Reef  provided  that  in  each  instance  the 
specimens  had  portions  of  the  foot- wall  shale  attached. 

Dr.  Mellor's  findings  in  regard  to  the  identity  of 
Nigel  series  with  the  alluring  attractions  of  the  Main 
Reef  Series  and  the  reefs  worked  in  the  Modderfontein- 
Van  Ryn  area  soon  began  to  be  applied  to  support  and 
foster  commercial  enterprise.  Thus  in  July,  1916,  the 
directors  of  the  Oceana  Development  Company  an- 
nounced that  information  had  been  received  that  the 


extension  of  the  Nigel  'or  Van  Ryn)  Reef  had  recently 
been  located  on  the  farm  Platkoppies  No.  03,  south  of 
Heidelberg  township,  and  fully  30  miles  south  of  the 
Daggafontein  shaft.  The  reef  was  reported  to  be  well 
defined,  and,  where  struck,  to  have  assayed  36dwt. 
over  a  width  of  14  inches  The  statement  added  that 
the  interest  of  this  information  to  shareholders  was  the 
accumulating  proof  that  the  company's  farms  Eend- 
racht  and  Koppieskraal  were  well  within  the  area  of 
the  extension  of  the  reef  now  being  worked  by  the 
principal  companies  in  this  district.  [Readers  are  re- 
ferred to  the  map  in  the  June  issue  which  shows  the  posi- 
tions of  the  farms  mentioned  in  this  abstract. — Editor.] 
But  it  was  also  evident  that  there  were  those  whose 
opinions  were  in  contradiction  to  Dr.  Mellor's  and  who 
did  not  hesitate  to  back  their  heterodoxy  with  cash. 
Thus  we  find  that  in  April,  1916,  it  is  recorded  that  the 
finding?  of  the  Geological  Survey  were  not  generally 
accepted  by  prospectors  and  others  for  practical  pur- 
poses. This  related  to  the  pegging  of  300  claims  sup 
posed  to  contain  the  Van  Ryn  Reef  along  the  southern 
boundary  of  the  New  Rietfontein  company's  property 
on  a  line  assigned  by  the  Government  Geological  Sur 
vey  to  the  Government  Reef  series.  Also  with  regard 
to  the  Southern  Van  Rvn  Co    the  news  was  :    "We 


JULY,    1919 


are  officially  informed  that  this  company's  bore-hole 
No.  4  has  attained  a  depth  of  770ft.  After  passing 
through  the  coal  measures  with  about  15  ft.  of  Dwyka 
conglomerate  at  the  base  the  drill  entered  Witwaters- 
rand  quartzite  at  60  ft.  and  from  that  depth  down- 
wards has  exposed  a  typical  section  of  the  beds  usually 
found  overlying  the  Van  Ryn  series,  that  is,  the  beds 
between  the  Chimes  series  and  the  Van  Ryn.  No 
shales,  beds,  or  dykes  have  been  encountered,  and  only 
three  small  pebble  beds  of  less  than  six  inches  in  width 
were  found  down  to  770  ft.  At  770  ft.  a  banket  leader, 
six  inches  wide,  was  cut,  and  at  772  ft.  a  section  of 
thirty  inches  of  quartzite  with  scattered  pebbles  and 
containing  three  distinct  bands  of  reef." 

The  Southern  Van  Ryn  Reef  had  been  registered  in 
March,  1915,  to  acquire  l.OOOclaimson  the  farm  Var- 
kensfontein  217  in  the  Heidelberg  district.  Other 
claims  were  subsequently  acquired,  and  to-day  this 
company  possesses  an  area  equal  to  1,661  claims  on 
Varkensfontein  and  Draaikraal.  The  original  geologi- 
cal thesis  upon  which  this  company  was  floated  was 
that  it  contained  both  the  Nigel  and  Van  Ryn  Reefs. 
The  leading  promoter  of  the  enterprise  was  Mr.  W. 
E.  Bleloch,  so  that  it  is  not  difficult  to  understand  Mr. 
Bleloch's  opposition  to  Dr.  Mellor's  identification  of 
the  Van  Ryn  and  Nigel.  Mr.  Bleloch  crystallized  the 
importance  of  his  contention  at  the  last  meeting  of  the 
Southern  Van  Ryn,  when  he  declared  :  "  The  Nigel 
Reef  has  been  worked  for  30  years  by  the  Nigel  Gold 
Mining  Company  and  the  Sub-Nigel,  and,  generally 
speaking,  it  is  a  thin  reef  with  well  developed  pay  shoots, 
which  brings  the  grade  of  ore  above  the  average.  This 
reef  has  been  found  to  carry  30%  to  35%  of  these  pay 
shoots  in  a  given  area,  but  the  reef  is  thin  and  the  ton- 
nage found  in  the  pay  shoots  in  this  reef  is  not  very 
great.  As  an  example,  the  Sub-Nigel  after  a  good 
many  years'  working  has  only  400,000  tons  of  payable 
ore  developed  on  the  Nigel  Reef,  whereas  in  the  great 
mines  to  the  north,  such  as  Government  Areas  and 
New  Modder  working  the  Van  Ryn  Reef,  the  tonnage 
of  payable  ore  runs  into  many  millions,  and  it  means 
that  if  such  development  continues  at  that  rate  the 
value   of    the    Government   Areas  mine    will   run  to 

£100,000,000." 

It  is  not  surprising  that  Mr.  Bleloch  attaches  much 
greater  importance  to  the  Van  Ryn  Reef  than  to  the 
reef  worked  in  the  Nigel  mine,  and  he  is  not  alone  in 
his  desire  to  draw  attention  to  it.  For  instance,  the 
Sub-Nigel,  Ltd.,  in  the  report  for  the  quarter  ended 
September  30,  1916,  states  :  "  It  will  be  noted  that  the 
reef  upon  which  this  company  is  working  is  in  this  re- 
port described  as  the  Van  Ryn  Reef  instead  of  as  the 
Nigel  Reef  as  heretofore,  as  it  is  accepted  by  our  engi- 
neers that  the  reef  in  question  correlates  with  the  Van 
Ryn  Reef  as  recognized  in  the  large  and  well-known 
northern  mines  of  the  Far  East  Rand." 

The  Platkoppie  Syndicate  was  registered  so  long  ago 
as  1909,  but  it  does  not  appear  to  have  sought  much 
notoriety  or  importance  until  the  late  Dr.  Corstorphine 
reported  in  favourable  terms  on  the  property  in  the 
middle  of  1916.  In  the  course  of  his  report  Dr.  Cors- 
torphine dealt  with  the  theory  of  the  identity  of  the 
Nigel-Van  Ryn  and  Main  Reef  Leader.  He  wrote: 
"It  has  often  been  urged  against  this  correlation  (1) 
that  at  Nigel  there  is  only  one  reef,  instead  of  the  three 
typical  of  the  Main  Reef  Series  on  the  Central  l\  mil, 
(2)  that  the  one  reef  is  a  very  narrow  one,  and  (3)  that 
it  rests  on  a  slate  foot-wall,  which  is  never  thecal  on 
the  Central  Rand.  All  of  these  objections  are  suffici- 
ently answered  by  the  fact  that  in  the  Far  East  Rand 
mines  the  gradual  replacement  of  the  sandstone  or 
quartzite  foot-wall  by  slate  can  be  traced,  and  there  too 


the  thinning  out  of  the  reef  series  is  shown  in  the  mine 
workings.  Dr.  E.  T.  Mellor  has  recently  correlated 
the  ore  reef  of  the  eastern  portion  of  the  Rand  with  tin: 
Mam  Reef  Leader  of  the  Central  Rand,  a  correlation 
which  may  be  accepted  for  the  Nigel  district  also. 
Several  reefs  have  been  traced  through  the  farms 
Nooitgedacht,  Elandsfontein,  and  I'latkoppie  by  Mr. 
John  Moffat,  on  behalf  of  the  Platkoppie  Syndicate, 
Ltd.,  and  on  the  two  last-named  farms  he  has  exposed 
the  reefs  by  trenching  and  prospecting  shafts.  There 
is  some  old  prospecting  work  on  Nooitgedacht  and  on 
thenorthern  portionof  Elandsfontein,  but  the  continua- 
tion of  the  Nigel  Reef  on  the  southern  part  of  Elands- 
fontein and  on  Platkoppie  is  exposed  for  the  first  time 
in  the  present  prospecting  work.  This  means  that  some 
four  miles  of  unprospected  outcrop  have  been  added  to 
the  stretch  previously  known  and  partly  prospected." 

Following  on  this  report  came  the  flotation  of  the 
Platkoppie  Exploration  Company  with  a  nominal  capi- 
tal of  £20,000  to  test  the  value  of  the  areas  referred  to 
by  Dr.  Corstorphine.  These  two  concerns —  the  Plat- 
koppie and  the  Southern  Van  Ryn — in  the  geological 
premises  upon  which  they  have  been  floated  crystallize 
the  wholeissueofthemoderncontroversy.  The  former 
represents  the  view  that  there  is  one  reef  and  one  reef 
only,  which  has  been  proved  by  experience  to  contain 
gold  in  payable  quantities  over  such  large  areas  that 
wherever  it  may  be  found  the  chances  are  that  a  profit- 
able mine  will  be  developed.  This  reef  is  the  Nigel- 
Van  Ryn-Main  Reef  Leader,  the  varying  names  being 
merely  local  designations  and  the  identity  of  all  three 
are  vouched  for  by  the  most  distinguished  geologists  of 
the  country.  On  the  other  hand  we  have  the  theory, 
of  which  Mr.  Bleloch  is  the  sponsor,  that  not  only  the 
Southern  Van  Ryn  but  a  vast  area  of  the  Far  East 
Rand  contains  the  Van  Ryn  Reef  overlying  the  Nigel  ; 
that  there  are,  in  fact,  two  profitable  conglomerate 
bodies  of  which  the  upper  or  Van  Ryn  is  infinitely  more 
valuable. 

It  should  here  be  pointed  out  that  while  Mr.  Bleloch 
would  appear  to  have  obtained  very  little  encourage- 
ment from  present-day  geologistsand  mining  engineers, 
his  theories  have  found  a  certain  measure  of  support 
from  no  less  an  authority  than  Dr.  G.  A.  F.  Molen- 
graaff,  formerly  StateGeologist.  Mr.  Bleloch,  writing 
to  the  directors  of  the  Houtpoort,  Ltd.,  on  November 
5,  1918,  said  :  "  I  will  present  the  following  statement 
by  Dr.  Molengraaff,  a  geologist  of  world-wide  reputa- 
tion. I  will  add  that  I  have  the  same  opinion  stated  in 
writing  by  the  late  Mr.  J.  S.  Curtis  another  eminent 
geologist,  formerly  of  the  Geological  Survey  of  the 
United  States,  who  had  over  a  quarter  of  a  century's 
experience  of  these  Witwatersrand  reefs,  and  I  will  add 
that  this  is  the  opinion  originally  held  right  from  the 
early  days  of  the  Rand  and  it  is  the  opinion  still  held 
by  the  great  majority  of  mining  men  with  practical  ex- 
perience. Dr.  Molengraaff's  letter  is  dated  Delft.  No- 
vember 27,  1911.  In  it  he  states  :  '  I  quite  agree  with 
you  about  the  Far  East.  I  also  think  that  portion  of 
the  basin  too  shallow  to  give  enough  spare  for  such 
thickness  of  the  strata  of  the  Witwatersrand  S}  item  as 
would  include  the  Main  Reef.  /  also  only- 
Lower  Witwatersrand  beds  there'  That  is  ; 
that  the  Van  Ryn  Reef  and  the  N 

the  Far  East  Rand,  are  deposits  v  gical  posi- 

tion   is  in   the   Lower   Witwat  beds  and    that 

therefore  they  are  older  and  ferenl  d< 

from  those  of  the  Main   Ro 
position  is  m  the  Upper  Witwai      rand  bi 

Mr.  Bleloch  in  L916  induced  the  Houtpoort,  Ltd.,  a 

concern  which  was  originally  registered  so  long  ago  as 

to  revive  its  interest  in  the  Heidelberg  area  and 


56 


THE     MIXING     MAGAZINE 


to  take  over  under  option  contract  the  farms  Goedver- 
wachtij  and  Klippoortje.  At  later  dates  the  Eastern 
Van  Kyn  and  Modderfoniein  Gold  Mines,  Ltd. ,  entered 
the  arena,  and  to-day  we  find  the  Heidelberg  Town 
Lands  and  the  farms  Tulipvale.  Eendracht,  and  Bosch- 
fontein  involved  in  the  controversy.  On  these  prop- 
erties work  is  being  undertaken  with  a  view  to  demon- 
strating the  truth  of  the  "two-reef"  theory.  But  ac- 
tivity has  by  no  means  stopped  at  this  point.  It  has 
swept  onward  over  the  Balfour  area. 

Meanwhile  it  should  be  recorded  that  in  the  early 
part  of  1916  the  Daggafontein  Gold  Mine  passed  into 
the  control  of  the  Consolidated  Mines  Selection  Com- 
pany, which  had  successfully  developed  the  Brakpan 
and  Springs  pi operties  and  was  thirsting  for  fresh  con- 
quests. Another  important  change  in  control  took 
place  a  year  later  when  the  Consolidated  Gold  Fields 
of  South  Africa  became  interested  in  the  Southern  Van 
Ryn  and  assumed  financial  and  technical  control  of 
that  property.  The  latter  action  did  not,  however, 
imply  that  the  technical  advisers  of  that  corporation 
endorsed  Mr.  Bleloch's  view.  On  the  contrary,  it  has 
recently  been  decided  to  sink  a  deep  level  shaft  to  in- 
tersect the  "Nigel-Van  Ryn-Main  Reef  Leader  "  in 
depth.  Mr.  Bleloch,  speaking  at  the  meeting  held  on 
January  31  last  on  this  point,  agreed  to  Mr.  I^eslie's 
programme  only  on  his  assurance  that  he  had  an  open 
mind  on  the  question  of  the  Van  Ryn  and  Nigel  Reefs 
and  that  development  will  be  done  on  the  Van  Ryn 
Reef  when  intersected  in  the  shaft.  The  decision  to 
sink  a  deep  level  shaft  on  the  Southern  Van  Ryn  has 
caused  considerable  disappointment  to  many  share- 
holders who  had  been  told  that  they  had  an  outcrop 
proposition,  and  it  has  been  the  cause  of  reviving  in- 
terest in  the  controversy.  From  the  point  of  view  of 
the  economic  exploitation  of  the  Nigel  Reef  the  loca- 
tion of  this  shaft  is  sound  policy,  but  as  against  that  it 
is  contended  that  for  the  Southern  Van  Ryn,  with  its 
not  excessive  cash  resources,  a  more  sound  project 
would  be  the  immediate  development  of  the  reef  which 
has  been  exposed  at  surface  and  on  which  a  certain 
amount  of  preliminary  development  work  has  been  car- 
ried out.  It  is  again  a  question  of  the  two-reef  theory 
as  opposed  to  the  declaration  that  there  is  one  and  one 
only  payable  reef  section  in  this  area.  [Since  the 
above  was  written  the  Gold  Fields  has  given  up  con- 
trol.— Editor.] 

Previously  to  the  acquisition  of  an  interest  in  the 
Southern  Van  Ryn  by  the  Gold  Fields,  a  consider- 
able amount  of  preliminary  development  work  was 
done.  The  report  of  the  manager  for  the  period  ended 
with  October  31,  1917,  stated  "  that  considerable  pros- 
pecting in  the  shape  of  bore-holes  and  shafts  had  been 
done  on  the  property  previous  to  my  taking  charge,  and 
data  appertaining  to  work  that  was  done  on  the  prop- 
erty some  twenty  or  more  years  ago  have  been  found. 
I  refer  to  the  Henderson  shaft,  which  is  situated  on 
this  property,  close  to  its  southern  boundary.  We  now 
have  information  to  the  effect  that  a  reef  of  18  ft.  in 
thickness  and  assaying  5Adwt.  was  encountered  in  this 
shaft  at  a  depth  of  200  ft.  Of  course,  in  thosedays  these 
values  were  not  considered  payable,  and  no  one  would 
think  of  working  them,  but  it  is  a  very  different  matter 
to-day  ;  this  reef  could  be  worked  now  and  a  very  de- 
cent profit  made  from  it.  Eight  bore-holes  in  all  have 
been  put  down  on  this  property  in  various  places,  rang- 
ing in  depth  from  122  ft.  to  1,600  ft.  Five  of  these 
bore-holes  have  intersected  the  pay  reefs — Nigel  and 
Van  Ryn — and  gone  into  their  respective  foot-wall 
shales.  Four  prospecting  shafts  have  been  sunk  to  the 
sub-outcrop  of  the  Nigel  Reef,  and  in  every  instance  the 
reef  was  located  at  60  ft.  from  the  surface,  or  less.     No. 


1  shaft  was  sunk  to  a  depth  of  77  ft.  ;  at  60  ft.  the  reef 
was  intersected,  dipping  at  65  .  A  cross-cut  to  pick  up 
the  hanging  leader  was  then  started  to  the  west  ;  :1ns 
leader  was  intersected  at  a  distance  of  30  ft.  :  work  was 
then  stopped  in  this  shaft  No.  1  main  shaft  on  the 
Nigel  Reef  is  located  100  ft.  south  of  No.  3  prospect 
shaft,  dipping  at  62  ,  and  should  encounter  the  reef  at 
a  depth  of  69  ft.  No.  1  incline  shaft  was  sunk  to  a 
depth  of  160  ft.,  and  then  stopped  according  to  instruc- 
tions received  from  the  consulting  engineer  of  the  Con- 
solidated Gold  Fields.  The  reef  was  intersected  in  this 
shaft  at  83ft.  ;  the  following  figures  give  depth,  width, 
and  values  : — At  83  ft,  9  in.  wide,  assaying  100  dwt  . 
85  ft..  24  in.,  2  50  dwt.  ;  8S  ft..  12 in  .  13  70 dwt.  ;  90ft., 
16in..  1250dwt.  ;  92  ft..  18  in..  7  50dwt  ;  94  ft.,  15in  , 
6  20dwt.;  96  ft  ,  1 2  in.,  3  75  dwt. ;  98ft.,  18  in.,  6  30 
dwt  ;  100ft  ,12in.,5  40dwt.  ;  105 ft..  14 In., 4  39 dwt  . 
110ft.,  12  in..  lOOOdwt.  ;  115ft..  14  in  .  2  54dw;.; 
120ft..  15  in  .  6  04dwt.  ;  125  ft..  18in.,  3  lOdwt  . 
130  ft  .  18  in..  745dwt.;  146ft..  21  in  ,  499  dwt. ; 
150ft,  36in.  2  07dwt.  ;  155  ft.,  36  in.,  2' 17  dwt.  No 
driving  was  done  on  the  reef  in  this  shaft.  Quartz 
veins  were  scattered  through  the  reef  exposed.  These 
veins  decreased  the  values  very  considerably,  as  it  was 
impossible  to  section  the  reef  without  intersecting 
them  ;  at  the  same  time  they  were  conclusive  evidence 
that  the  shaft  was  being  sunk  in  a  disturbed  zone.  It 
is  believed,  however,  that  this  disturbance  is  purely 
local.  When  the  technical  control  was  assumed  by 
the  Gold  Fields  no  further  work  was  conducted  in  the 
shafts  referred  to  and  operations  were  centred  on  the 
sinking  of  a  deep  level  shaft  which,  according  to  the 
plans  of  the  Gold  Fields  engineers,  would  cut  the 
Nigel  Reef  at  a  depth  of  3.000  ft.  or  more.  The  Gold 
Fields  apparently  are  disciples  of  the  orthodox  school 
of  thought  Their  technical  advisers  do  not  or  have 
not  yet  recognized  the  claims  of  the  two-reef  theory, 
and  accordingly  the  No  1  incline  shaft  which  certainly 
was  in  auriferous  conglomerate  at  its  lowest  depth  and 
had  been  in  ore  from  83  ft  downward  was  closed  down, 
much  to  the  disappointment  of  the  original  and  present 
shareholders. 

The  Daggafontein  property .  after  extensive  diamond- 
drilling  and  shaft-sinking,  is  developing  from  its  No.  1 
shaft  a  reef  lying  on  a  shale  foot-wall.  This  ore-body 
Mr  Bleloch  correlates  with  the  Nigel.  Both  this  No 
1  shaft  and  the  No.  7  bore-hole,  almost  on  the  site  of 
which  theshaft  was  located,  are  claimed  by  Mr.  Bleloch 
to  have  passed  through  a  reef  which  he  terms  the  v'an 
Rvn  but  which  has  apparently  been  regarded  by  the 
management  as  the  Kimberley.  In  the  No  1  shaft 
the  bottom  reef  was  separated  by  280  ft.  of  quartzite 
from  the  bottom  of  the  diabase,  whereas  in  the  No  7 
bore-hole,  which  is  not  more  than  100ft.  away  from 
this  shaft,  only  60  ft.  intervenes  between  the  bottom  of 
the  diabase  and  the  lowest  reef  series  which  is  termed 
by  the  management  the  Main  Reef  and  by  Mr.  Bleloch 
the  Nigel.  In  each  instance  a  reef  was  passed  through 
at  approximately  2,100  ft.  In  the  bore-hole  this  par- 
ticular reef  assayed  18 dwt.  to  the  ton,  but  records  as 
to  the  value  of  this  reef  where  intersected  in  the  shaft 
are  not  available.  This  bed  of  conglomerate  is  as- 
signed by  the  management  to  the  Kimberley  series 
By  Mr.  Bleloch  it  is  termed  the  Van  Ryn. 

Immediately  south  of  Daggafontein  lies  the  triangu- 
lar shaped  farm  Vogelstruisbult  of  the  Rand  Mines  and 
Consolidated  Gold  Fields,  into  which  Vlakfontein  of 
the  Lydenburg  Gold  Farms  intrudes.  To  the  west  of 
the  Vogelstruisbult  is  Vlakfontein  of  the  Lace  Proprie- 
tary Mines,  and  immediately  south  is  Grootfontein  of 
the  Consolidated  Gold  Fields  and  the  farm  Varkens- 
fontein,  on  the  northern  portion  of  which  the  Southern 


JULY,     1919 


57 


Van  Ryn  Reef  G.M.  Co.' s  property,  while  the  southern 
portion  is  held  by  the  Sub-Nigel  and  Nigel  G.M.  Cos. 

The  farm  Marais  Drift  No.  4  lies  immediately  to  the 
south  of  Noycedale  (Ryan  Nigel  G.M.  Co.)  and  east  of 
Spaarvvater  154  (Lace  Proprietary  Mines-Barnato 
Bros  )  and  of  Klipportje  288,  on  which  the  New  HE. 
Proprietary  have  interests.  Thegreaterpart  of  Marais 
Drift  is  held  by  the  Amalgamated  Properties  of  Rho- 
desia, Ltd.,  now  the  Rhodesian  Exploration  Company, 
and  African  Farms,  Ltd. ,  while  the  south-eastern  corner 
is  under  the  control  of  the  Consolidated  Gold  Fields 
of  South  Africa.  A  good  many  years  ago  a  fair  amoun  t 
of  work  was  done  on  this  property  on  its  eastern  side. 
Two  incline  shafts  put  down  in  this  portion  of  the 
property  exhibit  a  reef  lying  on  a  shale  foot-wall  and 
there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  banket  bed  disclosed  in 
this  shaft  is  correlative  to  the  reef  worked  in  the  Nigel 
and  Sub-Nigel  mines. 

About  the  middle  of  Marais  Drift  the  reef  appears  to 
have  taken  a  gradual  bend  to  the  east,  judging  from  the 
old  workings  on  the  Gold  Fields  section  of  the  prop- 
erty. It  is,  however,  contended  by  one  or  two  geo- 
logists that  the  true  line  of  the  Nigel  lies  to  the  west  of 
the  old  Gold  Fields  workings  and  that  the  reef  dis- 
closed on  the  southern  portion  of  Marais  Drift  is  not 
the  Nigel  at  all.     This  reef  would  then  appear  to  cross 


Tin  and  Tungsten  Research. — The  report  of  the 
Tin  and  Tungsten  Research  Board  for  the  year  ended 
March  31  gives  details  of  the  progress  of  the  investiga- 
tion. We  have  already  quoted  Professor  Truscott's 
results  in  connection  with  slime  concentration,  in  our 
issues  of  December,  1917,  and  March,  1919.  We  re- 
produce herewith  other  parts  of  the  report. 

The  examination  of  the  physical  condition  of  cassit- 
erite  in  Cornish  lodes  has  been  continued  by  E.  H. 
Davison,  of  the  Mining  School,  Camborne,  throughout 
the  year.  He  has  examined  a  large  number  of  sections 
of  lode  material  with  the  aid  of  the  microscope,  and 
finds  that  most  of  these  contain  fine  cassiterite  particles 
so  minute  in  size  as  to  be  difficult  to  save  in  dressing 
operations.  Certain  clearly  marked  types  of  veinstone 
were  recognized,  readily  distinguishable  from  one  an- 
other. His  investigation  is  not  yet  complete,  but  his 
report  will  probably  be  ready  for  publication  in  a  few 
months.  H.  W.  Hutchin,  assisted  by  L.  J.  Meade, 
has  begun  a  parallel  examination  with  the  microscope 
of  the  grains  of  cassiterite  in  certain  mill  products. 

The  treatment  of  complex  low  grade  refractory  ma- 
terials, such  as  "  tinny  iron  "  or  "  black  iron,"  by  fusion 
with  nitre  cake  has  been  investigated  by  H.  R.  Berin- 
ger,  Captain  A.  M.  Drummond,  and  F.  H.  Mitchell. 
They  found  in  the  laboratory  that  by  fusion  at  a  red 
heat  and  treatment  of  the  melt  with  water,  the  iron  and 
tungsten  passed  in  great  part  into  solution  and  the 
cassiterite  remained  in  the  residue  in  a  suitable  condi- 
tion for  recovery  on  the  dressing  floors.  An  experi- 
mental reverberatory  furnace  with  a  flat  cast-iron  bed 
was  built  at  the  King  Edward  mine,  and  about  a  ton 
of  refractory  material  from  East  Pool  treated,  with 
promising  results.  A  furnace  of  larger  capacity  but 
different  design  is  now  in  course  of  erection  by  the 
management  of  the  South  Crofty  mine  with  the  ob- 
ject of  utilizing  the  process.  There  seems  reason  to 
expect  that  the  remaining  difficulties  will  be  over- 
come and  that  the  nitre  cake  process  will  be  avail- 
able for  treating  such  complex  refractory  low-grade 
concentrates,  which  at  present  realize  little  or  noth- 
ing, involving  a  loss  of  many  thousand  pounds  a  year 
in  the  country.  The  same  investigators  have  also 
been  engaged  in  endeavours  to  find  a  chemical  method 
of  removing  and  recovering  the  tungsten  from  con- 


the  extreme  south-west  corner  of  Rietpoort  No.  89  and 
continue  through  that  portion  of  Poortje  No.  125,  in 
which  the  Crown  Mines  have  an  interest  through  their 
absorption  of  the  old  Paarl  Central  assets.  Here,  too, 
the  Consolidated  Mines  Selection  (otherwise  Rand  Se- 
lection Company)  isinpossessionofaportionof Poortje. 
On  this  latter  area  prospecting  pits  were  sunk  long  ago 
on  the  line  of  the  reef  discovered  to  the  north,  and  the 
reef  has  been  disclosed  as  a  comparatively  thin  body 
of  conglomerate  lying  again  on  a  shale  foot-wall.  It 
is  found  again  on  Houtpoort,  maintaining  an  approxi- 
mate north  and  south  line  of  strike,  and  a  flat  dip  to 
the  west.  Between  Poortje  and  Houtpoort,  and  al- 
most in  a  line  with  the  township  of  Heidelberg,  it  is 
contended  that  the  line  of  this  ore  body  takes  an  S- 
shaped  curve  and  after  traversing  the  farm  Bothaskraal 
No.  207  is  to  be  found  on  the  extreme  eastern  side  of 
Blinkpoort  253,  recrossing  Bothaskraal  and  the  south- 
ern portion  of  Poortje  125  with  an  approximate  E.  and 
W.  line  of  strike  and  a  dip  to  the  north.  There  are  old 
workings  approximately  on  the  corner  of  this  bend  to 
the  south-east  of  Heidelberg  on  the  main  road  to  the 
Free  State,  but  the  delvings  of  the  workers  of  more 
than  two  decades  ago  seem  to  have  come  to  naught 
from  the  point  of  view  of  material  output. 
(To  be  continued). 


centrates  as  they  leave  the  calciner  and  from  certain 
ores  containing  wolfram,  and  have  had  most  success 
with  a  modification  of  the  Oxland  process.  It  does  not 
appear  at  present,  however,  that  the  method  can  be 
applied  industrially. 

Dr.  O.  J.  Stannard  has  succeeded  in  separating 
tungstic  acid  in  a  remarkably  pure  form  by  a  new  pro- 
cess from  concentrates  and  wolfram  ores.  Further 
work  is  required  before  his  method  is  ready  for  tests 
on  a  larger  scale.  Details  will  be  forthcoming  as  soon 
as  protection  has  been  secured. 

H.  W.  Hutchin,  assisted  by  L.  J.  Meade,  made  ex- 
periments on  the  recovery  of  tungsten  from  concen- 
trates by  digestion  with  solutions  of  caustic  soda,  and 
found  that  dilute  solutions  were  ineffective,  a  point 
confirmed  by  independent  work  by  Mr.  Beringer. 
Strong  solutions,  however,  acting  on  uncalcined  ma- 
terial effected  what  was  apparently  complete  extraction 
of  WO:),  the  extraction  from  calcined  material  being 
incomplete.  Further  prosecution  of  this  inquiry  has 
been  suspended,  as  economic  success  appears  to  be  un- 
likely. 

A  process  devised  by  E.  W.  Janson  and  H.  W.  C. 
Annable  for  the  recovery  of  tin  has  been  carefully  ex- 
amined, the  tests  being  watched  by  J.  H.  Goodchild. 
The  method  is  promising,  and  extracts  the  tin  from 
finely  divided  cassiterite  more  readily  than  from  coarse 
particles  which  can  be  easily  saved  by  ordinary  ore- 
dressing  methods.  It  is  proposed  to  make  further 
efforts  to  develop  the  process,  and  to  examine  certain 
modifications  of  it  which  present  themselves. 

Platinum  in  Rhodesia. — A  short  report  has  been  is- 
sued by  H.  B.  Maufe,  director  of  the  Rhodesian  Geo- 
logical Survey,  on  the  occurrence  of  platinum  metals 
in  the  SomabHla  diamondiferous  gravels.  The  gra\  els 
which  contain  the  diamond  and  numerous  gemstones 
are  found  almost  on  the  main  watershed  of  Southern 
Rhodesia  close  to  Willoughby's  S  ing  and  about  12 
miles  south-west  of  Gwelo.  An  examination  of  the 
pebbles  composing  the  gravels  revealed  the  presence  of 
chromite  and  chromite-bearing  rocks  in  appreciable 
quantity;  and,  therefore,  the  possibility  that  the  rocks 
might  contain  platinum  or  metals  of  the  platinum  group, 
namely,  iridium,  osmium,  palladium,  rhodium,  and 
ruthenium.     The  late  Mr.   Zealley,  in  writing  of  the 


58 


THE    MIX  IXC    MAGAZINE 


occurrence  of  platinum  in  Southern  Rhodesia,  said  : 
"  The  Somabula  gravel  for  instance  is  a  likely  source, 
since  it  is  known  that  much  heavy  material  is  concen- 
trated therein,  and  that  a  considerable  proportion  of 
the  pebbles  are  irom  ultra-basic  rocks  ;  thus  pebbles 
of  chromite  rock  are  abundant,  and  many  of  the  chalce- 
dony pebbles  can  be  recognized  by  the  practised  eye 
as  silicified  serpentines  derived  from  the  Great  Dyke 
and  from  the  ancient  schists.  The  fine  heavy  black 
gold-bearing  sands  concentrated  from  the  Somabula 
gravelsapparently  have  not  beenexamined  forplatinum. 
The  finest  material  should  preferably  be  tested 
sample  of  the  heaviest  fine  concentrate  obtained  in  the 
washing  for  diamonds  was  sent  to  the  Imperial  Insti- 
tute to  be  assayed  for  platinum  metals.  Under  date 
February  17,  1919,  the  director  of  the  Imperial  Insti- 
tute reports  the  following  results  :  platinum  3  6  oz  and 
osmiridium  7oz.,  per  ton  of  concentrate.  He  also  re- 
ported :  "  Palladium  was  probably  present,  but  the 
quantity  was  too  small  to  be  definitely  identified. 
Theconcentratealso  contained  a  large  amount  of  gold." 
Zinc  Oxide  in  Australia.—  Chemical  Engineering 
mui  Mining  Review  (Melbourne)  for  April  describes 
the  manufacture  of  zinc  oxide  at  the  plant  recently 
established  by  the  Broken  Hill  Associated  Smelters 
Proprietary,  Ltd.,  at  Port  l'ine,  South  Australia  The 
French  process  is  employed.  The  basis  of  this  pro- 
cess is  the  low  boiling  point  of  zinc  (about  925 'C),  as 
compared  with  the  boiling  points  of  lead,  iron,  etc., 
which  usually  accompany  commercial  zinc  as  impuri- 
ties. The  zinc,  being  heated  in  an  atmosphere  of  <  <  >. 
distils  off,  leaving  those  impurities  of  higher  boiling 
point  behind  in  the  retorts,  from  which  they  are  re- 
moved at  intervals.  Oxide  of  zinc  made  by  oxidizing 
the  molten  metal  is  a  yellow  granular  product  of  no 
use  in  the  arts,  whereas  the  oxide  made  by  oxidizing 
zinc  vapour  possesses  certain  physical  properties  which 
render  it  of  great  value.  The  weight  of  a  cubic  foot 
of  oxide  as  collected  is  about  201b.  After  packing,  a 
cubic  foot  weighs  about  50  lb  ,  while  the  true  weight 
of  the  oxide  is  .350  lb.  per  cubic  foot.  Owing  to  its 
exceedingly  fine  state  of  division  it  retains  entangled  air 


which  gives  it  its  light  fluffy  character.      Its  extreme 
whiteness  is  another  of  its  valuable  properties. 

The  plant  consists  of  a  distillation  furnace,  a  gas 
producer  to  supply  CO  gas  to  the  retorts,  a  retort-an- 
nealing stove,  a  baghouse  with  fan  to  collect  the  oxide, 
and  are-heating  muffle  furnace.  The  distillation  fur 
nace,  which  is  hand-fired  by  means  of  step  grates,  car 
ries  ten  retorts  similar  to  those  used  in  distilling  zinc 
from  its  ore.  The  front  end  of  the  retort  is  sealed  with 
a  fireclay  tile,  which  is  removed  when  zinc  is  being 
charged  in,  or  when  dross  is  being  scraped  out 
Through  a  hole  in  this  tile  CO  gas  from  the  producer 
is  introduced.  The  producer  is  merely  a  shallow  fire 
brick  shaft  with  firebars  on  which  the  coke  fuel  is 
burned.  The  top  is  closed  and  the  gas  is  led  off  through 
a  pipe  to  the  retorts  At  the  back  end  of  the  retorts 
there  is  an  opening  through  which  the  zinc  vapour  and 
the  CO  gas  escape  into  the  combustion  chamber 
ing  to  its  high  temperature  the  zinc  vapour  oxidizes 
immediately  on  coming  into  contact  with  the  air  in  the 
combustion  chamber,  and  dense  white  clouds  of  zinc 
oxide  rise  up  and  fill  the  chamber.  A  newly  charged 
retort  shows  the  lilac  blue  flame  of  carbon  monoxide 
As  the  temperature  rises  the  flame  turns  gradually  pale 
green  and  then  bright  green  as  the  zinc  vapour  comes 
over  and  burns.  Zinc  oxide  has  the  property  of  phos 
phorescing  with  a  brilliant  gold  yellow  light  when 
heate d  or  thereabouts,  and  this  temperature 

is  substantially  exceeded  in  the  combustion  chamber, 
so  that  when  a  retort  is  in  full  work  the  chamber  is  a 
most  brilliant  spectacle.  Owing  to  the  very  strong 
light  of  the  burning  zinc  it  is  necessary  lor  the  furnace 
attendants  to  wear  cobalt  blue  glasses  lo  protect  their 
The  combustion  chamber  is  connected  by  a  flue 
to  the  baghouse  fan  which  draws  the  oxide  fume  from 
the  chamber  and  forces  it  into  the  collecting  bigs  1  be 
oxide  taken  from  the  bags  contains  an  excess  of  en 
tangled  air  which  renders  it  too  light  and  bulky  to  be 
economicallv  handled.  It  is  therefore  re-heated  in  a 
mullle  furnace,  called  the  re  heating  furnace, 
expels  some  of  the  air  and  so  makes  the  packing  for 
market  a  more  convenient  operation. 


Zinc  Oxidi    Plan  r  at  1  <  ir  i   Pirie, 


JULY,     1919 


59 


SHORT   NOTICES. 

Rock-Drills. — The  Engineering  and  Mining  Jour- 
nal for  May  31  gives  particulars  of  the  latest  pattern 
of  Sullivan  air-feed  stoping  drills. 

Efficiency  in  Drilling  and  Blasting. — The  May 
Journal  of  the  South  African  Institution  of  Engineers 
contains  a  paper  by  J.  H.  P.  Bilbrough  entitled  :  "  The 
Increase  in  the  Average  Length  of  a  Round  in  Modern 
Development/'  Particulars  are  given  of  the  time  oc- 
cupied and  the  methods  employed  in  the  Turf  section 
of  Village  Deep. 

Flotation.  — In  Chemical  and  Metallurgical  Engi- 
neering for  June  1,  F.  G.  Moses  discusses  a  variety  of 
factors  in  flotation  practice,  intended  for  the  practical 
mill-man. 

Flotation  Oils. — Chemical  and  Met allurgicalEngi - 
ncering  for  June  1  publishes  a  paper  by  L.  F.  Hawley 
and  O.  C.  Ralston  giving  an  account  of  experiments  on 
hardwood  tar  oils. 

Flotation  Litigation. — The  Engineering  and  Min- 
ing Journal  for  June  14  gives  the  full  text  of  the 
United  States  Supreme  Court's  decision  in  the  case  be- 
tween Minerals  Separation  and  Butte  &  Superior. 

Mauss  Concentrator. — In  the  Engineering  and 
Mining  Journal  for  May  17,  E.  M.  Weston  gives  an 
illustrated  description  of  the  Mauss  centrifugal  con- 
centrator, which  is  used  for  tin  concentration  and  other 
purposes  in  South  Africa. 

The  Lesser  Concentrator. — The  South  African 
Mining  and  Engineering  Journal  for  May  3  contains 
a  description  of  a  concentrator  invented  by  C.  Kumst 
and  financed  by  the  Lesser  Ore  Reduction  Company. 

Substitutes  for  Platinum. — The  Journal  of  Indus- 
trial and  Engineering  Chemistry  for  June  contains 
a  paper  on  palau  and  rhotanium  as  substitutes  for 
platinum  for  laboratory  ware.  Both  of  these  are  al- 
lovs  of  gold  and  palladium. 

Vanadium. — In  Chemical  and  Metallurgical  En- 
gineering for  May  15,  J.  E.  Conley  describes  a  method 
of  extracting  vanadium  from  vanadinite. 

Blast-Furnaces. — The  Iron  and  Coal  Trades  Re- 
view for  June  6  contains  a  fully  illustrated  description 
of  iron  blast-furnaces  recently  erected  at  Park  Gate 
works,  Rotherham,  and  Staveley  works,  Chesterfield. 

Copper  Leaching. — In  the  Mining  and  Scientific 
Press  for  May  17,  R.  W.  Perry  describes  a  process  for 
leaching  oxidized  copper  ores  with  ferric  chloride,  the 
patent  rights  of  which  are  owned  by  the  Midland  Ores 
&  Patents  Company. 

Copper  Leaching. — In  the  Mining  and  Scientific 
Press  for  June  7,  P.  R.  Middleton  suggests  the  treat- 
ment of  copper  sulphide  flotation  concentrates  by  roast- 
ing to  sulphate  and  extracting  the  copper  sulphate  by 
leaching, 

Zinc-Retort  Residues. — In  Chemical  and  Metal- 
lurgical Engineering  for  May  15,  K.  Stock  describes 
the  practice  of  the  Bartlesville  Zinc  Company  in  the 
treatment  of  zinc-retort  residues  for  the  recovery  of 
lead,  silver,  and  gold. 

Petroleum  in  Ecuador. — In  the  Engineering  and 
Mining  Journal  for  May  31,  W.  M.  Brodie  gives  an 
account  of  the  geology  and  occurrence  of  oil  in  Ecua- 
dor. 

Zinc  in  United  States. —  In  the  Engineering  and 
Mining  Journal  for  May  31,  W  R.  Ingalls  gives  re- 
vised figures  for  the  output  of  zinc  in  the  United  States 
during  1918,  with  details  of  the  capacities  of  the  vari- 
ous smelters. 

Potash  in  Guatemala.  — In  the  Engineering  and 
Mining  Journal  for  June  1-1 ,  Hoyt  S.  Gale  describes 
the  extraction  of  potassium  nitrate  and  chloride  in  vari  - 
ous  parts  of  Guatemala. 


Colorado  Oil-Shales. — In  the  Mining  and  Scien- 
tific Press  for  May  24,  Arthur  J.  Hoskin  writes  on  oil- 
shales  in  Colorado. 

Divide,  Nevada.— In  the  Mining  and  Scientific 
Press  for  May  10,  F.  L.  Sizer  describes  the  geology 
and  ore  deposits  of  the  Divide  district,  adjacent  to 
Tonopah  and  Goldfield,  Nevada. 

Salt  Industry  of  Canada. — The  Canadian  Mining 
Journal  for  May  14  reprints  a  paper  by  L.  Heber  Cole 
on  the  salt  industry  and  the  possibilities  tor  its  future 
development  in  Canada. 

Phosphate  in  Queensland. — In  the  Queensland 
Government  Mining  Journal  for  March,  E.  C.  Saint- 
Smith,  Government  Geologist,  describes  deposits  of 
rock  phosphate  on  Holbourne  Island,  off  the  coast  at 
Bo  wen. 

Ancient  Tin  Mining  in  Africa. — The  April  Journal 
of  the  Chemical,  Metallurgical,  &  Mining  Society  of 
South  Africa  contains  a  contribution  by  E.  R.  Schoch, 
manager  of  the  Rooiberg  tin  mines,  to  the  discussion 
on  Max  Baumann's  paper  on  ancient  tin  mines  of  the 
Transvaal. 

Heidelberg  Goldfields. — The  South  African  Min- 
ing and  Engineering  Journal  for  May  3  contains  a 
description  of  prospecting  work  on  Modderfontein  and 
Malanskraal  farms,  south  of  Heidelberg,  along  the 
western  part  of  the  Balfour  syncline. 

Magnetite. — At  the  June  meeting  of  the  Physical 
Society,  E.  Wilson  and  E.  F.  Herroun  read  a  paper  on 
the  magnetic  properties  of  varieties  of  magnetite. 

Protection  for  Australian  Zinc. — The  Industrial 
Australian  and  Mining  Standard  for  April  3  de- 
scribes the  business,  present  and  prospective,  of  the 
Electrolytic  Zinc  Company  of  Australasia,  with  par- 
ticular reference  to  the  necessity  for  a  protective  tariff 
for  its  various  products. 

Oxidation  of  Ammonia. — The  Journal  of  Indus- 
trial and  Engineering  Chemistry,  the  organ  of  the 
American  Chemical  Society,  for  June,  contains  an  im- 
portant paper  by  Charles  L.  Parsons  on  the  oxidation 
of  ammonia  to  nitric  acid. 

Willet  G.  Miller  — The  Mining  and  Scientific 
Press  for  June  7  contains  an  interview  with  Willet  G. 
Miller,  the  Provincial  Geologist  of  Ontario. 

RECENT    PATENTS  PUBLISHED. 

1,003  of  1917  (126,377).  R.  E.  Alexander, 
Newcastle-on-Tyne.  Improved  method  of  producing 
coherent  metal  such  as  tin  from  the  metal  obtained  by 
heating  scrap  or  refuse  in  a  reducing  atmosphere. 

2.791  of  1917  (126,720).     J.   P.   Roe,  London 
Terminal   stations  for  aerial    ropeways  of  the  single 
cable  type. 

11,379  of  1917  (118,606).  NORTON  Co.,  Wor- 
cester, Massachusetts.  Method  of  producing  crystal- 
line alumina  in  the  electric  furnace. 

14,778of  1917(127.354).  J.  W.  White, Widnes. 
Improved  means  of  supporting  the  carrving  ropes  used 
in  aerial  ropeways 

2,255  and  2,256  of  1918  (1 13,960and  118,591). 
NORTON  COMPANY,  Worcester,  Massacl  tts  Im- 
provements in  aluminous  abrasr 

7,008  and  19.333of  1918  (127,0S0).  J  P.  Roe. 
London.  An  endless  convevor  iploying  wire  rope 
instead  of  chains. 

7,908  of  1918  (115,647).  '  B6HN,  Sorumsan- 
den,  Norway.  A  tunnelling  machine  having  a  num- 
ber of  reciprocating  drills  \es  are  employed 

8,440  of  1918(127,095).  F,  W.  Davis,  Maghera- 
morne,  Antrim.  Method  of  treating  flue  gases  con- 
taining steam,  with  water,  particularly   gases  coming 


60 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


from  cement  kilns  or  from  furnaces  used  in  dehydra- 
ting aluminium  hydroxide. 

9,195  of  1918  (127,119).  HUNTINGTON,  He 
BERLEIN&  Co.,  Ltd.,  H.  J.  BUSH,  and  H.  A  BURNS, 
London  Improvements  in  the  electrostatic  method  of 
precipitating  dust  from  gases,  whereby  the  electric 
discharge  from  the  electrodes  is  prevented  from  becom- 
ing concentrated  on  parts  of  the  electrodes. 

9,888of  1918(127,128).  W.  Anderson.  Helens- 
burgh, Glasgow.  Method  of  recovering  cyanides  and 
sulphur  from  spent  oxide  used  in  the  purification  of 
coal  gas. 

10,464  of  1918  (127,134).  C.  KRAUSE, Luderitz- 
bucht,  S.W.  Africa.  Improvement  in  jigs  used  for 
recovering  diamonds. 

11,531  of  1918  (118,097).  PRATT  ENGINEER- 
ING &  Machine  Co.,  Atlanta,  Georgia.  Improved 
method  of  burning  sulphur  for  the  production  of  sul- 
phuric acid. 

20,080  of   1918  (121,599).     METALS   DlSINTl 
grating  Co.,  New  York.     Method  of  reducing  met 
als  to  fine  powder  by  treating  them  in  a  molten  state 
by  means  of  jets  of  steam 


NEW   BOOKS 


^"Copies  of  the  books,  etc..  mentioned  below  can  be  obtained 
through  the  Technical  Bookshop  of  The  Miming  Muxazitte. 
723.  Salisbury  House.  London  Wall.  EC. 2 

The  Efficient  Purchase  and  Utilization  of  Mine  Sup- 
plies.    By  Hubert  N.    Stronck  and  John   R,    Bill- 
yard.     Cloth,  octavo,  97  pages,  illustrated.     Price 
6s.  net.     New  York  :  John  Wiley  &  Sons  ;   London 
Chapman  &  Hall. 

If  an  analysis  of  the  current  mining  costs  of  the 
world  were  made,  it  would  probably  be  found  that, 
roughly,  of  the  total  average  cost  of  operation,  labour 
accounted  for  60",,,  supplies  for  30.  and  establishment 
for  10.  In  mining,  as  in  manufacturing,  the  chance  of 
success  is  increased  by  the  concern  being  run  on  busi- 
ness lines.  It  is  therefore  important  that  the  depart- 
ment through  which  flow  materials  that  are  account- 
able for  more  than  a  quarter  of  the  running  cost  should 
be  equipped  with  an  efficient  system  for  controlling  the 
buying,  receiving,  storing,  and  issuing  of  supplies.  Of 
this  requirement,  most  mining  engineers  are  aware, 
but,  usually,  being  by  training  technical  men  first  and, 
by  want  of  training,  business  men  second,  they  are 
more  attracted  by  investigations  which  have  for  their 
object  the  improvement  of  methods  employed  in  the 
mine  and  the  mill,  than  by  those  which  aim  at  the 
betterment  of  the  systems  followed  in  the  office  and 
the  store.  Store-keeping  is  closely  allied  to  banking. 
It  differs  from  it  mainly  in  that  materials  instead  of 
cash  pass  over  the  counter.  To  both  commodities  are 
equallyapplicablethebusinessprinciplesthat  safeguard 
against  misuse.  The  manager  is  not  niggardly  who  de 
votes  close  attention  to  devices  for  eliminating  care- 
lessness and  waste  ;  and  he  is  not  good  to  his  men  if 
he  allows  them  to  continue  in  extravagant  ways 

This  small  book  by  two  American  engineers  will  serve 
to  demonstrate  the  practical  importance  attaching  to 
the  design  of  an  efficient  system  of  stores  purchase  and 
use.  It  lavs  stress  on  schemes  for  large  mines,  with 
simplified  methods  for  smaller  ones  ;  and,  in  recogni- 
tion of  the  desirability  of  introducing  modifications  to 
meet  particular  cases,  is  suggestive  rather  than  admoni- 
tory. It  considers  the  subject  in  its  broader  issues  un- 
der six  main  heads  :  Purchasing  department ;  receiving 
and  testing  ;  stores  system  ;  issuing  systems  ;  reports 
of  consumption  of  stores  ;  and  methods  of  preventing 
waste.     It  develops  it  in  detail  under  sub-heads  :  Cata- 


logue files,  special  quotations,  correspondence  and 
general  price  list,  economic  amount  to  be  purchased, 
book  of  standards,  purchase  orders,  location  of  store- 
rooms, arrangement  of  store-rooms,  stock  piles,  powder 
magazines,  interior  arrangement  of  warehouse,  bins, 
racks,  mnemonic  classification  of  materials,  stores  rec- 
ords, checks,  graphic  charts,  records  of  equipment, 
tools,  lubricants,  timber,  pipe-lines,  prevention  of  cor- 
rosion, fuel  consumption,  and  training  and  loyalty  of 
workmen.  Twenty-six  illustrations  of  forms  suitable 
for  various  types  of  stores  records  and  a  plan  of  a 
simple  style  of  warehouse  are  given  ;  and  fourteen  pages 
are  allotted  to  an  example  of  a  store's  mnemonic  class- 
ification. 

The  inclusion  of  a  consideration  of  such  matters  as 
the  protection  of  ground  pipe- lines  from  corrosion,  fuel 
consumption  in  the  boiler  room,  and  methods  of  tim- 
ber preservation,  all  of  which  are  primarily  the  affair 
of  the  foreman  engineer,  interferes  with  the  unity  of 
the  subject  matter 

The  book  is  well  produced,  but  possesses  no  table  of 
contents,  list  of  illustrations,  or  index  ;  and  the  price 
at  which  it  is  issued  seems  high  for  the  amount  of  in- 
formation it  contains. 

alkx.  Richardson. 

Traps   for  Saving  Gas  at  Oil  Wells.      By   W.    R. 

Hamilton.  Technical  Paper  209  published  by  the  Uni- 
ted States  Bureau  of  Mines 

Notes  on  Lignite,  its  Characteristics  and  Utiliza- 
tion. By  S.  M  Darling.  Technical  Paper  178  pub- 
lished by  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Mines 

Fume  and  Other  Losses  in  Condensing  Quicksilver 
from  Furnace  Gases.  By  L.  11  Duschak  and  C.  N. 
Schuette  Technical  Caper  96  published  by  the  United 
States  Bureau  of  Mines 

Cadmium  in  1918.  By  C.  E  Siebenthal.  This 
pamphlet  is  a  chapter  of  "  Mineral  Resources  1918." 
and  is  published  by  the  United  States  Geological  Sur- 
vey. It  gives  particulars  of  the  production  and  sources 
of  cadmium  and  of  some  information  as  to  war  uses. 

COMPANY  REPORTS 

British  Broken  Hill. — This  company  was  formed  in 
1887  to  purchase  Blocks  15  and  16  from  the  Broken 
Hill  Proprietary  at  Broken  Hill,  New  South  Wales 
The  propertv  has  not  been  one  of  the  most  successful 
of  the  silver  lead-zinc  mines  of  the  district.  A  new 
ore-body  was  discovered  in  1912.  The  mine  was  closed 
on  the  outbreak  of  war,  and  operations  were  resum- 
ed in  January,  1917.  We  recently  gave  particulars  of 
the  new  flotation  plant  installed.  The  report  for  the 
half  year  ended  December  31  last  shows  that  3,145 
tons  of  carbonate  ore  was  raised,  averaging  24  9',,  lead 
and  4  7oz.  silver,  and  that  105,697  tons  of  sulphideore 
was  raised,  averaging  12  4°0  lead,  10  8%  zinc,  and 
71  oz.  silver.  The  lead  mill  treated  105,727  tons  of 
sulphide  ore,  producing  16,679  tons  of  lead  concentrate 
averaging  61  5 ".,  lead,  6  9%  zinc,  and  27  oz.  silver 
The  flotation  plant  treated  77,722  tons  of  tailing  aver- 
aging 11  5 "...  zinc,  3  ",,  lead,  and  31  oz.  silver,  for  a 
yield  of  13,550  tons  of  zinc  concentrate  averaging 
zinc,  8  7°0  lead,  and  10'5oz.  silver.  Slime  to  the 
amount  of  11,326  tons,  averaging  5  3",,  lead,  12".,  zinc, 
and  5  1  oz.  silver,  was  stacked  for  future  treatment. 
The  reserve  of  sulphide  ore  was  estimated  on  Decern 
ber  31  at  1,095.015  tons  averaging  1280/o  lead,  11  <■ 
zinc,  and  6  7  oz.  silver.  The  accounts  show  a  balance 
of  profit  of  ^"39,383.  I  >wmg  to  the  zinc  concentrate 
being  unsaleable  and  also  to  the  drop  in  demand  for 
lead  since  the  Government's  contract  to  purchase  ex- 
pired on  March  31,  no  dividend  is  being  paid.     At  the 


JULY,     1919 


61 


time  the  report  was  issued,  the  mine  and  mill  were 
idle  owing  to  a  strike. 

Zinc  Corporation.  —  This  company  operates  the 
South  Blocks  mine  at  Broken  Hill  and  treats  pur- 
chased accumulated  zinc  tailing.  Bewick,  Moreing 
&  Co.  are  the  general  managers.  The  report  for  1918 
shows  that  135,580  tons  of  ore  averaging  15'6%  lead, 
9%  zinc,  and  3  oz.  silver  per  ton  was  sent  to  the  lead 
mill.  The  products  of  concentration  were  28,351  tons 
of  lead  concentrate  averaging  64'4%  lead,  7%  zinc, 
and  10'5  oz.  silver,  together  with  45,133  ions  of  zinc 
middling  averaging  16'4%  zinc,  4'4%  lead,  and  l'9oz. 
silver.  At  the  flotation  plant  257,300  tons  of  zinc  tail- 
ing and  slime  was  treated,  averaging  14  3%  zinc,  5T% 
lead,  and  6'2oz.  silver.  The  yield  of  zinc  concentrate 
was  61,470  tons  averaging  47'5%  zinc,  7'6%  lead,  and 
10'8oz.  silver;  of  lead  concentrate  5,230  tons  averag- 
ing 57'6%  lead,  14'8%  zinc,  and  28'9oz.  silver;  and 
of  zinc  slime  9,080  tons  averaging  36'6%  zinc,  15% 
lead,  and23'3oz.  silver.  The  last-named  was  stacked 
for  future  treatment.  The  sale  of  concentrates  brought 
an  income  of  £742,693,  and  the  profit  was  £226,470, 
out  of  which  £39,000  was  placed  to  mine  development 
account,  and  £10,000  to  new  plant  account.  The  divi- 
dends absorbed  £183,963,  being  at  the  rate  of  32£% 
on  the  £245,692  preference  shares  and  30%  on  the 
£329,308  ordinary  shares.  The  mine  continued  to  de- 
velop well  during  the  year.  On  December  31  the  re- 
serve was  estimated  at  2,076,000  tons  averaging  14'6% 
lead,  9'4%  zinc,  and  2  6oz.  silver,  being  an  increase 
of  189,000  tons  during  the  year.  There  remains  on 
the  old  dumps  763,978  tons  of  zinc  tailing  awaiting 
treatment. 

Amalgamated  Zinc  (De  Bavay's). — This  company 
was  formed  in  1909  to  treat  zinc  tailing  from  the  Nonh 
and  South  mines  at  Broken  Hill  by  the  Ue  Bavay  flo- 
tation process  The  contract  with  the  North  mine  ex- 
pired on  April  30,  and  that  with  the  South  mine  will 
expire  at  the  end  of  this  year.  A  contract  was  recently 
made  with  the  Junction  mine,  but,  as  the  deliveries 
were  not  satisfactory,  notice  has  been  given  of  suspen- 
sion of  the  contract.  The  plant  hitherto  used  on  North 
tailing  is  to  be  employed  for  the  treatment  of  dump 
material  purchased  some  time  ago.  The  company  owns 
a  large  interest  in  the  Electrolytic  Zinc  Co.  of  Austra- 
lasia. The  report  for  the  half  year  ended  December 
31  last  shows  that  112,775  tons  of  tailing  was  treated, 
for  a  yield  of  30,038  tons  of  zinc  concentrate  averaging 
47'4%  zinc,  7%  lead,  and  9'3  oz.  silver,  together  with 
1,807  tons  of  lead  concentrate  averaging  54'2%  lead, 
11'9%  zinc,  and  61'3oz.  silver.  The  accounts  show 
a  profit  of  £32,913,  of  which  £8,604  was  applied  to  re- 
serve for  depreciation,  and  £25,000  was  distributed  as 
dividend,  being  Is.  per  £l  share. 

Mount  Boppy  Gold.  — This  company  was  formed  by 
John  Taylor  &  Sons  in  1899  to  acquire  a  gold  mine  in 
Cobar  district,  New  South  Wales.  Mining  operations 
were  uniformly  successful  from  1902  to  1911.  After 
thelatter  year  several  factors  militated  against  success. 
Finally  it  was  decided  to  sink  a  new  shaft  400  ft.  deep 
in  the  country  rock  so  as  to  work  the  ore  round  the 
main  shaft.  The  report  for  1918  shows  that  the  shaft 
was  completed  by  the  beginning  of  that  year  and  that 
milling  was  resumed  in  February.  Owing  to  entire 
absence  of  rain,  the  water  supply  was  exhausted  in 
November,  and  work  had  to  be  suspended.  During 
the  ten  months,  61,176  tons  of  ore  was  milled,  for  a 
yield  of  8,554  oz.  of  gold  bullion.  In  addition,  13,152 
oz.  was  extracted  by  cyanide,  and  859  oz  from  concen- 
trate and  slag,  bringing  the  total  yield  to  22, f>65oz., 
containing  15,577  oz.  of  fine  gold  worth  £65,551.  The 
working  cost  was  £71,508.     Rain  fell  in  March,  and 


operations  were  resumed  for  a  short  time.  Develop- 
ments, though  restricted,  have  been  fairly  promising, 
and  the  reserve  on  December  31  was  estimated  at 
188,158  tons.  There  is  also  a  large  amount  of  oxidized 
ore  that  can  be  worked  cheaply  by  open  cut.  It  is  in- 
tended to  reconstruct  the  company  in  order  to  provide 
further  funds  for  development. 

Great  Boulder  Proprietary.— The  twenty-fifth  an- 
nual report  of  the  premier  gold  -  mining  company 
operating  at  Kalgoorlie,  West  Australia,  covering  the 
year  1918,  shows  that  152,196  long  tons  of  ore  was 
treated,  yielding  £154,316  by  amalgamation  and 
£323,982  by  cyaniding.  In  addition,  19,801  tons  of 
old  tailing  yielded  £5,917,  making  the  total  output  of 
gold  £484,210.  The  net  profit  was  £220,931,  out  of 
which  £19,577  was  allowed  for  Australian  taxation, 
and  £196,875  was  distributed  as  dividend,  being  at  the 
rate  of  2s.  3d.  per  2s.  share.  The  total  cost  per  long 
ton  was  32s.  6d.,  as  compared  with  28s.  8d.  in  1917. 
Little  development  has  been  done  during  the  year,  and 
the  expectation  of  any  considerable  additional  ore  be- 
ing found  is  not  great.  The  reserve  at  December  31 
was  estimated  at  345,719  tons  averaging  14  49  dwt. 
per  ton,  as  compared  with  387,571  tons  of  similar 
tenor  the  year  before.  Since  the  beginning  of  opera- 
tions thetotal  gold  outputhasbeen  £11,649,970.  From 
1900  to  1918,  the  average  output  was  about  £550,000. 

Oroya  Links. — This  company  was  formed  in  1 896  as 
the  Golden  Link,  and  has  been  twice  reconstructed. 
The  name  was  changed  in  1909  when  property  and 
plant  were  bought  from  the  Oroya  Brownhill.  Small 
dividends  were  paid  from  1910  to  1914.  Owing  to  war 
conditions,  operations  were  suspended  in  1916,  and 
portions  of  the  mine  were  let  on  tribute.  Bewick, 
Moreing  &  Co.  are  the  general  managers.  The  report 
for  1918  shows  that  16,181  tons  of  ore  was  raised  by 
the  tributers,  of  which  12,403  tons  was  treated  at  the 
company's  mill,  and  3,778  tons  at  other  mills.  The 
12,403  tons,  together  with  6,498  tons  purchased,  yield- 
ed gold  worth  £100,582.  The  royalty  accruing  to  the 
company  was  ;£  18,358,  and  the  company's  net  profit 
was  £5,439,  of  which  £3,000  was  written  oft  develop- 
ment and  shaft-sinking  account. 

Waihi  Grand  Junction. — This  company  was  formed 
in  1897  to  work  extensions  of  the  lodes  of  the  Waihi 
company,  in  the  northern  island  of  New  Zealand.  The 
report  for  1918  shows  that  80,210  tons  of  ore  was  treat- 
ed ,  yielding  gold  and  silver  worth  £  141 ,  755,  equal  to  35s. 
2d.  per  ton.  Owing  to  shortage  of  labour  and  to  the 
influenza  epidemic,  the  tonnage  was  much  below  nor- 
mal, comparing  with  116,130  tons  the  year  before 
The  grade  of  the  ore  also  shows  a  decrease,  the  yield 
per  ton  comparing  with  39s.  9d.  in  1917.  During  the 
first  four  months  of  the  current  year,  the  yield  has 
further  decreased  to  30s.  per  ton.  The  working  cost 
for  the  year  under  review  was  £140,034,  leaving  a 
profit  of  £5,616.  The  company  has  had,  however,  to 
provide  £15,000  for  income  tax  in  London  and  New 
Zealand,  so  that  the  balance  for  the  year  is  on  the 
wrong  side.  Owing  to  labour  shortage,  it  has  not  been 
possible  to  maintain  development,  and  only  3.145  ft 
wasdone,  as  compared  with  4,692  ft  in  1917.  There- 
serve  is  estimated  at  106,400  ton  i  decrease  of 
25,200  during  the  year. 

Lahat  Mines. — Thiscompanv  I  elongs.to  the  Tronoh 
group,  and  was  formed  in  190''  to  acquire  a  tin-gravel 
property  at  Lahat,  in  the  Kinta  valley,  Perak,  Federa- 
ted Malay  States.  Four  years  ago  Osborne  &  Chap 
pel  were  appointed  managers  The  report  for  191s 
shows  that  397  tons  of  tin  concentrate  was  produced, 
as  compared  with  452  tons  the  year  before  The  fall 
is  due  to  shortage  of  labour,  the  smaller  working  area 


62 


THE     MINING     MAGAZINE 


with  depth,  and  the  fall  of  ground  on  the  west  side  of 
the  mine.  Tin  sales  brought  an  income  of  £74,090, 
and  the  net  profit  was  ^29,848.  out  of  which  £27,000 
was  distributed  as  dividend,  being  at  the  rate  of  22$%. 
Additional  ground  has  recently  been  acquired,  chiefly 
to  serve  as  a  dump  for  tailing,  but  about  100  acres  of 
it  is  workable  for  tin. 

Idris  Hydraulic  Tin. — This  company  belongs  to  the 
Tronoh  group,  and  was  formed  in  1913  to  work  allu 
vial  tin  properties  in  I'erak,  Federated  Malay  States. 
The  report  for  1918  shows  that  102  tons  of  tin  concen- 
trate was  produced  from  the  Batu  Karang  section,  and 
22  tons  from  the  Kianji  section.  As  the  workings  in 
theformer  section  became  too  deep,  and  the  seepage  be- 
gan to  be  dangerous,  the  working  was  abandoned. 
Meanwhile  a  new  paddock  was  opened,  and  the  gravel 
pumps  transferred.  The  Kranji  section  was  transfer- 
red in  the  middle  of  the  year  to  the  owners  of  adjoin- 
ing properties,  who  are  now  working  the  deposit  on  a 
profit-sharing  basis.  The  Snudong  property  has  been 
let  on  tribute.  The  company's  total  output  of  tin  con- 
centrate was  124  tons  as  compared  with  213  tons  in 
1917.  The  income  from  sales  was  £21,513,  and  the 
expenditure  £20,951 .  After  allowance  for  taxes  and 
depreciation,  a  net  loss  of  £3,073  was  incurred.  W 
K.  II .  Chappel,  one  of  the  managers,  is  on  bis  way  to 
the  mines  to  investigate  conditions  and  prospei 

Sungei  Besi. — This  company  belongs  to  the  Tronoh 
group,  and  was  formed  in    1909  to  work   alluvial   tin 
ground  in  the  State  of  Selangor.    Federated    Malay 
States.     The  report  for  L918  shows  that  the  out: 
tin  concentrate  was  402  tons  as  compared  with  40 

ar  before.    The  receipts  from  sales  wen 
and  the  net  profit  was  £30,304,  out  of  which  / '11.140 
has  been  distributed  as  dr.  ng  at  the  rate  of 

As  the  company  is  liable  for 
I  'uty  this  year,  the  balance  is  carried  forward  1  tar- 
ing the  year,  the  electrical  power  station  has  been 
moved,  and  the  ground  on  which  it  stood  is  thus  made 
available  for  treatment,  Negotiations  are  in  hand  for 
additional  property  adjoining  on  the  north. 

Tronoh  South. — Thiscompany  belongs  to  the  Tronoh 
group,  and  was  formed  in  1911  to  work  alluvial  tin 
property  in  Perak,  Federated  Malay  States.  There- 
port  fo  iws  that  operati  .-pended  in 
August  owing  to  poor  results,  and  tributers  who  took 
the  workings  soon  abandoned  them.  The  company's 
output  was  106  tons  of  tin  concentrate,  and  the  tribu- 
ters extracted  12  tons.  The  profit  for  the 
£6.011,  and  £2,500  was  distributed  as  dividend.  I 
at  the  rate  of  2.V',, .  The  directors  are  looking  for  other 
properties.  The  company  owns  ground  that  can  be 
treated  by  bucket-dredge,  and  is  estimated  to  contain 
1.785  tons  of  black  tin.  It  has  not  yet  been  decided 
how  to  deal  with  this  area. 

Mongu  (Nigeria)  Tin  Mines. — This  compan] 
formed  in  1914  to  acquire  from  the  Anglo-Continental 
Mines  Co.  alluvial  tin  property  in  the  Ropp  district, 
Nigeria.  W.  F.  Turner  is  the  chairman,  and  ! 
Kumbold  &  Co  are  the  consulting  engineers.  The  re- 
port for  1918  shows  that  the  output  of  tin  concentrate 
was  476  tons,  of  which  299  tons  was  obtained  by  sluic- 
ing and  177  tons  by  dredging.  The  output  was  95  tons 
lower  than  in  1917,  owing  partly  to  scarcity  of  labour, 
and  partly  to  low-grade  areas  being  worked  during  the 
period  of  high  prices  of  tin  The  accounts  sh 
profit  of  ;£59,788,  out  of  which  /2S.78S  has  been  dis- 
tributed, being  at  the  rate  of  25%,  less  income  tax. 
■  £30,000  is  reserved  for  Excess  Profits  Duty. 
I  luring  the  year,  nine  new  mining  rights  were  acquired, 
covering  a  length  of  over  eight  miles  on  tributaries  of 
the  Mongu  river. 


Naraguta  Extended. — Thiscompany  was  formed  in 
191 1  to  acquire,  from  the  Anglo-Continental  MinesCo., 
alluvial  tin  property  on  the  Delemi  River,  Nigeria. 
S.  R.  Bastard  is  chairman,  C.  G.  Lush  &  Son  are  con- 
sulting engineers  in  London,  and  R.  W.  Mannam  is 
consulting  engineer  in  Nigeria.  The  report  for  1918 
shows  that  the  output  of  tin  concentrate  was  280  tons, 
as  compared  with  334  tons  in  1917.  Of  the  output, 
154$  tons  was  won  by  the  company  and  125J  tons  by 
tributers.  The  amount  won  by  tributers  tends  to  de- 
crease gradually.  The  reason  why  the  company's  out- 
put was  less  than  in  1917  was  partly  the  influenza  epi- 
demic, and  partly  the  necessity  for  working  low-grade 
areas  left  behind  when  selective  mining  was  the  policy. 
With  new  plant  now  in  course  of  erection,  it  will  be 
possible  in  future  to  work  all  the  ground  as  it  comes. 
The  profit  for  the  year  was  .'  16,074,  out  of  which 
05  has  been  distributed  as  dividends,  being  at  the 
rate  of  12$%,  less  income  tax 

Ex-Lands  Nigeria. — This  company   was  formed  by 
ploring   I. an  1  &    Minerals  Co  .   in    1912,  to  ac- 
quire alluvial  tin  property  in  the  South  Bukeru  district, 
Nigeria.      In  1914  additional  property  was  pun 
from   the    Budurua   company.     The  report    for 
shows  that  the  output  of  tin  concentrate  was  3) 
Owing  to  scarcity  of  labour  and  the  influenza  epidemic 
the  output   was  lower  than   that  of  the  previous  two 
The  net  profit  for  the  year  «  I.  out 

of  which  /  I  been  distributed  as  dividend,  be- 

ing at  the  rate  of  12$%,  free  of  income  tax.     A  large 
ed  for  excess  profits  I 

Bisichi  Tin. — This  company  was  formed  in  1 
tin   ground   in   Nigeria       Jame- 
diner  is  chairman  and  A    V.  II. 

diaulicking  commenced  in  April,  1912,     Ti  ■ 
1918  shows  that  owing  to  s  ibour  during  the 

latter  part  of  the  year,  due  to  the  influenza  epidemic, 
the  plant  was  not  operated  to  its  full  capacity  The 
output  nsof  tin  concentrate,  and  the  net  profit 

rbe dividends  absorbed  >  25,000.  being 
• 

Lower  Bisichi  (Nigeria)  Tin  Mines. — This  company 

belongs  to  the  Tin  Anas  group,    and  was   formed   in 

to  acquire  alluvial  tin  property  in  Nigeria      The 

report   for  the  year  ei  t ember  3<>  last   shows 

us  ol  tin  concentrate  was  extracted,  ascom- 

pared  with  64  tons  the  year  before.     The  net   profit 

5,014,  out  of  which  £2,552  has  : 
dend,   being  at  the  rate  of    12$%,  while   /l,n00  has 
been  placed  to  reserve  and   £500  written  off  develop- 
ment account. 

Oroville  Dredging.      This  company  was  formed  by 
1     W    Baker  in  juire  the  share  capital  of 

an  American  company  of  similar  name  operating  gold 
dredges  on  Feather  River,  near  Sacramento,  Califor- 
nia.    Subsequently  subsidiaries  called   the    Pato  and 
Nechi  were  formed  to  undertake  similar  work  in  Col- 
ombia.     The  report  of  the  American  <  >rov  ille  company 
for  the  year  ended  September  30,  1918.  shows  that  the 
California  property  is  neanng  exhaustion  and  that  only 
one  dredge  was  at   work.      The   yardage   treated   was 
2.433,161  cu.  yd.,  and  the  yield 'of  gold   $95,472,  or 
3  92  cents  per  yard.     The  net  loss  for  the  year  was 
;>-nds  from  previous  balances  absorbed 
'IS,  of  which  £71.993  was  received  by  the  English 
Oroville  company,  which  distributed  £68,653,   being 
at  the  rate  of   10%. — Pato  Mines  (Coiombia).     The 
report  for  the  year  ended  September  30  shows   that 
1,345,215  cu,  yd    was  treated  for  a  yield  of  gold  worth 
as  compared  with    1,181.945  cu.   vd     and 
522  the  year  before.     The  yield  per  yard 
cents,  as  compared  with  55  cents       The  yield  in  Lng- 


JULY,     1919 


63 


lish  money  was  £54,745  and  the  net  profit  was  £12,832. 
The  outstanding  income  notes  representing  capital  ad- 
vanced by  Oroville  Dredging  have. been  paid  off. — 
Nechi  Mines  (Colombia).  The  report  for  the  year 
ended  September  30  shows  that  the  dredge  treated 
1,076,558  cu.  yd.  for  a  yield  of  $253, 787,  or  2357  cents 
per  yard,  and  also  treated  1,066,371  cu.  yd.  of  Pato 
ground  for  a  yield  of  ft  183,711,  or  172  cents  per  yard. 
The  net  profit  was  £25,841.  The  preference  and  ordi- 
nary shares  received  dividends  of  25%,  absorbing 
£35,000,  being  £17,500  to  each  class  of  share. 

Esperanza. — This  company  was  formed  in  1903  by 
F.  W.  Baker  and  others,  to  acquire  the  bulk  of  the 
shares  of  an  American  company  of  similar  name  oper- 
ating a  gold  mine  at  El  Oro,  Mexico.  The  mine  is 
now  nearing  exhaustion.  The  report  for  1918  shows 
181,832  dry  metric  tons  of  ore  and  old  fillings  was 
treated  for  a  yield  worth  £336,000.  Theworking  profit 
of  the  American  company  was  £40,555,  but,  as  £48,761 
was  placed' to  reserve  for  depletion  of  ore  and  depre- 
ciation in  order  to  avoid  American  income  tax  and  ex- 
cess profits  duty,  a  loss  for  the  year  of  £8,206  was  in- 
curred. The  American  company  paid  dividends  of 
ftl35,000  out  of  the  balance  brought  forward  from  1917, 
and  the  English  company  has  paid  £16,209,  being  at 
the  rate  of  Is.  per  share,  less  income  tax.  The  reserve 
of  ore  blocked  out  was  estimated  on  January  1  at 
35,131  tons,  and  the  old  fillings  at  between  50,000  and 
100,000  tons.  Itisexpected  that,  in  addition,  fairly  large 
amounts  of  ore  will  be  disclosed  in  extracting  the  fil- 
lings. As  already  announced,  the  company  has  re- 
cently taken  an  option  on  property  situated  on  the  west 
coast  of  Mexico. 

St.  John  del  Rey. — This  company  was  formed  in 
1828  to  work  the  Morro  Velho  gold  mine  in  Minas 
Geraes,  Brazil.  For  over  thirty  years  it  has  been  in 
the  charge  of  George  Chalmers.  The  report  for  the 
year  ended  February  28  last  shows  that  165,000  long 
tons  of  ore  was  milled,  for  an  extraction  in  gold  worth 
£423,029,  and  silver  worth  £6,040.  The  yield  per  ton 
was  52s.  Of  the  gold,  37s.  7d.  came  from  concentrates 
and  13s.  5d.  by  cyaniding  tailing.  The  working  cost 
was  £290,876,  and  State  and ,  other  charges  were 
£•13,855,  leaving  a  working  profit  of  £124,338.  Out 
of  this,  £35,000  was  placed  to  capital  expenditure  ac- 
count. Dividends  of  10%  were  paid  on  £100,000  pref- 
erence shares  and  £546,265  ordinary  shares.  Owing 
to  severe  floods  and  the  influenza  epidemic,  the  ore 
milled  was  15,300  less  than  the  year  before,  and  the 
profit  £29,341  less,  but  the  amount  distributed  was 
the  same.  Owing  to  war  conditions,  it  has  been  im- 
possible to  proceed  with  the  scheme  for  cooling  and 
ventilating  at  depth.  The  deepest  working  is  now 
Horizon  21,  at  6,126  ft.  vertically  below  outcrop.  The 
ore-body  here  is  as  satisfactory  both  as  to  extent  and 
assay-value  as  in  the  levels  above.  The  reserve  is  esti- 
mated at  1,209,104  tons,  sufficient  to  last  6|  years  at 
the  normal  capacitv,  192,000  tons  per  year. 

Ouro  Preto  Gold  Mines  of  Brazil. — This  company 
was  formed  in  1884  by  John  Taylor  &  Sons  to  work 
the  Passagem  gold  mines  in  the  State  of  Minas  Geraes, 
Brazil,  in  the  same  district  as  the  mines  of  the  St. 
John  del  Key  company.  Several  reconstructions  have 
been  necessary,  and  the  dividends  have  been  few.  The 
ore  is  not  so  persistent  or  of  so  high  a  grade  as  that  at 
St.  John  del  Rey.  The  report  for  1918  shows  that 
63,400  tons  of  ore  was  raised  and  treated,  yielding 
21,245  oz.  of  gold,  realizing  £90,234,  or  28s.  6d.  per 
ton.  The  profit  for  the  year  was  £l,222.  Duringthe 
previous  year,  82,500  tons  was  treated.  The  decrease 
was  due  to  shortage  of  labour  and  to  the  influenza  epi- 
demic.    Developments  have  given  good  results  in  the 


920  and  1,040  metre  levels  south-west  of  Secondary 
No.  2  shaft.  The  reserve  is  estimated  at  81,874  tons, 
an  increase  of  20,644  tons  during  the  year.  Furnaces 
for  recovering  arsenic  have  recently  been  despatched, 
and  for  the  purpose  of  providing  the  cost,  £10,000  de- 
bentures were  issued  in  April. 

RezendeMines. — This  company  was  formed  in  1892, 
as  the  United  Goldfields  of  Manica,  to  work  gold 
mines  in  the  Umtali  district  of  Rhodesia.  There  have 
been  three  reconstructions,  and  in  1912  the  mine  and 
plant  of  the  Penhalonga company  were  acquired.  The 
Penhalonga  mine  was,  however,  exhausted  two  years 
later.  Two  years  ago  the  control  passed  to  Sir  Abe 
Bailey,  and  the  head  office  was  moved  from  London 
to  Rhodesia.  At  about  that  time,  ore  of  much  higher 
grade  was  discovered.  The  report  for  1918  shows  that 
23,293  tons  was  raised  from  the  Central  section  and 
31,177  tons  from  the  Eastern  section.  At  the  mill, 
54,000  tons  of  ore  was  treated,  averaging  13'76dwt. 
per  ton.  The  total  yield  of  gold  by  amalgamation, 
cyaniding,  and  from  concentrate  was  35,516 oz.  Of 
the  gold  produced,  £129,279  was  credited  to  revenue 
account,  and  the  remainder  placed  to  bullion  reserve. 
The  working  profit  was  £48,557,  and  the  net  profit 
£41,561,  out  of  which  £23,687  has  been  distributed  as 
dividend,  being  at  the  rate  of  20% .  The  ore  reserves 
have  continued  to  increase,  and  now  stand  at  175,374 
tons  averaging  12'66  dwt,  as  compared  with  135,941 
tons  averaging  ll"77dwt.  a  year  ago.  Of  the  total, 
60,748  tons  averaging  7  05  dwt.  is  in  the  Central  sec- 
tion, and  114,626  tons  averaging  1563  dwt.  is  in  the 
Eastern  section.  These  are  the  figures  given  by  the 
consulting  engineer  and  the  manager  ;  the  directors, 
in  their  report,  give  the  figures  at  447,690  tons.  De- 
velopment is  being  continued  actively  in  promising 
ground. 

Village  Main  Reef. — This  company  was  formed  in 
London  in  1890  by  the  Consolidated  Gold  Fields  to 
acquire  from  a  South  African  company  a  mine  in  the 
central  Rand  below  the  Salisbury,  Jubilee,  and  the 
western  part  of  the  City  &  Suburban.  The  remains 
of  the  Wemmer  outcrop  property  were  acquired  later. 
During  recent  years  the  technical  control  has  been  with 
Rand  Mines,  Limited.  The  report  for  1918 shows  that 
279,264  tons  of  ore  was  raised,  and  after  the  rejection 
of  waste,  265,585  tons  averaging  7  22  dwt.  per  ton  was 
sent  to  the  mill.  The  yield  by  amalgamation  was 
67,333  oz.,  and  by  cyanide  25.929  oz.,  making  a  total 
of  93,252  oz  ,  worth  £388,504,  or  29s.  2d.  per  ton 
milled.  The  working  cost  was  £299,073,  or  22 
per  ton,  leaving  a  working  profit  of  £89/431,  or 
per  ton.  The  shareholders  received  £47,200,  being  at 
the  rate  of  22£%,  which  will  be  distributed  in  the  form 
of  shares  in  Village  Deep.  The  ore  reserve  is  estima- 
ted at  378,510  tons  averaging  7 dwt.,  a  reduction  of 
149.640  tons  during  the  year.  The  development  is 
now  nearly  complete,  and  future  operations  will  depend 
more  and  more  on  reclamation.  Severe  falls  of  ground 
have  made  it  almost  impossible  to  stope  the  richer  ore 
in  the  deeper  levels. 

Ferreira  Deep.— This  companv  belongs  to  the  Rand 
Mines  group,  and  was  formed  in  quire  prop- 

erty on  the  dip  of  the   Ferreira  in    the  central    Rand. 
Production  commenced  after  the  loer  war,  and  excel- 
lent dividends  have  been  pa  1904.     The  mine 
has  suffered  much  from  crushing  and  coll.' 
hinging  wall.     To  obviate  these  dangers  the 
of  reef-packing  was  introduced       The  report  for  1918 
shows  that  556,330  tons  of  ore   was  raised,  ami  alter 
the  rejection  of  waste,  50^  150  tons,   averaging 
dwt.,  was  sent  to  the  mill.      The  yield  by  amal 
tion  was  143,585  oz.,  and  by  cyanide    19,649oz.,  tnak- 


64 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


ing  a  total  of  193,234  oz.,  worth  £806,694,  or  31s.  9d. 
per  ton  milled.  The  working  cost  was  £594,978,  or 
33s.  5d.  per  ton,  leaving  a  working  profit  of  £211,715, 
or  8s.  4d.  per  ton.  The  dividends  absorbed  £220,500, 
or  22$%.  Development  of  the  best  ground  is  nearly 
complete,  and  only  143,700  tons  averaging  66 dwt  , 
was  added  to  the  reserve  during  the  year.  The  re- 
serve now  stands  at  932,400  tons  averaging  8  dwt.,  of 
which  375,800  tons  is  not  immediately  available,  being 
in  pillars  and  isolated  blocks  There  is  also  307,660 
tons  in  the  reef-packs.  An  area  in  the  eastern  part  of 
the  mine,  believed  to  be  of  low  grade,  remains  to  be 
developed. 

Geldenhuis  Deep. — This  company  was  formed  in 
1893  to  acquire  deep  levels  in  the  near  east  Rand,  be- 
low the  Geldenhuis  Estate.  The  control  is  with  Rand 
Mines,  Ltd.  The  report  for  1918  shows  that  the  out- 
put continues  to  decrease.  The  ore  raised  was  65 
tons,  and  after  the  rejection  of  waste,  591,100  tons 
averaging  5  8  dwt.  was  sent  to  the  mill.  The  vield  of 
gold  by  amalgamation  and  cyanidingwas  164,476  oz  , 
worth  £684,688,  or  23s.  2d.  per  ton  milled.  The 
working  cost  was  £683,480,  or  23s.  Id  per  ton.  The 
year  before,  648,000  tons  milled  yielded  £772,255  at  a 
cost  of  £675,551.  The  ore  reserve  is  estimated  at 
1,549,600  tons  averaging  5'9dwt  ,  as  compared  with 
1,811,000  tonsaveragmg  5  8  dwt  a  vear  ago  The  de 
velopment  of  the  eastern  section  of  the  property  is 
nearly  complete  A  fairly  large  area  remains  to  be 
developed  in  the  western  section,  but  the  tonnage  of 
payable  ore  that  can  be  expected  is  not  great,  and  the 
cost  of  development  will  be  considerable. 

Durban-Roodepoort  Deep. —  This  company  was 
formed  in  1895  to  acquire  deep  level  ground  in  the 
Roodepoort  district  of  the  western  Kand  The  con- 
trol is  with  Rand  Mines,  Ltd.  The  profits  ha%'e  never 
been  great,  and  three  years  ago  the  output  began  to 
decrease  slightly.  The  report  for  1918  shows  that 
359,626  tons  was  raised,  and  after  the  rejection  of 
waste,  300,450  tons  averaging  7  52  dwt  per  ton  was 
sent  to  the  mill.  The  yield  by  amalgamation  was 
74,596  oz.,  and  by  cvanide  33,687 oz  ,  making  a  total 
of  108,263  oz  ,  worth  £450,344,  or  30s.  per  ton  milled 
The  working  cost  was  £420,277,  or  2ss  per  ton,  leav- 
ing a  working  profit  of  £.30,067,  or  2s  per  ton.  The 
shareholders  received  £l  1,000,  being  at  the  rate  ot 
The  reserve  is  estimated  at  1,07s, 500  tons  averaging 
6'5dwt.  The  deeper  levels  are  to  be  developed  by  a 
new  vertical  shaft,  the  sinking  of  which  was  commen- 
ced at  the  end  of  February  of  this  year 

Roodepoort  United  Main  Reef. — This  company  be- 
longs to  the  Albu  group,  and  owns  outcrop  and  deep- 
level  properties  in  the  west  Rand.  It  was  formed  in 
1887,  and  there  have  been  several  rearrangements  and 
amalgamations.  Dividends  were  paid  from  1894  to 
1910,  except  during  the  Boer  war.  In  1910,  funds 
were  borrowed  from  the  General  Mining  &  Finance 
Corporation  to  push  developments  and  erect  a  modern 
mill.  These  loans  are  still  outstanding.  The  report 
for  1918  shows  that  291, 878  tons  was  raised,  and  286,3 13 
tons  averaging  5  14  dwt.  per  ton  was  sent  to  the  mill. 
The  yield  by  amalgamation  and  cyanide  was  i 
oz,  worth  £290, 792,  and  the  working  cost  was  £324, 968. 
The  ore  reserve  is  estimated  at  223,041  tons  averaging 

02  dwt.  Owing  to  the  increase  in  cost,  it  has  been 
necessary  to  eliminate  large  blocks  from  the  reserve. 
Recourse  is  now  being  had  to  low-grade  reclamation 
ore,  which  can  be  mined  comparatively  cheaply. 

West  Rand  Consolidated. — This  company  belongs 
to  the  Albu  group,  and  was  formed  in  1903  to  acquire 
a  number  of  properties  in  the  far  west  Rand.  In  1907 
the  Violet  mine  and  mill  were  bought,    and  in   1915 


part  of  the  property  of  the  Lancaster  West  was  pur- 
chased. The  property  includes  workings  on  the  Botha, 
or  Main,  Reef,  and  on  the  Battery  Reef  to  the  south. 
Milling  started  in  1908.  The  only  dividend  paid  was 
one  of  3?%  in  1909.  The  issued  capital  is  £2,004,424. 
and  there  are  £221, 221  debentures.  The  report  for 
1918  shows  that  258,727  tons  was  raised  from  the  Botha 
Reef  and  126,384  tons  from  the  Battery  Reef,  and  after 
the  rejection  of  waste,  379,530  tons  averaging  5  46  dwt. 
per  ton  was  sent  to  the  mill.  The  yield  of  gold  by 
amalgamation  and  cyaniding  was  96,575  oz.,  worth 
£403,195,  and  the  working  cost  was  £410,743.  The 
ore  reserve  is  estimated  at  1,208,315  tons  averaging  6  1 
dwt  The  feature  of  the  year's  development  was  the 
discovery  of  high  grade  ore  in  the  Battery  Reef  be- 
tween the  6th  and  9th  levels. 

Aurora  West  United. — This  company  was  formed  in 

1889  to  acquire  property  on  the  outcrop  in  the  middle 

west  Rand.     There  were  several  reorganizations  and 

absorptions  in  the  early  days,  and  milling  was  not  con 

tmuous.     Operations  were  resumed  in  1908.     Further 

reconstructions  took  place    in   1909  and   1912,  and  in 

addition,  capital  has   been   borrowed  from  the  Albu 

parent  company,  the  General  Mining  it  Finance.     The 

teport  for  1918  shows  that    173,'<<>3  tons   was  raised, 

and  after  the  rejection  of  waste,  158,550  tons  was  sent 

to  the  mill      The  yield  of  gold  162,  or  22s 

6d.  per  ton,  and  the  working  cost   was  £177.067,  or 

n      The   ore  reserve    is  estimated   at 

18  tons,  averaging  5  6  dwt.     <  iwing  to  increased 

I  has  lie,-n  necessary  to  omit  large  amounts  of 

South  Reef  from  the  reserve.     Delays  in  obtaining  the 

amps  have  postponed  the  development  of 

the  15th  1' 

New  Goch.  rhis  company  belongs  to  the  Albu 
group,  and  was  formed  in  1887,  as  the  George  Goch. 
to  acquire  claims  on  the  outcrop  in  the  central  Kand 
between  Wolhuter  and  Nourse.  There  have  been  sev 
eral  reconstructions  and  rearrangements  of  capital  and 
property  I  >ividends  were  paid  for  1910,  1911,  1915. 
oid  in  1915  the  outstanding  debentures, 
(  1 12. 4 75,  were  redeemed  The  report  for  1918  shows 
that  199,070  tons  of  ore  was  raised,  and  197,300  tons 
averaging  4  3'>dwt.  per  ton  was  sent  to  the  mill  The 
vield  by  amalgamation  and  cyaniding  was  39,436  oz 
In  addition,  34,200  tons  of  accumulated  slime  yielded 
3.595o/.  The  total  revenue  was  £185,655,  and  the 
expenditure  wa-  The  ore  reserve  is  esti- 

mated at  111,670  tons  averaging  5  6  dwt  There  is  a 
fairly  large  amount  of  partly  developed  ore,  and  much 
of  this  may  be  worth  working,  though  no  definite  esti- 
mate of  its  value  can  be  made  Reclamation  ore  will 
also  help  to  keep  the  mill  going. 

Glencairn. — This  company  belongs  to  the  Barnato 
group,  and  was  formed  in  1889  to  acquire  property  on 
the  outcrop  in  the  middle  east  Rand.  As  already  record- 
ed the  mine  is  exhausted  and  hoisting  ceased  It 
vember.  The  report  for  1918  shows  that  218,786  tons 
of  ore  was  raised,  and  after  the  rejection  of  8?o  waste. 
200,900  tons  averaging  5  ?)  dwt.  was  sent  to  the  mill 
The  yield  by  amalgamation  was  20,443  oz.,  and  bv 
cyaniding  10,519  oz. ,  making  a  total  of  30, 962oz., worth 
£132.152  In  addition,  £5,029  was  obtained  from 
16,868  tons  of  accumulated  slime,  and  £5.407  from 
clean  upof  the  mill.  The  net  profit  was  £6,796,  which 
with  the  balance  £20,83S  brought  forward  from  the 
previous  year,  made  a  disposable  balance  of  £27,634 
Outofthis,  £27,500hasbeen  distributed  as  dividend,  be- 
ing at  the  rate  of  5  lV,  Operations  are  now  confined  to  the 
treatment  of  accumulated  slime,  of  which  there  remains 
about  190,000  tons  averaging 2  dwt.  The  rate  of  treat- 
ment will  be  7.500  tons  per  month 


The  Mining  Magazine 


W.  F.  White,  Managing  Director. 


Edward  Walker,  M.Sc,  F.G.S.,  Editor. 


Published  on  the  15th  of  each  month  by  The  Mining  Publications,  Ltd., 
at  Salisbury  House.  London  Wall,  London,  E.C.2. 

Telephone:  London  Wall  8938.     Telegraphic  Address :  Oligoclase.     Codes:  McNeill,  both  Editions. 


(420,  Market  Street,  San  Francisco. 
Branch  Offices:    j  300.  Fisher  Bdg..  Chicago. 

(  2.222.  Equitable  Building,  New  York. 


Subscription  \  ";K-  a,nd  Canada,  12s.  per  annum  (Single  Copy  Is.  3d  ) 
I  Elsewhere.  16s.  per  annum  (Single  Copy  Is.  4d.) 


Vol.  XXI.    No.  2.  LONDON,   AUGUST,    1919. 


PRICE 
ONE   SHILLING 


CONTENTS. 


Editorial 
Notes 66 

Simplified  Spelling 67 

Attention  is  drawn  to  the  Pitman-Ellis  system  of 
simplified  spelling,  which  is  more  logical  and 
convincing  than  most  methods  put  forward. 

Labour  Unrest     67 

The  causes  of  dissatisfaction  with  present  condi- 
tions are  examined,  and  high  prices  and  Govern- 
ment extravagance  are  blamed. 

Minerals  Separation's  Future 68 

The  American  patent  governing  the  use  of  less  than 
1%  of  oil  expires  in  1923,  but  the  company  has 
other  patents,  particularly  that  covering  soluble 
frothing  agents,  with  a  longer  time  to  run. 

Wider  Scope  for  Mining  Engineers...     69 

The  mining  engineer  and  metallurgist  have  wider 
opportunities  for  work  than  the  extraction  of 
ores  and  metals  ;  the  design  of  plant  and  the 
manufacture  of  commercial  commodities  from 
minerals  and  metals  are  also  open  to  them. 

Alliance  of  Technical  Societies 70 

The  present  tendency  is  for  technical  societies  to 
join  hands  for  the  furtherance  of  their  objects  in 
many  ways. 

Review  of  Mining  72 

Articles 

The  Minerals  of  Anatolia 

Norman  M.  Penzer,  B.A.,  F.G.S.     76 

The  author  gives  particulars  of  the  mineral  deposits 
of  part  of  Asiatic  Turkey,  about  which  little  is 
known  in  this  country,  though  the  Germans 
compiled  records  some  years  ago. 

Modern  Rock- Drill  Practice 

David  Penman,  B.Sc,  M.Inst.M.E.     82 

Four  Years  as  a  Prisoner  of  War 

J.C.  F arrant     90 

The  Author  continues  his  account  of  the  treatment 
of  English  Prisoners  of  War  by  the  Germans, 
describing  conditions  under  which  they  worked 
in  the  firing  line  in  Russia. 

Letters  to  the  Editor 

Spitsbergen    Ernest  Mansfield     95 

Diamond  Drilling     ...    J.  A.  McVicar     97 

News  Letters 

Toronto 99 

Damage  by  Forest  Fires;  Porcupine;  Kirkland 
Lake;  Cobalt;  Matachewan ;  West  Shining 
Tree. 

2—3 


North  of  England 


PAGE 

100 


"The  Times"  Article  ;  Zinc;  Lead;  Thornthwaite 
Mine;  Threlkeld ;  Brandlehow  Mine;  Wear- 
dale;  Goldscope. 

San   Francisco  101 

Mexican  Conditions. 


Personal 

Trade  Paragraphs    

Metal  Markets  

Statistics  of  Production 

Prices  of  Chemicals   

Share  Quotations 


The  Mining  Digest 

The  Elmore  Process 

The  "  Long- Rig  "    in   Rock- Drill    Practice 

F.  C.  W.  Ingle 

Acid  and    Superphosphate   Manufacture  at 

Cockle  Creek /.  H.  McFeeters 

The  Heidelberg  Goldfields  

Geology  of  Southern  Nigeria   .4.  H.  Kitson 

Low-Grade  Nickel  Ores C  W.  Davis 

Queensland  Wolfram F.C.  Cann 

Amalgamating J.  Fairfax  Walker 

Oolitic  Ironstones  R.  II.  Ra  stall 

Short  Notices  

Recent  Patents  Published 

New  Books    


McLeod's  "  Practical  Instructions  in  the 
Search  for,  and  the  Determination  of,  the 
Useful  Minerals,  including  the  Rare  Ores 
Arthur  Holmes 

Chapman's  "  Elements  of  Astronomy  for 
Surveyors  " Alex.  Richardson 

Text- Book  of   Rand   Metallurgical   Practice 

Vol.  II 

Peele's  "  Compressed  Air  Plant  " 

Matthews'  "Studies  in  the  Construction  of 
Dams " 


103 
103 
104 
106 
109 
110 

l  n 

112 

114 
116 
119 
120 
120 
121 
122 

123 

133 


123 

12  1 


125 
125 


125 


Company  Reports  125 

Antelope;  Briseis  Tin  &  General  Mining;  Broken  Hill 
10;  Broken  Hill  Block  14;  Bullfinch  Proprietary;  Burma  Ruby 
Mines;  Consolidated  Gold  Fields  ol  New  Zealand;  Esp 
Copper  &  Sulphur:  Ginsberg;  Glencairn  ;  Glencoe  (Natal)  Col- 
lieries;  [poh  ["in  Dredging;  Jupiter;  Kramat Pulai ;  Lake  View 
.v  Star;  Libiola  Copper;  New  Primrose;  Poderosa;  Robinson 
Deep;  Siamese  Tin;  Simmer  Deep.  Transvaal  Gold  Mining 
Instates. 


EDITORIAL 


ATTENTION  is  once  more  being  drawn 
J~\  to  the  advantages  offered  by  tin  as  a 
material  for  out-of  door  memorials.  In  the 
permanence  of  its  surface  it  is  not  rivalled  by 
any  other  metal  than  gold.  The  tablet  in  the 
Chelsea  Physic  Garden  to  the  memory  of  Sir 
Hans  Sloane  is  an  excellent  example  of  the 
superiority  of  tin  over  bronze  or  stone. 

THAT  active  body,  the  British  Lead  & 
Zinc  Miners'  Association,  had  a  convin- 
cing spokesman  in  Professor  Henry  Louis, 
when  they  appeared  before  the  Royal  Com- 
mission on  the  Income  Tax.  He  urged  that 
mines  should  be  allowed  to  redeem  their  capi- 
tal without  taxation,  and  that  the  cost  of  all 
development  and  renewals  of  plant  should  be 
deducted  before  assessing  profits.  We  hope 
that  other  public  bodies  interested  in  non-fer- 
rous metal  mining  will  offer  similar  testimony. 

THE  Government  has  at  last  granted  the 
South  African  gold  producers  the  con- 
cession of  permission  to  dispose  of  their  out- 
put in  the  most  favourable  market.  It  is 
now  possible  to  sell  the  gold  in  the  United 
States,  where  the  producers  will  at  present 
have  an  advantage  in  exchange  to  the  extent 
of  nearly  10%.  Hitherto  this  profit  has  ac- 
crued to  the  British  Government.  The  bene- 
fit to  the  producers  will,  of  course,  be  a  vari- 
able factor,  depending  on  the  balance  of  Eng- 
lish debts  to  America,  and  in  times  of  British 
prosperity  the  concession  will  be  meaningless 

OIL  magnates  in  America  are  becoming 
alarmed  at  the  gradual  increase  of  Brit- 
ish control  of  the  oilfields  of  the  world.  In 
the  United  States  the  influence  of  the  Shell 
combine  is  regarded  with  some  anxiety,  and  in 
Western  Canada  strenuousoppositionhas  even 
arisen.  The  acquirement  by  English  shipping 
interests  of  the  control  of  the  Huasteca  Petro- 
leum Co.,  the  company  formed  some  years  ago 
by  the  brothers  Doheny  to  operate  south  of 
Tampico,  is  another  event  of  importance.  The 
purchase  of  the  Scottish  oil-shale  properties 
by  the  Anglo- Persian  company,  the  activities 
in  connection  with  oil-drilling  in  the  Midlands 
and  elsewhere,  and  the  development  of  the 
Norfolk  oil  shales,  are  helping  to  focus  the  at- 
tention of  the  public  on  the  importance  of  oil. 
The  Admiraltyand  certain  sections  of  the  mer- 
cantile marine  are  backing  oil,  a  fact  which  ex- 
plains their  comparative  indifference  in  the 
matter  of  the  coal  strike. 


ELSEWHERE  in  this  issue  we  publish  a 
rejoinder  to  our  remarks  last  month  on  the 
Spitsbergen  iron  ore  enterprise.  This  letter  is 
written  by  Mr.  Ernest  Mansfield,  a  prospec- 
tor who  has  been  in  the  islands  for  some  years 
in  the  service  of  the  Northern  Exploration 
Company.  His  contribution  to  the  discussion 
deals  chiefly  with  the  international  rivalry  for 
the  possession  of  the  islands  and  their  miner- 
als, and  does  not  give  any  specific  information 
with  regard  to  the  question  we  raised,  namely, 
the  value  and  extent  of  the  iron  ore  deposits. 
It  is  announced  that  Mr.  William  Selkirk  has 
left  for  Spitsbergen  for  the  purpose  of  examin- 
ing these  deposits.  Until  his  report  is  pub- 
lished, it  is  little  use  arguing  the  matter  further. 


IN  another  part  of  this  issue  a  full  abstract 
is  given  of  the  patents  describing  Mr. 
F.  E.  Elmore's  new  process  for  separating  lead 
and  zinc  sulphides.  As  mentioned  last  month, 
the  essential  idea  is  to  convert  lead  sulphide 
into  lead  sulphate  by  treatment  with  hot  con- 
centrated sulphuric  acid,  the  zinc  sulphide  re- 
maining unattacked,  and  to  dissolve  the  lead 
sulphate  in  a  solution  of  brine.  This  attack 
of  finely  ground  galena  by  sulphuric  acid  is  a 
reaction  unknown  to  the  text-books.  It  is  in- 
teresting to  note  that  the  patenteeand  his  friends 
do  not  intend  to  rely  for  their  profits  on  royal- 
ties, but  will  work  the  process  themselves. 
Many  properties  can  be  obtained  where  the 
process  is  applicable,  and  ore  and  concentrates 
can  also  be  treated  at  the  works  in  this  coun- 
try. Arrangements  have  already  been  made 
for  the  sale  of  the  foreign  and  colonial  patents. 
The  Chemical  &  Metallurgical  Corporation, 
which  controls  the  patents,  is  not  confining  its 
attention  to  this  one  particular  process,  but  is 
open  to  finance  other  inventions.  For  instance, 
the  Francois  cementation  patents  have  been 
acquired, and  a  number  of  contracts  for  sealing- 
off  underground  water  have  been  taken  over. 

THE  committee  of  the  Royal  School  of 
Mines  Old  Students'  Association  has  had 
no  small  difficulty  in  preparing  the  Register  of 
Old  Students.  In  January  of  last  year  we 
referred  to  this  subject  at  some  length,  and 
appealed  to  all  readers  who  have  been  at  the 
Royal  School  of  Mines  to  forward  the  particu- 
lars of  their  record  for  inclusion  in  the  Register. 
At  the  time,  only  about  500  out  of  over  2,000 
had  responded  to  the  circular  appeals  of  the 
committee.      Subsequently    the    number    of 


66 


AUGUST,     1919 


67 


records  secured  reached  about  600.  It  was 
felt  that  no  further  delay  was  permissible  in 
printing  the  Register,  but  before  finally  pro- 
ceeding with  the  binding  it  was  decided  to  cir- 
culate it  in  proof  form  among  all  who  had  sent 
their  records.  Old  students  and  others  who 
see  the  proofs  may  observe  the  absence  of 
names  they  know,  and  in  this  way  laggards 
and  absentees  will  be  afforded  another  chance 
of  being  included.  When  the  Register  isfinally 
complete  it  will  be  bound  with  the  History  of 
the  Royal  School  of  Mines,  written  by  Miss 
Reeks,  and  the  volume  will  include  a  Roll  of 
Honour,  and  lists  of  associates,  prizemen,  and 
medallists.  In  reading  the  proofs  of  the  entries 
concerning  them,  we  advise  old  students  to 
correct  errors  of  typography,  of  which  there 
are  many,  due  no  doubt  to  illegible  hand-writ- 
ing ;  and  we  would  also  recommend  the  elimi- 
nation, in  one  or  two  cases,  of  certain  details 
relating  to  qualifications  which  are  entirely  out 
of  place  in  a  register  of  this  character. 


that  the  English  Simplified  Spelling  Society 
and  the  various  organizations  for  reform  in 
America  should  join  hands,  throw  over  their 
jejune  propaganda,  and  initiate  a  campaign  on 
behalf  of  the  Pitman- Ellis  system. 


THREE  months  ago  we  gave  our  opinions 
on  the  subject  of  simplified  spelling,  and 
our  reasons  for  refusing  to  depart  from  the 
standard  of  the  Oxford  Dictionary.  Among 
many  letters  commenting  on  the  article,  a  par- 
ticularly interesting  one  came  from  Mrs.  Ed- 
win Field,  who  draws  our  attention  to  the  Pit- 
man-Ellis phonetic  alphabet.  This  alphabet 
was  invented  by  Isaac  Pitman  in  1847,andsup- 
ported  by  Alexander  J.  Ellis,  a  noted  philolo- 
gist and  a  Fellow  of  the  Royal  Society.  It  con- 
sisted of  40  letters,  representing  40  sounds,  and 
in  this  way  presented  the  only  logical  form  of 
improved  spelling  to  which  we  referred  in  the 
article.  No  difficulty  is  presented  in  reading 
words  spelt  on  this  system, for  there  arenodoubt- 
ful  conventions  for  the  pronunciation  of  the  let- 
ters of  the  current  alphabet,  as  is  the  case  with 
the  spelling  advocated  by  the  Simplified  Spell- 
ing Society.  The  Pitman-Ellis  system  was  re- 
ceived with  great  interest  in  the  middle  of  the 
last  century,  but  it  eventually  failed  owing  to 
one  of  the  drawbacks  mentioned  by  us,  namely, 
the  inability  of  the  advocates  of  simplified 
spelling  to  agree  as  to  the  exact  form  and  meth  - 
ods.  In  this  case  Mr.  Pitman  was  continually 
suggesting  or  introducing  improvements  or 
alterations,  much  to  the  annoyance  of  his  co- 
operators.  The  consequence  was  that  the  lit- 
erati and  the  general  public  were  mystified  and 
became  tired,  and  the  propaganda  languished. 
This  was  a  pity,  for  the  system  is  the  only  one 
worthy  of  serious  thought.  It  is  to  be  hoped 
that  Mrs.  Field  will  be  able  to  resuscitate  pub- 
lic interest  in  the  system.      Our  own  view  is 


DURING  the  last  two  or  three  years,  Mr. 
W.  E.  Bleloch  has  been  much  to  the  fore 
in  connection  with  the  Far  East  Rand  and  the 
extensions  of  the  goldfields  around  and  south  of 
Heidelberg.  Mr.  Bleloch  is  not  by  any  means 
a  novice  in  Far  East  Rand  geology,  as  many 
of  our  readers  will  remember,  but  owing  to  his 
being  a  free  lance,  his  views  and  activities 
have  not  been  so  well  known  in  this  country 
as  locally.  He  is  indeed  looked  upon  by  most 
of  the  big  houses  as  an  interloper,  and  some 
people  go  so  far  as  to  say  that  he  has  no  busi- 
ness to  enunciate  theories  at  all.  The  testing 
of  his  theories,  however,  will  make  nobodyany 
poorer,  and  may  possibly  be  to  the  benefit  of 
the  South  African  community,  so  it  is  not  for 
us  to  throw  discouragement  in  his  path.  A 
lengthy  series  of  articles  that  has  lately  ap- 
peared in  the  South  African  Mining  and 
Engineering  Journal  has  given  us  the  opportu- 
nity to  publish  some  account  of  his  views. 
These  articles  are  discursive  and  disconnected, 
and  do  not  give  a  very  intelligible  account  of 
the  Bleloch  theory,  or  of  the  history  of  the 
operations  on  which  it  is  founded.  We  were 
obliged  to  resort  to  liberal  excision  and  some 
rearrangement,  but  the  account  is  still  too  long 
and  not  as  clear  as  we  could  wish. 


LABOU  R  troubles  in  the  coalfields  continue 
j  to  prevent  the  resumption  of  the  indus- 
tries of  this  country  on  a  peace  basis.  But  dis- 
affection is  not  confined  to  the  miners,  for  trans- 
port workers,  policemen,  bakers,  and  others 
receiving  fixed  wages  are  out  of  temper  with 
the  profiteer,  and  with  everything  in  general. 
Economists  are  once  more  trying  to  teach  the 
worker  that  if  wages  are  increased  the  price  of 
commodities  will  be  put  up  by  the  shops  for 
the  sole  reason  that  the  customers  have  more 
money  to  spend.  But  would  it  not  be  better 
for  the  economists  to  recommend  the  mine- 
owners  and  other  employers  to  establish  trad- 
ing establishments  that,  would  not  take  advan- 
tage of  the  worker,  according  to  the  plan  adop- 
ted in  many  other  countries  ?  The  argument 
with  regard  to  the  vicious  circle  does  not  start 
from  the  right  point, for  the  high  prices  of  com- 
modities came  from  scarcity  of  supplies,  and 
the  high  wages  received  in  certain  quarters 
originated  from  extravagant  Government  of- 
fers.    Then,  again,  it  is  little  use  telling  the 


68 


THE    MINING     MAGAZINE 


toiler  that  the  country  is  going  to  ruin  unless 
he  works  harder  and  ceases  to  demand  higher 
wages,  while  at  the  same  time  the  roads  are 
crowded  with  gorgeous  motor-cars,  the  pleas- 
ure resorts  are  full  of  gay  and  thoughtless 
holiday-makers,  and  the  newspapers  are  filled 
with  descriptions  of  the  magnificent  dresses 
worn  by  the  ladies  at  Goodwood  races  and  the 
King's  garden  parties.  It  was  not  over-wise 
on  the  part  of  those  in  authority  to  give  the 
children  an  extra  week's  summer  holiday  in 
commemoration  of  peace.  Another  cause  of 
the  present  love  of  idleness  is  to  be  found  in 
the  influence  of  trench  warfare :  hour  after 
hour  and  day  after  day  nothing  to  do  but  to 
grin  and  bear  it.  That  was  not  a  good  prepara- 
tion for  a  hustling  peace  campaign  of  indus- 
try. The  country  wants  a  leader  who  has  a 
different  solution  to  offer  than  the  creation  of 
new  Government  departments,  or  suppression 
of  the  dukes,  or  even  a  promised  prosecution 
of  profiteers.  In  the  meantime  public  ex- 
penditure continues  at  an  appalling  level,  with 
out  check  or  control.  The  labour  unrest  is  not 
confined  to  this  country,  for  in  the  United 
States  also  the  high  cost  of  living  is  causing 
serious  trouble,  and  agitation  has  arisen  for  the 
placing  of  the  control  of  certain  enterprises 
such  as  the  railways  more  in  the  hands  of  the 
<  nn  eminent  and  the  workers.  As  far  as  the 
industries  in  which  this  Magazine  is  interested, 
the  present  position  is  that  the  non-ferrous 
metal  mining  of  this  country  is  hard  hit  by 
the  scarcity  of  coal  and  its  high  price,  and  that 
the  makers  of  machinery  depending  on  the 
regular  supply  of  iron,  steel,  and  coal  are  un- 
able to  promise  definite  prices  or  time  of  de- 
livery for  any  contracts  offered. 


Minerals  Separation's  Future. 

Some  doubt  has  arisen  in  various  quarters 
as  to  the  exact  value  to  Minerals  Separation  of 
the  recent  decision  of  the  United  States  Su- 
preme Court  in  connection  with  the  less- than - 
1%  flotation  patent.  It  is  pointed  out  that  this 
patent,  No.  835,120,  applied  for  on  May  29, 
1905,  and  granted  on  November  6,  1906,  will 
expire  in  1923,  so  that  the  company  has  only 
four  years  more  of  monopoly.  This  question 
has  to  be  considered  from  two  points  of  view, 
one  relating  to  the  collection  of  past  royalties, 
and  the  other  the  value  of  other  patents  more 
recent  than  that  on  which  the  litigation  centred. 
In  the  first  place,  the  Butte  &  Superior  Com- 
pany, which  was  the  defendant  in  this  case, 
will  have  to  pay  Minerals  Separation  between 
fifteen  and  twenty  million  dollars.  This  is  the 
assessment  of  the  Montana  court,  published  on 


July  19,  and  it  is  based  on  a  far  higher  rate  of 
royalty  than  would  have  satisfied  Minerals 
Separation  had  thenegotiationscometoahappy 
issue  at  the  beginning.  Whether  Butte  &  Su- 
perior can  or  will  pay  the  whole  amount,  or 
whether  it  will  appeal  or  adopt  some  legal  sub- 
terfuge for  evading  payment,  it  is  not  possible 
to  say,  but,  as  we  said  in  a  recent  issue  in  con- 
nection with  certain  unsatisfactory  features-of 
American  Patent  Law,  there  is  many  a  slip 
between  the  awarding  of  damages  and  their 
collection.  Presumably  other  users  of  flota- 
tion methods  are  rendered  liable  to  similar  ac- 
tion and  will  have  to  settle  their  debts,  but  on 
this  point  we  have  no  definite  information. 
The  judgment  apparently  does  not  cover  the 
Miami  case,  where  agitation  is  obtained  by  up- 
ward streams  of  bubbles  of  compressed  air 
which  enter  the  cells  through  perforated  bot- 
toms, or  the  employment  of  other  means  of 
agitation  than  the  rapidly  rotating  impeller. 
The  judges  in  the  Butte  \- Superior  case  were 
only  informed  of  the  Minerals  Separation 
method  of  producing  a  froth,  and  as  they  had 
no  other  source  of  information  and  were  not 
conversant  with  general  practice,  their  defini- 
tions of  the  limits  of  application  in  their  judg- 
ments have  not  been  perfectly  clear.  It  is  a 
pity  the  Miami  case  did  not  go  to  the  Supreme 
Court  so  that  the  full  effect  of  the  less- than - 
idgment  could  be  ascertained.  The  judg- 
ment of  the  Appeal  Court  was  not  unanimous 
as  to  the  invalidity  of  other  methods  of  agita 
tion,  and  for  that  reason  a  final  judgment 
would  have  been  welcome.  The  Miami  com- 
pany, however,  stated  some  time  ago  that  it 
did  not  intend  to  appeal  to  the  Supreme  Court. 
At  the  present  time,  therefore,  the  legality  of 
other  methods  of  agitation  in  connection  with 
the  use  of  less  than  1%  of  oil  is  not  satisfac- 
torily settled. 

When  the  future  of  Minerals  Separation  is 
I  considered,  it  has  to  be  remembered  that  the 
process  is  not  based  merely  on  this  particular 
patent.  The  company  has  had  for  years  a  staff 
of  investigators  who  have  introduced  many  im- 
provements. An  echo  of  one  of  these  im- 
provements is  to  be  found  in  the  recent  Su- 
preme Court's  judgment,  where  it  was  incident- 
ally laid  down  that  the  use  of  pine  oil  consti- 
tuted a  vast  advance  in  practice.  The  original 
statement  to  this  effect  is  found  in  the  judg- 
ment of  the  Court  of  Appeal  in  the  Miami 
case.  On  that  occasion  it  was  held  that  patents 
962,678  of  1910  and  1,099,699  of  1914  were 
valid.  As  the  suit  was  not  carried  to  the  Su- 
preme Court  this  judgment  stands,  at  any  rate 
for  the  present.    The  first  of  these  patents  was 


AUGUST,    1919 


69 


granted  to  Sulman,  Greenway,  and  Higgins, 
and  covers  the  use  of  organic  compounds  mis- 
cible  in  water  obtained  by  the  distillation  of 
coal  and  wood.  It  is  thus  clear  that  the  use 
of  soluble  frothing  agents  such  as  pine  oil  and 
coal  tar  compounds  is  under  the  control  of 
Minerals  Separation.  The  other  patent,  in 
Greenway's  name,  covers  the  use  in  connec- 
tion with  copper  ores  of  aromatic  hydroxy 
compounds  such  as  phenol  and  cresol  in  a  cold 
solution  without  acid.  These  two  patents  are 
good  until  1927  and  1931  respectively.  So  it 
will  be  seen  that  Minerals  Separation  has  other 
strings  to  its  bow  than  the  original  patent  that 
disclosed  the  secret  of  the  commercial  success 
of  flotation. 

While  writing  of  flotation,  it  is  convenient 
to  draw  attention  to  the  revival  in  the  Ameri- 
can press  of  an  old  claim  on  the  part  of  Mr. 
J.  D.  Wolf  in  connection  with  rapid  agitation 
as  applied  to  flotation.  Mr.  Wolf  took  out 
patents  in  1903,  numbered  4,793  in  Great 
Britain  and  787,814  in  the  United  States.  In 
the  course  of  his  process  he  used  a  rapidly  ro- 
tating impeller,  but  it  was  intended  for  the  pur- 
pose of  recovering  heavy  oil  from  the  rejected 
gangue,  and  not  for  creating  a  froth.  Thus, 
though  it  may  be  truthfully  enough  said  that 
the  Wolf  process  first  proposed  rapid  agitation 
in  connection  with  flotation,  it  cannot  be  taken 
that  the  proposal  anticipated theagitation-froth 
method.  However,  in  many  quarters,  any  stick 
is  good  enough  for  beating  the  back  of  Minerals 
Separation. 

The  Alliance  of  Technical  Societies. 

On  several  occasions  recently  reference  has 
been  made  in  these  columns  to  the  modern  ten- 
dency of  technical  societies  to  form  alliances 
of  one  sort  or  another.  Men  of  older  genera- 
tions used  to  think  that  one  society  was  enough 
for  pure  science  and  one  enough  for  applied 
science,  and  successively  objected  to  proposals 
to  have  any  other  organizations  than  the  Royal 
Society  and  the  Institution  of  Civil  Engineers. 
But  with  the  spread  of  knowledge  and  investi- 
gation, and  the  continued  subdivision  of  the 
various  subjects,  it  became  necessary,  in  spite 
of  objections,  to  establish  other  societies  for 
the  purpose  of  affording  adequate  opportunity 
for  discussion  and  interchange  of  opinion. 
It  was  then  found  that  these  societies  could 
serve  other  purposes  than  the  mere  reading  of 
papers,  and  that  they  could  be  made  the  repre- 
sentatives of  the  professions,  both  internally 
andexternally.  For  the  purposeof  still  further 
increasing  their  public  influence,  it  became 
clear  that  the  alliance  of  a  number  of  societies 


representing  various  ramifications  of  one  big 
industry  would  be  a  politic  step.  There  is  an- 
other reason  for  considering  rapprochements  of 
this  kind,  which  weighs  nearly  as  much.  This 
is  the  opportunity  it  gives  for  combining  funds 
for  the  erection  of  a  suitable  home  and  the  for- 
mation of  a  central  library.  In  some  quarters 
federation,  or  even  amalgamation,  has  been 
proposed,  but  with  the  exception  of  the  feder- 
ation of  the  provincial  mining  societies  under 
thenameof  thelnstitutionof  MiningEngineers 
such  schemes  have  not  found  favour,  chiefly 
because  the  qualifications  for  membership  of 
the  various  societies  differ  too  widely.  Con- 
sequently the  limited,  as  contrasted  with  the 
full,  partnership  has  been  adopted  in  this 
country.  Among  notable  alliances  formed  or 
proposed  may  be  mentioned  that  between  a 
number  qf  chemical  societies,  and  another  be- 
tween themining  and  metallurgical  institutions. 
As  particulars  of  these  have  already  been  given 
in  these  columns,  nothing  further  need  be  said 
here. 

In  the  Overseas  Dominions  steps  have  been 
taken  in  Australia  and  South  Africa  to  bring 
together  the  various  engineering  societies.  In 
Australia  there  are  twelve  societies  involved  in 
the  negotiations.  Of  these,  the  Australasian 
Institute  of  Mining  Engineers,  the  Institute 
of  Local  Government  Engineers,  and  the  Elec- 
trical Association  of  Australia  have  the  whole 
of  theCommonwealthastheir  field.  Theother 
societies  are  the  Victorian  Institute  of  Engin- 
eers, the  Engineering  Association  of  New  South 
W ales,  the  Queensland  Institute  of  Engineers, 
the  Northern  Institute  of  New  South  Wales, 
the  West  Australian  Instituteof  Engineers,  the 
Sydney  University  Engineering  Society,  the 
Melbourne  University  Engineering  Society, 
and  theTasmanian  Engineering  Institute.  The 
progress  of  the  preliminary  proceedings  in  this 
matter  has  been  hindered  by  the  disinclination 
of  the  executive  of  the  Australasian  Instituteof 
Mining  Engineers  to  participate.  At  this  dis- 
tance, the  ins  and  outs  of  the  dispute  between 
theexecutiveandcertain  members, and  between 
the  executive  and  other  societies,  are  not  clear, 
and  in  any  case,  as  we  have  not  received  the 
whole  of  the  circulars  and  correspondence,  it 
is  incompetent  for  us  to  discuss  the  question  in 
detail.  It  is  only  on  general  principles  that  we 
deplore  the  inability  of  the  Australasian  Insti- 
tute of  Mining  Engineers  to  take  part  in  the 
proposed  consolidation  of  the  Australian  en- 
gineering societies. 

In  South  Africa  the  societies  interested  in 
mining  have  taken  the  initiative,  and  are  pro- 
ceeding in   no  half-hearted  fashion.       Then 


70 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


scheme  is  ambitious  and  comprehensive,  and 
they  are  energetically  hunting  foramillionaire, 
or  millionaires,  who  will  endow  them  with  a 
suitable  home.  There  is  no  talk  of  consolida- 
tion,but  only  of  alliance  for  specified  purposes. 
The  three  societies  responsible  for  the  scheme 
aretheSouth  African  Institutionof  Engineers, 
the  Chemical,  Metallurgical,  and  Mining  So- 
ciety of  South  Africa,  and  the  South  African 
Institution  of  Electrical  Engineers.  We  have 
said  that  the  soeieties  interested  in  mining  have 
taken  the  initiative,  and  in  so  doing  we  claim 
the  Institutionof  Engineersasasociety  largely 
identified  with  mining,  a  claim  which  will  be 
generally  admitted.  The  other  societies  which 
are  being  asked  to  join  are  the  Association  of 
Transvaal  Architects,  the  Institute  of  Land 
Surveyors  of  the  Transvaal,  the  South  African 
Association  of  Analytical  Chemists,  the  Geo- 
graphical Society  of  South  Africa,  the  South 
African  Association  for  the  Advancement  of 
Science,  the  Astronomical  Society,  the  South 
African  Society  of  Civil  Engineers,  the  Royal 
Society  of  South  Africa,  and  the  local  branch 
of  the  Institution  of  Mining  and  Metallurgy. 
The  proposal  is  to  erect  a  home  for  all  these 
societies  in  Johannesburg,  if  possible  near  the 
School  of  Mines  Building.  Here  there  would 
be  offices  for  the  various  societies,  several 
meeting  rooms,  and  a  club  ;  also  a  library,  the 
nucleus  of  which  would  be  the  Louis  Seymour 
Memorial  Library,  now  temporarily  housed  at 
the  School  of  Mines.  The  societies  would  not 
only  be  provided  with  a  home,  but  an  organiza- 
tion would  be  formed  through  which  the  socie- 
ties as  a  body  could  act  in  matters  of  technical 
and  public  interest.  The  cost  of  such  a  scheme 
in  capital  outlay  and  endowment  would  be 
^100,000,  and  the  question  of  raising  the 
money  will  require  close  inquiry.  No  doubt  a 
large  number  of  members  of  the  several  socie- 
ties will  be  able  to  subscribe  liberally  to  the 
fund,  but,  as  we  have  said,  the  easiest  solution 
of  the  matter  will  be  the  finding  of  a  generous 
millionaire,  or  a  millionaire  who  is  ready  to  lay 
out  his  money  on  any  plan  that  will  help  in  the 
advance  of  the  study  of  technology. 

Steps  are  being  taken  in  India  to  unify  the 
various  engineering  associations.  The  pro- 
posal is  that  a  new  society,  to  be  called  the 
Indian  Society  of  Engineers, should  be  formed, 
and  that  it  should  be  more  or  less  under  the 
control  or  patronage  of  certain  London  en- 
gineering societies.  In  Canada  the  propa- 
ganda for  alliance  has  been  active  during  the 
last  year  or  two,  but  it  is  not  quite  clear 
whether  the  Canadian  Society  of  Civil  En- 
gineers, the  name  of  which  has  recently  been 


changed  to  the  Engineering  Instituteof  Canada, 
is  willing  to  co-operate  amicably  with  the  Can- 
adian Mining  Institute. 

It  is  not  necessary  on  this  occasion  to  dilate 
at  any  length  on  what  has  been  done  in  this 
direction  in  the  United  States.  The  four  big 
engineering  societies  have  a  common  home, 
provided  partly  by  the  munificence  of  Mr. 
Andrew  Carnegie  and  partly  by  liberal  con- 
tributions from  individual  members  of  the 
societies.  Various  chemical  societies  have 
offices  under  one  roof,  and  their  interests  are 
interwoven  in  many  ways.  The  Americans 
have  largely  adopted  the  felicitous  habit  of 
holding  joint  meetings  of  societies.  The  only 
fly  in  the  ointment  of  general  content  is  the 
inability  of  the  Mining  and  Metallurgical 
Society  of  America  to  come  to  terms  with  the 
American  Instituteof  Mining  and  Metallurgi- 
cal Engineers.  Here  the  question  of  qualifi- 
cation for  membership  stops  the  way,  as  is  the 
case  when  anything  closer  than  an  alliance 
is  suggested  in  connection  with  the  English 
societies. 

We  shall  in  the  future  give  every  oppor- 
tunity in  our  columns  for  the  ventilation  of  pro- 
posals and  views  in  connection  with  the  move- 
ment for  the  alliance  of  societies.  The  policy 
is  of  prime  importance  in  the  establishment  of 
technical  professions  on  a  sound  basis  and  in 
the  interchange  and  collection  of  information. 

Wider  Scope  for  Mining  Engineers. 

The  scope  for  the  activity  of  the  mining  en- 
gineer who  specializes  in  thenon-ferrousmetals 
is,  comparatively,  a  small  one  in  most  parts 
of  the  world.  This  is  true  in  normal  times, 
and  at  present  the  limits  are  accentuated  by 
the  sudden  slackening  of  demand  for  the  indus- 
trial metals  during  the  reconstruction  period. 
In  some  countries,  such  as  the  United  States, 
there  is  still  plenty  of  work  for  the  mining  en- 
gineer and  metallurgist,  and,  given  favourable 
opportunity,  there  are  openings  in  Mexico, 
South  America,  and  Siberia.  But  mining 
operations  cannot  spread  laterally  for  ever, 
and  costs  and  impoverishment  impose  a  stiff 
barrier  in  depth.  It  follows  that  some  other 
methods  of  providing  work  for  the  mining  en- 
gineer and  of  increasing  the  importance  and 
influence  of  our  profession  should  be  devised. 
There  are  two  ways  in  which  this  end  may  be 
gained.  Thesearealready  well  known, though 
not  fully  admitted  as  coming  within  the  func- 
tions of  themining  engineer.  In  the  first  place 
the  mining  engineer  may  turn  his  studies  to 
the  design  and  manufacture  of  plant  and  ma- 
terial required   at  the  mine  or  metallurgical 


AUGUST,    1919 


71 


works  ;  and  second,  he  may  follow  the  mineral 
or  the  metal  further  than  the  mine  or  smelter 
and  engage  in  metal  manufactureor  the  produc- 
tionof  commercial  chemicals.  These  industries 
areatpresentoutof  theofficial  scope  of  the  min- 
ing engineer  and  metallurgist,  for  they  are  not 
included  within  the  purview  of  the  mining 
schools,  and  engagement  in  them  does  not  qual- 
ify for  the  membership  of  the  mining  societies. 
Nevertheless, aswehave  said,  manymining  en- 
gineers and  metallurgists,  as  well  as  owners  of 
mines  and  smelters,  have  crossed  thestrict  line, 
greatly  to  their  profit. 

At  the  present  time  there  is  some  prejudice 
against  the  mining  engineer  becoming  a  manu- 
facturer of  machinery.  Such  mining  engineer 
has,  quite  against  his  own  wish,  to  adopt  some 
sort  of  camouflage  in  his  capacity  as  manufac- 
turer, in  order  that  he  personally  shall  not  be 
mistaken  for  atradesman.  Surprise  is  express- 
ed by  superior  people  when  it  is  found  that  a 
builder  of  head-frames  is  an  Associate  of  the 
Royal Schoolof  Mines,  or  that  a  maker  of  rock- 
drills  is  a  Member  of  the  Institution  of  Mining 
and  Metallurgy.  Our  view  is  that  the  making 
of  plant  and  materials  used  at  mines  and  metal- 
lurgical works  is  advantaged  by  the  direct  in- 
fluence of  men  conversant  with  the  objects  for 
which  the  plant  is  used.and  we  therefore  advise 
young  mining  engineers  to  note  theopportunity 
offered  by  the  careers  here  indicated. 

In  considering  the  possibilities  of  participa- 
tion in  the  profits  arising  from  the  handling  of 
mine  products,  it  has  lobe  remembered  that  the 
mining  engineer's  and  metallurgist's  business 
issupposed  to  end  with  theselling  of  the  mineral 
or  the  metallic  ingot.  The  copper  and  lead 
smelters  in  this  country,  generally  when  their 
supplies  of  ore  ran  short,  turned  their  attention 
to  the  manufacture  of  pipes,  sheets,  wire,  or 
white  lead.  Some  of  the  copper  smelters  in 
America  are  extending  their  business  in  the 
same  direction,  but  without  waiting  for  the  ex- 
haustion of  their  ore  supplies.  In  America 
and  Australia  the  zinc  producers  are  making 
galvanized  iron,  and  many  are  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  zinc  and  lead  pigments. 

The  controllers  of  the  chrome  ore  output  no 
longer  part  entirely  with  their  raw  material  at 
the  beggarly  price  that  used  to  beoffered  by  the 
chemical  manufacturers,  but  share  the  latter's 
profits  on  a  sound  business-like  basis.  One  of 
the  companies  owning  wolfram  mines  is  now 
producing  tungsten  powder  from  its  own  con- 
centrate instead  of  selling  its  raw  material  on 
the  open  market.  A  big  producer  of  bismuth 
minerals  has  its  own  works  for  the  production  of 
bismuthalloysand  chemical  compounds.     The 


talc  industry  in  the  Transvaal  has  been  made 
profitable  by  the  manufacture  of  marketable 
articles  instead  of  practically  giving  it  away  to 
people  that  wanted  it.  In  Rhodesiaa  producer 
of  arsenical  ores  is  selling  cattle  dip  in  the  local 
market.  Certain  firms  of  antimony  smelters 
make  antimonial  pigments.  The  above  ex- 
amples show  what  has  already  been  done,  and 
indicates  the  general  line  of  expansion  to  which 
we  refer.  The  policy  is  capable  of  wide  and 
increasing  application.  There  are  difficulties 
in  the  way,  of  course,  due  to  the  opposition 
of  the  middleman  trader,  and  to  the  secrecy 
surrounding  the  processes  and  methods.  It 
is  just  these  obstacles  that  give  zest  to  the  at- 
tack, and  in  the  case  of  the  disposal  of  mineral 
products  the  ruinous  prices  offered  by  the 
middleman  afford  excuse  for  the  attack  on 
other  people's  businesses.  It  is  not  necessary 
here  to  give  specific  instances  of  possible  chan- 
ces of  increasing  mining  profits  by  embarking 
in  manufactures  based  on  the  products  of  the 
mine ;  though  one  case  may  be  mentioned,  that 
of  the  gold  producers,  who  might  be  enabled 
to  put  their  financial  position  in  better  order  if 
they  were  empowered  to  participate  in  the 
manufacture  of  jewellery,  gold  leaf,  etc. 

The  extension  of  the  metallurgist's  occupa- 
tion into  the  domain  of  the  manufacture  and 
uses  of  metals  has  been  noticeable  for  some 
time.  The  study  of  the  behaviour  of  metals 
and  alloys  during  the  process  of  manufacture 
and  during  use  is  now  recognized  as  one  of  the 
most  important  branches  of  investigation,  and 
provides  occupation  for  a  great  number  of  in- 
telligent metallurgical  chemists.  The  Royal 
Schoolof  Minesand  the  University  of  Birming- 
ham are  fortunate  in  having  as  professors  of 
metallurgy  men  who  are  thoroughly  at  home 
in  this  branch  of  metallurgy,  and  their  influence 
will  tend  to  widen  the  opportunities  of  the  stu- 
dent. While  writing  of  professors,  it  is  oppor- 
tune tomention  that  the  application  of  minerals 
to  chemical  manufacture  is  fully  appreciated 
by  the  professor  of  mining  at  Newcastle-on- 
Tyne,  as  is  evidenced  by  the  fact  that  he  now 
holds  the  presidency  of  the  Society  of  Chemical 
Industry. 

In  tendering  the  advice  contained  in  the  fore- 
going paragraphs  to  membersor  intending  mem- 
bers of  the  mining  fraternity,  we  must  not  be 
taken  as  being  desirous  of  interfering  with 
present  courses  of  study  or  with  the  established 
rules  of  membership  of  the  societies.  All  we 
wish  to  do  is  to  point  out  increased  opportuni- 
ties for  careers  in  the  profession,  and  methods 
of  getting  greater  rewards  for  the  labour  of  ex- 
tracting metals  and  minerals. 


REVIEW  OF  MINING 


Introduction.— The  country  and  the  world 
generally  is  at  present  in  a  state  of  ferment 
owing  to  public  and  private  extravagance, 
profiteering  in  food  and  clothing,  and  dissatis- 
faction among  the  earners  of  fixed  wages.  In 
mining  circles  the  rise  in  the  price  of  silver, 
the  freeing  of  South-  African  gold,  and  the  de- 
velopment of  the  new  Elmore  process  have 
been  the  features  of  interest.  An  English  en- 
gineer acquainted  with  iron  ore,  Mr.  William 
Selkirk,  has  gone  to  Spitsbergen,  so  some  re- 
liable details  of  the  much  advertised  deposits 
should  be  available  before  long.  In  this  issue 
we  publish  the  first  instalment  of  an  article 
giving  information  relating  to  the  mineral  re- 
sources of  Asia  Minor,  a  country  known  in 
Continental  mining  circles,  but  of  which  little 
has  been  written  in  this  country. 

Transvaal. — The  Commission  appointed 
by  the  Government  to  investigate  mining  con- 
ditions, with  particular  reference  to  the  position 
of  the  low-grade  mines,  has  been  sitting  as- 
siduously and  hearing  much  evidence.  Among 
other  questions  discussed  were  the  removal  of 
the  colour  bar  and  the  granting  of  loans  by  the 
Government  to  mines  temporarily  in  a  tight 
corner.  Judging  by  questions  asked  by  some 
members  of  the  Commission,  the  Government 
is  not  particularly  sympathetic  on  eitherof  these 
two  points. 

As  recorded  recently,  the  New  Modderfon- 
tein  appealed  from  the  judgment  which  declar- 
ed constitutional  the  imposition  of  taxation  by 
the  Transvaal  Provincial  Government  on  the 
gold  mines.  The  Supreme  Court  confirms  the 
lower  court  and  has  dismissed  the  appeal. 

With  regard  to  the  above-named  tax,  its 
incidence  depends  on  the  ratio  of  profit  to  the 
output  of  gold.  Companies  making  a  profit  of 
less  than  10%  of  the  output  are  not  affected. 
For  profits  above  this  ratio,  the  tax  is  1%  on 
the  profits  when  the  ratio  is  from  10%  and  15%, 
and  advances  iV/o  for  each  additional  percen- 
tage of  profit,  up  to  a  maximum  of  4%.  Thus 
any  company  making  a  profit  which  is  45%  or 
more  of  the  gold  output  will  pay  4%  of  its 
profit  as  Provincial  Tax,  while  companies 
fighting  for  existence  are  free  of  impost. 

The  Consolidated  Goldfields  of  South  Africa, 
Ltd.,  has  for  some  time  wished  to  expand  its 
field  of  operations,  especially  as  few  opportu- 
nities now  offer  for  new  gold-mining  business 
in  the  Transvaal.  The  narrow  confines  of  the 
memorandum  of  association  have  prevented  the 
company  employing  its  large  reserve  of  capi- 


tal in  industrial  enterprises.  It  hasbeen  deemed 
impossible  to  get  the  sanction  of  the  courts  to 
as  sweeping  a  modification  of  the  memorandum 
as  is  desirable,  so  the  board  has  adopted  an  al- 
ternative plan.  This  provides  for  the  forma- 
tion of  a  new  company  with  suitable  memor- 
andum and  articles,  and  the  whole  of  the  shares 
of  the  new  company  will  be  held  by  the  pres- 
ent company.  The  business  will  be  handled 
by  the  new  company,  and  its  policy  will  be  con- 
trolled by  the  shareholders  in  the  present  com- 
pany. 

Further detailsof  the  Daggafontein  property 
as  recently  fixed  between  the  company  and  the 
Government  are  to  hand,  and  are  given  in  the 
accompanying  sketch  map.  The  discoverer's 
claims  (179)  are  around  the  No.  1  shaft,  the 


e* 


Oor 


'/ 


'-/ 


LeASEOJ         MVNPACHT 

A 

ARE*   1                                N%2 
\   4  50           s^fi 

j d.  Shaff 

l|79  Clliii] 

\ci*m\         1257  Claims 

[bT 

V°GELSTRir,SBVLT 


The  Daggafontkin  Property. 

mynpacht  area  (l  257  claims)  are  to  the  west, 
the  additional  claims  (450)  leased  from  the 
Government  are  between  the  mynpacht  and 
Springs  Mines,  and  the  areas  A  and  B  (173 
claims)  were  received  in  exchange  for  New 
Geduld  Deep  mynpachts.  The  positions  of 
No.  1  and  No.  2  shafts  and  of  the  proposed 
No.  3  shaft  are  shown.  It  will  be  remem- 
bered that  the  gold-mining  rights  of  the  north- 
west corner  of  Daggafontein  Farm  were  re- 
cently acquired  by  the  Cassel  Clydesdale  com- 
pany. A  large  area  of  the  farm  remains  in  the 
hands  of  the  Government. 

On  more  than  one  occasion  lately  we  have 
referred  to  the  excellent  results  of  develop- 
ment at  the  Government  Gold  Mining  Areas. 
The  results  during  the  quarter  ended  June  30 


72 


AUGUST,    1919 


73 


are  particularly  good.  Duringthistime  6,980  ft. 
of  development  was  sampled,  of  which  4,140  ft. 
was  payable,  averaging  20  dwt.  per  ton  over 
a  width  of  52  inches. 

The  ore  reserves  at  Modderfontein  East  at 
June  30  are  reported  at  850,000  tons  averaging 
8  dwt.,  all  of  this  being  in  the  old  Cloverfield 
section.  Locally  the  prospects  are  considered 
bright,  as  may  be  judged  by  the  jump  in  the 
quotations  for  both  shares  and  convertible  de- 
bentures. 

The  inability  of  Kleinfontein  to  supply  ore 
to  its  two  milling  plants  to  capacity  continues 
to  cause  trouble  to  the  engineers,  who  have 
been  obliged  more  than  once  recently  to  modify 
the  scheme  of  treatment.  It  is  now  announced 
that  the  Apex  plant  is  to  be  closed  temporarily, 
and  that  the  output  of  the  three  sections  is  all 
to  go  to.the  Kleinfontein  plant. 

The  annual  meeting  of  the  East  Rand  Pro- 
prietary Mines  was  enlivened  by  a  discussion 
of  Rand  geology  introduced  by  the  irrepressible 
Mr.  W.  E.  Bleloch.  He  urged  that  the  wrong 
reef  was  being  worked  in  the  eastern  or  Blue 
Sky  portion  of  the  company's  property,  and 
that  they  had  not  found  the  "Van  Ryn"  which 
he  claims  would  be  the  payable  reef.  He  also 
holds  that  his  Van  Ryn  reef  extends  all  along 
the  central  Rand  below  the  reefs  now  worked. 
A  little  cross-cutting  and  diamond  drilling 
might  well  be  undertaken  to  investigate  this 
point,  but  the  evidence  in  the  hands  of  the  en- 
gineers of  the  big  mining  houses  is  all  against 
such  proposals. 

The  latest  report  from  Rooiberg  is  more 
hopeful  than  some  published  recently.  A  lode 
has  been  disclosed  by  diamond-drilling  in  the 
Blaauwbank  section  65  in.  wide,  and  assaying 
2*4%  metallic  tin,  the  middle  26  in.  averaging 
4'5%.  The  shaft  is  now  being  sunk  in  order 
that  further  investigation  may  be  made. 

Rhodesia. — The  output  of  gold  during 
June  was  reported  at  ,£"214,215,  as  compared 
with  ,£"218,057  in  May,  and  ^225,447  in  June, 
1918.  Other  returns  from  Southern  Rhodesia 
are  as  follows:  silver  1 5,900 oz,  copper  278 
torts,  arsenic  17  tons,  wolfram  1  ton,  chrome 
ore  4,963  tons,  asbestos  833  tons,  coal  43,295 
tons,  diamonds  39  carats. 

The  development  of  the  lead-zinc  ore  de- 
posits of  the  Rhodesia  Broken  Hill  Company 
has  been  rapid  during  the  last  year  or  so,  and 
the  output  of  lead  is  now  regularly  maintained 
at  about  1,200  tons  per  month.  Orders  have 
been  given  for  the  erection  of  two  more  fur- 
naces,whereby  the  output  will  bedoubled.  Mr. 
S.  J.  Speak  is  about  to  go  to  the  United  States 
for  the  purpose  of  studying  the  latest  practice 


in  the  treatment  of  zinc  ores  of  this  type.  Ar- 
rangements have  been  made  for  securing  the 
services  of  one  of  the  geologists  of  the  Rho- 
desian  Geological  Survey,  Mr.  A.  J.  C.  Moly- 
neux,  in  order  that  a  thorough  investigation  of 
the  geology  of  the  district  may  be  made.  At 
the  present  time  only  No.  1  Kopje  is  being 
worked.  Here  the  more  leady  portion  of  the 
oxidized  lead-zinc  ore  is  being  worked  by  open- 
cut.  Bores  by  churn-drill  have  proved  the  ore- 
body  to  go  down  250  ft.  A  great  many  other 
outcrops  are  known,  and  are  continually  being 
exposed  while  clearing  bush  or  digging  founda- 
tions for  buildings. 

The  Wanderer  mines  have  been  closed,  and 
the  last  clean-up  yielded  30  oz.  of  gold  from 
slags.  The  plant  has  been  dismantled,  and  is 
being  sold. 

Another  Rhodesian  gold  mine,  the  Antelope, 
belonging  to  the  Gold  Fields  group,  finds  its 
burden  unbearable.  The  intrusion  of  a  dyke, 
the  scarcity  of  labour,  and  the  mounting  of 
costs  have  combined  to  extinguish  the  profit. 
The  property  is  not  suitable  for  tributing. 
The  board  has  no  alternative  but  to  cut  ex- 
penses and  use  the  stores  in  working  the  re- 
serves as  long  as  it  pays  to  do  so. 

The  Government  has  appointed  a  commission 
which  is  to  proceed  to  South  Africa  to  examine 
the  claims  of  the  British  South  Africa  Com- 
pany with  regard  to  compensation  for  adminis- 
trative expenditure.  A  year  ago  the  Judicial 
Committee  of  the  Privy  Council  decided 
that  the  public  lands  were  the  property  of  the 
Crown  and  not  of  the  company.  It  was  claim- 
ed, therefore,  by  the  company  that  much  expen- 
diture that  it  had  incurred  in  administration 
should  really  have  been  borne  by  the  Crown. 
The  amount  of  the  company's  claim  is 
^7,569,435.   # 

West  Africa.- — The  output  of  gold  during 
June  was  valuedat  /l  06, 612,  ascomparedwith 
^"100,827  in  May,  and  ^120,273  in  June,  1918. 
The  normal  rate  of  output  at  Ashanti  Goldfields 
has  been  restored,  after  the  recent  accident  to 
the  hoisting  gear. 

Diamonds  were  recently  discovered  in  West 
Africa  by  Mr.  A.  E.  Kitson,  the  Government 
Geologist.  They  occur  in  gravels  in  a  tribu- 
tary of  Birrim  River.  The  diamonds  are 
small,  but  of  high  quality.  We  shall  give 
some  particulars  in  our  next  issue. 

The  Fanti  Consolidated  Mines  is  about  to 
form  a  subsidiary  to  take  over  the  bulk  of 
the  manganese  properties  at  Dagwin,  and  has 
made  a  contract  for  the  sale  of  the  ore  to  the 
United  States,  at  the  rate  of  100,000  tons  per 
year  for  five  years. 


74 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


Nigeria. — A  new  company  has  been  formed, 
called  the  Associated  Nigerian  Tin  Mines, 
Limited,  to  amalgamate  the  New  Lafon  Tin 
Fields  and  the  Kassa-Ropp  Tin  Co.,  and  to 
acquire  the  Yelwa  property.  The  properties 
have  been  examined  by  Mr.  J.  M.  lies,  who 
reports  that  the  proved  contents  of  the  various 
properties  are  2,000  tons,  666  tons,  and  1,536 
tons  of  tin  concentrate  respectively,  and  that 
the  prospects  are  excellent. 

Australia. — The  strikes  at  Kalgoorlie  and 
Broken  Hill  continue.  At  the  Broken  Hill 
South  a  disastrous  fire  has  occurred,  which, 
there  is  reason  to  believe,  was  deliberately 
planned  by  a  section  of  the  disaffected  em- 
ployees. At  No.  1  shaft  the  headgear,  ore 
bins,  breaker  house,  and  mill  engine  house 
have  been  destroyed.  The  new  power  house, 
winding  engine,  and  most  of  the  concentra- 
tion plant  were  saved.  The  mine  workings 
were  not  affected. 

Cable  advices  announce  that  the  Mount 
Morgan  company  produced  6,268  tons  of  cop- 
per and  92,983  oz.  of  gold  during  the  year  end- 
ed June  1.  The  ore  raised  was  323,264  tons, 
of  which  190,604  tons  went  to  the  concentra- 
tion plant  and  the  rest  to  the  smelter.  At  the 
smelter  the  material  treated  comprised  128,543 
tons  of  ore,  17,348  tons  of  jig  concentrates,  and 
43,259  tons  of  table  and  flotation  concentrates. 
Owing  to  the  difficulty  of  marketing  copper 
recently,  it  was  decided  to  increase  the  yield  of 
gold,  and  with  this  object  a  larger  proportion 
of  high-grade  silicious  ore  in  the  upper  levels 
was  mined.  As  stated  in  our  last  issue,  the 
mine  was  closed  on  June  15  owing  to  the  strike 
of  transport  workers,  but  operations  were  partly 
resumed  at  the  end  of  June.  The  dividends 
for  the  year  absorbed  /l00,000,  being  at  the 
rate  of  10  per  cent. 

The  Mount  Boppy  gold  mine  in  New  South 
Wales  is  the  victim  of  another  misfortune, 
this  time  in  the  form  of  an  epidemic  of  influ- 
enza. All  operations  had  to  cease  about  the 
middle  of  July,  and  have  not  yet  been  resumed. 
The  district  is  troubled  with  drought,  but  the 
water  supply  is  sufficient  for  present  purposes. 
The  output  of  tin  concentrate  in  Tasmania 
continues  to  decrease.  The  figure  for  1918 
was  2,256  tons,  as  compared  with  2,637  tons 
in  1917,  2,854  tons  in  1916,  and  4,010  tons  in 
1913.  Of  the  1918  output  673  tons  was  pro- 
duced by  three  alluvial  companies:  Briseis  321 
tons,  Pioneer  263  tons,  and  Arba  89  tons;  while 
among  lode  mines  the  Mount  Bischoff  pro- 
duced 458  tons,  the  Bischoff  Extended  155 
tons,  and  the  Royal  George  111  tons.  The 
Mount  Bischoff  and  the  Briseis  have  been  the 


biggest  producers  for  many  years,  and  their 
1918  outputs  compare  with  1,180  tons  and  514 
tons  in  1913. 

India. — We  recorded  two  months  ago  that 
the  developments  at  the  Hutti  (Nizam's)  gold 
mine,  in  Hyderabad,  were  discouraging,  and 
that  the  directors  were  uncertain  as  to  the  future. 
Anothermeetingof  shareholders  hassincebeen 
held  at  which  it  was  announced  thatexploration 
at  depth  continued  to  disclose  no  ore,  though 
the  lode-formation  is  clear  enough.  It  was 
proposed  that  exploration  should  be  continued 
as  long  as  the  present  ore  reserves  provide  the 
cost.  These  reserves  will  last  until  October. 
If  an  ore-shoot  is  discovered  in  the  meantime 
work  will  continue,  but  if  not  it  will  be  neces- 
sary to  cease  operations  and  wind  up  the 
company. 

Malay.— A  company  called  the  Southern  Pe- 
rak  Dredging  Co.,  Ltd.,  has  been  formed,  with 
a  capital  of  ^125,000,  to  acquire  tin-dredging 
property  on  the  banks  of  the  river  Chenderiang. 
The  report  on  the  property  was  made  by 
Messrs.  Aylesbury  &  Nutter,  and  Messrs.  F. 
W.  lV.  R.  Payne  are  the  consulting  engineers. 
The  control  is  the  same  as  that  of  the  Malayan 
Tin  Dredging  Co.  It  is  proposed  to  build  a 
dredge  with  a  capacity  of  100,000  cu.  yd.  per 
month,  and  the  yearly  output  of  tin  concen- 
trate is  estimated  at  450  tons. 

Cornwall.  The  breath  of  the  average  man 
interested  in  mining  has  been  quite  taken  away 
by  statements  emanating  from  Mr.  Albert  F. 
Calvert  in  connection  with  his  operations  in 
the  Gwinear  district.  These  statements  are 
found  in  articles  or  advertisements  appearing 
in  certain  newspapers.  The  chief  property  is 
the  Trevascus,  and  there  are  also  a  number  of 
dumps.  The  Trevascus  has  been  known  for 
many  years  as  a  wide  lode  containing  very  low 
grade  complex  ore.  Mr.  Calvert  reports  that 
his  average  assay-values  up  to  date  give  30  lb. 
of  tin  per  ton.  All  we  need  say  is  that  we  do 
not  accept  Mr.  Calvert  as  an  authority  on  Cor- 
nish mining,  or,  for  that  matter,  an  authority 
on  mining  at  all.  We  hope  he  will  never  offer 
these  properties  to  the  public,  but  keep  them 
for  himself.  The  company  through  which  he 
works  is  the  Jumbil  (Nigeria)  Tin  Areas,  Ltd., 
a  derelict  organization, theregistrationof  which 
he  purchased  for  this  particular  purpose. 

The  Berrida  (Nigeria)  Tin  Fields,  Ltd., 
which  holds  the  lease  of  the  Poldice  mine  near 
Redruth,  is  in  want  of  further  capital  for  the 
plant  for  treating  the  dumps.  Shareholders 
are  invited  to  subscribe  for  25,000  7%  deben- 
ures  at  the  price  of  £6.  8s.  per  ^10.  Out  of 
the  iTl6,000  thus  raised,  ^10,000  and  interest 


AUGUST,    1919 


75 


due  will  be  paid  to  the  bank  in  satisfaction  for 
an  advance,  and  the  remainder  will  be  avail- 
able as  working  capital. 

Oil  in  Great  Britain. — A  company  has 
been  formed  called  the  Oilfields  of  England, 
Ltd.,  with  a  capital  of  ^250,000,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  sinking  oil-wells  on  the  Kelham  es- 
tate, near  Newark,  in  the  county  of  Notting- 
ham. As  has  already  been  recorded  in  these 
pages,  petroleum  was  found  some  years  ago  in 
a  narrow  bore-hole  put  down  in  connection 
with  coal  exploration.  The  oil  was  found  at  a 
depth  of  2,440  ft.  in  a  seam  of  coarse  sand- 
stone 13  ft.  thick.  For  eleven  months  the  flow 
of  oil  was  5  to  6  gallons  per  day,  but  the  hole 
was  subsequently  plugged.  It  is  now  proposed 
to  sink  three  oil  wells.  Reports  on  the  property 
and  the  oil  have  been  made  by  Mr.  James 
Ford,  who  did  the  drilling,  and  Mr.  Arthur 
W.  Eastlake  is  technical  adviser  to  the  com- 
pany. It  is  said  that  the  sulphur  content  is 
not  more  than  0'59%. 

The  Anglo- Persian  Oil  Co.  has  made  a  bid 
for  the  control  of  the  Scottish  oil-shale  indus- 
try, offering  to  purchase  the  ordinary  shares  of 
the  Pumpherston, Broxburn,  Oakbank, Young's 
Paraffin,  and  John  Ross  companies.  The  plan 
calls  for  the  formation  of  anewcompany  called 
the  Scottish  Oil  Co.  The  Anglo- Persian  will 
supply  crude  oil  for  refining  to  the  Scottish 
works  in  order  to  enable  the  present  refineries 
to  run  at  full  capacity. 

The  English  Oilfields,  Ltd.,  of  which  Dr. 
Forbes- Leslie  is  the  leading  spirit,  is  conduct- 
ingdevelopment  work  energetically  on  theNor- 
folkoil  shales.  Itisreported  that  deeper  seams 
recently  discovered  are  lower  in  sulphur  than 
those  on  the  outcrop.  At  depth  also  free  oil 
has  been  found. 

Canada. — It  is  announced  by  cable  that 
the  mines  at  Cobalt  have  been  closed  owing  to 
a  strike.  Our  Toronto  correspondent  tells  of 
the  position,  but  at  the  time  he  wrote  the  pros- 
pects of  a  favourable  settlement  were  greater 
than  have  eventuated.  It  appears  that  the  em- 
ployees of  the  hydro-electric  power  companies 
are  also  disaffected.  The  miners  demand  a 
minimum  daily  wage  from  $4*50  to  $5'00  ac- 
cording to  the  nature  of  the  work  done,  with  a 
bonus  of  25  cents  on  80  cent  silver,  and  a 
similar  increase  for  each  additional  10  cents 
per  oz.  A  44  hour  week  is  demanded,  board 
at  Sl'OO  per  day, increased  allowances  forover- 
time,  and  other  changes  in  working  conditions. 

In  our  last  issue  we  mentioned  the  proposal 
for  amalgamating  the  Kirkland  Lake  Pro- 
prietary, Tough-Oakes,  Burnside,  and  Sylvan- 
ite  companies,  owning  gold  mining  properties 


at  Kirkland  Lake,  Ontario.  The  financial 
scheme  has  since  been  published, and  has  been 
sanctioned  by  shareholders.  A  new  company 
is  to  be  formed  with  a  capital  of  £\, 000, 000, 
of  which  ^"800,000  will  be  represented  by 
shares  alloted  to  the  several  companies,  while 
200,000  will  be  issued  for  cash  when  required. 
The  amalgamation  also  includes  the  Sudbury 
Syndicate,  Ltd.,  and  Aladdin  Cobalt,  Ltd. 

Mexico. —  A  company  has  been  formed 
called  the  Mexican  Corporation,  Ltd.,  with  a 
capital  of  ;£"  1.000,000,  for  the  purpose  of  ac- 
quiring mines  in  Mexico.  The  directors  are 
Messrs.  F.  W.  Baker,  J.  A.  Agnew,  F.  A. 
Govett,  A.  Stanley  Elmore,  Walter  McDer- 
mott,  Herbert  Guedalla,  and  Lord  Brabourne. 
The  company  belongs  to  the  Camp  Bird-Santa 
Gertrudis  group. 

Russia. — The  political  position  in  Russia 
is  difficult  to  understand.  The  Bolsheviks  ap- 
pear to  be  strong  on  the  Archangel  front  and 
in  the  Urals,  while  the  better  element  in  South 
Russia  is  winning  its  way  northward.  In  Si- 
beria the  position  continues  fairly  hopeful. 
Mr.  T.J.Jones,  engineer  to  the  Irtysh  Corpora- 
tion, has  just  arrived  at  Ekibastus  and  reports 
that  affairs  generally  are  satisfactory,  opera- 
tions being  self-supporting. 

The  Sissert  company  has  issued  a  short 
statement  describing  the  events  of  the  past 
eighteen  months.  The  Bolsheviks  held  the 
property  from  November,  1917,  to  July,  1918, 
and  communication  was  restored  with  England 
in  December  last.  During  the  first  five  months 
of  1919,  the  output  of  the  single  blast-furnace 
was  3,200  tons  of  pig  iron,  and  during  the  same 
time  3,500  tons  of  steel  ingots  were  produced, 
which  were  used  in  the  manufacture  of  wire 
and  sheet  iron.  A  second  blast-furnace  was 
started  on  June  1.  The  production  of  copper 
was  greatly  restricted  owing  to  the  lack  of  coke, 
and  only  the  reverberatory  furnace  was  used, 
the  output  of  which  was  110  tons.  The  an- 
thracite mines  at  Egorshino  have  been  un- 
watered  and  production  has  been  resumed. 
The  bituminous  coal  mines  at  Minusinsk  have 
been  producing  since  January.  As  regards  the 
Degtiarsky  copper  deposit,  in  which  3^  million 
tons  of  pyritic  ore,  carrying  2'77%  copper,  had 
been  proved  before  the  war,  it  has  been  de- 
cided to  treat  this  ore  in  Ramen  furnaces,  mak- 
ing sulphuric  acid  first,  then  leaching  for  cop- 
per, and  finally  briquetting  the  remaining  oxide 
of  iron.  It  was  originally  intended  to  adopt 
pyritic  smelting  for  the  treatment  of  this  ore, 
but  the  high  quality  of  the  iron  oxide  obtained, 
practically  free  from  phosphorus,  has  made  the 
alteration  of  policy  advantageous. 


THE    MINERALS    OF    ANATOLIA 


By   NORMAN    M.   PENZER,  B.A.,  F.G.S. 

The  author  gives  particulars  of  the  mineral  deposits  of  part  of  Asiatic  Turkey,  about  which 
little  is  known  in  this  country,  though  the  Germans  compiled  records  some  years  ago. 


Introduction. — Now  that  peace  is  signed 
with  Germany  the  question  of  the  proper  ad- 
ministration of  the  former  Turkish  Empire  be- 
comes of  prime  importance.  The  vast  econo- 
mic potentialities  are  but  little  realized  in  this 
country  by  the  ordinary  well  educated  man, 
and  even  the  great  leaders  of  industry  are 
largely  in  the  dark.  The  object  of  this  article 
is  to  draw  the  attention  of  the  nation  to  the 
valuable  mineral  deposits  of  a  very  large  area 
and  more  particularly  of  Anatolia. 

By  the  term  Anatolia  the  writer  means  to 
denote  not  the  whole  of  Asia  Minor,  known  by 
the  Turkish  name  "  Anadolu,"  but  only  that 
portion  lying  west  of  longitude  37°  E.,  that  is 
to  say  west  of  a  line  starting  in  the  south  about 
40  miles  east  of  Alexandretta, skirting  the  east- 
ern boundary  of  Adana,  and  running  through 
the  centre  of  the  town  of  Sivas  to  a  point  on 
the  coast  about  80  miles  east  of  Samsun.  Thus 
it  will  be  seen  that  the  silver-lead  mines  of 
Bulgar-Maden  in  the  Vilayet  of  Adana  and  the 
copper  mines  of  Sivas  will  be  included  in  our 
survey,  while  the  famous  copper  mines  of 
Arghana  Maden  in  Diarbekir  will  be  excluded. 

In  reading  the  following  account  of  the  min- 
ing in  Anatolia,  it  should  be  remembered  that 
the  Turkish  Empire  is  divided  up  into  provin- 
ces called  vilayets,  which  are  administrated  by 
a  Governor-General  called  a  Yali.  These 
vilayets  vary  in  size  from  about  12,000  square 
miles  to  over  39,000.  Each  is  divided  up  into 
Livas,  Sanjaks,  or  Mutessarifliks.  These  are 
all  governed  by  a  Lieutenant- Governor, locally 
called  a  Mutessarif.  These,  again,  are  divided 
into  Kazas  governed  by  a  Sub- Governor  or 
Kaimmakam,  and  finally  the  Kaza  is  divided 
into  Nahiyes,  which  are  administered  by  a 
Mudir.  The  Vali  represents  the  Government 
in  practically  all  matters,  and  the  Mutessarif 
sends  his  reports  to  headquarters  through  the 
Vali  except  in  such  cases  when  the  Sanjak  has 
become  an  independent  State,  and  then  the 
Mutessarif  communicates  direct.  The  num- 
ber of  these  independent  Sanjaks  has  lately 
been  on  the  increase  owing  to  political  reasons 
which  do  not  concern  us  here. 

The  vilayets  with  which  we  are  concerned 
in  the  following  article  are  as  follows  :  Brusa, 
Aidin,  Konia,  Angora,  Castamuni,  Adana,  Tre- 
bizonde  (in  part),  Sivas  (in  part).  The  San- 
jaks (independent)  are  Bigha  and  Ismid. 


The  chief  products  of  the  country  are  wheat, 
cotton,  dried  fruits,  oil,  silk,  mohair,  carpets, 
wine, and  the  numerous  mineral  products  about 
which  we  are  especially  concerned  here. 

Mining  has  been  carried  on  in  Anatolia  from 
time  immemorial,  and  in  the  seventh  century 
B.C.  we  read  of  the  Lydians  issuing  the  first 
coins  of  the  world,  composed  of  a  mixture  of 
gold  and  silver  known  as  "  Electron,"  which 
they  mined  from  the  so-called  "  Anatolian  gold- 
field."  Some  of  the  famous  meerschaum  mines 
are  said  to  be  over  2,000  years  old,  and  were 
worked  by  the  early  Greeks,  but  to  what  use 
they  put  the  meerschaum,  whether  for  pottery, 
personal  adornment,  carving,  or  modelling,  is 
quite  unknown.  Although  mining  in  Anatolia 
began  at  perhaps  2,500  years  ago,  yet  to  day 
the  mining  resources  are  little  known  and  have 
been  very  incompletely  studied,  while  much 
land   is  still   absolutely   unexplored. 

Although  there  is  no  doubt  that  Anatolia  is 
very  wealthy  in  minerals,  we  should  not  be 
misled  by  descriptions  n  which  we  read  of 
Asia  Minor  being  practically  inexhaustible  as 
regards  mineral  wealth.  At  present  it  seems 
unlikely  that  the  production  could  ever  com- 
pete with  that  of  Caucasia  and  Southern  Rus- 
sia, but  until  a  far  more  detailed  survey  has 
been  made,  it  is  impossible  to  say  anything  for 
certain  one  way  or  the  other. 

The  chief  reason  why  the  minerals  of  Ana 
tolia  have  been  so  little  developed  is  lack  of 
communications.  The  Turkish  Government 
builds  (sometimes)  but  never  repairs,  and  a 
road  suitable  for  fairly  heavy  cart  traffic  one 
year,  by  the  next  will  be  covered  with  grass. 
In  consequence  transport  from  most  of  the 
mines  is  limited  to  camels  and  mules,  and  the 
latter  always  prefer  the  ancient  rugged  hill 
tracks  which  have  been  used  for  over  2,000 
years.  A  glance  at  the  map  will  show  how  far 
from  the  railways  many  of  the  mining  centres 
are,  and  also  how  deposits  in  certain  areas  have 
been  unworked  entirely  owing  to  lack  of  com- 
munications. 

The  mining  industry  of  Anatolia  has  had 
little  encouragement  from  theTurkish Govern- 
ment. They  seem  to  look  upon  it  as  a  means 
for  obtaining  a  profit  on  the  sale  of  conces- 
sions. There  was  no  difficulty  in  obtaining  a 
"  permis  de  recherche,"  but  when  it  came  to 
serious  development,  obstacles  of  every  kind 


76 


AUGUST,     1919 


77 


were  put  in  the  concessionaire's  path.  The 
result  was  that  concessions  were  obtained  not 
with  a  view  of  working  the  mines  but  of  pass- 
ing them  on  at  a  higher  price,  or  holding  them 
for  some  favourable  development,  such  as  the 
death  of  the  Sultan,  or  a  sudden  rush  for  con- 
cessions such  as  has  only  recently  occurred. 

There  is  another  reason  for  the  lack  of  min- 
ing operations,  and  that  is  the  scarcity  of  fuel 
for  use  in  the  smelting  works.  Coal  is  hardly 
used  at  all,  again  owing  to  lack  of  communica- 
tion, as  it  has  to  be  brought  from  great  dis- 
tances, and  so  wood  is  used,  but  this  is  also 
very  scarce.  As  all  the  wood  is  usually  wan- 
ted for  smelting  purposes,  mining  is  usually 
carried  on  without  timbers  at  all,  and  so,  as 
soon  as  the  walls  of  the  mines  fall  in,  the  mine 
is  immediately  abandoned.  Pumps  are  practi- 
cally unknown,  and  when  floods  occur  the 
mines  have  again  to  be  abandoned.  Thus 
around  Eskishehr,  hundreds  of  deserted  meer- 
schaum mines  are  found  which  could  easily  be 
made  workable  again  with  a  pump  and  a  few 
strong  timbers. 

Finally  there  is  the  question  of  man  power. 
The  average  Turk  hates  working  underground, 
and  as  soon  as  he  has  made  enough  money  to 


keep  himself  for  a  time  he  stops  working. 
Native  capital  has  not  played  its  part  in  the 
developments  of  the  minerals  of  Anatolia,  and 
it  is  Europe  that  has  chiefly  exploited  the 
mines  in  the  past,  although  owing  to  lack  of 
communications  most  of  the  exploitationshave 
been  confined  to  mines  near  the  sea  or  the 
main  railways.  The  Germans  for  a  long  tirfie 
have  had  their  eyes  on  these  mines,  and  after 
the  War  started  a  remarkable  rush  for  conces- 
sions has  been  noticed.  The  Turks  began  to 
copy  the  Germans,  and,  whereas  in  1915  only 
eighteen  applications  were  made,  in  the  last 
few  months  of  1917  no  less  than  ninety  con- 
cessions were  demanded  in  the  vilayet  of  Aidm 
alone.  The  Turks,  however,  still  buy  conces- 
sions as  a  gamble,  and  in  Brusa  have  found 
ready  buyers  in  the  Germans  who  know  well 
what  they  are  doing. 

German  and  Austrian  engineers  have  mi- 
nutely surveyed  the  vilayet  of  Brusa,  and  de- 
clare it  to  be  rich  from  a  mining  point  of  view. 
So  great  interest  indeed  have  the  Germans 
taken  in  this  district  that  in  1917,  according  to 
the  DentscJie  Levande  Zeitung,  a  society  was 
formed  at  Munich  for  the  express  purpose  of 
studying  in  detail  the  minerals  of  Asia  Minor 


78 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


with  a  view  to  future  German  activities. 

The  only  place  where  up-to-date  methods  of 
mining  are  employed  is  in  the  marble  quarries 
on  the  Marmora,  where  electricity  has  been  in 
use  since  1912.  There  is  naturally  great  scope 
in  the  Turkish  mines  for  electric  plant,  steam 
turbines,  turbo-electric  generators,  turbo  air- 
compressors,  etc.  Competition  in  supplying 
these  fittings  is  bound  to  come  in  time,  but  if 
all  the  mining  concessions  are  allowed  to  fall 
into  German,  Austrian,  and  Turkish  hands,  not 
only  will  a  large  revenue  derived  from  the 
minerals  be  lost  to  the  British,  but  the  supply- 
ing of  the  mines  with  machinery  will  also  be 
lost,  and  all  the  plant  will  bear  the  label  "  Made 
in  Germany  ". 

In  view  of  the  fact  that  at  present  the  Brit- 
ish Government  is  opposed  to  the  raising  of 
funds  in  this  country  for  the  development  of 
areas  outside  the  British  Empire,  every  en- 
deavour should  be  made  to  raise  as  large  a  part 
of  the  requisite  capital  as  possible  from  Tur- 
key, although  the  management  should  remain 
in  British  hands.  Such  a  policy  would  have 
the  additional  advantage  of  conciliating  the 
well-to-do  Turk,  who  naturally  might  resent 
the  apparent  exploitation  of  his  native  land  by 
a  foreign  nation,  while  he  would  appreciate  the 
technical  skill  and  commercial  ability  and  in- 
tegrity of  a  British  board  of  directors. 

No  special  order  of  minerals  will  be  adopted 
in  the  description  following,  except  that  the 
newly  discovered  and  most  unimportant  will 
be  dealt  with  last.  In  some  cases  two  or  more 
minerals  will  be  taken  together  as  they  occur 
in  close  association. 

The  list  of  minerals  is  as  follows  :  Gold  and 
Silver,  Lead,  Zinc,  Meerschaum,  Manganese, 
Antimony,  Mercury,  Coal,  Lignite,  Emery, 
Borax,  Chromium,  Iron,  Copper,  Rock-Salt 
and  Saltpetre.  Lithographic  Stone  and  Marble, 
Kaolin  and  Fuller's  Earth,  Cement  and  Lime, 
Sulphur,  Nickel,  Arsenic, Bitumen,  Petroleum, 
Opals. 

Gold. — Anatolia  can  hardly  be  recognized 
as  a  gold-producing  country,  although  accord- 
ing to  records  of  ancient  writers  and  recent  ex- 
cavations it  was  at  one  time  famous  for  its 
goldfields. 

The  goldfields  were  two  in  number,  that  of 
Anatolia,  and  that  of  the  Pontic  area.  The 
former  of  these  comes  within  the  scope  of  this 
article,  and  a  short  account  of  it  chiefly  for  his- 
toric purposes  is  of  interest. 

The  Anatolian  goldfield  stretches  in  semi- 
circular form  from  the  Dardanelles  to  a  point 
about  40  miles  below  Smyrna  and  just  oppo- 
site the  island  of  Samos.     The  gold-bearing 


river  of  the  district  is  the  classical  Hermos 
with  its  equally  historical  affluent  the  Pactolus, 
from  which  the  wealth  of  the  Lydian  kings  was 
said  to  be  derived  and  which  is  described  by 
Virgil,  Juvenal, Seneca,  etc.  In  Strabo's  time, 
at  the  beginning  of  the  Christian  era,  the  pro- 
duction had  considerably  decreased,  and  a  wri- 
ter contemporary  with  Nero  refers  to  itas being 
"formerly"  auriferous, and  suggests  the  prim- 
ary derivation  of  nuggets  from  Mount  Tmolus 
(the  modern  Boz  Dagh)  where  the  Pactolus 
rises.  To-day  the  peasants  make  a  scanty 
livelihood  by  washing  the  gravels,  and  it  seems 
possible  that  the  main  riches  of  the  district 
were  exhausted  fifteen  centuries  ago. 

Lodes  are  also  found  in  this  neighbourhood. 
The  largest  was  of  low-grade  arsenical  quartz 
15  ft.  wide,  but  the  majority  are  far  smaller  and 
usually  con  tain  a  higher  percentage  of  gold.  The 
gold  content  varies  from  a  mere  trace  to  about 
3h  oz.  Deep  workings  have  been  found  on 
MountTmolus  and  Mount  Sipylus  (the  modern 
Manissa  Dagh)  whence  Croesus  is  supposed  to 
have  derived  his  wealth.  From  the  writings 
of  Thomae  an  average  sample  of  a  h  ton  lot  of 
the  ore  of  this  district  was  made  up  as  follows  : 
gold  13  dwt.  per  ton,  silver  5  oz.  13  dwt.  per 
ton,  lead  7'6%,  copper  2'2%,  zinc  2'7%. 

Among  the  ancient  workings  which  have  been 
discovered  near  the  Dardanelles  may  be  men- 
tioned Serdjiller,  which  place  corresponds  fairly 
closely  to  the  ancient  Astyra.  The  country  of 
the  workings  is  mica  schist,  overlain  and  in- 
truded by  Lower  Tertiary  igneous  rocks  which 
have  been  described  by  various  writers  as 
trachyte,  liparite,  andesite,  and  basalt.  Thus 
it  has  been  suggested  that  there  is  probably 
some  analogy, and,  indeed  possibly  genetic  con- 
nection, between  this  auriferous  area  and  those 
of  Transylvania  and  of  Eastern  Serbia.  The 
quartz  veinlets  in  the  volcanic  rocks  carry 
argentiferous  galena,  blende,  pyrite,  chalco- 
pyrite,  stibnite,  and  a  little  free  gold.  The  gold 
content  is,  however,  very  low.  Concessions 
of  the  Serdjiller  deposits  are  in  the  hands  of  a 
company  controlled  by  John  Taylor  &  Sons. 

Silver-Lead-Zinc. — The  chief  mines  in 
Anatolia  producing  silver-lead  and  zinc  are 
those  of  Balia-  Karaidin  in  Brusa,  and  Bulgar- 
Maden  in  Konia.  The  mines  of  Balia- Karai- 
din date  from  very  ancient  times,  and  the  old 
mines  of  Gumush,  Koda,  and  Karaidin  for  a 
long  time  belonged  to  the  Greek  Company  of 
Laurium  at  Athens.  In  1892  the"Company  of 
the  Mines  of  Balia- Karaidin  "  was  formed  at 
Constantinople  with  a  capital  of  6,600,000 
francs.  In  1901  there  were  about  1,600  men 
employed  who  produced  7,000  tons  of  argenti- 


AUGUST,    1919 


79 


f  erous  galena  containing  70 %of  lead  and  0'  1 25% 
of  silver,  3,000  tons  of  blende  containing  40% 
of  zinc,  some  hundreds  of  tons  of  calamine, 
and  a  little  pyrites.  In  1910  the  output  was 
12,000  tons  of  lead  and  3,000  tons  to  4,000 
tons  of  blende.  In  1913  the  output  amounted 
to  13,076  tons  of  lead  and  5,000  tons  of  zinc 
ore  containing  42%  of  zinc.  After  the  war  com- 
menced the  mines  were  shut  down,  but  were 
recently  reopened,  and  a  contract  was  placed 
by  the  Turkish  Government  for  1,000  tons  of 
pig  lead.  The  mines  are  furnished  with  up- 
to-date  smelting  and  refining  plant,  so  that  a 
good  quality  lead  is  produced.  In  all  prob- 
ability the  1,000  tons  was  used  for  shrapnel 
and  rifle  bullets  in  Constantinople. 

The  Bulgar-Maden  mines,  situated  a  few 
miles  south  of  the  Konia-Adana  line  in  the 
vilayet  of  Konia,  have  been  worked  by  the 
peasants  for  nearly  eighty  years;  they  sell  to 
the  Turkish  Government  at  a  fixed  price. 
Owing  to  lack  of  initiative  by  the  Government, 
little  has  been  done,  although  the  conditions  are 
most  favourable  for  cheap  work.  The  deposits 
are  the  result  of  contact  action  of  micro- granu- 
lites  which  have  been  intruded  into  the  Paleo- 
zoic limestones.  Two  separate  zoneshavebeen 
noticed  extending  all  along  the  metalliferous 
formation  from  Bulgar-Maden  to  KizilTepeh. 
The  ore  is  taken  to  the  village  on  mules,  and 
smelted  with  the  aid  of  charcoal.  The  smelt- 
ing appears  to  be  unsatisfactory,  as  the  metal 
content  of  the  slag  is  high.  The  work  is  only 
carried  on  in  the  warmer  months,  as  in  the 
winter  the  workings  are  snowed  up.  The 
annual  yield  is  about  3,205  kilogrammes  of 
silver,  7,000  grammes  gold,  and  400  tons  lead. 
In  1892  the  ore  extraction  was  20,000  tonscon- 
taining  20%  of  lead  and  6,500  kilogrammes  of 
silver,  and  going  30  to  40  grammes  of  gold  to  a 
ton  of  lead.  These  figures  increased  just  pre- 
vious to  the  war  and  the  mines  yielded  ore  con- 
taining 75%  of  lead  and  from  1|  to  3£%  of 
silver.  In  Konia  there  are  also  silver-lead  de- 
posits at  Karahissar  and  Bulgar  Dagh,  the 
latter  of  which  is  worked  by  the  Government. 
They  yield  ore  averaging  75%  of  lead  and 
1*5  to  3'5%  of  silver.  At  the  outbreak  of  the 
war  a  lead  mine  was  about  to  be  worked  near 
the  Dardanelles  at  a  point  south-west  of  Lap- 
saki,  quite  close  to  Bergaz,  but  as  far  as  is 
known  no  operations  have  been  commenced. 

In  the  vilayet  of  Aidin  silver-lead  mines  oc- 
cur near  Balia,  which  from  1911  to  1913 
yielded  an  average  of  14,000  tons  of  lead.  Zinc 
is  found  at  Kirasaliyaila  and  Bergama,  where 
the  deposits  contain  from  20  to  50%  of  zinc. 
In  Angora,  silver-bearing  lead  ore  is  found  at 


Ak-Dagh- Maden,  Denek-Maden,  and  Elma- 
Dagh  ;  all  these  mines  are  State-controlled, 
but  the  last  named  was  abandoned  many  years 
ago.  In  Castamouni  the  argentiferous  lead 
mine  at  Kurre  has  been  abandoned  owing  to 
insufficient  means  of  transport  and  communi- 
cation. In  Adana,  besides  the  silver -lead 
mines  of  Bulgar-Maden  already  noticed,  are 
those  at  Karalar  and  Hadjin,  while  silver,  lead, 
and  zinc  occur  at  Iotape,  and  zinc  alone  at 
Anamur.  There  are  probably  other  deposits 
in  the  northern  part  of  the  vilayet,  but  owing 
to  lack  of  communications  and  transport  no 
exploitation  has  been  carried  on.  Since  the 
war  reports  have  been  received  of  two  lead 
mines  (probably  argentiferous)  twenty- four 
miles  northeast  of  Bulgar-Maden.  One  is 
at  Delik  Tash,  15  miles  due  east  of  Bereketli 
Maden,  and  the  other  nine  miles  north-west 
of  Delik  Tash.     No  figures  are  yet  to  hand. 

It  is  reported  that  in  1916  the  Germans  ob- 
tained 70  concessions  for  the  working  of  silver- 
lead  mines  in  Asia  Minor,  probably  in  Brusa 
and  Aidin. 

The  silver-lead  mines  of  Kebah  Maden  do 
not  come  within  the  area  under  discussion. 

Meerschaum. — As  was  stated  in  the  intro- 
duction, the  mining  of  meerschaum  dates  back 
to  the  days  of  the  ancient  Greeks,  although  it 
is  unknown  to  what  use  the  meerschaum  was 
put.     Apparently  no  special  use  was  made  of 
it  until  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury, when   it   was  carved   into   pipe  bowls. 
The  story  of  the  discovery  of  the  virtueof  meer- 
schaum  for   pipe-making  is  as   follows :     In 
Budapest  there  lived  a  shoemaker,  Karol  Ko- 
vacs,  who  made  as  much  money  by  carving 
wooden  pipes  as  he  earned  by  his  regular  trade. 
One  of  his  wealthy  pipe  patrons  was   Count 
Andrassy,  who,  when  travelling  in  Asia  Minor 
in  1723,  was  presented  with  a  lump  of  meer- 
schaum, which  he  gave  on  his  return  to  Kovacs 
with  orders  to  make  a  pipe  as  an  experiment. 
Two  pipes  were  carved  from   the   lump,  but 
while  working  on  one  of  them  it  slipped  from 
his  hand  on  to  a  disc  of  wax  used  in  his  shoe- 
making    trade,  leaving  a  stain  on   the  pipe. 
Kovacs  kept  this  pipe   for  himself,  and  was 
surprised  to  notice  that,  as  he  smoked,  the  wax- 
stain  turned  a  clear  brown,  and  the  taste  got 
sweeter,  so  he  waxed  and  polished  the  bowl 
all  over,  which  in  time  assumed  a  dark  brown 
colour  evenly  distributed  over  the  pipe.     The 
original  pipe  is  still  preserved  in  the  Budapest 
Museum.     This  hydrated  silicate  of  magne- 
sium  became  known  in  Germany  as  meer- 
schaum, in  France  as  ecume  de  mer,  in  Italy 
as  schiuma  del  mare,  and  in  England  as  sea- 


80 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


foam,  although  to-day  we  always  use  the  Ger- 
man word.  Meerschaum  presents  a  globular 
appearance  and  seems  to  bulge  out  in  circular 
form  at  different  places,  and  thus  arose  the 
name  likening  it  to  the  scum  of  the  sea.  The 
first  account  of  meerschaum  the  author  could 
find  in  English  was  in  Tilloch's  Philosophical 
Magazine  for  1799  (vol.  3,  p.  165)  where  it  is 
referred  to  merely  as  "sea  froth." 

Although  the  chief  source  of  the  world's  sup- 
ply is  Asia  Minor,  it  has  also  been  found  in 
Moravia,  Bosnia,  Samos,  Greece,  Utah,  Spain, 
andNewMexico.  Both  the  quantityandqual- 
ity  are,  however,  much  inferior  to  that  found  in 
Asia  Minor.  A  hydrous  silicate  of  alumina 
was  found  near  the  Richmond  river  in  New 
South  Wales,  with  similar  characteristics  to 
meerschaum,  but  apparently  no  use  was  made 
of  it.  The  soft  white  earthy  mineral  from 
Langbanshyttan,  in  Yermland, Sweden, known 
as  aphrodite,  is  also  closely  related  to  meer- 
schaum. 

The  centre  of  the  industry  in  Asia  Minor  is 
Eskishehr,  the  ancient  Dorylaum,  situated  in 
the  eastern  portion  of  the  vilayet  of  Brusa  at 
the  junction  of  the  Angora  and  Konia  lines. 
The  town  lies  on  the  river  Pursak  in  iat.  39 
47'  N.  and  long.  30°  25',  is  situated  on  a  plat- 
eau at  a  height  of  about  2,500  ft.,  and  has  a 
population  of  over  30,000.  Around  the  town 
is  a  higher  plateau  forming  a  flat  trough,  which 
is  surrounded  on  the  north,  south,  and  west  by 
mountains,  while  to  the  east  is  a  flat  plain  in- 
terrupted here  and  there  by  hills  which  give 
an  irregular  character  to  the  plain.  At  the 
foot  of  the  mountains  are  the  meerschaum  de- 
posits, which  are  alluvial  and  probably  lacus- 
trine ;  most  of  them  are  about  20  miles  from 
Eskishehr. 

The  chief  mines  on  the  eastern  slopes  of  the 
Boz  Dagh  are  as  follow  :  Sepek,  Marga,  Jeni- 
Damar,  Eski-Damar,  Kiil-Odschak,  Giinduz- 
ler,  Kemikli  Maden,  Yaka  Kaya,  Jarmalar; 
and  those  farther  south:  Kara-Euyak,  Sari- 
Odschak.  There,  are  other  mining  centres, 
but  as  the  locality  of  the  operations  changes 
according  to  the  productivity  it  is  impossible 
to  give  full  details. 

Sari-Odschakcanbetakenasa  typical  meers- 
chaum mining  village.  It  consists  of  about  150 
houses  which  are  solelyoccupied  by  men.  The 
miners  are  of  varied  races, Turks,  Kurds, Tar- 
tars, Persians,  Greeks,  Armenians,  &c.,not  to 
mention  stray  criminalsanddeserters.  The  men 
work  either  on  their  own  account  or  for  a  con- 
tractor. A  permit  to  dig  anywhere  can  be  ob- 
tained for  five  Turkish  lire.  Wages  are  low  (li 
lire  a  month)  and  added  to  this  is  the  fact  that 


the  Government  has  taken  no  steps  to  fight 
the  malaria  which  is  a  truly  endemic  plague. 
Heaps  of  loamy  earth  and  clay  lie  in  all  direc- 
tions marking  the  spots  where  mines,  in  many 
cases,  are  deserted.  Each  mine  is  about  60  to 
100  ft.  deep,  while  the  entrance  is  roughly  3  ft. 
square.  The  miner  works  his  way  through 
the  clayey  upper  stratum  until  he  reaches  the 
meerschaum  deposit  among  the  serpentine. 
His  only  tools  are  an  axe  and  a  shovel,  and  he 
works  by  the  light  of  a  petroleum  lamp.  He 
descends  the  mine  by  means  of  his  feet  and 
elbows,  and  if  the  mine  is  deep  he  is  lowered 
by  a  wooden  hand  winch,  which  is  also  used 
to  bring  up  the  meerschaum  in  baskets.  He 
then  makes  horizontal  galleries,  which  as  often 
as  not  have  no  supports  whatever  ;  sometimes 
the  roof  or  sides  fall  in,  and  the  men  are  em- 
bedded in  the  mine.  There  are  practically  no 
pumps,  so  that  an  inrush  of  water  means  the 
desertion  of  the  mine  and  often  the  death  of 
the  miners. 

The  meerschaum  itself  is  found  in  lumps 
varying  in  size  from  an  egg  to  a  football. 
These  are  surrounded  by  a  layer  of  wet  earth, 
which  when  removed  display  a  rough  surface. 
The  blocks  are  white  in  colour,  but  sometimes 
have  a  faint  red,  yellow,  or  grey  tint,  which 
usually  disappears  on  drying.  They  have  a 
fairly  smooth  conchoidal  fracture,  and  are 
opaque,  dull,  and  soft,  being  softer  than  cal- 
cite  but  harder  than  gypsum.  The  mineral  ab- 
sorbs water  and  can  be  formed  into  a  paste. 

The  miner  sells  the  meerschaum  in  sacks 
to  the  Isnaf,  or  small  trader,  at  about  200  pias- 
tres a  sack.  The  Isnaf  then  takes  his  goods 
to  Eskishehr  by  ox-cart,  where  he  either  sells 
them  to  the  Tydschar  (wholesale  man)  or  to 
the  meerschaum  depots  which  for  the  most 
part  belong  to  Viennese  firms.  No  raw  meer- 
schaum is  allowed  to  be  exported,  and  so  in 
all  cases  the  preliminary  preparation  is  carried 
out  at  Eskishehr.  This  consists  of  removing 
the  outer  earthy  layer,  cutting  out  all  bad 
patches,  and  rounding  off  the  surfaces.  This 
has  to  be  done  while  the  material  is  moist,  and 
in  all  deposits  there  are  moist  cellars  for  stor- 
ing the  meerschaum  as  soon  as  it  arrives  from 
the  mines.  The  next  process  is  the  drying, 
which  in  summer  is  done  in  the  open  air,  and 
in  winter  in  special  drying  chambers.  This 
lasts  a  week,  as  the  drying  has  to  be  done 
slowly  to  prevent  cracking.  During  the  drying 
the  meerschaum  loses  about  two  thirds  of  its 
weight,  and  becomes  harder  and  acquires  a 
snowy  white  colour.  If,  however,  a  piece  is 
yellowish  or  reddish  throughout  it  can  never 
turn  pure  white.     No  smoke  is  allowed  to  enter 


AUGUST,    1919 


--D     A      G  O   O  >        ,\ 


Map   of  the   Meerschaum-Mining   District. 


the  chambers,  as  in  this  way  the  pieces  would 
get  coloured.  The  final  touches  are  then  given 
to  the  meerschaum.  It  is  smoothed  by  means 
of  horsetail  grass  and  polished  with  a  flannel 
dipped  in  warm  water  and  waxed.  The  meer- 
schaum is  then  packed  for  transport. 

There  are  thirteen  recognized  qualities, 
which  are  assorted  into  four  principal  sizes, 
and  four  minor  sizes.  They  vary  according 
as  to  how  many  pieces  go  to  a  box,  the  boxes 
being  either  of  6f  by  13  J  by  28  inches  or  7i 
by  14f  by  32  inches.  The  former  size  is  used 
for  lumps  of  the  three  largest  sizes  only. 
The  box  is  built  round  the  meerschaum,  each 
piece  of  which  is  wrapped  in  cotton,  and  if  one 
piece  is  removed  it  will  be  impossible  to  put 
it  back. 

Before  the  Anatolian  railway  was  built  trans- 
port was  by  camel  and  mule  to  the  sea  of  Mar- 
mora at  Ismid,  whence  the  boxes  were  shipped 
to  Constantinople.  To-day  transport  is  effect- 
ed on  the  Anatolian  railway  to  Constantinople. 
From  here  the  meerschaum  goes  to  Vienna 
via  Trieste,  where  it  is  carved  into  elaborate 
pipes,  mouth-pieces,  &c,  and  sent  to  Berlin, 
Paris,  Brussels,  London,  New  York,  &c.  The 
export  of  meerschaum  is  on  the  decline,  owing 
on  the  one  hand  to  lack  of  enterprise  and  gen- 
eral slackness  of  the  Turkish  Government,  and 
on  the  other  hand  to  the  introduction  of  the 
briar  pipe  into  France  in  1855. 
2—4 


The  following  figures  show  the  number  of 
boxes  exported  over  a  number  of  years.  The 
1914  figure  is  only  approximate,  and  probably 
rather  too  high:  1855,  3,000;  1865,  8,000; 
1869,  11,500;  1892,  5,700;  1904,  3,000; 
1914,2,000. 

The  centreof  the  carving  industry  in  Germany 
is  Ruhla  in  the  Thuringian  Forest,  where  the 
factories  were  first  founded  in  1767.  In  1911 
about  1, 200, OOOgenuineandnon-genuine  (made 
of  compressed  meerschaum  waste)  pipe-heads 
and  cigar-holders  were  manufactured.  This 
output  isabout  one-tenthof  what  itwasin  1865- 
6.  In  1911  the  annual  export  of  pipes  and 
holders  was  estimated  at  ,£"35,000.  There  are 
also  manufacturing  centres  at  Lemgo  and 
Nuremburg. 

As  a  material  for  pipe  manufacture  meer- 
schaum is  all  but  ended,  although  with  a  little 
more  enterprise  a  far  greater  supply  of  the  raw 
product  could  be  obtained.  The  pits,  deserted 
on  account  of  there  being  no  timbers  or  pumps, 
cculd  be  made  to  work  again,  yet,  unless  some 
new  use  is  found  for  meerschaum  there  is  prob- 
ably sufficient  in  the  present  state  of  affairs  to 
meet  demands.  Whether  meerschaum  could 
be  advantageously  used  for  whitening  clothes, 
as  a  dentifrice,  or  in  the  manufacture  of  some 
electrical  article,  remains  for  chemists  and 
scientists  to  discover. 

(To  be  continued). 


MODERN   ROCK-DRILL   PRACTICE. 


By   DAVID   PENMAN,   B  So.  M.Inst.M.E. 

(Concluded  from  July  issue,  page  28. ) 


Rotation  of  Drill  Steel. — In  percus- 
sive drilling  it  is  imperative  that  the  drill  steel 
be  turned  through  a  small  angle  between  suc- 
cessive blows,  otherwise  the  bit  will  soon  be- 
gin to  stick  fast  in  the  hole  and  further  progress 
become  impossible.  In  hand  drilling  the 
proper  rotation  of  the  steel  is  a  simple  matter 
in  the  hands  of  a  skilled  driller,  but  with  the 
large  and  clumsy  forms  of  power  drills  first 
introduced  the  turning  of  the  hit  was  quite  a 
different  proposition.  Two  methods  of  over- 
coming the  difficulty  presented  themselves. 
Either  the  front  head,  drill  steel  included, 
had  to  be  rotated,  or  only  the  piston  to  which 
the  drill  steel  was  attached  was  revolved,  the 
rest  of  the  machine  remaining  in  a  fixed  posi- 
tion. With  large  reciprocating  drills  the  first 
method  was  out  of  the  question,  although  it 
has  been  applied  successfully  in  light  modern 
stoping  drills  of  the  hammer  type,  in  which,  as 
will  shortly  be  explained,  the  drill  cylinder  and 
the  chisel  are  rotated  by  hand.  The  second 
method  was  so  obviously  the  only  feasible  one 
that  development  along  the  lines  of  automatic 
rotation  of  the  piston  was  rapid.  Finally,  in 
1866,  Darlington  and  Jordan  invented  the  rifle 
bar  and  ratchet  mechanism  which  was  des- 
tined to  prove  one  of  the  most  noteworthy  ad- 
vances in  the  whole  history  of  rock-drills. 
The  device  has  since  been  modified  and  im- 
proved by  many  inventors  and  manufacturers, 
and  to-day  forms  an  integral  part  of  almost 
every  automatically  rotated  drill  on  the  market. 

In  machine  drills  the  rifle  bar  and  ratchet 
has  been  employed  to  produce  two  somewhat 
different  results.  In  one  method  there  is  no 
possibility  of  the  piston  missing  rotation  when 
it  ought  to  rotate  unless  breakage  of  some  of 
the  parts  takes  place.  This  is  called  "  non- 
slip  "  rotation.  In  the  other  system  the 
ratchet  wheel  is  held  by  friction,  and  should 
the  drill  steel  become  excessively  difficult  to 
turn  through  sticking  or  friction  in  the  bore- 
hole, the  rotation  system  slips  and  the  chisel 
is  not  rotated  during  that  stroke.  This  is 
termed  "slip"  rotation.  Until  a  few  years  ago 
non-slip  rotation  was  employed  extensively, 
but  in  modern  reciprocating  drills,  owing  to 
the  obvious  risk  of  twisting  of  the  rifle  bar  and 
breakage  of  parts,  it  has  given  place  to  the 
modification  which  allows  slipping  on  exces- 
sive friction.     Practically  all  modern  standard 


drills  employ  slip  rotation.  Rotation  of  the 
piston  and  drill  steel  always  takes  place  on  the 
back  stroke,  the  forward  or  hitting  stroke  be- 
ing straight.  In  the  Chicago  Giant  and  Slog- 
ger  drills  and  others  the  ratchet  teeth  are  on 
the  inside  of  the  ring  surrounding  the  pawls, 
while  the  latter,  two  or  three  in  number,  are 
placed  in  the  head  of  the  rifle  bar.  The  Sujli- 
van  and  Siskol  drills,  however,  have  the  ratchet 
teeth  on  the  rifle-bar  head  and  the  pawls  in  re- 
cesses in  the  slip  ring.  It  is  claimed  that  by 
having  the  teeth  outside  the  pawls  the  teeth 
are  stronger,  since  their  bases  fall  on  a  larger 
circle,  and  that  for  a  given  space  they  can  be 
more  numerous,  giving  a  better  rotative  effect. 
A  further  advantage  of  the  teeth  being  in  the 
slip  ring  is  that  it  is  the  least  expensive  part 
to  replace. 

The  commonest  arrangement  for  producing 
rotation  of  the  drill  steel  in  the  hammer  type 
of  drill  is  to  use  the  rifle  bar  and  ratchet  as  in 
the  piston  drill  and  in  addition  to  have  straight 
grooves  in  the  front  of  the  piston  or  hammer 
which  slide  in  similar  straight  grooves  in  the 
drill-holder.  This  arrangement  is  adopted  in 
the  Holman  cradle  hammer-drill,  the  Leyner- 
Ingersoll,  the  Jackhamer,  Cochise,  and  Wiz- 
ard. In  hammer-drills  made  by  the  Climax 
Company,  and  in  the  Flottmann,  Waugh,  and 
Sullivan  Rotator  drills,  however,  the  use  of 
a  separate  rifle  bar  is  dispensed  with  and  the 
rotating  parts  are  confined  to  the  front  end  of 
the  tool. 

A  unique  rotation  device  is  employed  in  the 
Hummer  drill.  A  section  through  the  drill  is 
shown  in  Fig.  14.  In  this  machine  the  ordi- 
nary methods  of  rotation  have  been  superseded 
by  a  method  which  is  independent  of  the 
movements  of  the  piston.  The  air  is  first  ad- 
mitted into  a  small  rotary  motor  M  located  at 
the  back  head  of  the  drill.  The  rotation  of 
this  motor  is  transmitted  through  the  worm 
gearing  W,  the  shaft  S  and  the  spur  gearing 
G,  to  the  drill  shank.  Roller  bearings  are 
employed  to  reduce  the  friction  to  a  minimum. 
The  advantages  claimed  for  this  independent 
form  of  rotation  are  :  (l)  great  smoothness  of 
operation,  (2)  the  free  movement  of  the  pis- 
ton produces  greater  drilling  speed  and  opera- 
tion under  very  low  pressure,  (3)  absence  of 
expensivefluted  pistons,  rifle  bars,  and  ratchet, 
with  lower  cost  of  repairs.     As  against  these 


AUGUST,    1919 


83 





M     W 


Fig.  14.     The  Rotation  Device  of 
the  Hummer  Drill. 


it  must  be  remembered  that  the  necessary 
shafting  and  gearing  is  a  complication  and  a 
possible  source  of  weakness. 

In  the  hammer-drill  specially  designed  for 
stoping  and  having  automatic  air  feed  the  ro- 
tation of  the  drill  steel  is  accomplished  by 
hand.  A  lever  or  handle  is  provided  on  the 
drill  for  the  purpose.  The  handle  is  used  in 
the  manner  of  a  ratchet  brace,  being  swung 
alternately  backwards  and  forwards  as  the 
work  of  drilling  proceeds. 

Support. — Except  in  the  case  of  the 
smaller  sizes  of  the  hammer  type,  rock-drills 
require  to  be  fixed  to  some  form  of  support. 
A  common  arrangement  in  quarrying,  sinking, 
and  in  situations  where  the  general  direction 
of  the  holes  is  downwards  is  to  mount  the 
drill  on  a  tripod.  The  legs  of  the  tripod  are 
heavily  weighted  by  detachable  weights  so  as 
to  resist  the  upward  thrust  on  the  drill.  They 
are  also  separately  adjustable  in  length  and  in 
inclination  so  that  the  tripod  can  easily  ac- 
commodate itself  to  uneven  ground,  and  a 
widerangeofadaptability  isobtained.     Indeed, 


although  probably  best  suited  for  downward 
holes  the  drill  may  be  clamped  to  the  tripod 
for  any  direction  from  downwards  to  vertical. 
The  Lewis  Hole  tripod,  made  by  the  Sullivan 
Company,  in  addition  to  the  regular  features 
of  the  ordinary  tripod,  has  a  planed  and  slot- 
ted front  bar  which  permits  of  a  lateral  move- 
ment of  the  drill.  By  this  addition  parallel 
holes  can  be  drilled  without  resetting  the  tri- 
pod. 

Another  arrangement  which  is  extremely 
convenient  for  many  classes  of  work  is  to 
mount  the  drill  on  a  column  or  bar.  It  con- 
sists of  a  strong  cylindrical  steel  column  with 
a  screw  at  one  end  to  permit  of  adjustment. 
Sometimes  for  the  larger  drills  a  double-screw 
column  is  used.  The  drill  is  carried  in  a 
clamp  or  saddle  mounted  on  the  column,  and 
sometimes  a  double  clamp  with  an  extension 
arm  is  provided.  The  extension  arm  is  par- 
ticularly suitable  for  tunnelling  or  sinking 
operations,  as  it  permits  of  the  drill  being 
mounted  close  to  the  side  walls  for  drilling 
side  or  corner  holes.  The  column  is  made  in 
several  lengths  to  suit  different  heights,  as  the 
jack-screw  of  course  only  allows  a  limited 
adjustment  for  length  to  be  made.  With  a 
column  the  drill  may  be  swung  into  any  de- 
sired direction  or  moved  into  any  position  along 
the  column. 

For  tunnelling  and  quarrying,  drill  carriages 
are  sometimes  used,  while  in  shaft-sinking 
boring  frames  or  platforms  allowing  simul- 
taneous drilling  over  practically  the  whole 
shaft  area  have  been  employed.  In  quarry- 
ing work,  where  it  is  often  impossible  to  fix  a 
screw  column  in  the  ordinary  way,  recourse  is 
often  had  to  the  support  of  the  boring  bar  at 
its  two  extremities  by  means  of  weighted 
cross-legs. 

In  the  automatic  air-feed  drill,  the  telescope 
is  also  made  to  serve  for  the  support  of  the 
drill.  The  tube  ends  in  a  spike  which  is  stuck 
into  a  piece  of  wood  placed  on  the  floor  or 
other  convenient  part  of  the  working.  This 
type  of  machine  is  especially  designed  for 
work  in  the  stopes. 

Dust-Allaying. — Drilling,  if  carried  out 
in  the  dry,  rnust  of  necessity  produce  clouds  of 
dust  more  or  less  fine.  The  operator  of  a  rock- 
drill  would,  therefore,  if  no  effective  means 
were  employed  to  allay  the  dust,  inhale  great 
quantities  of  it  into  his  lungs.  It  has  been 
found  that  some  dusts,  such  as  those  of  coal 
and  shale,  are  not  harmful,  since  after  a  time 
the  dust  begins  to  be  ejected  from  the  lungs. 
This  is  not  so,  however,  with  quartz  and  quartz- 
ite  dusts.     The  finest  portions  of  quartz  dust 


84 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


remain  inthe  lungs  or  only  a  small  proportion  of 
it  is  expelled.  They  thus  block  the  minute 
air  cells  of  the  lungs  and  lacerate  the  finer 
tissues,  causing  silicosis  and  rendering  the 
operator  extremely  susceptible  to  attacks  by 
the  tubercle  bacillus,  so  that  in  bad  cases  death 
from  phthisis  supervenes.  Several  Royal 
Commissions  have  investigated  this  matter  in 
South  Africa  and  elsewhere  in  the  British 
Empire  and  enactments  have  been  made  which 
render  it  obligatory  to  prevent  dust-clouds. 

Numerous  devices  have  been  tried  to  render 
the  dust  harmless,  but  only  two  may  be  said 
to  have  been  completely  successful.  The 
first  consists  in  sending  a  continuous  stream 
of  water  down  the  hollow  steel  of  the  borer, 
and  the  other  in  spraying  the  mouth  of  the 
shot-hole  with  water.  The  first  method  is 
exemplified  in  the  Leyner-Ingersoll  drill,  the 
Holman  water-feed  hammer-drill,  the  Hydro- 
max  hammer-drill  of  the  Climax  Company, 
and  the  Denver  Dreadnaught  drill.       In  these 


oh  the  surface  of  the  water  in  the  cistern. 
Fig.  15  shows  the  Sullivan  Hyspeed  drill  with 
water  attachment. 

In  drills  which  operate  dry  either  with 
solid  borers  or  with  hollow  steel  and  an  air 
flush,  the  water  spray  is  employed  to  allay  the 
dust.  This  is  accomplished  in  a  very  simple 
manner.  Referring  to  Fig.  16,  the  air  enters 
at  (a)  and  passes  through  the  nozzle  (»).  Here 
its  velocity  increases  enormously,  and  the  re- 
sulting injector  effect  sucks  water  at  (w) 
through  a  flexible  hose  from  a  tank  or  pail. 
The  mingled  air  and  water  are  ejected  at  the 
spray  nozzle  (s)  in  the  form  of  a  coarse  spray 
which  is  directed  at  the  mouth  of  the  bore- 
hole. The  spray,  meeting  the  dust-cloud, 
effectively  renders  it  innocuous.  It  is  neces- 
sary that  the  water  be  correctly  atomized. 
This  is  best  done,  as  has  been  conclusively 
proved  by  experiment,  by  means  of  compress- 
ed air.  The  pressure  air,  in  issuing  from  the 
jet,  effectively  separates  the  water  into  drops. 


Fig.  15.    Tin;  Water  Attachment  ok  the  Sullivan  Hyspeed  Drill. 


water  is  forced  through  a  hole  in  the  boring 
tool  right  to  the  face  of  the  bore-hole.  The 
advantages  arising  from  this  method  in  ad- 
dition to  the  effective  laying  of  the  dust  are  : 

(1)  the  water  effectively  clears  away  the  cut- 
tings from  the  bottom  of  the  hole  and  allows 
the  bit  to  strike  fresh  rock  at  every  blow,  and 

(2)  it  cools  the  cutting  edge  and  preserves  it.  In 
the  Leyner  and  Holman  drills  both  air  and 
water  are  used.  The  water  passes  from  the  rear 
of  the  drill  through  a  water-tube  into  the  hollow 
steel.  Here  air  from  the  drill  mingles  with  it 
and  both  pass  down  the  borer  to  the  bottom  of 
the  hole.  This  is  a  very  effective  system  and 
aids  the  work  of  the  drill.  In  the  Water  Jack, 
Hydromax,  Dreadnaught,  and  Sullivan  drills, 
however,  only  water  is  used.  In  this  method, 
as  also  with  the  Leyner  drill,  the  water  must 
be  under  a  pressure  of  30  to  501b.  per  sq.  in. 
This  pressure  may  be  obtained  from  a  pres- 
iure-water  pipe  or  by  employing  a  small  closed 
cistern  and  using  the  compressed  air  which 
operates  the  drill  to  act  as  the  pressure  agent 


SSS3  a. 


a*      ***> 


Fig.  16.    The  Water  Spray  Prodicer. 


AUGUST,    1919 


85 


The  size  of  the  jet  and  the  proportion  of  water 
to  air  should  be  proportioned  so  that  the  cor- 
rect degree  of  atomization  is  attained.  If  the 
atomizing  is  too  fine  a  dense  fog  is  created, 
and  if  it  is  too  coarse  large  drops  of  water  are 
formed  which  readily  fall  to  the  ground  and  do 
not  effectively  lay  the  dust.  Indrillingacoarser 
spray  is  permissible  than  in  sprays  which  are 
used  for  laying  dust  in  the  roads,  since  the 
distance  before  deposition  is  much  shorter. 
Indeed  in  the  spraying  of  roads  and  working 
faces  after  blasting,  in  which  operation  need- 
less to  say  a  vast  quantity  of  dust  is  produced, 
it  is  probable  that  the  best  method  of  laying 
the  suspended  dust  is  a  combination  of  a  very 
fine  water  spray  followed  shortly  afterwards 
by  a  coarser  jet. 


Fig.  18. 


Fig.   19. 


Drill  Bits. — It  is  not  too  much  to  say 
that  the  success  of  a  rock-drill  depends  very 
largely  on  the  proper  shape  of  drill  steel  and 
on  the  skilful  sharpening  and  tempering  of  the 
bit.  The  single  chisel  bit  so  much  used  in 
hand  boring  is  apt  to  drill  irregular  holes  when 
used  with  machine  drills,  and  the  double  chisel 
cutter  is  generally  better,  as  boring  much 
rounder  holes.  Moreover  the  two-edged  bit 
has  the  great  advantage  of  protecting  the  cen- 
tral hole  in  the  drill  steel  when  air  or  water 
flushing  is  used  to  clear  out  the  cuttings  from 
the  bottom  of  the  hole.  Several  forms  of  two- 
edged  bits  are  used.  A  common  form  is  that 
having  the  two  edges  parallel ;  another  has 
the  two  edges  crossing  at  right  angles ;  and 
still  another  like  the  letter  X.  The  last  is  a 
favourite  form  of  bit  with  many  users  of  drills. 
Thecentreof  the  cross  should  be  raised  slightly, 
a  suitable  angle  of  slope  being  20°  (see  Fig. 
17).  The  convex  shape  tends  to  keep  the  drill 
bit  central  and  to  prevent  the  hole  from  di- 
verging. A  three-edged  bit,  having  the  edges 
shaped  like  the  letter  Z,  is  also  much  used, 
while  the  rosette  bit,  which  has  three  cutting 
edges  crossing  each  other  on  the  diameters  of 
a  hexagon,  is  preferred   for  some   purposes. 


The  section  of  the  steel  is  generally  cylindri- 
cal, either  plain  or  having  a  spiral,  but  octag- 
onal and  cruciform  sections  are  also  used. 
The  function  of  the  spiral  is  to  act  as  a  con- 
veyor which  draws  the  cuttings  from  the  nose 
of  the  bit  towards  the  mouth  of  the  hole.  It 
is  most  suitable  for  soft  rock  and  for  down- 
holes  where  there  is  a  tendency  for  the  debris 
to  clog  the  bit. 

Theoretically  the  best  form  of  cutting  edge 
is  that  which  is  so  designed  as  to  evenly  dis- 
tribute the  work  over  its  whole  length.  With 
such  a  bit  in  perfectly  homogeneous  ground  the 
entire  cutting  edge  would  become  dulled  to  the 
same  extent.  With  no  bit  at  present  in  use 
is  this  the  case.  In  all  of  them  the  outer 
fringes  of  the  cutting  edge  have  to  do  the 
major  portion  of  the  work  of  drilling.  In 
consequence  it  is  the  outer  edges  which  wear 
most  quickly.  The  contour  of  a  cutting  edge 
which  would  theoretically  ensure  equal  wear 
over  the  whole  of  the  bit  would,  however,  be 
impracticable.  Nevertheless,  in  designing 
drill  bits  this  fact  should  be  borne  in  mind. 
From  this  point  of  view  the  double-edged 
chisel  bit  is  better  than  the  cross-bit  (see  Fig. 
18).  An  even  nearer  approach  to  the  ideal  is 
the  double-arc  bit  recommended  by  the  Sulli- 
van Company  (see  Fig.  19). 

For  soft  ground  the  angle  of  the  cutting 
edge  may  be  sharper  than  for  drilling  in  hard 
ground.  For  hard  rock  the  angle  of  cutting 
edge  should  not  be  less  than  90°.  The 
shoulders  of  the  bit  should  be  well  supported 
for  strength,  and  properly  designed  reaming 
edges  are  necessary  to  enable  the  bit  to  ream 
out  the  hole  and  maintain  the  gauge. 

The  difference  in  gauge  of  following  drills 
should  not  be  more  than  §  in.,  and  some  writers 
advocate  as  little  as  TV  in.  In  hard  rock, 
however,  it  is  probable  that  at  least  |  in.  is 
necessary  to  ensure  the  drills  following  each 
other  easily.  It  should  be  remembered,  that 
the  greater  the  reduction  in  gauge  in  the  drills 
of  a  set  the  larger  will  be  the  initial  diameter 
of  the  hole  for  a  given  final  size.  This  means 
additional  work  the  drill  has  to  do  for  the  same 
effective  size  of  hole. 

The  steel  from  which  the  drills  are  made 
should  contain  from  0'6  to  0'85°o  carbon  and 
be  free  from  sulphur  and  phosphorus.  The 
heating,  whether  in  ordinary  blacksmith  forges 
or  in  oil,  gasoline,  or  electric  furnaces,  should 
be  properly  regulated  and  the  tempering  done 
at  the  proper  temperature.  Sharpening  is 
generally  done  by  hand,  but  machine  sharpen- 
ers are  also  largely  used.  A  separate  dolly 
should  be  used  for  each  size  of  bit. 


86 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


Operation  of  Drills.— The  success  of 
a  drill  depends  largely  on  the  care  and  skill  of 
the  operator.  The  commencement  of  a  hole 
is  the  most  difficult  part,  especially  if  a  hand 
hammer-drill  is  used.  With  the  piston  drill 
securely  fixed  to  its  tripod  or  column  the 
starting  of  the  hole  is  generally  negotiated  with 
comparative  ease  if  care  is  taken  to  select  a 
/ace  of  rock  normal  to  the  line  of  the  drill. 
But  with  the  hammer-drill,  even  allowing  for 
equal  care  in  the  choice  of  the  starting  point, 
there  is  the  necessity  for  holding  the  drill  up 
to  its  work,  with  the  consequent  tendency  for 
the  bit  to  spread  itself  over  an  area  much 
larger  than  the  proper  size  of  the  hole.  With 
screw  feed  machines  the  proper  rate  of  feed 
to  suit  the  particular  ground  should  be  the 
careful  study  of  the  drill-man.  Too  rapid 
feeding  shortens  the  stroke  and  reduces  the 
drilling  capacity,  and  under-feeding  will  result 
in  damage  to  drill  shanks,  and  produce  break- 
age of  chucks  since,  if  the  bit  is  not  up  to  the 
face  of  the  rock,  the  whole  force  of  the  blow 
of  the  piston  expends  itself  on  the  steel  in- 
stead of  on  the  rock.  I  n  feeding  the  bit  should 
always  be  kept  pressed  lightly  against  the 
bottom  of  the  drill  hole.  With  hammer-drills 
care  should  be  taken  throughout  the  whole 
period  of  drilling  that  the  drill  steel  and  the 
machine  are  in  line,  otherwise  the  piston  will 
not  hit  the  steel  fairly  but  on  the  edge,  and 
may  eventually  injure  the  end  of  the  hammer 
and  chip  the  shank. 

Drilling  with  blunt  bits  is  bad  for  any  ma- 
chine, and  sufficient  sharpened  bits  should  be 
at  hand  to  replace  a  damaged  or  blunt  steel 
when  required.  The  blunter  the  bit,  the 
greater  the  shock  to  the  tool  and  the  drill 
when  the  blow  is  struck.  Breakages  of  drill 
shanks  are  largely  due  to  drilling  with  blunt 
bits.  Proper  attention  should  be  given  to 
the  lubrication  of  the  valve.  When  insert- 
ing a  borer  which  simply  fits  into  the  chuck, 
care  should  be  taken  not  to  force  it  in,  as 
it  may  take  hours  to  get  it  out,  and  the 
shank  should  not  be  passed  by  the  smith  be- 
fore being  gauged  to  make  sure  that  it  will 
fit  into  the  chuck  properly  without  being  too 
tight.  With  drills  using  the  U-bolt  chuck, 
the  latter  must  grip  the  steel  securefy  and  in 
true  alignment  with  the  piston  extension. 
The  chuck  bushing  should  be  renewed  when 
too  much  worn.  It  is  one  of  the  most  import- 
ant parts  of  the  drill,  as  if  it  is  much  worn  it 
interferes  with  the  correct  alignment  of  the 
steel.  If  the  shanks  of  the  drills  become  ex- 
cessively worn,  they  should  be  re-shanked,  as  ill- 
fitting  shanks  are  a  second  source  of  incorrect 


alignment.  With  a  new  or  newly-sharpened 
bit,  the  air  pressure  should  be  turned  on  gradu- 
ally, gently  at  first,  and  then  afterwards  grad- 
ually increasing  to  full  pressure.  Thiscaution 
may  avoid  breaking  the  corners  of  the  bit. 
Before  coupling  up  the  air-hose  to  the  machine 
it  is  a  good  plan  to  blow  air  through  it  for  a 
few  seconds,  and  on  disconnecting  the  hose 
from  the  machine  the  inlet  of  the  latter  should 
be  plugged.  In  this  way  dust  and  grit  will  be 
prevented  from  getting  into  the  drill.  With 
drills  which  have  a  water-feed  through  thesteel 
to  the  bottom  of  the  bore- hole,  the  water  should 
be  turned  on  after  the  air  and  turned  oft  before 
the  air. 

When  the  drill  is  not  in  use  it  should  be  laid 
in  as  clean  a  place  as  can  be  got  and  not  just 
laid  down  anywhere.  No  drill,  however  well- 
designed  or  strongly-made,  can  continue  to 
give  satisfaction  for  an  indefinite  time  unless  it 
is  properly  looked  after  and  overhauled  from 
time  to  time.  In  examining  and  refitting, 
particular  attention  should  be  given  to  the 
valve,  the  rotation  gear,  and  the  piston.  I  Jam- 
aged  or  badly  worn  parts  should  be  replaced. 
If  the  piston  should  become  too  slack  in  its 
cylinder,  the  latter  should  be  re-ground  and  a 
new  piston  fitted.  In  general  this  should  be 
done  when  the  diameter  of  the  piston  is  less 
than  the  bore  of  the  cylinder  to  the  extent  of 
more  than  ,.',  in.  Some  makers  supply  pistons 
increasing  by  il(i  in.  diameter,  and  when  a 
cylinder  has  become  worn  it  may  be  re-bored 
to  lit  a  piston  /,;  in.  larger  than  the  piston  pre 
viously  used.  Some  users  of  drills,  however, 
prefer  to  purchase  new  cylinders  rather  than 
bore  out  worn  ones.  If  a  cylinder  is  much 
worn  there  is  no  doubt  that  the  loss  through 
increased  air-consumption  of  the  drill  will  in 
a  few  weeks  equal  the  cost  of  a  new  cylinder. 
An  innovation  introduced  by  the  Sullivan 
Company  in  1913  in  their  Liteweight  drill 
consists  in  the  use  of  a  cylinder  fitted  with  are- 
newable  liner  of  hardened  steel. 

Rockers,  tappets,  and  auxiliary  valves 
should  be  frequently  inspected.  Excessive  or 
irregular  wear  has  the  effect  of  shortening  the 
valve  movement,  producing  cushioning  of  the 
blow  of  the  drill.  The  feed-screw  and  feed 
nuts  in  piston  and  cradle  hammer-drills  should 
be  kept  in  order  and  replaced  when  worn. 
Careful  attention  should  also  be  given  to  the 
cradle  of  the  machine.  If  the  cradle  guides 
become  greatly  worn  the  machine  loses  in 
rigidity  so  that  the  drill  bit  does  not  hit  true, 
but  strikes  adifferent  place  in  successive  blows. 
This  undesirable  feature  will  be  most  apparent 
when  the  machine  is  run  out  to  the  full  extent 


AUGUST    1919 


87 


of  the  feed  screw.  Whenever  instability  of 
the  machine  is  noticeable,  inspection  of  the 
cradle  or  of  the  clamp,  arms,  or  bar  to  which 
the  machine  is  fixed  should  be  made  and  the 
matter  put  right  without  delay.  All  cradle 
machines  have  provision  for  taking  up  wear 
in  the  cradle  guides. 

All  drills  should  be  brought  to  the  surface 
for  inspection  and  repairperiodically,sayevery 
three  months.  A  record  should  be  kept  of  the 
condition  of  each  drill  at  each  inspection  and 
the  details  of  the  repairs  carried  out.  The 
importance  of  maintaining  the  drill  in  a  high 
state  of  efficiency  cannot  be  over-estimated. 
No  type  of  drill,  however  good  in  design  and 
construction,  will  continue  to  produce  satisfac- 
tory results  unless  it  is  carefully,  skilfully, 
and  systematically  overhauled  and  all  the 
parts  maintained  in  as  perfect  condition  as  pos- 
sible. As  one  writer  on  the  subject  has  said, 
the  key  to  success  in  rock-drilling  may  be 
summed  up  in  the  word  "maintenance." 

Air  Piping  and  Hose. — The  compressed- 
air  main  should  be  designed  to  give  a  low 
pressure  drop,  say  3  lb.  per  1,000  yards. 
Branch  pipes  may  be  allowed  a  greater  pres- 
sure loss,  anything  from  3  lb.  per  300  yards  to 
3  lb.  per  100  yards.  Great  care  has  to  be 
taken  in  maintaining  the  pipes  against  leak- 
age. Joints  shouldbe  frequently  inspected  and 
leakages  prevented.  Stop-cocks  are  a  fre- 
quent source  of  leakage.  Gland  packings 
should  be  renewed  from  time  to  time  and 
whenever  there  is  any  sign  of  leakage.  The 
faces  of  the  valve  should  be  ground  to  a  per- 
fect fit  whenever  there  is  appreciable  sign  of 
wear.  The  air-hose  should  be  of  the  best 
quality  obtainable.  Cheap  inferior  hose  is 
uneconomical  and  soon  ceases  to  be  air-tight 
when  subjected  to  the  rough  usage  insepar- 
able from  underground  conditions.  The  size 
of  the  hose  should  not  be  less  than  f  in.  di- 
ameter, and  for  the  larger  development  drills 
preferably  f  in.  or  even  1  in.  diameter. 

Armoured  hose  has  a  longer  life  than  un- 
armoured.  The  armouring,  consisting  of  gal- 
vanized iron  wire,  round,  half-round,  or  flat, 
protects  the  hose  against  abrasion,  prevents 
flattening,  and  eliminates  the  risk  of  the  hose 
being  squashed  flat  or  injured  by  being  bent 
to  too  sharp  a  radius. 

The  Electric  Drill. — The  use  of  elec- 
tricity .as  a  motive  power  has  developed  to 
an  enormous  extent  in  mining  during  the  last 
twenty  years  or  so.  It  has  been  applied  with 
great  success  to  practically  every  form  of 
mining  work.  The  operation  of  drilling,  how- 
ever, presented  peculiar  obstacles.    There  was 


first  of  all  the  fact  that  the  natural  motion  of 
an  electric  machine  was  rotary.  Thus  to  ob- 
tain percussive  action,  which  in  hard  rock  is 
attended  with  much  better  results  than  grind- 
ing, it  appeared  to  be  necessary  to  convert 
from  the  rotary  to  the  reciprocating  motion.* 
This  change  involved  complication  of  parts, 
many  of  which  were  necessarily  weak  unless 
the  appliance  was  to  be  prohibitive  in  size 
and  weight.  Nevertheless,  machines,  of  which 
the  Gardner  and  the  Siemens  drills  are  ex- 
amples, have  been  constructed.  In  the  Gard- 
ner drill  the  motor,  mounted  on  a  bogie,  gave 
motion  through  a  flexible  shaft  and  bevel  gear- 
ing to  a  cross-head  and  crank  which  imparted 
a  to-and-fro  movement  to  the  drill  steel.  The 
drill  was  rotated  after  each  blow  by  means  of 
two  ratchet  wheels,  and  had  the  ordinary 
screw  feed.  In  order  to  obtain  a  quick  for- 
ward blow  the  crank  was  made  to  work  in  a 
specially  shaped  slot  in  the  cross-head  so  that 
the  blow  was  struck  in  a  quarter  of  a  revolu- 
tion of  the  crank-shaft.  A  fly-wheel  was  used 
which  absorbed  energy  during  the  portion  of 
the  stroke  when  the  drill  remained  stationary 
and  gave  it  out  on  the  cutting  stroke.  In  the 
Locke  electric  drill  the  motor  was  mounted  on 
the  drill  itself  and  the  crank  axle  driven  direct 
through  gearing.  The  vibration  in  this  ar- 
rangement tended  to  rupture  the  insulation  of 
the  motor,  and  caused  the  brushes  to  kick  on 
the  commutator  if  a  direct-current  motor  was 
used.  Other  drills  which  have  been  tried  are 
the  Adams,  Deitz,  and  Durkee. 

The  solenoid  principle  has  also  been  util- 
ized to  produce  a  workable  electric  drill.  In- 
deed it  was  one  of  the  first  ideas  to  be  em- 
ployed. The  Marvin  -  Sandycroft  and  Edi- 
son drills  were  of  this  class.  In  these,  two 
coils  of  wire  or  solenoids  were  made  to  recipro-. 
cate  a  soft  steel  piston.  Two-phase  current 
was  used  and  each  coil  was  energized  alternately 
every  half-revolution.  Rotation  of  the  piston 
and  drill  tool  was  accomplished  in  the  manner 
common  to  the  ordinary  air  -  operated  drill. 
The  disadvantages  of  this  form  of  drill  are  : 
(1)  the  heating  losses  in  the  solenoids,  (2)  the 
great  weight  of  the  drill,  (3)  low  drilling  speed, 
(4)  unreliability.  The  chief  drawbacks  of  the 
crank-driven  drill  which,  however,  has  attained 
greater  success  than  those  designed  on  the 
solenoid  principle,  are :  (l)  the  weakness  of 
the  flexible  or  telescopic  shafts  used,  (2)  the 
clumsiness  and  complication  of  parts,  (3)  the 
low  drilling  speed,  and  (4)  inability  to  stand 
the  rough  usage  which  is  almost  unavoidable 
in  mining.  Summing  the  matter  up  in  a  few 
words  one  might  say  that  the  electric  recipro- 


THE     MINING     MAGAZINE 


eating  drill  which  will  prove  a  serious  com- 
petitor with  the  air  drill  has  yet  to  be  inven- 
ted. In  the  opinion  of  many  mining  men  who 
have  had  long  experience  of  machine-drilling, 
the  rapid  development  of  the  light  hammer- 
drill  has  made  it  unlikely  that  the  electric 
drill  will  ever  displace  compressed  air  for  this 
class  of  work. 

The  electric  rotary  drill  is,  however,  quite 
a  different  matter.  Here  there  can  be  secured 
lightness,  compactness,  and  simplicity  of 
parts.  The  scope  of  the  drill  is  of  course 
limited  to  coal  and  soft  rock,  but  for  these 
purposes  it  has  proved  eminently  successful. 
The  rotary  machine  driven  by  electricity  is 
more  compact  and  more  efficient  than  the 
same  machine  operated  by  compressed  air, 
and  for  this  class  of  drill  it  is  only  in  situa- 
tions where  there  are  risks  from  explosive 
gas  or  dust  that  the  air-driven  machine  is  to 
be  preferred. 


PRILL. 


20.     Diagram  explaining  action  of  the  Temile- 
Ingersoll  Electric-Air  Drill. 


The  most  successful  application  of  electric- 
ity to  the  operation  of  a  rock-drill  is  to  be 
found  in  the  Temple- 1 ngersoll  electric-air  ma- 
chine. Here  a  combination  of  electricity  and 
compressed  air  is  employed.  The  actual  drill- 
ing agent  is  compressed  air,  but  the  energy 
is  stored  in  the  latter  by  an  electric  motor 
operating  an  air-compressor,  or  rather  pulsator, 
in  close  communication  with  the  drill  proper. 
In  this  way  it  has  been  possible  to  combine  the 
great  flexibility,  economy,  and  efficiency  of  the 
electric  current  as  a  motive  power  with  the 
well-known  successful  application  of  air  to 
rock-drilling.  The  principle  of  action  of  the 
drill  will  be  understood  from  the  diagram  (Fig. 


20).  The  two  pulsator  pistons  Pi  and  P2  are 
actuated  from  cranks  on  the  motor  shaft.  The 
cylinders  are  connected  to  the  drill  cylinder 
by  the  two  flexible  tubes  Tt  and  T2.  The 
whole  of  the  space  between  the  pulsator  pist- 
ons and  the  drill  piston  is  filled  with  air  at  a 
low  pressure.  On  the  upstroke  of  Pt  the 
air  in  that  cylinder  is  compressed  and  the  drill 
piston  forced  forward  on  the  hitting  stroke. 
This  action  is  aided  by  the  other  pulsator 
piston  which  during  this  interval  is  on  its 
suction  stroke.  On  the  back  stroke  of  the 
drill,  Pa  is  compressing  and  1',  sucking.  The 
air  is  never  exhausted  but  is  used  over  and 
over  again  in  the  closed  circuit.  Should  leak- 
age of  air  occur,  a  compensating  valve  opens 
when  the  pressure  falls  below  a  pre  -  deter- 
mined limit  and  admits  free  air  from  the  at- 
mosphere which  is  compressed  by  a  differen- 
tial area  on  one  of  the  pulsator  pistons  until 
the  normal  working  pressure  is  restored.  The 
drill  is  extremely  economical  and  where  the 
conditions  suit  is  very  successful,  as  for  strik- 
ing power  and  mudding  qualities  it  compares 
favourably  with  the  ordinary  drill.  It  is  not 
suitable  for  ordinary  stoping  work  because  of 
the  cumbersome  nature  of  the  motor  and  pul- 
sator, which  is  generally  mounted  on  a  bogie. 
But  for  tunnelling, level-driving, and  quarrying 
work  it  is  eminently  suitable. 

Tests  and  Efficiency. — The  success  of 
a  rock-drill  depends  upon  the  following  points 
in  order  of  importance  :  (l)  speed  of  cutting, 
(2)  strength  and  durability,  (3)  air  consump- 
tion, (4)  portability,  (5)  ease  of  fitting  up,  (6) 
simplicity  of  construction,  (7)  ease  of  repair. 

From  the  points  of  view  of  portability  and 
ease  of  fitting  up,  the  hammer-drill  of  course 
has  a  great  advantage  over  the  heavy  piston- 
drill,  but  the  two  classes  have  really  to  be  con- 
sidered separately,  as  each  is  to  some  extent 
supreme  in  its  own  special  sphere  of  work. 

A  high  speed  of  drilling  is  a  strong  point 
in  favour  of  a  rock-drill,  but  that  alone  is  not 
sufficient  to  make  the  machine  a  success. 
Nothing  could  emphasize  this  more  pointedly 
than  the  competition  arranged  in  1907  under 
the  auspices  of  the  South  Afi  ican  Mining 
Journal  to  test  the  merits  of  light  stoping 
drills.  The  machine  which  outdistanced  all 
others  from  the  point  of  view  of  cutting  speed 
was  the  Gordon,  a  hammer-drill.  Yet  when 
put  to  actual  use  underground  it  could  not 
stand  the  wear  and  tear  of  everyday  work,  and 
failed  to  come  up  to  the  expectations  warran- 
ted by  its  position  in  the  tests.  The  test  clear- 
ly proved  that  high  cutting  speed,  though 
greatly  to  be  desired,   must   also  be  accom- 


AUGUST,    1919 


89 


panied  by  reliability  or  else  the  machine  is 
doomed  to  prove  a  failure. 

It  should  be  remembered,  too,  that  the  cut- 
ting speed  in  any  given  rock  material  depends 
very  largely  on  the  skill  of  the  operator,  the 
state  of  the  drill  as  regards  repairs,  the  effi- 
ciency of  the  drill  bit,  and  the  effectiveness 
with  which  the  bottom  of  the  drill  hole  is  kept 
clear  of  the  cuttings  made  by  the  drill.  Fur- 
ther, the  air-pressure  used  has  an  important 
bearing  on  the  speed  of  drilling.  A  high  air- 
pressure  produces  a  more  powerful  blow  for  a 
given  size  of  drill,  but  the  drill  bits  are  blun- 
ted more  quickly,  the  machine  itself  is  subject- 
ed to  greater  stresses,  with  the  inevitable  result 
that  breakages  occur  more  frequently,  repairs 
are  high,  and  the  life  of  the  drill  is  shortened. 
On  the  other  hand,  very  low  pressures  are  cer- 
tain to  prove  uneconomical,  especially  in  hard 
rock.  Air-pressures  varying  from  40  lb.  per 
square  inch  up  to  1 20  lb.  per  square  inch  are  used. 
The  best  practice  istoemploy  pressures  of  60  to 
80  lb.  per  square  inch,  and  to  maintain  the 
working  pressure  as  uniform  as  possible. 

The  speed  of  drilling  has  increased  consider- 
ably of  late  years,  and  it  would  be  safe  to  say 
that  the  average  cutting  speed  has  been  doubled 
in  the  last  ten  years.  But  what  is  of  more  im- 
portance, the  reliability  and  handiness  of  the 
machines  have  been  enormously  improved. 
There  is  no  doubt  that  much  of  this  advance- 
ment is  due  to  the  enterprise  of  manufacturers 
as  well  as  to  the  insistence  of  the  user  on  a 
drill  that  will  stand  the  rough  handling  of 
underground  conditions. 

Perhaps  the  most  complete  series  of  tests 
of  rock-drills  carried  out  in  the  history  of  min- 
ing were  those  conducted  by  the  Transvaal 
Government  and  the  Chamber  of  Mines  in 
1909-10.  The  tests  were  carried  out  under 
ordinary  underground  conditions,  and  their 
exhaustiveness  can  be  realized  from  the  fact 
that  they  stipulated  for  300  drilling  shifts  in 
seven  different  stopes.  The  test  period  was, 
however,  eventually  reduced  to  215  shifts  of 
eight  hours  each,  owing  chiefly  to  it  being 
found  impossible  to  maintain  the  requisite  air 
pressure  in  one  of  the  mines  where  the  drills 
were  to  be  tested.  Twenty-three  drills  enter- 
ed for  the  trials,  and  nineteen  of  these  started 
the  competition.  Only  four  completed  the 
test,  these  being  two  Holman  drills,  the  Siskol, 
and  the  Chersen.  The  prizes  were  ^4,000 
for  the  drill  taking  first  place  and  ,£"1,000  for 
the  second  best.  The  I  lolman  and  the  Siskol 
drills  were  deemed  of  equal  merit  and  the 
prize  money  was  divided  between  them.  The 
total  cost  of  the  competition  was  over  ^17,000, 


but  there  can  be  no  doubt  about  the  great 
value  of  it,  since  ordinary  working  conditions 
prevailed  throughout,  and  the  duration  of  the 
test  was  such  as  to  test  the  durability  and  re- 
liability of  the  machines  severely.  Elaborate 
records  were  kept  of  footage  drilled,  costs  for 
labour,  drills,  sharpening,  spares,  and  stores, 
air-consumption,  etc.  All  the  four  drills  com- 
pleting the  test  were  reciprocating  drills,  an 
altogether  different  result  from  the  1907  tests 
already  referred  to  when  a  hammer-drill  was 
the  best.  The  winning  drills  were  light  ma- 
chines, the  weight  being  limited  to  100  lb.,  and 
the  competition  being  intended  for  stoping 
drills.  Experience  in  the  tests  and  since  has 
shown,  however,  that  a  slightly  heavier  ma- 
chine can  be  conveniently  handled  in  the 
stopes  and  a  more  powerful  drill  obtained. 
About  130  lb.  is  now  considered  to  be  the  best 
weight  for  a  stoping  drill  of  the  piston  type. 

The  air-consumption  of  a  drill  is  a  matter  of 
of  great  importance.  Not  that  it  is  quite  so 
important  a  factor  as  speed  of  cutting  and  dura- 
bility. Nevertheless  the  air-efficiency  of  the 
drill  must  not  be  ignored.  The  compression  of 
air  is  costly,  and  no  machine  operated  by  air- 
power  can  be  tolerated  which  does  not  endeav- 
our to  use  the  air  to  the  best  advantage,  consis- 
tent of  course  with  the  other  necessary  desider- 
ata. During  the  South  African  tests  the  drills 
were  periodically  taken  to  the  Johannesburg 
University  Technical  College  where  the  air- 
consumption  was  tested.  The  air-consumption 
of  a  drill  is  usually  expressed  incubicfeetof  free 
airper  minute,  that  is,airat  normal  atmospheric 
pressure.  The  actual  quantity  of  air  measured 
in  terms  of  free  air  taken  by  a  drill  depends  up- 
on :  (a)  the  size  of  drill,  (b)  the  air  pressure,  and 
(c)theconditionof thedrill.  Naturally thelarger 
the  drill  the  greater  the  quantity  of  air  taken. 
Also  if  the  drill  is  in  a  state  of  disrepair  it  will 
take  a  much  larger  quantity  of  air  to  do  the 
same  work  than  if  it  were  in  good  condition. 
As  regards  the  air-pressure,  the  quantity  of 
air  taken  by  a  given  drill  is  not  quite  directly 
proportional  to  the  working  pressure.  For 
example,  a  drill  working  at  100  lb.  per  square 
inch  does  not  take  twice  as  much  air  as  the 
same  machine  working  at  501b.  per  square 
inch,  but  only  about  80%  more  air.  The  air- 
consumption  of  piston-drills  in  good  condition 
varies  from  about  65  cu.  ft.  of  free  air  per 
minute  for  a  2  in.  drill  at  70  lb.  per  square 
inch  pressure  to  about  175  cu.  ft.  per  minute 
for  a  3§  in.  drill  and  100  lb.  per  square  inch 
pressure.  Hammer-drills  take  anything  from 
50  to  100  cu.  ft.  per  minute. 

Most  manufacturers  and  many  mine-owners 


90 


.THE    MINING     MAGAZINE 


test  the  efficiency  of  their  drills  from  time  to 
time.  It  is  not  a  simple  matter  to  measure 
the  efficiency  of  a  rock-drill.  One  can  calcu- 
late with  ease  the  horse-power  represented  by 
the  compressed  air  the  drill  consumes,  but  it 
is  a  much  more  difficult  problem  to  estimate 
the  amount  of  useful  work  performed  in  the 
usual  engineering  units.  As  a  matter  of  fact 
it  is  hardly  possible  to  estimate  the  absolute 
efficiency  of  a  rock-drill.  All  that  one  can  do 
is  to  compare  one  drill  with  another.  In 
order  to  carry  out  such  a  test  fairly,  the 
several  drills  should  be  in  an  equal  state  of 
repair,  they  should  be  operated  by  the  same 
skilled  drill-man  or  by  men  equally  skilled  in 
the  working  of  their  respective  drills,  the  drill 


bits  should  be  of  the  same  class  of  steel,  and 
shaped,  sharpened,  and  tempered  with  equal 
care,  the  drilling  should  be  carried  out  in  the 
same  kind  of  rock,  and  the  air-pressure  should 
be  maintained  uniform  throughout  the  tests. 
Such  tests,  if  carried  out  carefully  and  with 
scrupulous  fairness,  cannot  fail  to  be  produc- 
tive of  good  results.  They  will  show  up  the 
relative  merits  of  the  types  of  drills  tried,  both 
as  regards  cutting  speed  and  air-consumption. 
It  should  not  be  forgotten  of  course  that  a 
drill  is  constantly  being  tested  in  the  ordinary 
everyday  work  of  drilling  in  the  mine,  and 
the  testimony  of  the  drill-runner  or  mine-fore- 
man is  one  of  the  most  valuable  criteria  of  the 
worth  of  a  drill. 


FOUR    YEARS    AS    A   PRISONER    OF  WAR 

By  J.   C.   FARRANT. 

(Continued  from  the  July  issue,  page 

The  Author  continues  his  account  of  the  treatment  of  English  Prisoners  of  War  by  the 
Germans,  describing  conditions  under  which  they  worked  in  the  firing  line  in  Russia. 


March,  1911.  We  were  all  weak  from 
hunger  and  long  hours,  and  men  used  to  stum- 
ble and  sway  about  every  night  when  returning 
to  the  lager,  often  turning  in  without  undress- 
ing. One  or  two  men  had  watches,  and  every 
few  minutes  someone  or  other  would  ask  the 
time.      1  was  glad  I  had  no  watch. 

March  14.  Returned  to  lager  4a. m,  coughed 
continuously  till  7  a.m. ;  got  up  at  8  a.m.,  and 
saw  doctor,  who  gave  me  some  tablets  and 
ordered  me  to  work  ;  turned  in  from  10  a.m. 
till  2  p.m.  Started  for  another  night  shift  at 
4  p.m. ;  came  back  to  lager  12  hours  later  ab- 
solutely   knocked. 

March  16.  Observation  balloon  spotted  us 
going  to  work.  Russians  shelled  us  all  the 
way  up  to  the  trenches,  but  no  casualties.  It 
was  warmer,  and  the  artillery  was  more  active 
on  both  sides. 

March  17.  The  most  bitter  night  I  have 
ever  experienced,  temperature  at  zero,  with 
strong  wind.  Men  complained  about  thinness 
of  the  soup.  The  Lieutenant  went  into  a  rage, 
and  told  us  we  were  getting  all  we  were  al- 
lowed. 

March  18.  Sunday.  Reached  lager  ex- 
hausted. Temperature  below  zero,  and  bliz- 
zard part  of  the  day.  Couldn't  keep  warm, 
although  we  had  a  fire  in  our  dug-out. 

March  19.  Paraded  7  a.m.,  clearing  snow 
till  8  a.m.,  then  marched  for  two  hours  in  deep 
snow  to  new  position.  Worked  till  4  p.m.  with 
no  stand  easy,  two  hours  walk  back.    Done  up, 


drank  soup,  and  turned  in. 

"  I  don't  know  how  much  longer  I  can  stick 
it  :  my  strength  has  just  about  given  out,  but 
I  can  still  smoke." 

March  Jd.  Felling  trees  in  2  ft.  of  snow. 
Swapped  some  soap  for  bread  with  German 
soldier.  We  carried  on  with  this  work  for  a 
week,  and  of  all  the  Germans  I  have  met  there 
is  one  who  stands  out  as  a  white  man  in  his 
treatment  of  prisoners  of  war;  he  is  the  N.C.O. 
in  charge  of  the  wood  party.  He  offered  us 
the  remainder  of  his  soup  which  was  brought 
out  to  him  daily,  and  believe  me  it  wasn't  of- 
fered in  vain. 

At  this  time  I  was  physically  incapable  of 
using  an  axe  for  felling,  but  1  could  use  the 
saw  which  was  much  easier  work.  A  Ger- 
man pioneer  did  the  axe  work. 

The  bread  ration  yielded  5  thin  slices  about 
\  in.  thick  by  4  in.  square.  The  methods  of 
apportioning  these  slices  varied.  Some  ate 
two  slices  for  breakfast,  and  had  three  at  night. 
Others  one  for  breakfast,  one  for  lunch,  and 
three  at  night.  While  a  third  group,  of  which 
I  wasone,had  onefor  breakfast,  three  for  lunch, 
and  one  at  night.  This  latter  method  helped 
a  man  to  keep  going  by  day,  but  often  pre- 
vented him  from  sleeping  owing  to  the  knaw- 
ing  pangs  of  hunger.  Often  being  unable  to 
sleep  1  have  pulled  my  next  day's  ration  from 
under  my  jumper,  and  taken  a  mouthful  when 
I  turned  in.  The  hardest  thing  in  the  world 
was  to  put  it  away  again.  # 


AUGUST,    1919 


91 


Those  men  who  had  plenty  of  soap  were 
enahled  to  get  bread  from  the  soldiers.  At 
first  it  was  a  i  lb.  cake  of  soap  for  a  loaf  of 
bread,  but  competition  soon  knocked  that. 
More  than  one  man  has  eaten  a  whole  3  lb. 
loaf  right  off  after  having  swapped  it  for  soap, 
and  in  each  case  was  bad  after  it.  Trading  with 
the  soldiers  or  guards  was  strictly  forbidden, 
but  of  course  it  was  done  while  the  soap  lasted. 

The  veneer  of  civilization  was  wearing  off 
rapidly.  Men  seldom  spoke  ;  when  they  did, 
it  was  always  about  food. 

A  man  was  exchanging  a  piece  of  soap  for 
a  piece  of  bread  one  day,  but  another  fellow 
pulled  out  a  larger  piece  of  soap  and  walked 
up  to  the  German  and  got  the  bread.  The 
second  man  w^s  "  birded  "  by  the  party,  but 
little  he  care*  it  was  every  man  for  himself. 
"  Dieu  et  mon  Droit,"  which  translated  into 
navy  speech  is  "To  hell  with  you  Jack,  I'm 
alright,"  was  practiced  on  all  sides. 

March  30.  Our  party  on  returning  to  la- 
ger were  searched  again  for  diaries.  While  we 
were  at  work  the  Germans  had  gone  through 
our  kit  bags.  Several  men  missed  soap  from 
their  kit  bags.  My  diaries  were  in  the  toe  of 
my  sleeping  bag,  and  it  was  on  this  occasion 
I  almost  decided  to  destroy  my  notes,  as  some 
of  the  men  had  been  knocked  about  all  day 
owing  to  C's  diary  being  found,  and  naturally 
our  own  men  were  pretty  sore.  25%  sick, 
mostly  of  frost  bite  and  general  weakness. 

April  2.  My  birthday.  I  celebrated  it  by 
having  half  an  extra  slice  of  bread,  which 
meant  this  much  less  for  the  next  day. 

We  were  officially  informed  on  parade  that 
we  should  receive  no  parcels  at  all  while  we 
were  here.  The  result  of  this  news  was  rather 
unexpected,  inasmuch  as  there  was  less  "crib- 
bing." Men  felt  that  they  had  got  down  to 
bedrock  and  couldn't  go  any  further,  and  that 
the  only  thing  to  do  was  to  stick  it. 

April  5.     Two  more  men  dropped  at  work. 

April  6.  Four  men  dropped  and  were  taken 
back  to  lager. 

April  10.  Men  swapping  underclothes  and 
jerseys  for  bread.  Some  rotten  fish  was  thrown 
out  from  the  German  cook-house.  Some  of 
the  men  ate  it,  and  were  violently  sick  later. 

Occasionally  soup  bones,  which  had  been 
boiled  up  in  the  cooker  for  the  Germans,  were 
thrown  out.  They  were  bare  of  meat,  but  we 
used  to  boil  them  over  again  anddrink  the  water, 
crack  the  bones,  eat  the  marrow,  and  chew  the 
spongy  portions  of  the  bones. 

We  were  occasionally  able  to  obtain  chew- 
ing tobacco  from  the  soldiers  in  exchange  for 
soap  or  money. 


April  72.  Russians  and  Germans  started 
fraternizing,  exchanging  bread  for  cigarettes 
over  the  barbed  wire. 

,  April15.  We  weredisinfected  ;  that  is, our 
blankets  were  put  into  a  disinfector  and  we 
had  a  bath.  There  were  nearly  100  of  us  and 
there  were  six  tubs.  As  one  man  followed  an- 
other, half  a  pailful  of  warm  water  was  added. 
No  water  was  run  off,  so  the  bath  was  not  all 
that  it  might  have  been  for  those  who  went  last. 

It  was  when  we  were  in  the  bath  house  (in 
the  German  quarters)  that  men  realized  the 
privations  they  had  suffered.  We  were  like 
skeletons  ;  shoulder  bones,  hip  bones,  knees, 
and  elbows  were  horribly  prominent. 

April  16.  31%  sick.  New  routine,  rise 
4  a.m.,  coffee  4.30,  leave  lager  '5.35,  return  to 
lager  6.30  to  7  p.m.  One  hour's  rest  only  was 
allowed  between  these  hours. 

April  1 7.  Received  letters  from  home  ;  the 
first  for  two  months.  We  were  paraded  and 
informed  that  France  had  withdrawn  the  Ger- 
man prisoners  of  war  from  the  firing  line,  but 
that  England  had  not. 

April  20.  Parcels  arrived.  The  next  day 
each  man  received  a  parcel  after  returning  from 
work.  The  parcels  were  then  deposited  on  the 
parade  ground  for  inspection.  The  German 
Lieutenant  ordered  men  to  open  tins  in  order 
to  view  the  contents.  No  one  slept  that  night, 
the  excitement  was  too  great.  Some  ate  half 
the  contents  of  their  parcel  the  same  night. 
Many  were  up  at  3  a.m.  cooking  burgoo  for 
breakfast. 

April  22.  Sunday,  no  work  and  a  lovely  day. 
A  food  parcel  had  already  been  issued,  and  to- 
day each  man  drew  tobacco  or  cigarettes.  Men 
said  "  Good  morning  "  to  each  other.  Some 
even  whistled  and  sung,  the  first  exhibition  of 
pleasure  that  had  ever  taken  place  in  this  cur- 
sed spot.  This  was  the  happiest  day  1  ever 
spent  as  a  prisoner  of  war.  WTe  were  men 
again.  It  was  great,  and  all  on  account  of  a 
little  extra  food. 

During  the  past  two  months,  many  men  who 
had  '  messed  in  "  since  they  were  captured, 
parted  on  this  "  spasm." 

The  division  of  the  bread  ration  was  a  matter 
of  vital  interest.  There  is  only  one  fair  way, 
and  it  is  this  :  The  loaf  or  loaves  are  cut  into 
portions,  every  man  taking  an  eager  interest 
in  the  cutting.  Then  one  man  turns  his  back, 
and  as  the  cutter  indicates  a  certain  portion, 
the  man  with  his  back  to  the  bread  calls  out  a 
man's  name,  the  man  named  taking  the  portion 
indicated,  and  so  on.  The  same  method  was 
applied  to  the  jam  issue,  which  ran  out  at  a 
dessert-spoonful  for  two  days  per  man. 


92 


THE     MINING    MAGAZINE 


April30.  The  Jaeger  Co.  No.  151,who\vere 
mostly  Saxons  and  had  been  in  charge  of  us 
from  the  beginning,  were  relieved  by  a  com- 
pany of  Prussians  who  were  not  fit  for  active 
service.  The  first  day  with  the  Prussians 
was  the  reverse  of  pleasant.  We  were  em- 
ployed in  shovelling  mud  on  to  the  corduroy 
roads.  It  rained  all  day  long,  and  we  were 
wet  through  by  1 1  o'clock,  when  the  second 
guard  took  us  over.  We  worked  through  till 
5.30  p.m. 

May  3.  Bread  ration  reduced  to  three  slices 
a  day.  Young,  of  the  R.N. T).,  died.  He  had 
been  excused  duty,  but  was  not  admitted  to 
hospital.      He  died  in  the  dug-out. 

The  cold  weather  was  now  breaking  up, 
snowing  and  fine  alternately  ;  we  were  begin- 
ning to  feel  the  beneficial  effect  of  the  extra 
food  that  came  in  the  parcels,  as  on  May  19 
there  was  only  4%  sick  other  than  those  with 
frost  bite.  Heavy  artillery  became  more  ac- 
tive on  both  sides,  though  there  was  no  rifle 
fire.  At  the  end  of  May,  before  the  snow  had 
melted,  the  mosquitoes  became  very  bad,  for 
we  were  right  in  the  swamps  which  lie  south- 
west of  Riga. 

May  26.  Every  man  was  compelled  to  sign 
his  "death  warrant"  as  the  boys  called  it. 
The  duly  signed  sabotage  paper  looked  more 
like  a  Chinese  puzzle  than  anything  else,  as 
few  of  the  signatures  were  legible. 

June  1.  Russian  and  German  aeroplanes 
were  getting  busy,  though  we  didn't  see  one 
brought  down  on  either  side.  The  work  now 
was  a  "  gaff."  The  new  guards,  who  were 
very  fed  up  with  war,  didn't  bother  us,  so  we 
took  things  easily. 
June  10.  Received  orders  to  move. 
June  12.  Arrived  at  Libau.  The  reprisal 
was  over.  At  Libau  we  met  some  of  the  500 
■  men  who  had  been  previously  sent  to  Mitau. 
They  had  had  a  great  deal  more  sickness  than 
us,  and  a  much  larger  number  in  proportion 
were  in  hospital.  Several  men  of  this  com- 
pany died  from  starvation  and  cold.  After  a 
week's  rest  our  company  and  some  of  the  other 
reprisal  company  moved  to  another  lager  in 
Libau,  to  work  on  the  docks.  The  rest  of  the 
camp  was  sent  on  kommando. 

From  now  on  we  carried  on  as  other  com- 
panies had  done  in  Libau,  as  has  already  been 
described.  Each  man  more  or  less  had  his 
special  "  donkey,"  whom  he  saw  at  the  docks 
every  day.  The  hurried  scraps  of  daily  con- 
versation were  in  many  cases  supplemented  by 
letters  written  in  German  at  night  and  ex- 
changed on  the  following  day.  Some  men 
wrote  their  own  love  letters,  while  others  ob- 


tained the  assistance  of  those  who  could  "speak 
the  bat."  My  services  were  occasionally  re- 
quisitioned. On  one  occasion  a  big  North  Sea 
fisherman  from  Stornoway  told  me  his"donkey" 
wouldn't  speak  to  him  because  she  had  seen 
him  yarning  with  another  girl,  and  would  I 
write  a  letter  for  him.  So  I  told  him  to  leave 
it  to  me.  It  took  two  hours  to  write  that  letter 
and  I  handed  it  to  him  the  same  night.  Being 
Scotch,  he  wanted  me  to  translate  it  to  him,  so 
I  read  him  out  the  more  prosaic  passages  and 
away  he  went.  If  that  "  donkey  "  upon  read- 
ing the  letter  didn't  think  she  was  the  best 
looking  girl  in  Kurland  then  it  was  because 
the  dictionary  I  used  wasn't  big  enough.  The 
next  night  Mac  said  "  It's  alright,"  so  I  asked 
him  if  he  had  any  chocolate  to  spare  ;  he  just 
grinned.  * 

Everyone  worked  six  and  a  half  days  a  week, 
and  on  Sunday  afternoons  we  generally  played 
football. 

J  tine  30.  Went  with  a  party  to  the 
"  Fischerei,"  humping  sacksof  dried  fish  about. 
Some  of  the  girls  employed  at  the  Fischerei 
were  not  more  than  12  years  old.  In  the 
cleaning  room  there  was  a  raised  gangway  upon 
which  the  fish  cars  were  run,  the  contents  be- 
ing dumped  into  boxes  on  either  side  where  the 
girls  were  working.  A  German  unterofnzier, 
foreman  of  the  cleaning  room,  took  his  stand 
on  the  gangway  with  a  whip  in  his  hand,  giv- 
ing a  striking  picture  of  German  kultur  in  con- 
quered territory. 

July  23.  Received  balance  of  money  sent 
from  home  ten  months  ago.  Employed  in 
lager,  writing  signs. 

August  4.  The  following  was  given  out  on 
parade  by  the  German  unteroffizier  in  charge  : 
"  Your  parcels  will  be  stopped  for  14  days  be- 
cause you  have  been  guilty  of  giving  biscuits 
andbreadto  theLettish  civilians."  The  "  Let- 
tish civilians  "  were  children  who  begged  bis- 
cuits from  our  men  when  going  to  the  docks 
and  returning  to  lager. 

August  25.  Given  out  on  parade  by  dol- 
metcher  Michaelis,  nephew  of  the  German 
Chancellor,  that  an  exchange  of  prisoners  of 
war  would  take  place  shortly. 

August  31.  One  of  our  men  was  caught 
taking  some  sugar,  with  the  result  that  the 
football  match  scheduled  for  that  afternoon 
was  stopped.  This  is  typical  of  the  German 
system  of  punishment. 

September  26.  Another  shooting  spasm  in 
lager.  ( )ur  men  had  been  unloading  rum,  and 
by  four  o'clock  many  were  down  and  out,  and 
many  of  the  rest  were  seeing  red.  The  Ger- 
man in  charge  of  the  lager  was  requested  by 


AUGUST,    1919 


93 


the  dock  authorities  to  come  down  and  restore 
order.  When  he  appeared  at  the  dock  some 
•of  the  men  made  a  rush  to  throw  him  into  the 
river  and  were  only  restrained  by  the  cooler 
members  of  the  party.  The  whole  party  was 
ordered  to  return  to  lager.  Some  were  helped, 
some  were  carried,  and  others  came  in  carts 
and  were  deposited  on  the  ground  inside  the 
lager  gates,  where  they  remained  until  some 
of  their  "school"  claimed  them.  Some  of 
those  who  were  still  under  the  influence  of 
liquor  tried  to  get  over  the  wall,  so  the  guards 
started  firing,  but  fortunately  no  one  was  hit. 
There  was  no  punishment  on  this  occasion,  as 
prisoners  of  war  were  not  officially  allowed  to 
handle  rum,  so  the  German  in  charge  daren't 
report  the  matter.  There  were  the  usual  scraps, 
and  the  usual  resolutions  on  the  following 
morning  of  "never  again." 

November  2.  Left  Libau  for  Dantzig,  by 
steamer  or  rather  cattle  boat.  Arrived  at 
Dantzig  on  the  4th,  entrained,  and  reached 
Czersk  on  the  5th.  The  lager  here  had  a  hold- 
ing capacity  of  100,000  and  had  been  used  as 
a  distributing  lager  for  Russians.  It  was  a 
rotten  hole  ;  rows  and  rows  of  dug-outs  with 
a  narrow  gangway  in  thecentre,  with  twosleep- 
ing  shelves  on  either  side.  It  was  not  possible 
to  sit  upright  on  the  lower  shelf.  There  was 
the  usual  rush  for  places,  but  we  settled  down 
by  midday  and  then  started  "drumming  up  " 
outside  the  huts. 

After  a  meal  I  was  walking  round  the  lager 
with  another  fellow.  He  had  just  remarked 
that  there  weren't  many  walking  about,  when 
two  guards  came  up  ordered  us  into  the  bar- 
racks. We  turned  in  the  direction  of  the  bar- 
racks, and  carried  on  with  our  conversation, 
when  without  any  warning  I  got  a  bang  in  the 
back  from  a  butt  end.  I  turned  round  and  just 
dodged  a  jab  from  a  bayonet.  I  could  see 
something  was  up,  so  I  made  toward  the  bar- 
racks and  ran  into  six  or  eight  guards  coming 
round  the  hospital.  The  two  who  had  first 
spoken  were  still  following  me,  so  there  was 
nothing  for  it  but  to  run  the  gauntlet.  I  was 
pretty  quick,  but  those  butt  ends  were  quicker 
and  I  received  a  good  drubbing  before  I  reached 
the  first  dug-out.  After  I  recovered  my  breath 
I  asked  what  the  trouble  was,  and  I  was  told 
that  earlier  in  the  afternoon  one  of  the  guards 
had  kicked  over  a  can  of  water  which  one  of 
our  men  was  just  drumming  up,  so  the  fellow 
let  the  guard  have  the  remainder  in  his  face, 
and  then  made  a  dive  for  the  nearest  dug-out. 
The  guard  had  reported  the  matter,  with  the 
result  that  all  the  guard  was  turned  out  and  an 
order  was  given  that  all  British  prisoners  of 


war  were  to  remain  in  the  dug-outs.  This 
order  was  unknown  to  many  men,  and  of  those 
who  were  walking  about,  many  were  man- 
handled, some  of  them  having  to  go  to  hospital 
for  medical  attention.  This  matter  was  re- 
ported to  the  German  CO.  on  the  following 
morning. 

November  8.  Seventeen  hundred  of  us  par- 
aded for  general  inspection.  The  inspecting 
general  said  :  "  They  are  a  fine-looking  group 
of  men:  why  are  they  here  ?  "  The  German 
doctor,  who  had  examined  us  on  the  previous 
day, replied  :  "These  menhave  been  on  punish- 
ment kommandos  in  Russia,  and  they  are  all  a 
bischenverruckt,alittle  mad  ;  they  will  be  sent 
into  Germany."  We  remained  in  this  lager 
about  three  weeks,  during  which  time,  as  no 
fuel  was  supplied,  we  burned  most  of  the  bed 
boards  in  our  own  dug-outs  and  smashed  up 
beds  in  empty  dug-outs.  No  guards  came  in- 
side the  lager.  We  had  never  had  so  little 
supervision.  We  played  football  on  the  parade 
ground  and  quite  a  number  of  windows  went 
west.  One  evening,  however,  an  officer  accom- 
panied by  several  guards  visited  each  dug-out 
and  made  notes.  This  gave  rise  to  all  kinds 
of  rumours.  The  next  day  we  were  paraded 
and  marched  inside  a  barbed-wire  enclosure. 
We  were  then  told  we  should  remain  until  the 
damage  had  been  paid  for.  It  worked  out  at 
2  or  3  marks  a  head.  The  amount  was  finally 
collected,  as  every  man  felt  he  had  had  his 
money's  worth. 

During  our  stay  here  the  deaths  among  the 
Russians  ran  from  10  to  15  a  day.  A  huge 
burial  ground  lay  just  outside  the  lager,  and 
every  day  parties  bearing  coffins  could  be  seen 
marching  to  the  burial  ground. 

November  27.  A  blizzard,  with  snow  blow- 
ing in  through  the  cracks.  The  narrow  gang- 
way was  soon  ankle-deep  in  mud.  We  didn't 
get  much  sleep  that  night.  This  weather  kept 
on  for  three  days. 

November  30.  Left  Czersk  for  Chemnitz 
in  Saxony.  Before  we  entrained,  we  were 
warned  that  we  must  give  up  all  knives.  A 
dolmetcher  and  guards  came  round  to  each  hut, 
searched  us,  and  took  all  our  knives,  or  thought 
they  did.  They  said  the  knives  would  be  given 
back  to  us  when  we  reached  our  destination. 
The  lager  authorities  undoubtedly  believed  we 
weren't  quite  "all  there,"  owing  to  the  horse- 
play and  skylarking  that  went  on  during  our 
three  weeks'  stay  at  this  camp.  Hence  the 
order  that  all  knives  should  be  given  up. 

December  3.  Arrived  at  Dresden,  where  we 
wereagain  disinfected.  We  entrained  the  same 
night,  and  reached  our  destination,  Chemnitz, 


94 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


on  the  next  morning.  We  marched  about  li 
miles  to  the  camp,  packing  all  our  gear  with 
us.  The  rest  of  the  day  was  spent  in  giving 
in  our  names  and  regiments,  family  history, 
whether  we  had  "done  cells"  while  in  Ger- 
many or  Russia,  and  what  trade  or  profession 
we  followed  in  civvy  life,  etc.  Some  of  the 
trades  and  professions  given  in  are  worth  re- 
peating :  hangman,  doll's  eye-brow  painter, 
tea-taster, barman,  and  provision  dealers  by  the 
score  ;  mechanics  were  generally  farmers,  and 
so  on  ;  the  majority  of  the  men  were  regulars 
and  just  gave  in  "  soldier."  We  were  then  de- 
tailed to  different  barracks,  which  were  in  re- 
ality stables.  Our  lager  was  situated  in  the 
artillery  barracks,  which  were  built  entirely  of 
concrete,  as  were  the  stables.  I  slept  on  a 
wood-wool  mattress  that  night,  the  first  mat- 
tress for  a  year.  This  lager  had  about  20,000 
men  on  its  books,  of  many  nationalities,  all  of 
whom  were  out  on  kommando  except  a  few 
who  did  the  clerical  work  for  each  company. 
Our  company,  which  was  composed  of  British, 
was  1,700  strong.  I  was  lucky  enough  to  get 
on  the  staff  as  a  writer.  . 

During  December  as  many  men  as  possible 
were  drafted  to  kommandos.  The  first  batches 
to  go  went  to  surface  coal  works  and  to  the  pits, 
factories,  road  work,  and  later  to  farms.  Eng- 
lishmen were  only  sent  to  farms  when  they 
could  send  no  one  else,  because  it  was  far  easier 
and  more  congenial  work,  though  the  hours 
were  long. 

This  was  a  rotten  camp  as  far  as  "  drumming 
up  "went.  There  was  no  wood  to  buy,  borrow, 
or  steal,  and  no  hot  water  was  issued  for  mak- 
ing tea.  The  buildings  were  heated  by  hot 
water,  which  was  turned  on  for  ten  minutes 
every  two  or  three  hours.  The  men  used  to 
form  up  in  ranks  with  their  billies  at  the  dis- 
charge pipes,  having  to  wait  an  hour  sometimes, 
and  then  the  water  would  cease  as  some  un- 
fortunate man  had  his  can  underneath  the  pipe. 

December  10.  Parcels  were  about  finished 
up,  also  tobacco,  and  we  were  once  more  up 
against  the  bete  noire  of  gefang  life,  hunger. 
The  soup  was  thin  and  unsatisfying.  The  daily 
ration  was  Jth  of  a  loaf,  the  only  solid  food. 
Men  with  money  were  offering  high  prices  to 
Frenchmen  for  biscuits,  the  general  pricebeing 
two  for  1  mark.  The  absence  of  tobacco  and 
cigarettes  was  hell. 

December  17.  I  gave  a  man  5  marks  for 
iOz.  of  tobacco,  and  thought  I  was  lucky. 

December  23.  The  French  Help  Committee 
decided  to  hand  over  to  British  N.CO.'s  35 
biscuits  for  each  Britisher  in  lager  for  Christ- 
mas.    The  distribution  was  made  that  night, 


and  several  men  had  none  left  by  the  following 
night. 

December  24.  Men  returning  from  kom- 
mando had  all  personal  kit  taken  from  them  if 
it  exceeded  one  extra  shirt.  Complaints  were 
made  to  the  commandant  without  success. 

December  25.  Christmas  day  in  the  home 
of  Christmas  festivities,  Saxony.  No  parcels 
and  no  extra  soup.  The  latter  consisted  of 
mangel-wurzel,  potato  peelings,  and  minute 
shreds  of  horse  flesh.  The  electric  light  went 
out  between  5.30  and  8  p.m.,  and  that's  how 
Christmas,  1917,  was  spent  with  ouf  so  called 
cousins. 

December  26,  One  of  our  men  who  didn't 
smoke  came  round  to  where  a  bunch  of  us  were 
sitting,  and  offered  atinof  Capstan  for40marks. 
Jerry  Newland,  one  of  our  group,  said  :  "Is 
he  an  Englishman?"  Someone  replied"  Yes." 
"  \\  ell  !  "  said  Jerry,  "  I  wish  I'd  been  born  a 
Chinaman."  The  man  who  offered  the  tobacco 
eventually  raffled  it  at  1  mark  a  time,  and  I 
won  it.  One's  feelings  on  such  an  occasion 
pass  all  description. 

December  28.  "  1 ' arcels  up."  The  words 
went  round  like  wild-fire,  and  with  one  accord 
men  rushed  up  to  the  parcel  office.  Nearly 
every  man  drew  at  least  one  parcel,  and  it  was 
a  contented  bunch  of  men  that  turned  in  that 
night. 

December  31.  Snowing  and  cold.  Men 
waiting  at  the  steam  pipes  throughout  the  day 
to  "  wet  their  tea." 

{  To  be  continued.  1 


The  Institute  of  Metals. 

The  autumn  meeting  of  the  Institute  of 
Metals  will  be  held  at  Sheffield  on  September 
24  and  25,  Professor  H.  C.  H.  Carpenter,  pro- 
fessor of  metallurgy  in  the  Royal  School  of 
Mines,  presiding.  The  papers  to  be  read  are 
as  follows:  Moulding  Sands  for  Non- Ferrous 
Foundry  Work,  by  Professor  P.  G.  H.  Bos- 
well  ;  The  Solidification  of  Metals  from  the 
Liquid  State,  by  Professor  C.  H.  Desch  ;  Ob 
servations  on  a  Typical  Bearing  Metal,  by 
Miss  II .  H.  Fry  and  Dr.  W.  Rosenhain ; 
Season  Cracking  in  Brass,  by  Dr.  W.  H.  Hat- 
field and  G.  L.  Thirkell ;  Ternary  Alloys  of 
Tin,  Antimony, and  Arsenic, by  Dr.  J.  E.  Stead; 
GraphiteandOxide  Inclusionsin  Nickel-Silver, 
by  Dr.  F.  C.  Thompson;  Constitution  and 
Metallurgy  of  Britannia  Metal,  by  Dr.  F.  C. 
Thompson  and  F.  Orme ;  Early  History  of 
Electro-Silver  Plating,  by  R.  E.  Leader; 
Properties  of  Standard  or  Sterling  Silver,  with 
Notes  on  its  Manufacture,  by  E.  H.  Smith  and 
H.  Turner. 


AUGUST,     1919 


95 


LETTERS  to  the  EDITOR 

Spitsbergen. 

The  Editor  : 

Sir — After  reading  two  letters  in  your  July 
number  written  by  Rolf  Marstrander  and  R. 
H.  Blumental,  of  Norway,  I  request  you  will 
give  me  permission  to  reply. 

Mr.  Marstrander  devotes  himself  mainly  to 
attacking  a  publication  issued  by  the  Northern 
Exploration  Company,  and  pins  his  own  faith 
to  '  three  iron  experts,  one  Norwegian  and  two 
Swedish  mining  engineers  of  repute."  Who 
are  these  three  gentlemen  who  were  "  on  the 
deposits  from  1912  to  1916  ?"  The  Northern 
Exploration  Company  had  its  representatives 
working  on  the  property  in  1912,  1913,  and 
1914,  but  in  1915  and  1916  other  work  of  more 
importance  required  British  attention.  It  was 
then  probably  that  the  unnamed  Swedish  min- 
ing engineers  took  the  opportunity  to  have  a 
look  round.  It  is  a  fact  that  the  Swedish  flag 
was  hoisted  on  a  building  belonging  to  the 
British  company,  but  this  was  hauled  down 
when  it  was  found  that  the  result  of  the  war 
was  going  in  our  favour. 

Mr.  Marstrander  makes  a  rather  bold  state- 
ment when  he  says  "  No  one  knows  the  min- 
eral deposits  of  Spitsbergen  better  than  the 
Norwegian  geologists  and  mining  engineers 
who  for  the  last  13  years  continuously  and 
systematically  have  carried  out  the  exploration 
of  the  entire  west  and  north  of  Spitsbergen." 
Well,  I  have  been  conducting  operations  from 
1905  to  1914,  when  war  was  declared.  In  191 1 
one  of  my  old  workmen,  and  a  good  fellow  too, 
Hans  Norburg,  of  Tromso,  led  a  Swedish  ex- 
pedition up  to  a  place  where  he  and  I  dis- 
covered coal  in  1906.  I  called  on  the  Swedes 
and  protested  against  theirtrespassand  warned 
them  that  whatever  work  they  did  was  at  their 
own  risk.  Later  on,  a  director  of  the  Northern 
Exploration  Company  met  officials  of  the  Swe- 
dish company,  when  an  amicable  arrangement 
was  come  to.  It  is  at  this  place,  our  old  1906 
discovery,  where  the  Swedes  are  now  working 
good  coal,  constructed  a  small  railroad,  pier, 
and  put  up  a  well-built  township.  I  saw  no 
mining  engineers  during  all  my  experience  who 
had  a  staff  capable  of  sinking  a  10  ft.  hole,  but 
an  isolated  geologist  now  and  then  came  my 
way,  though  none  was  equipped  to  do  anything 
in  the  way  of  mining. 

The  main  work  done  by  Norwegians  in 
Spitsbergen  from  1905  to  1910  was  whaling, 
by  various  companies,  during  the  few  summer 
months,  and  trapping  in  the  winter  by  a  few 
isolated  individuals.     Certainly  no  serious  de- 


velopment work  of  any  kind  whatever  was 
attempted  on  land,  except  at  a  few  places  in 
Green  Harbour.  It  was  here  that  a  few  per- 
sons were  squatting  on  property  which  was 
claimed  by  the  American  company  who  were 
then  opening  up  a  seam  of  coal  in  Advent  Bay. 
There  was  not  a  solitary  Norwegian  camp,  or 
a  company,  that  was  doing  any  real  mining 
work  in  any  part  of  Spitsbergen,  except  the 
few  men  in  Green  Harbour  who  were  dispu- 
ting the  American  claim.  Later  on  a  wireless 
station  was  built  by  Germans  for  the  Nor- 
wegian Government  at  this  place.  But  that 
was  not  mining  ;  it  probably  had  some  other 
object  in  view. 

It  would  be  very  interesting  to  know  what 
year  Mr.  Marstrander  visited  Spitsbergen.  I 
have  not  to  my  knowledge  ever  seen  or  heard 
of  him.  If  he  has  explored  the  country,  as 
his  letter  leads  one  to  believe,  perhaps  he  will 
be  good  enough  to  inform  you  where  he  at- 
tempted mining,  the  amount  of  cash  expended 
in  actual  work,  buildings  erected,  etc.,  and  the 
length  of  time  he  pursued  his  quest  ?  "  Two 
summers  "  are  not  much  in  Spitsbergen.  Still 
a  great  deal  would  depend  on  the  staff  of  men 
with  him  ;  it  may  have  been  one  of  consider- 
able strength.  An  answer  to  these  points 
would  elucidate  matters.  From  all  accounts 
and  reports,  it  seems  that  most  of  the  Norwe- 
gian development  work  in  Spitsbergen  took 
place  while  Britain  was  fighting  Germany. 
Mr.  Marstrander  says:  "in  1917  and  1918 
three  Norwegian  geologists  together  with  their 
topographical  surveyors  traversed  every  cor- 
ner of  the  land  surrounding  Horn  Sound." 
Was  Mr.  Marstrander  with  this  party  of  "ge- 
ologists and  topographical  surveyors" — quite 
a  fine  sounding  outfit— when  they  "  traversed 
every  corner  of  the  land  surrounding  Horn 
Sound  ?"  Captain  Cook  a  few  years  ago 
claimed  he  had  discovered  the  North  Pole. 
No  one  believes  his  story  now. 

It  is  quite  evident  that  Mr.  Marstrander  is 
unfriendly  to  both  Spitsbergen  and  the  Nor- 
thern Exploration  Company.  Why  ?  Has 
he  a  reason  ?  I  ask  these  questions  because 
I  have  often  been  "  approached,"  and  more 
than  once  been  invited  to  visit  Berlin  by  good 
people  who  were  very  eager  to  make  me  rich  ! 
I  know  the  Germans  wanted  Spitsbergen  pos- 
sessions- They  actually  came  with  a  man  o' 
war  to  take  Marble  Island  in  lMll.but  I  told 
the  captain  he  was  six  years  too  late,  and  gave 
him  a  part  of  Cross  Bay.  It  was  at  this  place 
they  conducted  all  their  Zeppelin  experiments, 
and  erected  a  wireless  station  to  connect  with 
the  station  they  put   up  for  the  Norwegian 


96 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


Government  in  Green  Harbour,  and  from  there 
to  every  other  part  of  the  world.  I  know  also 
that  the  Germans  had  some  Norwegians  act- 
ing for  them  in  attempting  to  obtain  coal 
mines ;  in  fact  the  Germans  were  very  sweet 
on  the  country. 

I  must  disagree  with  Mr.  Marstrander  in  his 
attempt  to  belittle  the  Northern  Exploration 
Company's  wonderful  marble  deposit.  It  is 
the  finest  ornamental  marble  deposit  in  the 
world.  There  are  to-day-  -unless  taken  away 
by  exploring  parties  visiting  the  place  while 
the  war  was  on — solid  blocks  of  beautiful  orna- 
mental stone  weighing  20,  25,  30,  40,  50,  and 
60  tons,  and  these  can  be  duplicated  in  any 
quantity,  for  there  is  enough  marble  to  supply 
the  world  for  all  conceivable  time.  Another 
good  feature  of  this  extraordinary  deposit  is 
that  there  are  a  very  large  number  of  varie- 
ties, all  of  them  handsome,  and  as  Mr.  Mars- 
trander truthfully  admits,  "  take  a  beautiful 
polish  and  have  beautiful  colours."  It  is  a  cor- 
rect statement.  Of  course  there  are  thousands 
of  tons  of  worthless  debris  on  this  marble  de- 
posit of  about  10  square  miles,  but  for  every 
hundredweight  of  rubble  there  is  a  million  tons 
of  solid  stone.  But  the  rubble  is  not  value- 
less, as  lime  or  calcium-carbide  can  be  made 
of  it. 

In  Norway,  and  in  Scotland  as  well,  there 
are  granite  quarries  being  worked  for  stone. 
Do  the  companies  extractsoundblocksof  stone 
from  the  surface  ?  I  don't  think  so.  The 
Northern  Exploration  Company's  marble  de- 
posit in  King's  Bay  is  ornamental  marble,  and, 
therefore,  like  all  other  ornamental  marble  in 
every  part  of  the  world,  is  of  a  friable  nature. 
In  King's  Bay  we  are  only  scratching  the  sur- 
face, but  from  the  tests  made  by  bores  (some 
of  them  down  170  ft.)  we  have  evidence  to 
prove  that  solid  blocks  of  marble  will  be  ob- 
tainable. This  will  be  at  a  less  depth  than 
either  the  Scottish  or  Norwegian  quarrieshave 
to  penetrate  in  order  to  get  a  block  of  solid 
granite. 

I  am  very  much  inclined  to  believe  that  the 
geologist  and  two  Swedish  mining  engineers 
of  repute  "  who  went  to  have  a  look  at  the  iron 
deposit  saw  only  the  pup,  and  not  the  mother. 
There  might  have  been  a  great  deal  of  snow 
about  at  the  time  of  their  visit,  and  the  iron 
location  is  not  a  place  to  go  picnicing.  There 
are  formations  in  the  vicinity  as  described  by 
Mr.  Mar>trander  on  other  people's  statements, 
but  that  is  not  the  locality  meant  when  the 
term  "  Iron  Mountain"  is  used.  There  are 
mountain  masses  of  magnetite  iron,  very  high 
grade,  and  even  if  it  fails  to  grip  the  geologist's 


compass,  answers  very  well  to  the  pick,  drill, 
and  dynamite,  and  after  all  that  is  the  crucial 
test,  whey  iron  ore  is  wanted  of  a  68%  grade. 
I  am  convinced  that  every  word  of  the  Chair- 
man's statements  will  be  more  than  verified  by 
actual  results,  and  that  he  was  justified  in 
making  them.  He  had  before  him  samples  of 
the  iron,  marble,  coal,  and  other  minerals,  and 
had  questioned  and  cross-questioned  hardy 
Sheffield  colliery  managers  and  iron  workers, 
also  Norwegian  geologists  and  iron  workers, 
and  other  men  with  a  knowledge  of  minerals, 
all  of  whom  had  done  actual  work  with  pick 
and  drill  not  merely  for  "  two  summers,"  but 
for  a  dozen  summers,  and  as  many  long  win- 
ters.    There  is  a  difference. 

With  regard  to  Mr.  Blumental's  letter,  I 
must  say  that  this  gentleman  appears  to  have 
an  axe  to  grind.  After  a  long  doleful  account 
of  other  people's  statements,  including  Mr. 
Hoel's,  that  all  discoveries  so  far,  other  than 
coal,  are  valueless,  he  winds  up,  "  that  there  is 
a  strong  feeling  here  (Kristiania)  that  Norway 
has  the  first  claim  to  Spitsbergen."  A  rather 
tall  order,  when  British  and  American  capital 
have  done  more  to  develop  the  land  than  all 
the  rest  of  the  world  put  together.  Mr.  Blu- 
mental  is  also  misleading  for  although  it  is  cor- 
rect to  state  that  "  the  largest  and  most  valu- 
able properties  are  held  by  Norwegian  com- 
panies," (I  presume  he  alludes  to  the  Advent 
Bay  colliery),  he  omits  to  mention  the  fact  that 
this  company  was  developed  and  opened  up 
solely  by  American  capital,  with  American 
engineers  and  English  colliery  managers,  and 
that  the  property  with  all  its  equipment  and 
machinery,  and  already  in  a  producing  stage, 
was  sold  to  the  Norwegians  by  the  Americans. 
At  this  time  the  Norwegians  did  not  develop 
the  property  at  all,  but  simply  took  over  the 
show  from  the  American  owners,  and  every  ton 
of  coal  taken  out  by  the  Norwegians  was  done 
while  we  were  at  war. 

We  can  go  one  better  than  a  100  years  ago, 
for  a  great  many  Scottish  whalers  over  200 
years  ago  made  Spitsbergen  their  headquarters 
every  sum.ner,  and,  if  reportsare  correct,  many 
of  the  crews  used  to  go  up  to  what  was  the  first 
American  workings  in  1905-6  in  Advent  Bay, 
the  present  Norwegian  company's  property, 
and  carried  coal  down  on  their  backs  for  their 
galley  fires.  England  also  has  had  a  great 
number  of  expeditions,  both  in  the  olden  time, 
and  more  recently.  Indeed  the  charts  used  by 
captains  of  ships  belonging  to  all  nationalities 
were  then,  as  most  of  them  are  now,  the  Ad" 
miralty  charts  printed  in  London.  Men  o'war 
flying  the  white  ensign  have  made  navigable 


AUGUST,     1919 


97 


most  of  the  harbours  now  frequented  by  call- 
ing vessels,  by  their  work  in  making  soundings. 

Norwegian  labour  is  mostly  employed  in 
Spitsbergen.  I  have  had  many  hundreds  of 
Norwegians  working  for  me,  both  summer  and 
winter,  and  I  find  them  very  fine  men  indeed. 
They  render  service  for  the  wages  and  food 
given,  and  it  is  a  fair  bargain  to  our  mutual 
advantage.  For  many  years  there  was  not  a 
soul  working  on  the  land  in  Bell  Sound,  Lowe 
Sound,  Braganza  Bay,  Recherche  Bay,  Van 
Keulen's  Bay,  and  King's  Bay,  except  in  my 
employ.  I  believe  there  are  thousands  of 
Norwegians  serving  in  our  mercantile  marine, 
and  give  as  great  satisfaction  in  that  branch 
as  my  workmen  gave  to  me  in  opening  up  the 
mineral  deposits  in  the  early  days.  Although 
these  sailors  render  such  splendid  service  un- 
der our  red  ensign,  I  don't  think  any  would 
claim  that  they  were  responsible  for  the  finding 
of  the  ship,  or  guiding  the  vessel  on  its  way  ; 
none,  I  feel  sure,  would  claim  it.  Is  it  not 
exactly  the  same  with  regard  to  the  mines  ? 
Supposing  the  Norwegian  sailors  refused  to 
work  under  the  English  flag,  it  would  not  stop 
progress,  for  our  vessels  would  sail  the  seas  as 
of  yore. 

The  strangeness  of  Mr.  Blumental's  letter  to 
me  is  that  he  doesn't  seem  to  have  even  visited 
the  country  he  is  so  anxious  to  decry  and  be- 
little, and  yet  at  the  same  time  work  in  what 
he  appears  to  wish»for,  that  Spitsbergen  should 
belong  to  Norway.  Suppose  Norway  had  it, 
and  they  had  a  fracas  with  some  power  similar 
to  that  we  recently  had.  How  long  could  Nor- 
way hold  it  ?  And  again,  what  about  rights  of 
us  pioneerswho  paved  the  way  ?  I  don't  think 
we  should  relish  having  our  properties  confis- 
cated. Will  Mr.  Blumental  supply  a  fewmore 
figures,  and  state  the  number  of  tons  of  coal 
mined  and  exported  from  Spitsbergen  before 
1914  and  after  1914,  also  the  nature  of  the  de- 
velopments of  the  other  companies  during  the 
same  period  ?  By  this  way  we  shall  then  be 
able  to  see  who  the  actual  workers  on  the  land 
really  were. 

Ernest  Mansfield. 

London,  July  25. 

[We  publish  the  foregoing  letter  in  fairness 
to  those  whom  we  have  criticized.  Mr.  Mans- 
field, however,  does  not  give  the  specific  in- 
formation relating  to  the  iron  ore  deposit  for 
which  we  called.  We  are  aware  of  the  value 
of  the  coal  deposits,  and  described  them  in 
July,  1915.  As  regards  the  claim  to  the  owner- 
ship of  the  islands,  we  quoted  Sir  Martin 
Conway's  history  of  the  dispute  in  March 
last. — Editor]  . 

2—5 


Diamond-Drilling. 

The  Editor : 

Sir — Reference  was  made  in  your  issue  of 
April  to  a  paper  read  before  the  North  Wales 
Branch  of  the  National  Association  of  Col- 
liery Managers  by  Mr.  J.  Walker  Steele,  en- 
titled "  Some  Difficulties  met  with  in  Putting 
Down  a  Diamond  Bore-hole  Underground."  I 
have  read  the  report  of  this  paper  in  the  Iron 
&  Coal  Trades  Review  for  March  7.  As  the 
conclusions  arrived  at  are  greatly  in  error,  some 
comment  in  the  form  of  an  analysis  of  the 
paper  may  be  of  interest  to  the  mining  com- 
munity. 

It  would  appear  that  Mr.  Steele,  in  penning 
the  paper,  was  actuated  by  a  sincere  desire  to 
add  to  existing  knowledge  as  to  the  adapta- 
bility of  boring  machines  to  underground  con- 
ditions, but  the  conclusions  drawn  from  the 
work  in  question  are  clearly  not  correct.  In 
fact,  a  careful  perusal  of  the  paper  leads  to  the 
conclusion  that  this  particular  work  was  car- 
ried out  with  a  remarkable  display  of  ingenu- 
ity in  overcoming  trouble,  coupled,  however, 
with  great  want  of  skill  in  the  actual  drilling 
operations.  This  latter  would  seem  to  have 
been  the  chief  cause  of  getting  into  trouble 
while  boring.  Had  a  fairly  skilled  man  been 
in  charge  of  the  work,  there  is  absolutely  no 
doubt  that  the  only  trouble  they  would  have 
encountered  would  have  been  that  occasioned 
by  the  loss  of  water  in  the  bore-hole.  While 
it  is  always  requisite  that  an  ample  supply  of 
water  passes  through  the  diamond  crown  while 
it  is  at  work,  it  is  not  always  requisite  that 
this  water  be  returned  to  the  collar  of  the  bore. 
This,  you  will  note,  qualifies  the  diamond 
crown.  Where  a  shot  crown  is  working,  then 
it  is  imperative  that  the  water  returns  to  the 
collar. 

One  of  the  things,  in  fact  it  is  not  too  much 
to  say  that  the  outstanding  thing,  that  impress- 
ed me  more  than  any  other  in  the  account  of 
this  boring  was  that  the  drillipg  plant  should 
have  been  so  destitute  of  apparatus  for  the  re- 
covering of  the  rods  after  they  had  become  un- 
screwed in  the  hole.  Recovering  tools  such 
as  Mr.  Steele  has  illustrated  his  article  with, 
though  rather  more  perfect  in  design,  are  part 
of  the  regular  equipment  of  the  diamond-drills 
that  have  been  working  exclusively  under- 
ground in  Cornwall  for  the  past  three  years. 
These  machines  are  manufactured  by  the  Sul- 
livan Machinery  Company,  and  as  these  re- 
covering tools  are  always  listed  in  their  cata- 
logues, it  would  seem  to  have  been  rather 
superfluous  to  have  gone  to  the  trouble  of  de- 
signing and  making  them  at  the  work. 


98 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


Mr.  Steele  states  that  frequent  difficulties 
were  encountered  due  to  the  fracturing  of  the 
ground  by  adjacent  workings,  as  well  as  to 
the  ground  being  full  of  small  faults  which  in- 
terfered with  the  washing  out  of  the  bore-hole, 
these  necessitating  the  use  of  bran  or  sawdust 
in  order  to  get  the  hole  tight  and  secure  good 
washing  out.  Both  of  these  materials  are 
only  used  as  a  makeshift ;  the  logical  material 
to  use  in  a  case  of  this  kind,  apart  from  ream- 
ing and  casing  the  hole,  is  cement.  This  ma- 
terial in  addition  to  plugging  the  crevices  and 
making  the  bore  water-tight,  also  reinforces 
any  weak  portions  and  prevents  them  from 
caving  while  the  drill  is  at  work.  The  cement 
is  just  as  easy  to  use  as  either  bran  or  saw- 
dust. It  is  true  that  it  takes  a  little  time  to  set, 
but  it  makes  a  permanent  job,  whereas  bran 
and  sawdust  simply  give  temporary  relief. 
That  the  cores  should  split  perpendicularly  is 
nothing  exceptional  in  any  core  borings,  and 
with  the  Sullivan  diamond-drills  this  is  over- 
come by  the  use  of  a  Sullivan  double  core  tube. 
The  wedging  that  takes  place  from  the  split- 
ting of  the  cores  is  almost  always  attributable 
to  the  mechanical  action  of  the  wash  water, 
which  causes  the  cores  to  open  out  and  wedge 
themselves  in  the  tube  so  that  nothing  remains 
but  to  withdraw  the  rods  and  clear  out  the 
tube.  In  the  double  core  tube,  the  core  is  al- 
ways protected  from  the  action  of  the  water, 
and  the  clearance  in  the  inner  tube  that  car- 
ries the  core  is  only  such  as  to  allow  the  core 
to  pass,  thus  preventing  the  opening  of  the 
cores  to  any  appreciable  extent,  and,  therefore, 
facilitating  the  progress  of  the  drilling. 

The  losing  of  the  diamonds  in  the  bore-hole 
can  only  be  attributable  to  faulty  setting  or 
careless  running  of  the  crown.  As  nothing  is 
said  as  to  the  method  in  which  the  diamonds 
were  set  in  the  crowns,  it  is  not  possible  to 
comment  on  this  part  of  the  trouble.  I  have 
to  say,  however,  that  in  over  nine  thousand 
feet  of  underground  drilling  that  has  been 
carried  out  in  Cornwall  there  has  never  been 
a  diamond  lost  in  a  hole ;  in  fact,  there  has 
never  been  a  diamond  come  loose  in  the  crowns. 
This  was  not  attributable  to  the  fact  that  there 
have  been  highly  skilled  workers  in  charge, 
for  the  writer  has  trained  all  of  the  men  who 
are  operating  diamond-drills  in  Cornwall,  and 
in  two  instances  these  men  had  but  three 
months  in  which  to  become  proficient  in  both 
the  running  of  the  drills  and  the  setting  of  the 
diamonds.  This  should  speak  very  highly  for 
the  simplicity,  efficiency,  and  adaptability  of 
the  Sullivan  diamond-drills  to  underground 
conditions. 


I  agree  with  Mr.  Steele  that  it  is  always 
best  to  have  a  skilled  man  in  charge  of  work 
of  that  kind,  but  with  his  conclusion  that  the 
shot-drill  would  have  been  a  better  machine  to 
use,  I  cannot  at  all  agree.  In  fact,  I  have  to 
say,  from  a  description  of  the  ground  bored, 
that  I  greatly  doubt  if  he  would  ever  have  got 
a  hole  down  with  a  shot  machine.  Had  this 
method  been  adopted,  every  time  they  lost  the 
water  or  struck  a  crevice  in  the  bore  it  would 
have  had  to  be  filled  up,  as,  where  water  will 
lose  itself,  so  also  will  the  shot.  That  shot- 
boring  is  fool-proof  is  rather  wide  of  the  mark. 

In  regard  to  the  unscrewing  of  the  rods 
while  the  hole  was  being  chopped  or  sludged, 
(this  latter  term  I  take  to  mean  the  cleaning  of 
the  bottom  of  the  bore-hole),  Mr.  Steele  is  of 
the  opinion  that  had  the  borers  had  more  ex- 
perience so  as  to  have  been  able  to  judge  the 
necessary  amount  of  percussion  and  the  vio- 
lence of  each  stroke,  the  trouble  would  not 
have  arisen.  This  is  altogether  surmise,  as  it 
is  immaterial  how  great  or  how  small  a  blow 
is  struck.  If  other  precautions  are  not  taken, 
the  rods  will  unscrew.  Any  fitter  knows  that 
a  succession  of  blows  will  loosen  the  most  re- 
fractory screw  joint,  and  it  may  be  taken  as 
a  rule  that  the  solidity  of  the  line  of  drill  rods 
while  chopping  does  not  depend  upon  the  rapi- 
dity of  percussion  or  violence  of  stroke  but 
rather  upon  the  assiduity  with  which  a  tighten- 
ing process  is  carried  out.  .The  usual  practice 
is  to  strike  a  few  blows  and  then  turn  the  rods 
with  a  wrench.  This  method  has  the  advan- 
tage of  filling  a  dual  purpose  in  that,  in  addi- 
tion to  keeping  the  line  of  drill  rods  screwed  to- 
gether, it  also  keeps  the  detritus  in  the  bottom 
of  the  bore  stirred  up  and  prevents  it  packing, 
thus  enabling  the  pump  to  evacuate  it  with  the 
least  trouble.  It  will  be  seen  that  this  process 
is  very  simple  and  requires  no  skill  to  accom- 
plish. 

I  gather  from  Mr.  Steele's  paper  that  his  en- 
deavour was  to  throw  as  much  light  as  pos- 
sible on  the  possibility  of  adapting  diamond- 
drilling  to  underground  conditions.  As  a  great 
part  of  my  life  has  been  spent  in  doing  just 
such  drilling,  I  trust  that  the  foregoing  re- 
marks will  be  taken  in  the  same  light. 

J.  A.  Mac  Vicar. 
Whitehaven,  July  18. 


Patents  in  relation  to  industry  formed  the 
subject  of  a  conference  held  in  connection  with 
the  British  Science  Products  Exhibition  at  the 
Central  Hall,  Westminster,  on  July  31,  when 
the  Bill  now  before  Parliament  was  discussed. 


AUGUST,    1919 


99 


NEWS   LETTERS 

TORONTO. 

July  11. 

Damage  by  Forest  Fires. — Owing  to  the 
extreme  heat  and  drought  there  have  been  ex- 
tensive forest  fires  in  Northern  Ontario,  which 
at  one  time  threatened  the  destruction  of  many 
of  the  mining  properties.  Fortunately  the  dan- 
ger was  averted  at  the  more  important  camps 
by  heavy  rainstorms,  which  checked  the  pro- 
gress of  the  flames.  The  principal  loss  sus- 
tained was  at  Boston  Creek,  where  the  mill  of 
the  Patricia  Syndicate,  valued  at  $75,000,  and 
the  mining  plant  of  the  Cotter  were  destroyed. 
Some  damage  to  mining  properties  was  also 
done  in  the  West  Shining  Tree  area.  A  com- 
pensating advantage  in  that  district  is  that  the 
fires  have  cleared  off  much  of  the  vegetation, 
exposing  large  areas  of  bare  rock  and  render- 
ing prospecting  easy. 

Porcupine. — This  district  has  not  been  ex- 
empt from  the  widespread  feeling  of  labour  un- 
rest, which  is  unsettling  the  mining  industry 
elsewhere, but  so  far  no  serious  difficulties  have 
resulted  and  a  settlement  satisfactory  to  both 
parties  has  apparently  been  arrived  at.  The 
miners  asked  for  an  increase  of  wages,  but  in- 
timated that  they  would  be  equally  well  satis- 
fied if  a  reduction  in  the  high  cost  of  living 
could  be  effected.  The  Hollinger  and  Dome 
Mines  have  undertaken  to  meet  their  views  by 
the  establishment  of  company  stores,  and  it  is 
reported  that  the  employees  of  the  latter  com- 
pany have  already  benefited,  by  a  reduction 
in  the  cost  of  the  necessaries  of  life  of  about 
18%.  As  soon  as  their  plans  are  fully  matured 
the  Hollinger  promises  to  do  even  better  than 
this  in  cutting  down  living  expenses.  The 
Dome  is  maintaining  production  at  the  rate  of 
approximately  $120,000  per  month,  or  about 
half  capacity,  the  mill-heads  running  a  little 
higher  than  the  average  grade  of  the  mine. 
Net  profits  are  conservatively  estimated  at 
about  $2  per  ton.  The  Mclntyre  is  cutting  a 
station  in  the  main  shaft  at  the  1,200  ft.  level. 
Ore  for  the  mill  is  being  extracted  from  the 
1,135  ft.  level,  and  the  shaft  will  be  sunk  175 
ft.  deeper.  The  mill  is  running  at  capacity, 
with  an  average  extraction  of  $10  per  ton. 
The  Dome  Lake  is  driving  a  long  cross-cut 
for  the  development  of  a  large  ore-body  indica- 
ted by  diamond-drilling.  The  capacity  of  the 
mill  has  been  brought  up  to  100  tons  per  day. 

KlRKLAND  LAKE. — Work  on  the  leading 
mines  has  been  completely  stopped  by  a  strike 
of  miners  which  took  place  on  June  12.  Con- 
ferences between  the  miners  and  mine-owners 


havebeen  held, but  without  result, and  the  great 
majority  of  the  strikers  have  left  the  district. 
Some  have  gone  prospecting,  and  others  are 
working  on  undeveloped  prospects  or  small 
properties  in  outlying  districts.  The  mine 
managers  have  determined  to  remain  closed 
down  until  overhead  expenses,  which  they  claim 
leave  no  margin  for  profit,  can  be  consider- 
ably reduced.  Active  development  is  being 
pushed,  however, on  many  of  the  newer  proper- 
ties, including  the  Ontario- Kirkland,  where  a 
100  ton  mill  will  shortly  be  installed,  the 
Greene- Kirkland,  the  Young- Duncan,  and  the 
Kirkland  Combine.  The  Lake  Shore  during 
May  treated  1,750  tons  of  ore  for  a  yield  of 
$42,136,  being  an  average  of  $24'08  per  ton. 
At  the  Kirkland  Lake,  when  closed  down,  a 
15  ft.  ore  face  was  showing  at  the  600  ft.  level 
with  ore  stated  officially  to  average  $55  per 
ton.  A  3  ft.  ore-body  running  parallel  carries 
$28  per  ton. 

Cobalt. —  For  some  weeks  the  miners  have 
been  threatening  to  strike,  but  the  final  decision 
has  from  time  to  time  been  postponed  in  the 
hope  that  a  satisfactory  settlement  can  be 
effected  by  the  Canadian  Minister  of  Labour. 
[Since  the  above  report  was  written  cablemes- 
sages  have  announced  a  stoppage. — EDITOR.] 
The  Cobalt  miners  are  in  a  better  position  than 
those  engaged  in  the  gold  mines,  as  they  re- 
ceive in  addition  to  their  regular  wages  a  bonus 
regulated  according  to  the  market  price  of  sil- 
ver. During  June  the  bonus  was  increased 
by  the  amount  of  25  cents  per  day,  making  the 
total  $1*50  per  day.  It  is  hardly  likely  that 
the  strike  will  take  place  so  long  as  these 
favourable  conditions  continue.  During  May 
the  Kerr  Lake  produced  105, 582oz., compared 
with  104,477  oz.  in  April.  The  production 
during  the  current  yearshowsadeclineof  about 
50%  as  compared  with  last  year's  output.  For 
the  five  months  ended  with  May  1918,  the  mine 
produced  1,085,793  oz.  of  silver,  as  compared 
with  528,358  for  the  first  five  months  of  1919. 
Several  new  veins  have  been  discovered  on  the 
old  Foster  property,  one  of  which  was  found 
on  the  40  ft.  level,  and  is  reported  to  be  very 
high  grade.  Work  has  been  started  on  the 
Mohawk  property  situated  on  the  west  side  of 
Mud  Lake.  The  Cobalt  Provincial  will  in- 
crease the  capacity  of  its  mill  from  40  to  100 
tons.  The  McKinley-Darragh  is  exploring 
the  undeveloped  south-eastern  part  of  its  prop- 
erty adjacent  to  the  Nipissing.  The  Peterson 
Lake  has  had  a  judgment  in  its  favour  by  the 
Supreme  Court  in  a  protracted  suit  over  the 
ownership  of  slimes  deposited  by  the  Domin- 
ion  Reduction  Company's   mill    in    Peterson 


100 


THE    MINING     MAGAZINE 


Lake  territory.  The  case  was  originally  de- 
cided by  the  lower  court  in  favour  of  the 
Peterson  Lake  and  an  appeal  taken  resulted 
in  the  judgment  being  confirmed.  The  silver 
content  of  the  slimes  is  estimated  as  at  least 
500,000  ox. 

Matachewan. — This  district  is  attracting 
a  good  deal  of  attention.  The  shaft  on  the 
Matachewan  mine,  formerly  the  Otisse,  is 
down  140  ft.,  and  is  still  in  ore.  The  vein  is 
about  30  ft.  wide  on  the  surface.  Cross-cut- 
ting will  be  undertaken  at  the  200  ft.  level. 
North-east  of  the  Matachewan  a  group  of 
claims  known  as  the  Matachewan  Rand  is 
being  opened  up. 

West  Shin  inc.  Tree. — Many  properties 
in  the  northern  portion  of  this  area  are  under 
development,  including  the  Wasapika,  Miller- 
Adair,  and  Riel-Foisey,  situated  on  the  great 
Ribble  vein,  along  which  they  extend  continu- 
ously for  nearly  10,000  ft.  Other  claims  which 
are  being  actively  worked  are  the  West  Tree, 
the  Herrick,  and  the  Atlas.  On  the  latter 
property  the  andesite  is  cut  by  dykes  of  olivine 
diabase  which  is  considered  a  highly  favour- 
able formation.  The  buildings  on  the  Queen 
of  Sheba  were  destroyed  by  a  bush  fire. 

NORTH   OF   ENGLAND. 

"The  Times"  Article.— I  hope  that 
readers  of  the  Magazine  saw  the  valuable  arti- 
cle in  "The  Times  Trade  Supplement,"  giving 
a  short  outline  of  what  has  happened  in  the 
lead  and  zinc  mining  industry  since  November 
last,  and  revealing  the  position  as  it  stands  to- 
day. The  three  concluding  paragraphs  are 
well  worth  quoting  :  "  There  has  been  no  at- 
tempt to  force  the  Government  into  a  prema 
ture  policy  of  protection,  but  the  mines  feel 
that  they  have  a  right  to  live  until  the  position 
becomes  a  purely  economic  one.  When  the 
Government  stocks  are  liquidated  and  the  con- 
sumer is  compelled  to  purchase  in  the  world's 
market,  the  price  of  lead  and  zinc  metal  and 
the  price  of  lead  and  zinc  ores  will  find  an  eco- 
nomic level  which  would  enable  mining  to  be 
carried  on  in  this  country  on  a  profitable  basis. 
The  Government  has  protected  dyes,  motor, 
paper-making,  and  other  industries  by  means 
of  restrictive  licences  and  duties,  but  in  this  in- 
stance, the  mine  owners  are  actually  expected 
to  produce  their  ores  at  a  price  to  compete 
with  the  reckless  sale  at  a  loss  of  Government 
purchases.  An  output  bonus  of  £5  per  ton 
should  be  given  for  a  year  or  two  at  least,  in 
any  case,  until  abnormal  conditions  cease  ;  but 
whatever  is  done  should  be  done  quickly  and 
have  sufficient  permanence  to  give  some  secur- 


ity to  the  mine  owners,  who  have  for  the  last 
few  years  been  the  victims  of  an  administra- 
tion that  it  is  difficult  to  describe  in  polite  lan- 
guage." 

Zinc. — There  is  little  to  say  this  month 
about  markets.  I  hear  that  the  smelters  are 
being  charged  by  the  Government  ^11  per 
ton  for  zinc  concentrates  guaranteed  to  contain 
45%  of  zinc.  If  that  is  so  the  smelters  ought 
to  be  able  to  give  mine  owners  certainly  30s. 
to  35s.  per  ton  more  for  the  material  containing 
50%.  Smelters,  however,  are  heavily  stocked 
with  concentrates,  and  are  not  in  the  market. 
I  am  told  that  the  zinc  smelters  are  getting 
considerable  subsidies  from  the  Government 
either  in  the  form  of  direct  subsidy  or  a  guar- 
anteed price  which  is  considerably  above  the 
price  of  zinc  in  the  open  market.  The  Board 
of  Trade  has  been  asked  for  information  on 
this  point,  but  refuses  to  say  anything.  I  am 
informed,  by  the  way,  that  there  are  2,000,000 
tons  of  blende  collected  and  stored  at  Broken 
Hill  or  lying  at  Port  Pirie.  I  presume  that 
this  has  already  been  paid  for  by  the  Govern- 
ment. A  pretty  fine  penny  there  must  be  for 
the  interest  running. 

Leah.  As  to  lead  the  position  is  that  large 
supplies  are  coming  in  and  that  they  are  being 
well  absorbed.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  Gov- 
ernment stocks  will  not  increase  this  month. 
The  smelters  decline  to  buy  at  other  than  ri- 
diculously low  prices.  I  believe  in  some  cases 
they  offer  not  more  than  ^12.  10s.  per  ton. 
In  only  exceptional  cases  are  odd  lots  being 
sold  at  a  reasonable  figure.  I  have  heard  of 
an  isolated  spot  transaction  or  two  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  £\1 .  10s.  per  ton. 

THORNTHWAITE  MINE. — This  mine  has 
dismissed  more  than  half  of  the  men  employed 
at  it  and  is  simply  retaining  a  sufficient  num- 
ber to  carry  on  what  development  work  the 
the  directors  deem  it  advisable  to  have  done. 
It  is  interesting  to  hear  that  when  the  manage- 
ment sent  word  to  the  Government  department 
on  the  step  that  had  been  taken  a  reply  was 
received  that,  as  the  matter  was  one  which 
evidently  applied  to  coal,  it  had  been  sent  to 
the  Coal  Controller  !  Thereupon  the  manage- 
ment informed  the  Government  department 
that  as  lead  and  zinc  were  not  coal  it  would  be 
advisable  for  the  letter  to  go  to  the  officialsdeal- 
ing  with  lead  and  zinc  mines.  No  further  com- 
munication, needless  to  say,  has  been  received 
by  the  company  from  the  department. 

THRELKELD. — Developments  at  the  Threl- 
keld  mine  up  to  date  show  a  length  of  ore- 
bearing  ground  in  the  extension  to  the  old  mine 
of  about  97  fathoms.    The  whole  of  this  is  pay- 


AUGUST,    1919 


101 


able  ground,  and  the  contents  will  average 
about  one  ton  of  lead  to  the  fathom.  Though 
this  does  not  appear  to  be  a  very  rich  yield,  it 
must  be  remembered  that  the  mine  is  worked 
by  an  adit  level  and  that  consequently  there  is 
no  pumping  or  winding.  The  stoping  ground 
is  very  free,  consisting  of  sandy  quartz  and 
narrow  bands  of  fairly  solid  galena  with  a  little 
blende.  Above  the  adit  level  there  is  about 
15,000  ft.  of  solid  ground,  and  if  this  deposit 
goes  up  to  the  surface  it  must  prove  a  very 
satisfactory  venture  to  those  who  are  interest- 
ed in  the  property.  The  trial  stope  has  been 
put  up  about  60  ft.,  and  reveals  a  gradual  im- 
provement all  the  way  as  it  rises. 

Brandlehow  Mine.— This  mine  is  now 
under  the  management  of  Mr.  W.  H.  Borlase, 
who  is  engaged  in  sinking  a  new  shaft  which 
is  about  35  fathoms  deep.  He  hopes  to  carry 
it  down  about  55  fathoms,  when  lateral  develop- 
ment will  be  undertaken. 

Weardale.— At  one  of  the  mines  at  Stan- 
hopeburn  the  men,  who  handed  in  their  notices, 
have  been  definitely  refused  the  Sankeyaward. 
The  position  does  not  allow  of  such  a  conces- 
sion. 

Goldscope.— Mr.  Bennett  Johns  is  vigor- 
ously opening  out  the  Goldscope  lodes  in  the 
Vale  of  Newlands,  and  is  hoping  to  reach  the 
intersection  of  the  copper  vein  and  Scalby's 
lode.  This  copper  vein  has  only  proved  pro- 
ductive where  intersected  by  other  lodes.  The 
total  length  of  this  adit  level  is  1,800  ft.  Mr. 
Johns  has  gone  past  the  old  Goldscope  bunch 
which  was  so  rich,  and  is  going  onto  the  next 
intersection.  The  Goldscope  mine  has  a  ro- 
mantic history.  It  was  worked  continuous- 
ly for  about  85  years,  starting  in  Queen 
Elizabeth's  day,  and  was  closed  by  the 
civil  wars  in  1651,  most  of  the  miners  being 
either  killed  or  drafted  into  Cromwell's  Army. 
The  Dutch,  who  came  with  the  Prince  of 
Orange,  re-opened  the  mine  in  1690,  and  re- 
mained until  1715.  For  130  years  afterwards 
there  was  no  record  of  what  took  place.  It 
was  re-opened  by  a  private  company  in  1847, 
but  it  was  offered  for  sale  at  the  end  of  18 
months,  after  ,£"5,000  had  been  spent,  and 
Messrs.  Clarke  &  Co.  became  the  purchasers. 
Under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Clarke  fair  success 
was  secured.  Mr.  Clarke  discovered  a  deposit 
of  ore  which  far  exceeded  his  expectations,  the 
east  lead  vein  being  cut  at  a  point  where  the 
adit  level  had  been  driven  forward  along  the 
copper  vein,  about  60  fathoms  from  the  old 
shaft.  The  deposit  of  ore  measured  15  fathoms 
in  length,  and  contained  one  vein  of  solid  ore, 
3  ft.  in  thickness,  besides  three  or  four  smaller 


veins,  varying  from  three  to  eight  inches  in 
thickness,  and  making  a  total  of  upwards  of 
four  feet  of  solid  ore.  The  amount  of  profit 
realized  in  stoping  out  the  ore  below  the  adit 
level  was  about  ,£"25,000,  and  it  is  considered 
very  probable  that  the  ground  above  the  level 
would  return  a  profit,  almost  if  not  quite,  equal 
to  the  amount  forthcoming  below.  The  mine 
continued  to  return  large  profits  for  many 
years,  but  ultimately  the  shaft  became  so  deep 
that  the  waterwheel  was  no  longer  able  to 
pump  water,  and  the  mine  was  abandoned  in 
1864. 

SAN  FRANCISCO. 
[Owing  to  scarcity  of  newspublishedin  Eng- 
land relating  to  present  conditions  in  Mexico, 
the  following  paragraphs  from  the  pen  of  Mr. 
T.  A.  Rickard  and  appearing  in  the  Mining 
and  Scientific  Press  will  be  welcomed  by 
readers. —  Editor.] 

Mexican  Conditions.— Signs  are  multi- 
plying that  even  the  long-suffering  administra- 
tion at  Washington  is  becoming  vexed  with  the 
GovernmentofCarranza.    The  policy  of  watch- 
ful waiting  was  well-meant  and  might  have  suc- 
ceeded if  this  leader  of  the  so-called  Constitu- 
tional party  had  made  the  most  of  the  chance 
given  to  him,  by  the  American  Government, 
to  establish  law  and  order  in   Mexico.     It  is 
announced  that  "urgent  representations"  have 
been  made  to  the  Mexican  Government  for  the 
punishment  of  those  responsible  for  themurder 
of  John  W.  Correll,  an  American  citizen,  the 
maltreatment  of  his  wife,  and  the  attempted 
murderof  theirson.at  their  ranch  near  Colonia, 
27  miles  north  of  Tampico.     The  mention  of 
the  locality  is  significant  because  a  few  days 
after  Correll  had  been  murdered  the  paymaster 
of  the  Gulf  Refining  Company,  an  American 
enterprise,  was  held  up  and  robbed  of  $15,000 
in  gold  which  he  was  taking  from  Tampico  to 
the  oilfield  ;  and  this  was  done  after  the  local 
authorities  had   been  notified  of  the  route  he 
would  take  and  of  the  need  for  protection  in 
going  about  his  regular  business.     This  was  in 
so-called  Carranza  territory,  that   is,  a  region 
dominated  by  Federal  troops,  who,  however, 
not  only  failed  to  give  the  proper  protection  to 
legitimate  industry  but,  some  of  them,  in  uni- 
form, actually  raided  a  camp  of  the  National 
Oil  Company,  at  Panuco,  and  robbed  the  em- 
ployees of  their  money  and  valuables.     On  top 
of  these  itemsof  lawlessness,  it  is  reported  that 
the  Mexican  Government  has  prevented  Ameri- 
can oil-drillers  from  working  on  land  that  had 
been  purchased  from  its  Mexican  owners  in, 
the  ordinary  way,  that  is,  it  was  not  a  Govern- 


102 


THE    MIXING    MAGAZINE 


merit  concession  but  private  property.  These 
incidents  are  in  no  way  remarkable ;  more  than 
300  Americans  have  been  killed  in  Mexico 
during  the  revolutionary  period  of  the  last  eight 
years,  and  American  properties  innumerable 
have  been  looted  or  destroyed  ;  the  recent 
happenings  have  fresh  significance  only  because 
they  mark  the  near  approach  of  a  limit  to  the 
patience  with  which  the  American  people  have 
waited  in  the  friendly  hope  that  the  Mexican 
would  set  his  house  in  order  and  become  a 
respectable  neighbour.  It  is,  of  course,  not  a 
little  absurd  that  a  Government  with  a  mission 
to  assist  in  the  establishment  of  civilized 
methods  in  Armeniaand  Dalmatia  should  shirk- 
obligations  at  its  back  door.  Apparently 
and  the  wish  may  be  father  to  the  thought — the 
Administration  at  Washington  is  ready  to  turn 
from  the  consideration  of  mandatories  far 
across  the  seas  to  the  acceptance  of  a  more 
logical  and  more  pressing  mandatory  across 
the  shallow  waters  of  the  Rio  Grande.  It  is 
about  time.  Every  intelligent  citizen  in  this 
country  must  be  tired  of  the  opera  bouffe  varied 
by  blackmail,  rapine,  and  massacre  that  has 
flourished  for  nine  years  in  Mexico,  into  which 
American  men  and  American  capital  were  cor- 
dially invited  to  come  by  Porfirio  Diaz  during 
the  more  than  thirty  years  of  his  presidency. 
These  alarums  and  excursions  at  Columbus, 
Cananea,  and  Juarez  are  ceasing  to  be  even 
picturesque.  We  understand  why  a  brigand 
like  Villa  and  a  desperado  like  Zapata  are  en- 
abled to  continue  their  depredations  year  after 
year  in  mockery  alike  of  the  de  facto  and  de 
jure  government  of  Carranza  who  is  ready  to 
ally  himself  with  any  enemy  of  the  United 
States  that  makes  him  an  offer  of  money. 

The  fact  is  that  our  southern  neighbours  are 
Indians  withaslight  admixture  of  alien, chiefly 
Spanish,  stock  ;  and  even  that  small  infusion 
of  European  blood  has  become  less  influential 
during  thedisorderly  period  since  Diaz  resigned, 
because  the  larger  part  of  the  Spanish  popu- 
lation has  emigrated  to  a  safer  domicile,  shirk- 
ing their  responsibilities  and  leaving  their  hap- 
less country  to  the  more  ignorant  mestizos  and 
the  full-blooded  indios.  Mexico  to-day  is  only 
10%  white,  and,  what  is  even  more  significant, 
it  is  85%  illiterate,  in  this  respect  being  com- 
parable with  Russia,  which,  like  Mexico,  is  for 
that  reason  entirely  unprepared  for  any  form  of 
representativegovernment.  Since  Humboldt's 
visit,  in  1810,  the  mixed  population  of  Mexico 
hasmorethandoubled.  Both  Diaz  and  Huerta 
belonged  to  this  group.  Even  the  undiluted 
Indian  has  risen  to  positions  of  power.  We 
are  not  dealing  with  a  Spanish  colony,  but  with 


a  people  among  whom  liberalism  works  as  an 
explosive  and  to  whom  the  contact  with  our 
material  civilization  has  been  the  cause  of  per- 
sistent political  ferment  and  systematic  cor- 
ruption. Mexico  is  in  the  kindergarten  of 
social  evolution.  Consider  Carranza's  at- 
tempts to  administer  the  country  with  a  com- 
bination of  crazy  idealism  and  sordid  crafti- 
ness. He  is  not  a  soldier,  he  rose  to  power  by 
means  of  the  military  ability — at  least  for  the 
sort  of  fighting  that  obtains  in  Mexico — of 
Villa,  Obregon,  and  Angeles,  all  of  whom  are 
now  opposing  him.  He  holds  his  remaining 
generals  only  by  permitting  them  to  graft  at 
their  pleasure.  The  Federal  appropriations 
passed  by  the  Mexican  Congress  tor  1918 
included  120,755,631  pesos  for  the  Department 
of  War  and  Marine  ;  this  was  two-thirds  of  the 
entire  budget  and  nearly  all  of  it  went  to  the 
army,  which  nevertheless  is  unable  either  to 
drive  Villa's  band  of  outlaws  into  the  moun- 
tains or  to  make  a  decent  showing  when  he  puts 
up  a  fight  periodically.  The  reason  why  the 
Federal  troops  are  so  ineffective  is  because  the 
money  voted  for  their  maintenance  is  squan- 
dered by  the  generals  in  riotous  living  in  the 
City  of  Mexico  and  because  the  officers  in  the 
field  actually  sell  arms  and  ammunition  tosuch 
bandits  as  Villa  and  Zapata.  Although  the 
latter  is  dead,  others  of  his  kind  are  numerous. 
The  military  authorities  have  to  be  bribed  in 
order  to  get  anything,  from  the  use  of  a  rail- 
road car  to  the  permission  to  employ  labour. 
The  names  of  37  defaulting  army  paymasters 
have  been  published  in  the  newspapers  of 
Mexico  City.  Carranza's  revenue  largely  ex- 
ceeds that  collected  by  Diaz,  and  he  gets  it  not 
by  just  taxation  but  by  confiscation,  which  has 
paralysed  industry.  Much  of  the  rolling  stock 
of  the  railways  has  been  destroyed  during  the 
guerilla  warfare,  and  what  has  survived  is  so 
out  of  repair  that  only  two  lines,  those  from 
Laredo  and  from  Vera  Cruz  to  the  capital,  are 
able  to  maintain  a  regular  service.  The  popu- 
lation in  the  bigger  cities,  such  as  the  capital, 
Vera  Cruz,  Guadalajara,  and  San  Luis  Potosi, 
has  been  increased  abnormally  by  thousands 
of  utterly  destitute  people,  brought  thither 
largely  by  the  fear  of  living  in  the  country, 
where  they  are  the  victims  of  recurrent  brig- 
andage. Agriculture  is  neglected  because  it  is 
unsafe  to  remain  on  the  farm,  the  produce  of 
which  likewise  is  at  the  mercy  of  bands  of  ma- 
rauders. Mexico  may  have  a  government  de 
facto,  it  has  none  de  jure.  It  neither  possesses 
the  power  nor  shows  the  inclination  to  dis- 
charge its  obligations  either  to  its  own  people 
or  to  those  of  a  neighbouring  country. 


AUGUST,    1919 


103 


PERSONAL 


Herbert  Ainsworth  is  here  from  Johannesburg. 

R.  F.  Allen  is  home  from  Nigeria. 

H.  Standish  Ball,  late  Assistant  Inspector  of 
Mines,  G.H.Q.,  France,  has  joined  the  firm  of  Albert 
Francois,  cementation  engineers. 

M.  W.  von  Bernewitz  is  now  associated  with 
Walter  Harvey  Weed  in  the  production  of  "The 
Mines  Handbook." 

Francis  L.  Boscjui  has  opened  an  office  at  90,  West 
Street,  New  York. 

F.  O'D.  Bourke  is  here  from  Naraguta,  Nigeria. 

Vicars  W.  Boyle,  manager  of  the  Bongwelli  mine, 
is  home  from  Nigeria,  after  an  absence  of  four  years. 

Arthur  J.  Caddick,  consulting  metallurgical  engi- 
neer to  the  Rio  Tinto  Co.,  is  here  from  Spain. 

J.  Morrow  Campbell  has  received  the  degree  of 
D.Sc.  from  Glasgow  University  for  his  thesis  on 
"  Laterite  "  which  was  published  in  this  Magazine. 

J.  E.  Clennell  is  here  from  the  United  States. 

Sir  Hugh  C.  Clifford  has  succeeded  Sir  F.  D. 
Lugard  as  Governor  of  Nigeria. 

Henry  F.  Collins  is  visiting  Spain. 

D.  L.  Goddard  has  been  appointed  manager  of  the 
Chillagoe  smelter,  Queensland. 

Brigadier-General  F.  G.  Guggisberg,  R.E., 
has  been  appointed  Governor  of  the  Gold  Coast. 

Ellwood  Hendrick,  consulting  editor  of  Chemi- 
cal and  Metallurgical  Engineering,  has  gone  to 
Venezuela. 

J.  A.  Hulme,  managerof  the MountMorgan concen- 
tration plant,  has  been  appointed  manager  for  the 
Kingsgate  Molybdenite  Co.,  Glen  Innes,  New  South 
Wales. 

Bertram  Hunt  is  back  from  Panama. 

James  M.  Hyde  has  been  appointed  professor  of 
metallurgy  in  the  Stanford  University,  San  Francisco. 

R.  Underwood  Jarvis  is  home  from  Naraguta, 
Nigeria. 

Dr.  W.  R.  Jones  is  coming  to  England  from  Bur- 
ma by  way  of  China  and  the  United  States. 

F.  R.  Lynch  is  here  from  Johannesburg. 

R.  L.  Naish,  manager  for  the  Kamunting  Tin 
Dredging  Co.,  is  here  from  the  Federated  Malay  States. 

Lewis  A.  Parsons,  lately  with  the  International 
Nickel  Company,  has  been  appointed  associate  editor 
of  the  Mining  and  Scientific  Press. 

A.  G.  Plews  has  returned  from  Burma. 

Professor  J.  W.  Richards,  of  Lehigh  University, 
is  visiting  electro-chemical  plants  in  Norway. 

William  Robertson,  smelter  manager  for  the 
Broken  Hill  Associated  Smelters,  is  visiting  metal- 
lurgical plants  in  the  United  States. 

William  Russell  has  gone  to  Norway. 

James  Scott  has  gone  to  Spitsbergen  as  mining 
geologist  to  the  Scottish  Spitsbergen  Syndicate,  Ltd. 

Lt.  R.  O.  Simon,  R.N.V.R.,  has  returned  from  the 
Archangel  front. 

Sydney  A.  R.  Skertculv  is  expected  from  Peru. 

C.  Lonsdale  Smith  has  been  appointed  manager 
for  the  Tungsten  Mines  Co.,  Frogmore,  New  South 
Wales. 

Sir  Arthur  Steel-Maiti.and  has  joined  the 
board  of  the  Rio  Tinto  Company. 

W.  H.  Stronge  is  leaving  for  Nigeria. 

H.  Leslie  Swift  has  left  for  Nigeria  to  take  up  an 
appointment  with  the  Jantar  Company. 

HARRY  J.  Wolf  has  resigned  the  position  of  pro- 
fessor of  mining  in  the  Colorado  School  of  Mines  and 
has  joined  the  editorial  stall  of  the  Engineering  and 
Mining  Journal. 


Edward  Hall  Watson  was  elected  president  of 
the  North-East  Siberian  Miners'  Federation  in  Decem- 
ber last,  at  a  mass  meeting  of  the  mining  fraternity 
held  at  Bodaibo.  This  is  the  first  time  that  a  foreigner 
has  filled  such  a  position  in  Siberia. 

Major  Gerard  W.  Williams,  R.E.,  D.S.C.. 
M.C.    has  been  demobilized  and  is  leaving  for  Nigeria. 


TRADE   PARAGRAPHS 

James  W.  Carr  &  Co.,  Ltd.,  of  35,  Queen  Victoria 
Street,  London,  E.C.4.,  announce  that  they  have  been 
appointed  sole  agents  for  London  and  the  southern  and 
eastern  counties  for  "Velos  Vanadium"  high-speed 
steel  tools  made  by  Walter  Spencer  &  Co.,  Ltd.,  Cres- 
cent Steel  Works,  Sheffield. 

The  British  Westinghouse  Electric  &  Manu- 
facturing Co.,  Ltd.,  of  Manchester,  send  us  a  num- 
ber of  leaflets  relating  to  various  accessories  for  elec- 
tric power  plant.  These  deal  with  direct-current  am- 
meters and  voltmeters,  oil-immersed  motor-control 
units  for  slip-ring  type  motors,  and  consumer's  oil- 
switch  cubicles. 

Jno.  Hy.  Andrew  &  Co.,  Ltd.,  of  the  Toledo  Steel 
Works,  Sheffield,  send  us  their  catalogue  of  special 
steels  and  steel  manufactures.  Their  Toledo  mining 
drills  are  known  throughout  the  world,  and  they  pro- 
duce large  amounts  of  steel  used  in  the  manufacture  of 
mining  ropes.  Since  the  firm  was  made  into  a  private 
limited  liability  company  in  1898,  Lord  Beresford  has 
been  chairman  continuously. 

The  Minerals  Concentration  Co.,  of  4,  London 
Wall  Buildings,  London,  E.C.2.,  have  issued  a  pamph- 
let describing  the  rotary  concentrator  invented  by  W. 
W.  Richardson.  We  described  the  system  in  our  issue 
of  October,  1917.  It  is  intended  particularly  for  the 
recovery  of  tin,  and  can  be  applied  to  the  concentra- 
tion of  ore,  slime,  or  gravel.  A  demonstration  plant 
is  at  work  in  London. 

The  Johnson  Engineering  Works,  with  offices 
at  First  National  Bank  Building,  Chicago,  are  the 
makers  of  the  Marathon  mill.  As  readers  are  aware 
this  is  a  tube-mill  in  which  a  series  of  parallel  steel  rods 
are  used  instead  of  pebbles  or  balls.  The  length  of  the 
mills  depend  on  the  duty  required,  whether  they  are  to 
be  used  for  coarse  or  fine  grinding,  or  sliming.  The 
company  issue  a  number  of  pamphlets  giving  the  re- 
sults of  tests  at  copper,  lead,  and  other  mines. 

Ruston  &  Hornsby,  Ltd.,  of  Lincoln,  Grantham, 
and  Stockport,  have  issued  an  elaborate  and  handsome 
album  describing  and  illustrating  the  wide  range  of 
war  manufactures.  As  regards  peace  manufactures, 
among  their  specialties  of  use  to  mining  men  are  steam 
shovels  and  similar  excavators,  gas  and  oil  engines, 
suction  gas  plant,  and  traction  engines.  Their  suction 
producers  are  adapted  for  the  combustion  of  all  kinds 
of  vegetable  refuse  and  low-grade  coal  and  charcoal. 

Edgar  Allen  &  Co.,  Ltd.,  of  the  Imperial  Steel 
Works,  Sheffield,  have  issued  a  new  catalogue  dealing 
with  plant  and  machinesof  interest  to  mining  engineers. 
Their  specialities  are  the  "Stag"  jaw-crusher,  the"  Stag" 
granulator  or  fine  jaw-crusher,  high  speed  rolls,  cubing 
rolls  for  producing  lumps  4  in.  cube,  coal -breaking  rolls, 
coke-breaking  rolls,  the  "  Stag  "  ball  nulls,  the  "  Stag  " 
tube-mills,  the  "Stag"  pulverizing  cylinders,  air  sep- 
arators used  for  classifying  ground  material  in  an  up- 
ward current  of  air,  trommels  or  revolving  screens, 
spiral  conveyors,  belt-conveyors,  shaking  convevors. 
revolving  driers,  etc.  The  catalogue  contains  full  de- 
tails of  dimensions,  power  required,  and  materials  of 
construction,  and  notes  of  the  applications  of  the  vari- 
ous machines. 


104 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


Daily  London  Metal  Pricks  :    Official  Closing  Prices  on 

Copper,  Lead.  Zinc,  and  Tin  per  Long  Tons:  Silver 


Silver 

C 

OPPER 

Lead 

Standard  Cash 

Standard  (3  mos.) 

Electrolytic 

Best  Selected 

Soft  Foreign 

July 

d. 

£ 

£. 

d. 

£ 

s. 

d 

£ 

s 

d.  £ 

s. 

(1 

£ 

s. 

d. 

£ 

s. 

d 

£ 

s. 

d.  £ 

s. 

d 

£ 

s. 

d.  £ 

s.  d 

11 

53i 

94 

15 

0  to 

95 

10 

0 

95 

15 

0  to  96 

0 

0 

99 

0 

0 

to 

104 

0 

0 

99 

0 

0  to  1C0 

0 

0 

:.; 

15 

0  to  24 

7  6 

14 

53g 

97 

Ki 

0  to 

97 

15 

0 

98 

7 

6  to  98 

10 

0 

100 

0 

0 

IO 

107 

0 

0 

99 

0 

0  to  100 

0 

0 

23 

15 

0  to  24 

7  6 

15 

531 

100 

15 

0  to 

101 

0 

0 

101 

10 

0  to  101 

15 

o 

103 

0 

0 

to 

111 

0 

0 

103 

0 

0  to  104 

0 

0 

23 

12 

6  to  24 

7  6 

16 

54i 

105 

0 

0  to 

105 

10 

0 

105 

10 

0  to  106 

0 

0 

106 

0 

0 

to 

115 

0 

0 

103 

0 

0  to  104 

0 

0 

23 

17 

6  to  24 

10  0 

17 

54i 

102 

10 

0  to 

103 

0 

0 

103 

10 

0  to  104 

0 

0 

109 

0 

0 

to 

117 

0 

0 

103 

0 

0  to  104 

0 

0 

2.5 

17 

6  to  24 

10  0 

18 

54j 

102 

15 

0  to 

103 

0 

0 

103 

10 

0  to  103 

15 

0 

109 

0 

0 

to 

118 

0 

0 

109 

0 

0  to  110 

0 

0 

23 

15 

0  to  24 

10  0 

21 

54| 

104 

15 

0  to 

105 

11 

0 

105 

10 

0  to  105 

15 

0 

109 

0 

0 

to 

118 

0 

0 

109 

0 

0  to  110 

0 

0 

•i 

15 

0  to  24 

10  0 

22 

54| 

104 

15 

0  to 

105 

0 

0 

105 

10 

0  to  105 

15 

0 

109 

0 

0 

to 

118 

0 

0 

109 

0 

0  to  110 

0 

0 

::■■, 

10 

0  to  24 

0  0 

25 

54f8 
54? 

103 

15 

0  to 

104 

0 

0 

104 

o 

0  to  104 

10 

0 

110 

c 

0 

to 

120 

0 

0 

109 

0 

o  to  no 

0 

0 

25 

10 

0  to  24 

5  0 

24 

106 

0 

0  to 

106 

10 

0 

106 

10 

0  to  107 

0 

0 

110 

0 

0 

to 

123 

0 

0 

109 

0 

o  to  no 

0 

0 

23 

12 

6  to  24 

5  0 

25 

55rla 

106 

0 

0  to 

106 

5 

0 

106 

5 

0  to  106 

10 

0 

no 

0 

0 

to 

123 

0 

0 

110 

0 

0  to  111 

0 

I' 

23 

15 

0  to  24 

7  6 

28 

55J 

55J 

1C7 

5 

0  to 

107 

10 

0 

107 

10 

0  to  107 

15 

0 

110 

0 

0 

tc, 

125 

0 

0 

110 

0 

0  to  111 

0 

0 

24 

0 

0  to  24 

12  6 

29 

107 

0 

0  to 

107 

5 

0 

107 

5 

0  to  107 

10 

0 

110 

0 

0 

to 

125 

0 

0 

no 

0 

0  to  111 

0 

0 

24 

0 

0  to  24 

12  6 

30 

56i5„ 

104 

10 

0  to 

104 

15 

0 

105 

0 

0  to  105 

5 

0 

110 

0 

0 

to 

125 

0 

0 

110 

0 

Oto  111 

0 

0 

:i 

0 

0  to  24 

12  6 

31 

Aug. 

1 

55ft 

102 

0 

0  to 

102 

5 

0 

102 

10 

0  to  102 

15 

0 

110 

0 

0 

to 

125 

0 

0 

no 

u 

o  to  in 

0 

0 

21 

0 

0  to  24 

15  0 

553 

100 

15 

0  to 

101 

0 

o 

101 

10 

0  to  101 

1  = 

0 

110 

0 

0 

tu 

125 

0 

0 

no 

0 

Oto  111 

0 

0 

24 

5 

0  to  25 

0  0 

5 

564 

99 

5 

0  to 

100 

10 

o 

100 

5 

0  to  100 

10 

0 

110 

0 

0 

to 

125 

o 

0 

no 

0 

Oto  111 

0 

0 

25 

5 

0  to  25 

15  0 

6 

.  57 

96 

0 

0  to 

96 

5 

0 

97 

0 

0  to  97 

5 

0 

108 

0 

0 

to 

123 

0 

o 

no 

0 

Oto  111 

0 

o 

24 

15 

0  to  25 

10  0 

7 

571 

95 

0 

0  to 

95 

5 

0 

96 

0 

0  to  96 

5 

0 

106 

0 

0 

to 

121 

0 

0 

no 

0 

Oto  111 

0 

0 

24 

2 

6  to  24 

17  6 

8 

58 

90 

10 

0  to 

90 

15 

0 

91 

10 

0  to  91 

15 

0 

105 

0 

0 

to 

118 

0 

0 

106 

0 

0  to  107 

0 

o 

:' 

2 

6  to  24 

17  6 

METAL  MARKETS 

Copper.  —  During  the  month  of  July  the  market 
witnessed  a  furthersensational  advance  in  values  of  this 
metal.  The  source  of  the  strength  is,  as  before,  the 
United  States,  where  the  large  producers  have  consis- 
tently advanced  their  prices,  and  as  they  are  working 
in  harmony,  at  least  so  far  as  their  shipping  business 
is  concerned,  through  the  Copper  Export  Association, 
they  can  pretty  well  ask  any  price  they  like,  and  buyers 
must  either  pay  up  or  go  without.  Of  course,  there 
are  still  large  stocks  of  copper  in  this  country,  and  it 
might  be  supposed  that  these  would  enable  buyers  on 
this  side  to  be  more  or  less  independent  of  America. 
Unfortunately  the  stock  of  wire  bars  here  appears  to 
be  negligible,  if  indeed  there  is  any  at  all,  and  as  this 
is  the  particular  shape  most  in  demand,  American 
sellers  have  reaped  the  benefit.  For  some  little  time 
competition  was  seen  in  this  market  from  Australian 
metal,  which  sold  at  rather  less  than  American  prices, 
and  no  doubt  sellers  of  this  took  all  the  business  that 
was  going  at  the  time.  This  selling,  however,  appears 
to  have  ceased  for  the  present,  no  doubt  owing  to  diffi- 
culties concerning  shipment  from  Australia.  The 
strong  tone  of  copper  in  America,  coupled  with  the 
low  rates  of  exchange  ruling  between  the  two  countries, 
considerably  enhanced  the  value  of  refined  metal  on 
this  side,  and  large  buying  of  standard  copper  has  been 
seen  on  the  Metal  Exchange,  where  a  considerable 
amount  of  speculation  appears  to  have  been  indulged 
in.  This  has  made  the  position  somewhat  dangerous, 
and  if  anything  untoward  happened  to  the  market  in 
America,  prices  here  of  standard  copper  might  react 
very  sharply.  Since  the  beginning  of  August  weak- 
ness has  set  in  in  America  and  the  quotations  have 
receded  again.  Generally  speaking  the  position  is  not 
regarded  any  too  favourably  on  this  side,  as  the  high 
prices  oi  the  metal  have  retarded  legitimate  demand, 
and  the  level  to  which  prices  have  been  put  are  hardly 
considered  justified  in  thecircumstances.  The  Govern- 
ment stock  on  July  1  in  this  country  was  44,298  tons, 
or  3,694  tons  less  than  a  month  earlier. 

The  average  price  of  cash  standard  copper  in  July, 
1919,  was  £99.   14s.  5d.  ;  June,  1919,  £83.  0s.   6d.  ; 
Julv,  1918,  £120.  3s.  3d.  ;  June,  1918,  £110.  5s. 
Tin. — Business  in  this  article  with  home  consumers 


has  not  been  any  too  good  during  the  past  month,  first 
of  all  owing  to  the  general  quiet  condition  which  was 
prevailing  in  the  tinplate  trade  in  South  Wales,  and 
secondly  owing  to  the  industrial  crisis  precipitated  by 
the  rise  in  coal  costs,  which  has  left  users  in  some 
doubt  as  to  the  future,  and  created  an  atmosphere  of 
caution.  The  outlook  in  regard  to  tinplates  seems 
now  more  favourable,  and  therefore  it  is  to  be  expected 
that  an  improvement  will  result  in  business  in  the  raw 
material.  In  spite  of  these  factors,  trading  in  the  stan- 
dard tin  market  has  been  very  active,  the  re-opening 
of  business  in  the  metal  with  the  United  States  owing 
to  the  raising  of  the  import  embargo  having  stimulated 
considerable  interest  in  the  article,  and  at  the  same  time 
given  rise  to  a  certain  amount  of  speculative  buying  in 
anticipation  of  the  better  times  coming.  Quite  a  large 
business  has  already  been  done  on  this  side  for  ship- 
ment to  America,  and  only  recently  about  800  tons  of 
tin  are  reported  to  have  been  shipped  from  here  for 
that  destination.  The  United  States  is  also  believed 
to  have  bought  considerably  in  the  East  for  direct 
shipment.  At  all  events,  a  large  business  has  been 
moving  in  the  Straits  Settlements,  and  it  is  believed 
that  the  stocks  there  must  have  been  very  consider- 
ably reduced.  It  is  also  suggested  that  some  of  the 
selling  which  has  taken  place  in  the  standard  market 
in  London  has  been  for  account  of  the  Federated  Malay- 
States  Government.  Another  factor  which  may  in- 
fluence the  future  of  the  market  is  the  re-opening  of 
trading  relations  with  Germany-,  but  the  extent 
of  this  business  in  view  of  financial  considerations  is 
difficult  to  forecast.  There  are  as  yet  no  signs  of  the 
holders  of  tin  in  China  liquidating  their  stocks,  and  at 
present  definite  figures  as  to  the  extent  of  these  are  not 
available. 

The  average  price  of  cash  standard  tin  in  July,  1919, 
was  £253.  5s.  Id.  ;  June.  1919.  £238.  8s.  2d.  ;  July. 
1918,  £359.  17s.  9d    ;  and  June,  1918.  £331.  10s. 

Lead. — The  general  sentiment  in  regard  to  this 
metal  has  rather  improved  during  the  past  month,  and 
values  have  advanced  to  about  the  extent  of  30s.  per 
ton,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  the  stocks  in  this  country 
still  continue  enormous,  and  that  consumption  of  the 
metal  is  not  on  a  particularly  large  scale.  The  stocks 
here,  however,  being  in  the  hands  of  the  Government, 
are  not  by  any  means  pressed  for  sale,  and  American 


AUGUST,     1919 


105 


the  London  Metal  Exchange. 

per  Standard  Ounce. 


Standard  Tin 

Zinc 
Spelter) 

( 

Cash 

3  mos. 

£ 

s. 

d.   £ 

s. 

d. 

£ 

s. 

d.   £ 

s. 

d. 

£ 

s. 

d.  £ 

s. 

d. 

41 

10 

0  to  42 

5 

0 

246 

0 

0  to  246 

10 

0 

245 

10 

Oto  246 

0 

0 

41 

IS 

0  to  42 

15 

0 

245 

10 

0  to  246 

0 

0 

J45 

10 

Oto  245 

15 

0 

■VI 

10 

0  to  43 

15 

0 

250 

0 

0  to  250 

5 

0 

249 

10 

0  to  249 

15 

0 

♦3 

15 

0  to  44 

15 

0 

254 

10 

0  to  254 

15 

0 

254 

5 

Oto  254 

10 

0 

43 

10 

0  to  44 

10 

0 

251 

0 

0  to  251 

10 

0 

250 

10 

Oto  251 

0 

0 

43 

10 

0  to  44 

5 

0 

254 

5 

0  to  254 

10 

0 

253 

15 

Oto  254 

0 

0 

43 

15 

0  to  44 

15 

0 

256 

0 

0  to  256 

5 

0 

255 

15 

Oto  256 

0 

0 

♦3 

10 

0  to  44 

0 

0 

256 

0 

0  to  256 

5 

0 

^55 

10 

Oto  255 

15 

0 

•13 

5 

0  to  43 

15 

0 

255 

10 

0  to  255 

15 

0 

:54 

5 

0  to  254 

15 

0 

43 

5 

0  to  43 

15 

0 

256 

5 

0  to  256 

15 

0 

255 

10 

Oto  255 

15 

0 

13 

5 

0to43 

15 

0 

259 

15 

0  to  260 

5 

0 

2M 

10 

0  to  258 

15 

0 

42 

15 

0  to  43 

15 

0 

268 

0 

0  to  268 

10 

0 

266 

0 

Oto  266 

10 

0 

42 

10 

0  to  43 

10 

0 

269 

15 

0  to  270 

5 

0 

267 

5 

Oto  267 

15 

0 

41 

10 

0to42 

10 

0 

268 

0 

0  to  268 

5 

0 

266 

0 

0  to  266 

5 

0 

41 

0 

0to41 

5 

0 

271 

0 

0  to  271 

10 

0 

267 

0 

0  to  267 

10 

0 

41 

5 

0  to  41 

15 

0 

275 

0 

0  to  275 

10 

0 

269 

0 

0  to  269 

10 

0 

40 

10 

0  to  41 

10 

0 

276 

0 

0  to  277 

0 

o 

268 

0 

0  to  268 

10 

0 

39 

15 

0  to  40 

15 

0 

276 

0 

0  to  276 

10 

0 

263 

0 

0  to  263 

10 

0 

38 

10 

Oto  39 

0 

0 

275 

0 

0  to  276 

0 

0 

259 

15 

Oto  260 

0 

0 

38 

10 

0to39 

0 

0 

260 

0 

0  to  260 

10 

0 

256 

0 

Oto  256 

10 

0 

competition  has  been  absent,  there  being  apparently  a 
sufficiency  of  demand  in  the  United  States  to  take  care 
of  the  production  there.  In  addition,  exchange  rates 
militate  against  competitive  offers  from  that  country  to 
this  side.  As  regards  Australian  metal,  it  is  understood 
that  the  production  there  ceases  for  the  present  at  the 
end  of  July.  In  addition  to  these  factors,  it  is  reported 
that  some  selling  arrangement  has  been,  or  is  about  to 
be  entered  into,  for  the  purpose  of  eliminating  com- 
petition, this  resulting  in  Spanish  lead  being  only  of- 
fered to  the  Continent,  and  Australian  lead  to  this 
country.  Besides  this,  the  market  level  seemed  to 
have  got  down  to  below  cost  of  production.  The  gen- 
eral result  has  been  that  a  more  confident  feeling  has 
been  exhibited  as  to  the  future,  and  a  considerable 
business  has  been  done  on  the  Metal  Exchange,  where 
all  metal  coming  on  offer  was  easily  absorbed,  and 
values  gradually  improved.  The  Government  stocks 
of  soft  pig  lead  in  this  country  on  July  1  were  121,135 
tons,  or  an  increase  of  1,228  tons  since  June  1. 

The  average  prices  of  soft  pig  lead  :  July,  1919,  £23. 
14s  2d.  ;  June.  1919,  £22.  12s.  2d.  ;  July,  1918,  £29  ; 
June,  1918,  £29. 

Spelter. —This  metal  has  also  seen  fair  markets 
during  the  past  month,  the  strength  of  the  position 
having  its  source,  like  that  of  copper,  in  America, 
where  values  have  fairly  steadily  improved.  The  gen- 
eral conditions  which  have  caused  the  advance  in 
America  have  been  the  reluctance  of  producers  to  offer 
freely,  being  for  the  most  part  fairly  well  booked  up, 
a  good  export  and  improving 'domestic  demand  there, 
the  strong  position  of  the  ore  market,  and  lastly  the 
optimistic  sentiment  in  regard  to  metal  business  in  gen- 
eral and  particularly  as  regards  copper.  Added  to  the 
rising  prices  in  America  a  declining  rate  of  exchange 
had  to  be  considered,  and  prices  here  responded.  A 
very  considerable  interest  has  been  taken  in  the  metal 
in  the  market  on  'Change,  and  quite  large  quantities 
have  changed  hands.  To  a  certain  extent  the  business 
was  speculative,  but,  apart  from  that,  consumers 
bought  fairly  freely,  and  it  is  believed  that  the  Govern- 
ment have  been  able  to  sell  not  unimportant  quantities. 
Latterly  the  rising  prices,  coupled  with  the  unsatis- 
factory industrial  situation,  have  caused  the  demand 
from  users  to  ease  off,  anil  puces  reacted  downward  to 
a  small  extent,  being  assisted   in  this  by   the  rather 


easier  tone  in  the  American  market.  Taking  a  longer 
view,  however,  of  the  situation,  it  is  generally  regard- 
ed as  favourable.  The  Government  stocks  of  GOB. 
spelter  on  July  1  were  26,059  tons,  or  632  tons  less 
than  a  month  earlier.  The  stocks  of  refined  spelter 
were  13,356  tons  or  1,619  tons  more  than  on  June  1. 

Average  prices  of  spelter:  July,  1919,  £42.  3s.  lOd  ; 
June,  1919,  £36.  19s.  6d.  ;   July,  1918,  £52. 

Zinc  Dust.— Australian  high-grade  88-92%  purity 
is  quoted  at  £70  per  ton  f.o.r. 

Antimony. — The  price  of  English  regulus  has  now 
been  reduced  by  £5  to  £40  per  ton.  Two  prominent 
firms  in  this  trade  have  been  appointed  agents  for  the 
sale  of  the  unsold  Government  stocks.  These  stocks 
on  July  1  amounted  to  4,368  tons,  or  132  tons  less  than  a 
month  previously.  Foreign  regulus  on  spot  seems  to 
have  been  fairly  scarce,  and  is  held  for  about  the  same 
price  as  English.  Owing  to  an  improvement  in  the 
market  in  France,  there  seems  little  prospect  of  fur- 
ther imports  from  there  in  the  meantime. 

Arsenic. — The  market  has  been  very  firm  and  the 
price  of  white  stands  at  about  £50  to  £54  per  ton. 

Bismuth. — 12s.  6d.  nominal  per  lb. 

Cadmium. — 6s.  6d.  to  6s.  9d.  per  lb. 

Aluminium. — £150  per  ton  for  the  home  trade. 

Nickel  has  been  advanced  for  the  home  trade,  to 
£205  per  ton,  while  for  export  the  price  is  unchanged 
at  £210. 

Cobalt  Metal. — 12s.  6d.  to  13s.  per  lb. 

Cobalt  Oxide. — 7s.  9d.  per  lb. 

Platinum. — 450s.  nominal  per  oz. 

Palladium. — 500s.  nominal  per  oz. 

Quicksilver. — The  market  has  been  firm, and  prices 
have  advanced  to  £23  to  £24. 

Selenium. — 12s.  to  15s.  per  lb. 

Tellurium. — 95s.  to  100s.  per  lb. 

Sulphate  of  Copper  is  quiet  and  stands  at  about 
£43  to  £45  per  ton. 

Manganese  Ore.  — The  market  is  quiet,  without 
much  change  in  quotations,  which  are  about  2s.  2d. 
to  2s.  3d.  c.i.f.  per  unit. 

Tungsten  Ores. — Wolframite  65%  30s.  per  unit, 
scheelite  65%  30s.  per  unit. 

Molybdenite.  -  85%  75s.  per  unit. 

Silver. — The  market  has  fluctuated  in  an  upward 
direction  in  this  country,  and  at  the  end  of  July  the 
price  of  spot  standard  bars  was  55f%d.  Prices  have 
continued  to  advance. 

Corundum. — 90%  remains  nominal. 

Graphite. — 80%  about  £40  to  £45  per  ton  nomi- 
nal c.i.f.  U.K. 

Iron  and  Steel. — These  markets  have  latterly 
been  in  a  state  of  suspended  animation  owing  to  the 
rise  of  6s.  in  the  price  of  coal  which  has  necessitated  a 
reconsideration  of  costs,  and  at  the[time  of  writing  future 
prices  of  steel  are  rather  uncertain,  although  in  the 
case  of  sheets,  30s.  is  hinted  at  as  a  possible  advance. 
The  feature  has  been  the  very  large  demand  for  steel 
plates,  which  appear  to  be  now  exceedingly  ditlictilt  to 
procure.  In  other  lines,  however,  the  stringency  is 
not  quite  so  great.  A  good  deal  has  been  heard  of 
American  competition,  and  there  is  no  doubt  that  this 
is  a  very  serious  factor,  especially  in  view  of  the  gen- 
erally rising  prices  here.  Of  course,  deliveries  from 
America  are  not  too  quick,  owing  to  the  freight  situa- 
tion, so  that  purchases  from  that  country  are  not  quite 
so  attractive  as  the  prices  quoted  might  suggest.  In 
regard  to  pig  iron,  it  appears  that  prices  are  not  likelv 
to  be  advanced  further,  even  in  i.ice  of  the  rise  in  coal, 
in  view  of  the  fact  thai  during  the  period  of  great  de- 
mand recently  prices  steadilv  went  up,  so  that  this  rise 
in  costs  was  virtually  discounted  beforehand. 


106 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


STATISTICS. 

Production  of  Gold  in  the  Transvaal. 


Rand 


January,  1918 
February 

March    

April  

May    

June   

July    

August  

September  ... 

October 

November    •  •• 
December    ... 


Oz. 
G94.121 
637.571 
677.008 
697,733 
720,539 
708.908 
716.010 
719.849 
686.963 
667.955 
640.797 
630.505 


Year  1918. 


3.197.959 


January,  1919 

February  

March 

April  

May    

June   


662,205 
621,188 
694.825 
676,702 
706,158 
682,603 


Else- 
where 


Total 


Oz. 

19,991 
22,188 
19,273 
19,366 
20.778 
18,788 
20.189 
20.361 
21.243 
11.809 
17.904 
10,740 


221.734 


13.854 

15.540 
17,554 
18,242 
18.837 
19.776 


Oz. 

714.182 
659.759 
696,28' 
717,095 
741,317 
727.696 
736.199 
740.210 
708.206 
679.764 
656.701 
641.245 


8.419.693 


676.059 
636.728 
712.379 
694,944 
724,955 
702,379 


Value 

£ 
3.033,653 
2.802.477 
2,957,614 
3.046.045 
3.148.915 
3.091.058 
3,127.174 
3,144,211 
3.008.267 
2.887.455 
2,797.983 
2.723.836 


35.768.688 

2.871.718 
2,704.647 

3.025.992 
2,951,936 
3,079,583 
2.983.515 


Natives  Employed  in  the  Transvaal  Mines. 
Gold  Coal      I  Diamond 

mines  mines  mines 


April  30.  1918 182.492 

May  31 179,879 

June  30    179.028 

July  31 178.412 

August  31    179,390 

September  30    179.399 

October  31  173.153 

November  30 160.275 

December  31 152.606 

January  31.  1919    160.599 

February  28    172.359 

March  31 175.620 

April  30    175.267 

May  31 173.376 

June  30 '     172.505 


11.322 

4.753 

11.211 

4.773 

11,473 

4.747 

11,790 

5.011 

11.950 

4.954 

12,108 

4.889 

11.824 

4.749 

11.826 

4,016 

11.851 

3.  ISO 

11,848 
11,868 
11,168 
11,906 
12.232 
12.544 


Total 


198.567 
195,863 
195,248 
19§,213 
196.294 
196,395 
189.726 
176.117 
167.637 


3.539 
4.264 
5.080 
5.742 
5.939 
5.831 


175,986 
188.491 
191,868 
192,915 
191.547 
190.880 


Tons 
milled 

Yield 
per  ton 

Work's 

cost 
per  ton 

VVork'g       Total 

profit      working 
per  ton         profit 

July,  1918  

2.167.869 
2.158.431 
2,060.635 
2.015.144 
1,899.925 
1.855.991 

s.    d 

27  10 

28  1 
28    2 
28    0 
28     5 
28    7 

s.    d. 
21     2 

21  7 

22  0 

22  5 

23  1 
23    0 

s.  d.             £ 
6    6           702.360 
6    3           676.146 
5  10           600.330 
5     3           531.774 
5     1            480,102 
5    6           507,860 

September  

December  

Year  1918    24.922,763 

27  11 

21    7 

6    0  1     7.678.129 

January,  1919-.      1,942.329 

March 2.082.469 

April 1,993,652 

May 2.099.450 

28    9 
28    9 
28     2 
28     7 
\    28    4 

23     0 
23     2 
22     6 
22    9 
22    3 

5     8  !        547,793 
5     6           498.204 
5     6           573.582 
5     9           573.143 
5  10           60S. 715 

Transvaal  Gold  Outputs. 


Cost  and  Profit  on  the  Rand. 
Compiled  from  official  statistics  published  by  the  Transvaal 
Chamber  of  Mines.    The  profit  available  for  dividends  is  about 
60%  of  the  working  profit. 


Production  of  Gold  in  Rhodesia  and  West  Africa 


Rhodesia. 

West  Africa. 

1918 

1919 

1918 

1919 

February  

£ 
253,807 
232.023 
230,023 
239,916 
239.205 
225,447 
251.740 
-'57,096 
247,885 
136.780 
145,460 
192.870 

£ 
211,917           107,863 
220,885     1        112,865 
225.80S            112,605 
213,160            117.520 
218.057            126.290 
214,215     1       120.273 
117,581 

£ 

104.063 
112.616 
112,543 
109.570 
100.827 
106.612 

Mav 

T 

July     

September  ... 

115.152 
61.461 
108.796 
112.621 

November    •■■ 
December    ... 

Total 

2,652,250 

1.30*,042 

1.333.553 

646.231 

June,  1919 


Treated 


Aurora  West    

Bantjes 

Barrett 

Brakpan    

City  &  Suburban    

City  Deep 

Cons.  Langlaagte 

Cons.  Main  Reef   

Crown  Mines 

Durban  Roodepoort  Deep  • 

Kast  Kami  P.M. 

Ferreira  Deep 

Geduld 

Geldenhuis  Deep  

Ginsberg  

Glynn's  Lydenburg 

Goch  

Government  G.M.  Areas    • 

Heriot    

Jupiter  

Kleinfontein    

Knights  Central 

Knights  Deep 

Langlaagte  Estate 

I.uipaard's  Vlei 

Meyer  &  Charlton 

Modderfontein   

Modderfontein  B  

Modderfontein  Deep 

New  I'nitied    

Nourse  

Primrose  

1'rmcess  Estate 

Kandfontein  Central 

Robinson ■■■ 

Robinson  Drep  ... 
Koodepo'Tt  United 
Rose  Deep 
Simmer  &  Jack  .. 

Simmer  Deep 

Springs 

Sub  Nigel 

Transvaal  G.M.  h'states  •• 

Van  Ryn    

Van  Ryn  Deep   ... 

Village  Deep  

Village  Main  Reef 
West  Rand  Consolidated 
Witwatersrand  i  Knights) 

Witwalersrand  Deep   

Wolhuter 


Tons 
12.500 


45.500 
18.226 
48.000 
43.200 
47.000 

168.000 
18.400 

111.000 
33.000 
43.800 
47.200 
7.900 
3.830 
14.740 

118.500 
11.380 
22.300 
53.860 
21.700 
95.000 
40.900 
21.740 
14,030 
79.000 
54.500 
41.500 
11.600 
40.600 
19.500 
19.600 

150.000 
35.400 
50.000 
23.100 
50.600 
57,400 
43.600 
33.500 
10.400 
15.590 
35,250 
46.700 
39.900 
17,400 
31.620 
33.900 
29.900 
30.700 


Value 


£ 

12.933 

745 
88.210 

27.626 
94,347 
54,282 
72,050 

231,821 
28,669 

145.323 
50.629 
64.979 
57.228 
9.267 
6.348 
13.300 

204.595 
15.868 
23.873 
65.889 
26.382 
74,471 
49,296 

40.103 

172,398 

120.071 

93.475 

11.618 

53.048 

18.066 

25.604 

171.119 

35.687 

66.786 

21,884 

59.357 

45,214 
62,812 
25.797 
25.800 
34.336 
39  968 
61.193 
22.162 
36.933 
40.842 
35,916 
38,886 


\1  -mi   AN     <  '.111. Ii    til   TPUTS. 


June.  1919 


I    le.lt.   .1 


Abbontiakoon     

Abosso  

Ashanti  Goldfields 

Prestea  Block  A 

Taquah  

Wassau 


Tons 
7.267 
6.980 
7.752 

14,726 
4.980 
2.490 


Value 


£ 

16,203 
12.290 
36.525 
24.930 
13.796 
2,496 


Rhodesian  Gold  Outputs. 


Antelope  

Cam  &  Motor 

Eldorado  Banket 

Falcon  

Gaika 

Globe  &  Phoenix. 

Lonely  Reef 

Rezende    

Rhodesia,  Ltd.  • 

Shamva     

Transvaal  &  Rhodesian 
Wanderer 


June 

1919 

Treated 
Tons 

Value 

£ 

3,225 

4.335 

2.009 

4.233 

15,203 

27.539* 

3,052 

5.294 

6.040 

8.31H 

4,520 

23.992 

5.500 

12.641: 

350 

1.028 

53.013 

36.174 

1.750 

5.000 

*  Gold.  Silver  and,  Copper  ;  t  Ounces  Gold;  J  Gold  &  Silver. 


AUGUST,     1919 


107 


West  Australian  Gold  Statistics. 


January,  1918 

February  

March    

April 

May 

June   

July    

August  

September    ... 

October 

November  ••■ 
December  ... 
January,  1919 

February  

March    

April 

May   

June  ... 

July    


Reported 

Delivered 

for  Export 

to  Mint 

Total 

Total 

oz. 

oz. 

oz. 

value  £ 

* 

73,703 

* 

* 

* 

76,987 

* 

* 

* 

69.730 

* 

66,079 

* 

* 

73.701 

* 

* 

74,904 

* 

* 

* 

72.081 

* 

* 

* 

76,156 

* 

* 

* 

74,057 

* 

* 

* 

71,439 

* 

* 

1,444 

70,711 

72,155 

305.494 

2.739 

61.314 

64,053 

272.208 

69.954 

* 

* 

733 

66,310 

67,043 

284,779 

nil 

66,158 

66.158 

281.120 

33 

63.465 

63,498 

269,720 

525 

68,655 

69,180 

293.856 

1,050 

73,546 

74,596 

316,862 

680 

68,028 

68,708 

292,852 

*  By  direction  of  the  Federal  Government  the  export  figures 
from  July.  1916,  to  November,  1918,  were  not  published. 

Australian  Gold  Returns. 


Victoria. 

Queensland. 

New  South 
Wales 

1918 

1919 

1918 

1919 

1918 

1919 

January  ... 
February  . 

March 

April    

£ 
32,134 
58,113 
65,412 
29.620 
87,885 
45,765 
64,347 
61,163 
65,751 

70,674 

£ 
36,238 
46,955 
40,267 
23,818 

£ 

47.600 
45.470 
48.020 
47.600 
46,740 
51,420 
51,000 
44,600 
45,900 
54,400 
38,200 
56,281 

£ 

37.100 
43,330 
48.000 
61,200 
38,200 
44,600 

£ 
25,000 
28,000 
30.000 
30,000 
45,000 
32.000 
25.000 
21,000 
32.000 
40,000 
25,000 
38,000 

£ 
18,000 
24,000 
16,000 
24,000 
16.000 
17,000 

July   

August    ... 
September 
October  ... 
November 
December 

Total    ... 

674.655 

147,279 

578.213 

272,430 

370,000 

115,000 

*  Figures  not  received. 
Australasian  Gold  Outputs. 


Associated   

Associated  Northern  j  Iron  Duke 

Blocks 1  Victorious 

Black  water 

Bullfinch  

Golden  Horseshoe    

Great  Boulder  Prop 

Ivanhoe 

Kalgurli 

Lake  View  &  Star 

Mount  Boppy 

Oroya  Links    

Progress    

Sons  of  Gwalia  

South  Kalgurli    

Talisman 

Waihi 

Waihi  Grand  Junction 


June,  1919 


Treated 


Tons 

5,768 

2,138 
1,901 
5,400 
12,012 
12.854 
17,636 
2.976 
10.231 

1,524 
1,460 
9,629 
7,274 

16.037 
11,910 


Value 


£ 

8,191 

1,866* 

3,040 

3,903 

4,826 

22,401 

37,291 

30,210 

5,706 

12,223 

10.388J 

1,681 
13,873 
11.372 

26.259! 
17,620? 


*  Surplus  ;   I  Total  receipts  ;  J  Gold  and  Silver  to  July  12. 

§48  days  to  July  12. 

Miscellaneous  Gold  Output. 


June,  1919 

Treated 

Value 

Barramia  (Sudan) 

Tons 

2,807 
7,000 

10,300 

£ 

10,162 

10,009 

Philippine  Dredges  (Philippine  Islands) 

Plymouth  Cons.  (California) 

St.  John  del  Rey  (Brazil)    

328§ 
13,114 

Sudan  Gold  Field  (Sudan) 

1,620 

1,840 

Production  of  Gold  in  India. 


1916 

1917 

1918 

1919 

£ 

192.150 
183.264 
186.475 
192,208 
193.604 
192.469 
191.404 
192.784 
192,330 
191,502 
192,298 
205,164 

£ 

190.047 
180,904 
189,618 
185.835 
184,874 
182.426 
179,660 
181,005 
183.630 
182,924 
182,388 
190.852 

£ 

176.030 
173,343 

£ 
162,270 
153,775 

176,486           162.550 

173.775            164.080 

174,375            162.996 

171.950            163.795 

172.105 

170.360 

167.740 

157.176 

170,630              — 

Mav 

July      

September  ... 

November    ... 
December    ... 

Total 

2.305,652 

2,214.163 

2.061.920     :    1,034.256 

Indian  Gold  Outputs. 


Balaghat   

Champion  Reef  ••• 
Hutti  (Nizam's)  ... 

Jibutil    

Mysore 

North  Anantapur 

Nundydroog   

Ooregum 


June,  1919 


Tons 
Treated 


2,550 
11.430 


24.330 
900 

8.750 
12.800 


Fine 
Ounces 


2.151 

6.974 

900 

13.625 

918 

6.463 

7,328 


Base  Metal  Outputs 


British  Broken  Hill  .. 


Broken  Hill  Block  10 


Arizona  Copper Short  tons  copper 

Tons  lead  concentrate 

Tons  zinc  concentrate 

Tons  carbonate  ore 

I  Tons   lead   concentrate-. 

I  Tons  zinc  concentrate 

I  Tons  refined  lead 

J  Oz.  refined  silver 


Burma  Corp 

Cordoba  Copper 

Freemantle  Trading.. .Long  tons  lead  

North  Broken  Hill    ...  !  Tons  lead 

I  Oz.  silver 

Poderosa Tons  copper  ore    

Rhodesian  Broken  Hill... Tons  lead  and  zinc 

Tanganyika Long  tons  copper 

Tolima Tons  silver-lead  concentrate 

Zinc  Corp.    I  Tons  zinc  concentrate 

)   Ions  lead  concentrate 


June, 
1919 


1.200 


1.531 
178.647 


153 

1.346 

2.035 

45 


Imports  of  Ores  and  Metals  into  United  Kingdom. 
Long  tons. 


Iron  Ore   

Copper  Ore 

Precipitate  

Metal   

Copper  and  Iron  Pyrite 

Tin  Concentrate    

.,    Metal 

Manganese  Ore 

Lead,  Pig  and  Sheet 

Zinc  (spelter)  

Zinc  Oxide  

Barytes 

Rock  Phosphate 

Brimstone    

Boracic  Compounds 

Nitrate  of  Potash- 


July 


§  Ounces,  fineness  not  stated      I  I  Profit,  gold  and  silver. 


Quicksilver.. 


Tons 

632,618 

1.108 

1,062 

5.571 

41,966 

1.741 

2.129 

12.679 

13,480 

6.831 

1.737 

2,757 

13.100 

50 

1,515 

743- 

lb. 


-,Sl..'s- 


Year 
1919 

Tons 
3.188.502 

9.868 
6.957 

74.432 
177,971 

22.515 

207.280 

165.738 
61.736 

12.828 

5.211 
7.297 
6.090 

lb. 


1.695,087 


108 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


United  States  Metal  Exports  and  Imports. 


Exports. 


Copper  Ingots 
Copper  Sheets 
Copper  Wire.. 
Lead,  Pig--. 

Zinc 

Zinc  Sheets 


April 
Tons. 
7,96 
580 
1,478 
2,375 
16,075 
962 


May 

Tons. 

8,342 

382 

1,768 

1,017 

5,023 

596 


Imports. 


Antimony 

Tin  Ore 

Tin 

Manganese 

Ore 

Tungsten 

Concentrate 
Pyrites 


April 
Tons. 

433 
534 
225 


May 
Tons. 

261 
2 

200 


59.470      19.644 


314  285 

25,294       33,262 


Outputs  of  Tin  Mining  Companies. 
In  Tons  of  Concentrate. 


Nigeria  : 

Abu. 

Anglo-Continental 

Benue  

Berrida  

Bisicbi... 

Bongwelli  

Dua  

Ex-Lands  

Filani  

Forum  River 

Gold  Coast  Consolidated 

Guru m  River 

Jantar  

Jos    

Kaduna  

Kano  

Kassa-Ropp  

Keffi 

Kuru    

Kuskie 

Kwall 

Lower  Bisichi  

Lucky  Chance 

Minna 

Mongu 

Naraguta     

Naraguta  Extended   

New  Lafon    

Nigerian  Tin 

Ninghi 

N.N.  Bauchi 

Offin  River 

Ray  field  

Ropp    

Rukuba 

South  Bukeru  

Sybu    

Tin  Areas  

Tin  Fields 

Toro 

Federated  Malay  States  : 

Chenderiang 

Gopeng   

Idris  Hydraulic    

Ipoh 

Kamunting    

Kinta   

Kledarig 

Lahat  

Malayan  Tin 

Pahang    

Rambutan  

Sungei  Besi   

Tekka  

Tekka-Taiping 

Tronoh    

Tronoh  South  

Cornwall : 

Cornwall  Tailings  

Dolcoath    

East  Pool  

Geevor    

South  Crofty    

Other  Countries  : 

Aramayo  Francke  (Bolivia) 

Briseis  (Tasmania) 

Deebook  (Siam) 

Mawchi  (Burma) 

Porco  (Bolivia) 

Renong  (SiaVn) 

Rooiberg  Minerals  (Transvaal) 

Siamese  Tin  (Siam)   

Tongkah  Harbour  (Siam)    

Xaaiplaats  (Transvaal) ... 


Nigerian  Tin  Production. 
In  long  tons  of  concentrate  of  unspecified  content. 
Note      These  figures  are  taken  from  the  monthly  returns 
made  by  individual  companies  reporting  in  London,  and 
probably  represent  85%  of  the  actual  outputs. 


1914 

1915          1916 

1917     1     1918     I     1919 

January   

February    ... 

March 

April     

June     

July  

Tons 
485 
469 
502 
482 
480 
460 
432 
228 
289 
272 
283 
326 

Tons       Tons 

417  531 
358           528 

418  547 
444            486 
357           536 
373           510 
455           506 
438           498 
442           535 
511            584 
467           679 
533           654 

Tons        Tons       Tons 
667           678           613 
646           668           623 
655           707           606 
555           584           d46 
509           525           445 
473            492            423 
479            545     1       — 
551            571 

September 

October  

November  ... 
December  ... 

538           520 
578           491 
621     .       472 
655     !       518 

Total    ■- 

4,708 

5.213        6.594 

6927       6.771 

Total  Sales  of  Tin  Concentrate  at  Redruth  Ticketings. 


July  1 

July  15  

July  29  

August  12 

August  26 

September  9    

September  24 

October  7... 

October  21   

November  4 

November  18  

December  2     

December  16  

December  30  

Total  and  Average. 
1918 

January  13.  1' 

January  27   

February  10  

February  J4  

March  10  

March  24 

April7 

April  22 

May  5 

May  1<>  

June -2 

June  16... 

June  30 

July  14  

July  28 


Long  tons 


1704 

164 

146i 

144 

142 

1424 

1453 

1364 

150 

1411 

150 

166? 

1754 

152 


Value 


Average 


£34,035 
£34.595 
£33.816 
£33.116 
£31.211 
£28.793 
£29.639 
£27.037 
£29.672 
£27.636 
£27.592 
£25.170 
£26.032 
£  19.539 


4.094 


£786.541 


£192    0 


160 
1354 
153 
142 

1484 

1344 

134J 

129 

1264 

140 

139 

136 

145 

122 


£  130  11  0 
£125  10  7 
£113  19  10 
£105  14  10 
£125  8  5 
£l20  7  8 
£111  8 
£lll  18 
£115  13 
£125  5 
£122  15 
£123  15 
£123  8 
£l25  17 


:i38  16  H 


Details  of  Redruth  Tin  Ticketings. 


July  14 


E.  Pool  &  Agar,  No.  1  9 

.,      No.  la  9 

.,       No.  lb  9 

,.      No.  lc  10 

Dolcoath,  No.  1 9 

No.  la  9 

No  lb  9 

No.  2 24 

A 14 

South  Crofty.  No.  1  11 

No.  la  12 

Grenville  Utd..  No.  1  8 

„       No.  la  7 

.,      No.  2  3 

Tincroft  Mines,  No.  1  6 

„      No.  la  6 

Levant  Mines.  No.  1  8 

No.  la  7 

Wheal  Bellan if 

Hingston    Downs 4j 

Peevor  3 

Total 145 


£  s. 
126  17 

126  17 

127  5 

127  5 

135  7 

136  5 
136  12 

64  2 
122  12 

128  7 
128  5 
125  0 
125  10 

46    0 

133  12 

134  2 

132  12 

133  15  0 
136  0  0 
136    0    0 

45     0    0 


July  28 


Tons 
Sold 


9 
34 

14 
11 
11 

7 
7 

5 

6 


Realized 
per  ton 

£  s.   d. 

139  10    0 

137  10    0 

137  0    0 


144  0 

145  10 
145   10 

77  15 
130  0 
138  0 
138  10 
134  10  0 
130  10    0 


148  15  0 

149  5  0 

144  5  0 

145  5  0 


AUGUST,     1919 


109 


Production  of  Tin  in  Federated   Malay  States. 

Estimated  at  70%  of  Concentrate  shipped  to  Smelters.     Long 
Tons.     *  Figures  not  published. 


January     ••• 
February  •-. 

March    

April  

May    

June   

July    

August  

September  . 

October 

November  . 
December  . 


v1915 

1916 
Tons 

1917 

1918 
Tons 

Tons 

Tons 

4.395 

4,316 

3.558 

3.149 

3.780 

3.372 

2.755 

3.191 

3.653 

3.696 

3.286 

2,608 

3.619 

3.177 

3.251 

3.308 

3,823 

3.729 

3,413 

3.332 

4,048 

3,435 

3.489 

2,950 

3,544 

3.517 

3,253 

3,373 

4,046 

3.732 

3.413 

3,259 

3,932 

3.636 

3,154 

3,166 

3.797 

3,681 

3,436 

2,870 

4,059 

3,635 

3.300 

3.131 

4.071 

3,945 

3.525 

3.023 

46.767 

43,871 

39.833 

37.370 

1919 

Tons 

3.765 
2,673 
2.819 
2.855 
3.404 
2,873 
3.756 


Stocks  of  Tin 
Reported  by  A.  Strauss  &  Co. 


Long  Tons. 


Straits  and  Australian  Spot  

Ditto.  Landing  and  in  Transit  

Other  Standard,  Spot  and  Landing 

Straits,  Afloat 

Australian,  Afloat 

Banca,  on  Warrants 

Ditto,  Afloat    

Billiton,  Spot  

Billiton.  Afloat    

Straits,  Spot  in  Holland  and  Hamburg 

Ditto,  Afloat  to  Continent 

Total  Afloat  for  United  States 

Stock  in  America 

Total 


June  3i>, 
1919 


July  31, 
1919 


Tons 

Tons 

1,816 

1.972 

971 

768 

793 

544 

1.824 

1.961 

332 

252 

265 
25 
182 


6.208 


435 

6.280 
50 


Shipments,  Imports,  Supply,  and  Consumption  of  Tin. 
Reported  by  A.  Strauss  &  Co.     Long  tons. 


Shipments  from  : 

Straits  to  U.K 

Straits  to  America    

Straits  to  Continent 

Straits  to  Other  Places  

Australia  to  U.K 

U.K.  to  America   

Imports  of  Bolivian  Tin  into  Europe-- 

Supply: 

Straits  

Australian    

Billiton 

Banca    

Standard  

Consumption  : 

U  K,  Deliveries 

Dutch         „        

American   

Straits,  Banca  &  Billiton.  Continen 
tal  Ports,  etc. 


Straits  in  hands  of  Malay  Government 

controlled  by  U.S.  Government 
French  and  Italian 


Governments. 


Banca  in  Trading  Company's  hands  .. 


July 
1919 


Tons 

1.562 
5,305 

435 
2,487 

100 
1.000 

295 


7,302 
100 


1.949 
102 
50 


733 


PRICES   OF   CHEMICALS.    Aug.  9 

i  s.  d 

Alum  per  ton 

Alumina,  Sulphate  of 

Ammonia,  Anhydrous per  lb. 

0880  solution   per  ton 

Carbonate per  lb. 

Chloride  of,  grey per  ton 

,,         ,,    pure per  cwt. 

Nitrate  of  per  ton 

Phosphate  of 

Sulphate  of   

Antimony  Sulphide per  lb. 

Arsenic,  White per  ton 

Barium  Sulphate , 

Bisulphide  of  Carbon 

Bleaching  Powder,  35%  CI 

Borax  

Copper,  Sulphate  of    ,, 

Cyanide  of  Sodium,  100% per  lb. 

Hydrofluoric  Acid    

Iodine ,, 

Iron,  Sulphate  of per  ton 

Lead,  Acetate  of,  white 

Nitrate  of   

Oxide  of,  Litharge   

„      White  

Lime,  Acetate,  brown 

grey  80% 

Magnesite,  Calcined 

Magnesium  Chloride  

,,  Sulphate 

Methylated  Spirit  64°  Industrial     per  gal 

Phosphoric  Acid  per  lb. 

Potassium  Bichromate   

Carbonate  per  ton 

Chlorate  per  lb. 

Chloride  80%     per  ton 

Hydrate  (Caustic)  90% 

Nitrate 

Permanganate    per  lb. 

Prussiate,  Yellow 

Sulphate,  90%   per  ton 

Sodium  Metal  per  lb. 

Acetate per  ton 

Arsenate  45  % 

Bicarbonate   ,, 

,,        Bichromate    per  lb. 

Carbonate  (Soda  Ash)...     per  ton 

(Crystals) 

Chlorate per  lb. 

Hydrate,  76%   per  ton 

,,         Hyposulphite , 

Nitrate,  95% 

Phosphate , 

,,        Prussiate per  lb. 

,.        Silicate    per  ton 

,,        Sulphate  (Salt-cake) 

,,  ,,         (Glauber's  Salts)     ,, 

Sulphide 

Sulphur,  Roll 

,,  Flowers ,, 

Sulphuric  Acid,  Non- Arsenical... 

140°T.       ,, 
,. 
.. 

Superphosphate  of  Lime,  18% 

Tartaric  Acid per  lb. 

Zinc  Chloride per  ton  23 

Zinc  Sulphate 


17 

0 

0 

17 

0 

0 

1 

10 

33 

0 

0 
6* 

50 

0 

0 

4 

0- 

0 

60 

0 

0 

114 

0 

0 

17 

10 

0 

1 

3 

46 

0 

0 

12 

0 

0 

55 

0 

0 

15 

0 

0 

39 

0 

0 

45 

0 

0 

10 

7 

14 

0 

5 

0 

0 

85 

0 

0 

56 

0 

0 

45 

0 

0 

51 

0 

0 

10 

0 

0 

19 

0 

0 

25 

0 

0 

16 

0 

0 

11 

0 

0 

5 

7 

1 

2 

1 

6 

85 

0 

1 

0 
1 

30 

0 

0 

160 

0 

0 

60 

0 

0 

3 

6 

1 

9 

40 

0 

1 

0 
3 

52 

0 

0 

48 

0 

0 

9 

LI 

0 
11 

12 

0 

0 

4 

5 

0 

8 

24 

0 

0 

16 

10 

0 

21 

it 

0 

25 

10 

0 

7  A 

12 

0 

0 

3 

0 

0 

3 

0 

0 

22 

0 

0 

21 

0 

0 

23 

0 

0 

5 

0 

0 

7 

5 

3 

9 

7 

6 

5 

0 

0 

2 

) 

23 

0 

0 

22 

0 

0 

110 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


SHARE  QUOTATIONS 

Shares  are  £l  par  value  except  where  otherwise  noted. 


GOLD,    SILVER. 
DIAMONDS  : 


Rand  : 

Bantjes 

Brakpan •■■■• 

Central  Mining  (£8)    

Cinderella 

City  &  Suburban  (£4) 

City  Deep •••• 

Consolidated  Gold  Fields 

Consolidated  I.anglaagte 

Consolidated  Main  Reef .. 

Consolidated  Mines  Selection  (10s). 

Crown  Mines  (10s  ) 

Daggafontein 

Durban  Roodepoort  Deep 

East  Rand  Proprietary 

Ferreira  Deep 

Geduld 

Geldenhuis  Deep 

Gov't  Gold  Mining  Areas 

Heriot 

Jupiter 

Kleinfontein 

Knight  Central 

Knight's  Deep 

Langlaagte  Estate 

Meyer  &  Charlton 

Modderfontein  (£4) 

Modderfontein  B 

Modder  Deep 

Nourse 

Rand  Mines  (5s.) 

Rand  Selection  Corporation 

Randfontein  Central 

Robinson  (£5) 

Robinson  Deep  A  (Is.) 

Rose  Deep  

Simmer  &  Jack  

Simmer  Deep 

Springs 

Sub  Nigel 

•   Van  Ryn  

Van  Ryn  Deep 

Village  Deep  

Village  Main  Reef 

Witwatersrand  (Knight's) 

Witwatersrand  Deep  

Wolh  liter 

Other  Transvaal  Gold  Mines: 

Glynn's  I.ydenburg 

Sheba  (5s.)  

Transvaal  Gold  Mining  Estates... 

Diamonds  in  South  Africa  : 

De  Beers  Deferred  (£2  10s.) 

Jagersfontt  in 

Premier  Deferred  (2s.  6d.) 


Rhodesia  : 

Cam  &  Motor 

Chartered  British  South  Africa 

Eldorado 

Falcon  ...  

Gaika 

Giant 

Globe  &  Phoenix  (5s.) 

Lonely  Reef 

Rezende.. 

Shamva 

Wanderer  (3s.)   

Willoughby's  (10s.) 

West  Africa 

Abbontiakoon  (10s.) 

Abosso 

Ashanti  (4s.)    

Prestea  Block  A 

Taquah 

West  Australia  : 

Associated  Gold  Mines  

Associated  Northern  Blocks 

Bullfinch  

Golden  Horse-Shoe  (£5) 

Great  Boulder  Proprietarv(2s.)- 

Great  Fingall  (10s).  

Ivanhoe  (£5)    

Kalgurli 

Sons  of  Gwalia  


Aug.  6 

1918 
£    s.  d. 


3 
4  6 
6     1 

4 
16 

3  0 
1  16 
1     0 

15     0 

1  7     6 

2  6 
1     7 

10 
3 

13 

1   18 

13 

4  3 
19 


14 

3 

7 

14 

4   17 

24  15 

8     1 

7  12 

17     0 

3  2    6 

4  10 
11 
15 

1  3 
19 

4 

3 
3  16 
1     8 

ie 

3  15 

17 

14 

1     4 

7 


18    9 
9 

15     3 

15  0  0 
4  6  3 
6  15    0 


12 

17 

7 

1     2 

15 

7 

1  10 

1   18 

4     0 

1   19 

1 

5 


4  3 

7  6 

1     0  9 

4  0 

14  9 


3 

2 

1 

2     2 

II 

1  16 
9 
7 


Aug.  7 

1919 

£    s.  d. 


3  10 

9    8 

5 

13 
3  0 
1  18 
1     1 

14 

1  5 

2  7 
1      4 


0 
0 
9 

i) 
0 
0 
9 

0 

G 
0 

7  6 
4    9 

8  9 
7    0 

13    0 


2  9 
11 

4  17 

13 

5 

13 

6 

9 

1     1 

4  18 

27  10 

9     2 

8     2 

14 

3  1 
3  13 

13 
14 

1  0 
18 

5 
3 

2  16 
i     G 

18 

3  17 
15 
13 

1     5 


0 
3 
f. 
9 
0 
0 
G 
0 
G 
9 
o 
G 
6 
G 
i 
') 
6 
0 
0 
9 
3 
(i 
3 
3 
9 
G 
G 
0 
0 

13    0 
4    9 

I  0  0 
1  9 
13    6 

ZA  12    G 

6     7    6 
9     5     0 


5 
1     2 

4 
14 
16 

7 

1  4 

2  13 
5  5 
1   17 


5  0 

10  6 

1     2  6 

5  9 

16  6 


3 
1 

1  7 
9 
1 

1  15 
10 
6 


Gold.  Silver,  cont. 

Others  in  Australasia  : 

Mount  Boppy,  New  South  Wales 

Talisman,  New  Zealand 

W'aihi.  New  Zealand    

Waihi Grand  Junction.  New  Z'lnd 

America  : 

Alaska  Treadwell  (£5).  Alaska 

Buena  Tierra,  Mexico 

Camp  Bird,  Colorado 

Casey  Cobalt,  Ontario 

El  Oro,  Mexico 

Esperanza,  Mexico  

Frontino  &  Bolivia.  Colombia 

Le  Roi  No.  2  (£5). British  Columbia 
Mexico  Mines  of  El  Oro,  Mexico 

Oroville  Dredging,  California  

Plymouth  Consolidated.  California 

St.  John  del  Rey.  Brazil  

Santa  Gertrudis,  Mexico 

Tomboy,  Colorado 

Russia  : 

Lena  Goldfields 

Orsk  Priority  


Aug.  6 

1918 

£    s.   d. 

6  0 

13  0 

1   !9  0 

16  0 

10    0 
12     6 


Aug.  7 

1919 
£  s.  d. 


India  : 

Balaghat  

Champion  Reef  (2s.  6d.) 

Mysore  (10s.)  

North  Anantapnr  

Nundydroog  UOs.) 

Ooregum  (10s.)    


13 
4 

10 
8 

12 

6 

5  12 

18 
1     2 

17 

1* 

12 

1     7 
14 


5 
2  13 

4 

1     3 

18 


COPPER 

Arizona  Copper  (5s),  Arizona 

Cape  Copper  (£2).  Cape  Province.. 

Cbillagoe  (10s.),  Queensland 

Cordoba  (5s).  Spain       

Great  Cobar  (£5).  N.S.W   

Ii  ncnrry,  Queensland 

Kysbtim,  Russia 

Messina  (5s).  Transvaal 

Mount  Elliott  (£5).  Queensland  ... 
Mount  I. yell.  Tasmania  • 

Mi. nut  Morgan,  Queensland 

ua  (£2).  Cape  Province 

Rio  Tinto  (£5),  Spain  

Sissert,  Russia    

Spassky,  Russia 

Tanalyk,  Russia 

•Tanganyika.  Congo  and  Rhodesia 
Tharsis  (£2),  Spain  

LEAD-ZINC: 

Broken  Hill : 

Amalgamated  /111c    

British  Broken  Hill  •• 

Broken  Hill  Proprietary  (8s.)  

Broken  Hill  Block  10  (£10) 

Broken  Hill  North 

Broken  Hill  South 

Sulphide  Corporation  (15s.)  

Zinc  Corporation  (10s.) 


2     8 

2  5 
1 
2 
2 

1     6 

1     7 

5 

3  5 
1     S 

1  14 

2  0 
69    0 

17 
1  7 
1     8 

3  17 
5  15 


Asia  : 

Burma  Corporation  

Irtysh  Corporation    

Russian  Mining 

Russo- Asiatic 

TIN: 

Arainayo  Francke.  Bolivia 

Bisichi.  Nigeria  

Briseis.  Tasmania 

Dolcoath.  Cornwall 

East  Pool.  Cornwall 

Ex-Lands  Nigeria  (2s.),  Nigeria  •• 

Geevor  (10s  )  Cornwall  

Gopeng,  Malay 

Ipoh  Dredging.  Malay     

Malayan  Tin  Dredging,  Malay 

Mongu  (10s.).  Nigeria  

Naraguta,  Nigeria 

N.  N.  Bauchi  Pref.  (10s.).  Nigeria. 

Ord.  COS.), 
Pahang  Consolidated  (5s.),  Malay. 

Rayfield,  Nigeria   

Renong  Dredging,  Siam   •  

Ropp  (4s.).  Nigeria 

Siamese  Tin.  Siam  

South  Crofty  (5s),  Cornwall 

Tekka,  Malay    

Tekka-Taiping,  Malay     

Tronoh,  Malay   


1  7 

2  10 

3  9 

1  17 

3  7 

12  15 

1  8 

1  9 


4   iO  0 

1     9  9 

13  0 

3  11  3 


2  7 
15 
6 
11 
1  9 
2 
1     4 

1  18 
18    0 

2  7  6 
15  0 
18  0 
13     0 

8  3 
13  3 
15     9 

2  10    0 

1  3     6 

3  10    0 

2  11     3 

4  2     6 

3  17     6 
2    0    0 


2    6 
14 


1   12 

18 

1     6 

2 

1     3 

16 
9 

11 
7  0 
1  10 
1    9 

17 
1   14 

16 

1  10 
13 

6 
4 

2  2 
3 

17 
16 


2     1 

2  15 

1 

1 

I 
1  0 
1     6 

5 

3  10 
1  3 
1  5 
1   15     0 

60  0  0 
1  2  6 
1  10  0 
1  12  0 
5  0  0 
5     2     6 


1     5 

1  19 

2  2 


8  17  6 

1   16  3 

17  f> 

3  18  9 


3  18 
14 

5 

10 
17 

2 


1  0 

2  1 

1  1 

2  5 
19 
17 
11 

7 
15 
15 

2  5 

1  0 

3  2 
13 

4  2 

5  7 

2  6 


Share  capital  expanded 


THE   MINING  DIGEST 

A    RECORD     OF     PROGRESS     IN     MINING,    METALLURGY,    AND     GEOLOGY 

In  this  section  we  give  abstracts  of  important  articles  and  papers  appearing  in  technical  journals  and 

proceedings  of  societies,  together  with  brief  records  of  other  articles  and  papers ;  also  reviews  of  new 

books,  and  abstracts  of  the  yearly  reports  of  mining  companies. 


THE   NEW   ELMORE   PROCESS. 


The  new  process  invented  by  F.  E.  Elmore  for  deal- 
ing with  mixed  sulphides  is  described  in  his  patents 
6,546  and  11,348  of  1917,  consolidated  into  patent 
127,641.  The  patent  has  been  acquired  by  the  Chemi- 
cal and  Metallurgical  Corporation,  particularsof  which 
were  given  in  the  advertisement  columns  of  the  Maga- 
zine for  June.  Details  of  the  process,  extracted  from 
the  complete  specification,  are  given  in  the  following 
paragraphs. 

This  invention  relates  to  the  extraction  and  separa- 
tion of  lead  and  zinc  from  ores,  concentrates,  and  the 
like,  in  which  these  metals  exist  associated  together  in 
the  form  of  sulphides.  The  invention  consists  in  treat- 
ing the  ore,  concentrates,  or  the  like  with  certain  acid 
agents  whereby  the  lead  sulphide  is  converted  into  a 
soluble  lead  compound  while  the  zinc  sulphide  remains 
substantially  unattacked.  The  acid  agents  in  question 
are  sulphuric  acid  alone  or  a  solution  of  a  suitable  salt 
to  which  has  been  added  either  sulphuric  acid,  hydro- 
chloric acid,  or  an  alkali  bisulphate  Suitable  salts  are 
sodium  chloride,  ammonium  chloride,  or  other  halo- 
gen salt  (other  than  that  of  a  heavy  metal)  capable  like 
these  of  acting  in  solution  as  a  solvent  of  lead  sulphate 
or  chloride. 

If  finely  ground  galena  be  heated  at  about  100°C.  with 
concentrated  sulphuric  acid  (specific  gravity  about  1 '84), 
the  sulphide  of  lead  is  converted  into  sulphate.  With 
proper  adjustment  of  conditions,  such  as  fineness  of 
grinding,  proportion  of  sulphuric  acid,  temperature, 
and  time  of  contact,  substantially  the  whole  of  the  sul- 
phide can  be  converted  into  sulphate.  The  latter  com- 
pound may  then  be  dissolved,  for  instance  in  a  hot 
saturated  solution  of  sodium  chloride,  and  thus  separ- 
ated from  any  insoluble  matter.  On  the  other  hand, 
if  zinc  blende  be  heated  with  the  concentrated  acid  at 
a  temperature  of  about  100°C.,  only  a  relatively  small 
amount  of  the  zinc  is  converted  into  sulphate,  the  major 
portion  remaining  insoluble  in  hotbrine.  If,  therefore, 
the  two  sulphides  be  present  in  an  ore  or  concentrate 
the  lead  and  zinc  may  be  separated  in  this  manner. 

According  to  one  form  of  the  invention  the  finely 
ground  ore  containing  the  sulphides  of  lead  and  zinc  is 
heated  with  a  sufficient  quantity  of  concentrated  sul- 
phuric acid  at  a  temperature  of  about  100°O,  until  sub- 
stantially the  whole  of  the  lead  has  been  converted  in- 
to sulphate.  The  product  is  washed  once  or  twice  with 
water  to  remove  practically  the  whole  of  any  remain- 
ing free  acid,  and  to  the  residue  is  added  a  hot,  strong, 
preferably  saturated  solution  of  sodium  chloride.  The 
sulphate  of  lead  dissolves  readily  in  the  hot  brine  and 
may  be  separated  by  filtration,  decantation,  or  other- 
wise from  the  undissolved  matter  containing  the  zinc 
sulphide.  The  hot  brine  is  then  cooled,  whereupon 
any  excess  of  lead  salt  over  that  which  the  cooled  brine 
can  hold  in  solution  will  be  precipitated  and  can  be 
collected  for  use  in  any  known  manner,  while  the  brine 
is  re- heated  to  be  used  again.  The  brine  may  thus  re- 
main in  circulation  in  the  process. 

Example  I . — A  lead-zinc  sulphide  ore  from  Burma 
containing  23%  of  lead  and  40'5%  of  zinc  is  ground  to 
pass  through  a  60  mesh  standard  sieve.     Twenty  kilos 


of  the  powder  are  mixed  with  twenty  litres  of  sulphuric 
acid  of  l'84specificgravity  in  a  lead-lined,  steam-heated 
vessel,  and  the  mixture  is  heated  at  about  100°C,  until 
the  evolution  of  sulphur  dioxide  has  practically  ceased. 
Water  is  now  run  into  the  vessel,  the  mixture  well  stir- 
red and  allowed  to  settle  ;  the  water  is  run  off,  and  this 
washing  operation  once  repeated.  One  hundred  litres 
of  a  saturated  solution  of  common  salt  are  now  run  in- 
to the  vessel,  the  contents  of  which  are  well  stirred  and 
maintained  at  100°C.  for,  say  half  an  hour,  whereupon 
the  undissolved  matter  is  allowed  to  settle  and  the  hot 
solution  run  into  a  cooling  vat  in  which  a  mixture  of 
lead  sulphate  and  chloride  separates  from  the  liquid 
and  may  be  collected  for  metallurgical  treatment.  The 
residue  in  the  heating  vessel  may  be  washed  first  with 
brine  and  then  with  water,  if  desired,  and  metallurgi- 
cally  treated  for  recovery  of  zinc. 

If,  instead  of  sulphuric  acid  of  1'84  specific  gravity, 
a  less  concentrated  acid  be  employed,  the  lead  can  be 
converted  into  lead  sulphate,  but  a  larger  proportion 
of  the  zinc  may  be  in  this  case  converted  into  zinc  sul- 
phate. In  deciding  whether  to  use  concentrated  or 
weaker  acid,  practical  considerations  such  as  the  value 
of  zinc  and  the  cost  of  the  different  grades  of  acid  must 
be  taken  into  account.  On  using  concentrated  acid  or 
somewhat  weaker  acid,  the  reaction  upon  the  lead  sul- 
phide is  accompanied  by  an  evolution  of  sulphur  di- 
oxide and  the  production  of  free  sulphur.  With  still 
weaker  acids,  however,  the  reaction  is  accompanied 
mainly  by  the  evolution  of  sulphuretted  hydrogen.  In 
whatever  form  sulphur  is  liberated  it  may  be  used  in 
the  known  manner  for  producing  sulphuric  acid.  By 
working  separate  batches  with  strong  and  weaker  acids 
respectively,  it  is  possible,  as  an  alternative  to  using 
the  sulphur  dioxide  and  sulphuretted  hydrogen  directly 
in  the  known  manner  for  the  production  of  sulphur  or 
sulphuric  acid,  to  lead  the  sulphur  dioxide  liberated 
from  the  strong-acid  batch  into  the  weak-acid  batch, 
whereby  the  objectionable  emission  of  both  sulphur  di- 
oxide and  sulphuretted  hydrogen  may  be  largely  abated. 
According  toanother  form  of  the  invention,  the  finely 
subdivided  ore  is  treated  with  an  acid  in  presence  of  a 
salt,  such  as  sodium  chloride.  A  weaker  acid  may  then 
be  used.  Thus,  the  finely  subdivided  ore  may  be 
treated  with  hot,  strong  brine  to  which  sulphuric  acid 
has  been  added. 

Example  II . — Twenty  kilos  of  the  ore  referred  to  in 
Example  I,  crushed  to  pass  through  a  100  mesh  stand- 
ard sieve,  are  stirred  in  an  earthenware  steam-heated 
vessel  with  one  hundred  litres  of  a  saturated  solution 
of  common  salt  and  the  mixture  is  heated  to  about  I 
Six  litres  of  sulphuric  acid  of  184  specific  gravity  are 
gradually  run  into  the  vessel,  the  heating  being  con- 
tinued. The  lead  sulphide  is  attacked,  the  lead  pass- 
ing into  solution,  while  the  zinc  sulphide  remains  sub- 
stantially insoluble.  When  the  evolution  of  sulphur- 
etted hydrogen  has  practically  ceased,  the  hot  brine  is 
separated  from  the  insoluble  matter  and  is  run  into  a 
cooling  vat,  where  it  deposits  lead  salt ;  it  may  be  re 
heated  to  be  used  again. 

When  the  acid  ajjent  is  hydrochloric  acid  in  presence 


111 


112 


THE     MINING     MAGAZINE 


of  a  suitable  salt  solution,  lead  chloride  is  formed  and 
sulphur  is  evolved  in  the  form  of  sulphuretted  hydro- 
gen. 

Examplelll. — Twenty  kilos  of  the  finely  subdivided 
ore  referred  to  in  Example  I  are  stirred  in  an  earthen- 
ware steam-heated  vessel  with  sixty-five  litres  of  a 
saturated  solution  of  common  salt,  the  mixture  being 
heated  to  about  80°C.  Eighteen  litres  of  hydrochloric 
acid  of  specific  gravity  I'll  are  now  run  in,  and  stir- 
ring and  heating  continued  until  evolution  of  sulphur- 
etted hydrogen  has  practically  ceased.  After  settling, 
the  hot  brine  is  run  into  a  cooling  vat  where  the  lead 
compound  crystallizes.     The  brine  may  be  used  again. 

Example  I  V. — Twenty  kilos  of  Broken  Hill  concen- 
trates containing  44  2%  of  zinc  and  9  2%  of  lead,  and 
capable  of  passing  through  a  30  mesh  standard  sieve, 
are  mixed  in  an  earthenware  steam  heated  vessel  with 
120  litres  of  a  saturated  solution  of  common  salt  to 
which  11  kilos  of  sodium  bisulphate  (NaHSO.,)  have 
been  added.  The  mixture  is  boiled  until  the  evolution 
of  sulphuretted  hydrogen  has  practically  ceased.  The 
hot  brine  is  then  separated  from  the  insoluble  matter 
and  is  run  into  acooling  vat  where  it  deposits  lead  salt  ; 
it  may  then  be  re-heated  to  be  used  again 

If  it  is  more  convenient  under  local  conditions  to 
smelt  lead  sulphate  than  lead  chloride,  it  is  preferable 
to  convert  the  latter  into  sulphate  by  heating  it  with 
strong  sulphuric  acid,  whereby  hydrochloric  ac 
is  evolved  ;  this  is  absorbed  in  water  or  in  brine  in  such 
manner  as  to  form  either  a  strong  aqueous  solution  of 
acid  or  a  solution  of  the  acid  in  brine.  The  aqueous 
solution  may  be  mixed  with  brine  to  render  it  suitable 
for  treating  a  further  batch  of  ore  ;  the  solution  of  the 
acid  in  brine  is  already  suitable  for  this  purpose. 

The  lead  sulphate,  whether  made  directly  from  the 
ore  or  from  the  chloride,  may  be  mixed  with  lead  sul- 
phide and  smelted  in  known  manner,  and  the  lead  sul- 
phide, or  a  part  of  it,  necessary  for  the  purpose  may 
be  made  by  utilizing  the  sulphuretted  hydrogen  from 
the  treatment  of  the  ore  with  hydrochloric  acid  and  a 
salt  solution. 

The  following  are  the  claims: 

(1)  The  treatment  of  lead-zinc  sulphide  ores,  concen- 
trates, and  the  like,  consisting  in  treating  the  ore  with 
an  acid  agent  as  herein  defined,  whereby  the  lead  sul- 
phide is  converted  into  a  soluble  lead  compound  while 
the  zinc  sulphide  remains  substantially  unattacked. 

(2)  The  treatment  of  lead  zinc  sulphide  ores,  concen- 


trates, and  the  like,  consisting  in  heating  the  ore  with 
strong  sulphuric  acid  at  about  100°C.  until  substantially 
all  the  lead  sulphide  has  been  converted  into  lead  sul- 
phate, dissolving  the  latter  with  a  hot  strong  solution 
of  sodium  chloride  or  other  suitable  halogen  salt,  sepa- 
rating the  hot  solution  from  the  unattacked  zinc  sul- 
phide, and  cooling  the  solution  to  cause  a  partial  crys- 
tallization of  lead  salt. 

(3)  The  treatment  of  lead-zinc  sulphide  ores,  concen- 
trates, and  the  like,  consisting  in  heating  the  ore  with 
a  strong  solution  of  sodium  chloride  or  other  suitable 
halogen  salt  to  which  a  sufficient  quantity  of  sulphuric 
or  hydrochloric  acid  or  an  alkali  bisulphate  is  added, 
whereby  the  lead  is  caused  to  pass  into  solution  while 
the  zinc  sulphide  remains  substantially  unattacked, 
separating  the  hot  solution  from  the  zinc  sulphide  by 
filtration,  decantation,  or  the  like,  and  cooling  the  solu- 
tion to  cause  a  partial  crystallization  of  lead  salt. 

(4)  In  the  herein  described  treatment  of  lead-zinc  sul- 
phide ores,  concentrates,  and  the  like,  for  the  sepa- 
ration of  the  lead  from  the  zinc,  heating  a  mixture  of 
one  portion  of  the  ore  with  sulphuric  acid  of  a  strength 
adapted  to  evolve  sulphur  dioxide,  heating  a  mixture 
of  another  portion  of  the   ore  with  acid  adapted   to 

■  sulphuretted  hydrogen,  and  passing  the  gases 
evolved  from  the  first  mixture  into  the  second,  substan 
dally  as  and  for  the  purpose  described. 

(5)  In  the  herein  described  treatment  of  lead-zinc 
sulphide  ores,  concentrates,  and  the  like,  in  which  the 
lead  compound  produced  contains  or  consists  of  lead 
chloride,  heating  the  said  compound  with  strong  Mil 
phuric  acid  and  absorbing  in  water  or  brine  the  hydro- 
chloric acid  gas  evolved,  substantially  as  and  for  the 
purpose  described. 

(6)  Smelting  the  lead  sulphate  produced  by  the 
treatment  referred  to  in  Claim  (5)  with  lead  sulphide 
so  as  to  produce  metallic  lead. 

(7)  The  treatment  of  lead  zinc  sulphide  ores,  concen 
trates,  and  the  like,  consisting  in  heating  the  ore  with 
an  acid  agent  as  herein  defined,  which  converts  the 
lead  sulphide  into  a  soluble  compound  while  substan- 
tially not  attacking  the  zinc  sulphide  and  causes  evo- 
lution of  sulphuretted  hydrogen,  utilizing  the  sulphur- 
etted hydrogen  to  make  lead  sulphide  from  the  soluble 
lead  compound,  and  smelting  the  lead  sulphide  together 
with  lead  sulphate  so  as  to  produce  metallic  lead. 

(8)  The  treatments  of  lead-zinc  sulphide  ores  de- 
scribed in  the  several  examples  herein. 


THE   "LONG-RIG"   IN    ROCK-DRILL   PRACTICE 


At  the  May  meeting  of  the  South  African  Institution 
of  Engineers,  F.  C.  W.  Ingle  gave  particulars  of  his 
"long-rig"  system  of  mounting  and  operating  rock- 
drills.  This  information  was  given  as  a  contribution 
to  the  discussion  on  H.  S.  Potter's  paper  on  hammer- 
drills  and  their  history,  design,  and  operation. 

The  long-rig  system  is  designed  to  give  a  support  to 
hammer-drills  and  to  avoid  continually  rigging  up  a 
support.  In  connection  with  piston  drill  work,  the 
system  eliminates  the  multiple  hole  bench.  When  us- 
ing hammer-drills  on  this  system  it  is  necessary,  of 
course,  to  have  cradles  for  their  support. 

The  method  consists  of  putting  up  two  bars  in  the 
usual  way  from  hanging  to  foot,  about  16  to  18  ft.  apart. 
On  to  these,  and  extending  past  both,  is  clamped  a  pipe 
of  suitable  size  and  about  20ft.  in  length.  This  pipe 
acts  as  an  elongated  arm  upon  which  the  machine  is 
rigged,  and  on  which  it  can  be  moved  from  bench  to 
bench  between  the  two  bars.  The  holes  drilled  from 
this  bar  are  inclined  all  in  the  same  direction,  and  the 
machine  moves  awav  from  that  direction.     When  all 


benches  lying  between  the  two  bars  have  been  drilled 
over,  the  bar  farthest  from  the  position  which  the  ma- 
chine will  have  reached  is  pulled  down  and  re-rigged 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  remaining  bar,  again  atabout 
18  ft.  distance,  and  the  long  bar,  or  pipe,  similarly  rig 
ged  between  the  two  bars.  The  machine,  being  placed 
upon  it,  drills  in  continuation.  At  the  end  of  the  shift, 
the  machine  and  bars  are  left  standing.  Only  those 
holes  which  can  be  blasted  without  danger  to  the  ma- 
chinery are  charged  and  blasted,  so  that  drilling  may 
be  continued  to  the  end  of  the  shift,  and  only  a  few 
minutes  before  lighting  up  will  it  be  necessary  to  stop 
the  machine.  Again,  the  machine  will  be  found  ready 
for  work  as  soon  as  the  miner  returns  to  the  stope  on 
the  following  shift.  This  process  is  continued  until  the 
end  of  the  face  is  reached,  when  the  machine  with  its 
rig  will  again  return  to  that  end  of  the  face  from  which 
it  originally  started. 

Several  machines  may  be  worked  on  one  face  with  a 
suitable  interval  between  them.  The  necessary  length 
of  face  will  depend  upon  the  nature  of  the  ground     ( >r 


AUGUST,     1919 


113 


The   "Long-Rig"   System   of    Rock-Drilling. 


several  machines  may  be  placed  on  adjoining  rigs,  the 
long  bars  being  clamped  between  a  sufficient  number 
of  shorter  bars.  The  latter  method  has  the  advantage 
that  it  permits  of  closer  supervision,  and  it  is  easy  with 
this  arrangement  to  utilize  advantageously  a  couple  of 
natives  to  rig  up  bars  in  advance.  One  disadvantage, 
however,  is  that  each  machine  has  to  be  moved  agreater 
distance  at  the  completion  of  each  traverse  from  bar  to 
bar,  and,  usually,  this  entails  the  removal  of  hoses  to 
new  connections  with  each  change. 

The  long-rig  is  in  use  on  the  City  and  Suburban  mine 
with  jack-hammers,  but  is  suitable  for  any  type  of 
hammer-drill.  When  used  with  jack-hammers,  2  in. 
bars  and  2  in.  steam  pipe  give  satisfaction.  With  pis- 
ton drills  it  would  be  necessary  to  use  3  in.  bars  and 
3  in.  pipe.  Up  to  the  present  the  contractor  who  has 
had  most  experience  with  the  system  has  used  four 
steels,  to  the  set,  2  ft.  6  in.,  4ft.,  5  ft.  6  in.,  and  7  ft.  in 
length,  and  with  gauges  li  in.,  1  £g  in.,  lg  in.,  1 ,:;;  in. 
respectively. 

Thefaceremainscomparatively  straight ;  since  all  the 
holes  are  drilled  from  the  long  bar,'  they  must  termin- 
ate at  a  line  which  is  roughly  parallel  to  the  bar.  Thus 
the  tendency  is  to  correct  any  irregularities  in  the  line 
of  the  face.  The  holes,  averaging  6ft.  in  depth,  are 
drilled  at  an  angle  of  45°  to  the  face,  and  spaced  26  in. 
apart  at  their  collars.  These  details  will,  of  course, 
vary  according  to  the  nature  of  the  ground.  In  this 
way,  although  the  holes  are,  to  some  extent,  dependent 
one  upon  the  other,  the  failure  of  one  hole  hangs  up 
the  deeper  half  of  the  subsequent  one,  but  the  remain- 
ing holes  will  not  be  affected. 

2—6 


In  this  stope  67'4  fathoms  were  broken  in  April  b\ 
three  jack-hammers,  and  this  was  the  highest  on  the 
mine  for  all  classes  of  machine  stoping.  Of  the  twenty 
contractors  working  in  the  same  section  of  the  mine, 
the  next  highest  fathomage  was  55'2. 

The  chief  advantages  accruing  from  the  use  of  this 
method  are  as  follows :  Overhand  stoping  becomes 
ideal  ;  there  is  no  rock  on  the  face,  the  ground  being 
broken  away  from  the  face  and  into  the  packs  ;  timber 
is  submitted  to  very  littleblasting,  as  it  is  soon  protected 
by  the  packs  ;  the  dressing  down  of  the  ground  after 
blasting  is  effected  without  interference  with  the  ma- 
chines working  in  the  stope ;  there  is  no  excuse  for 
drilling  near  a  misfire,  as,  there  being  no  dirt  on  the  face, 
misfires  must  be  obvious.  As  pointed  out  already,  there 
is  no  loss  of  time  at  the  beginning  and  end  of  the  shift 
in  rigging  up  and  pulling  down.  This  is  done  during 
the  shift  as  occasion  requires,  and  the  average  time  oc- 
cupied in  rigging  up  is  from  fifteen  to  thirty  minutes 
Thus  drilling  starts  at  the  commencement  of  the  shift, 
and  is  continued  until  just  before  lighting-up  time. 

The  holes  are  drilled  parallel  to  one  another,  and 
the  burden  must  be  even  along  the  whole  length  ol  the 
hole.  It  is  thus  only  necessary  to  place  a  mark  on  the 
face  where  each  hole  is  to  be  collared,  and  the  opera 
tor  cannot  go  wrong.  The  result  of  these  parallel 
holes  and  the  evenness  of  burden  is  that  long  holes  can 
be  used  to  advantage.  As  each  new  stope  was  started, 
the  ordinary  lengths  of  steel  were  at  first  used,  but  in 
every  case,  with  the  long-rig,  it  was  found  advisable  to 
equip  with  long  jumpers,  similar  to  those  described 
above,  that  is,  with  7  ft .  chisels.     The  use  of  long  holes 


114 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


has  been  justified  by  the  fact  that  there  are  very  few 
long  sockets  left  in  any  of  the  stopes  where  they  are 
used. 

As  the  holes  are  drilled  upward,  the  cuttings  fall 
away,  and  are  immediately  sludged,  so  that  the  steel 
has  always  a  clean  face  to  cut.  In  the  initial  stages  of 
the  trials  trouble  was  caused  by  the  sludge  running 
down  the  jumper  and  reaching  the  chuck,  where  the 
escape  of  compressed  air  vapourized  it.  This  trouble 
was  overcome  by  attaching  to  the  jumper,  close  to  the 
chuck,  a  6  in.  length  of  §  in.  hose,  slit  down  the  side 
and  clamped  round  the  steel  with  a  wire  spring  clip. 


The  sludge  drops  off  as  soon  as  it  reaches  the  greater 
circumference  of  the  hose.  A  piece  of  sacking  9  in. 
square  tied  to  the  chuck  so  as  to  overlap  the  jumper 
6  in.  is  also  very  effective.  Again,  when  drilling  down- 
ward with  the  jack-hammer  there  is,  in  crushed  ground, 
a  great  tendency  for  jumpers  to  stick,  due  to  the  cut- 
tings being  coarse  and  lodging  above  the  bit  on  the 
smaller  diameter  of  the  steel.  Much  time  is  spent  in 
freeing  the  jumpers,  and  quite  often  it  is  found  impos- 
sible to  get  them  out.  This  trouble  has  never  been 
experienced  when  drilling  upward.  On  the  contrary, 
the  holes  are  drilled  the  quicker  in  crushed  ground. 


ACID   AND  SUPERPHOSPHATE   MANUFACTURE  AT  COCKLE  CREEK. 

At  the  Newcastle  meeting  of  the  Australasian  Insti-  The  casing  and  impellers  are  made  of  antimonial  lead, 
tute  of  Mining  Engineers,  J.  H.  McFeeters  described  the  impellers  being  mounted  on  a  3  in.  steel  shaft  cov- 
the  plants  for  making  acid  and  superphosphate  at  the  ered  with  lead  sleeves  on  that  part  of  its  length  ex- 
works  of  the  Sulphide  Corporation  at  Cockle  Creek.  posed  to  the  acid  gases.  The  fan  is  belt-driven  from 
New  South  Wales.  a  5  h.p.   variable-speed  motor,  and  runs  about    240 

Sulphuric  Acid. — Two  separate  units  are  in  opera-  r.p.m.     The  gas  is  drawn  from  the  Herreshoff  furnaces 

tion,  No.  1  plant  working  on  sulphur  dioxide  gener-  through  the  dust  chambers  and  Glover  tower  by  the 

ated  from  pyritic  ore,  and  No.  2  plant  working  on  sul-  suction  of  the  fan,  which  then  forces  it  through   the 

phurous  gases  obtained  from  the  Huntington-Heber-  chambers  and  Gav-Lussac  towers.     During  the  pas- 

lein  desulphurizing  process.     The  latter  plant  is  unique  sage  of  the  gas  through  the  chambers,   the  chemical 

in  being  the  first  installation  for  the  successful  use  of  reactions,  resulting  in  the  formation  of  sulphuric  acid, 

these  gases.  take  place,  the  water  necessary  to  these  reactions  being 

The  sulphur  dioxide  for  No.  1  plant  is  obtained  by  supplied  in  the  form  of  an  extremely  fine  mist  by  a 
the  roasting  of  pyritic  ore  in  the  Herreshoff  furnaces.  number  of  Benker  sprays.  These  reactions  are  so  con- 
The  type  of  furnace  is  the  new  Herreshoff  furnace,  the  trolled  that  the  gas  issuing  from  the  last  chamber  con- 
special  feature  of  which  is  an  air-cooling  device  for  the  tains  practically  no  sulphur  dioxide,  and  only  free  oxy- 
rabble  arms  and  central  column  of  the  furnace,  also  gen  and  nitrogen  oxides.  These  nitrogen  oxides  are 
enablingcontrolof  the  temperatureof  roasting.  There  absorbed  by  the  acid  flowing  down  the  Gay-Lussac 
are  five  of  these  furnaces  in  this  plant.  Working  on  towers,  and  are  returned  to  the  system  by  way  of  the 
ore  of  36%  and  over  of  sulphur  contents,  no  further  Glover  tower.  These  nitrogen  oxides,  which  hasten 
fuel  is  required  after  once  having  been  started.  As  the  oxidation  of  sulphur  dioxide  to  sulphur  trioxide 
the  sulphur  dioxide  is  given  off  during  the  process  of  during  the  reaction  process  in  thechambers,  are  origin 
roasting,  it  is  drawn  through  dust  collectors  by  the  sue-  ally  introduced  through  the  Glover  tower  in  the  form 
tion  created  by  a  lead  fan,  to  be  described  later.     Each  of  nitric  acid. 

furnace  has  a  separate  dust  collector,  which  consists  of  The  No.  2  plant,  operating  on  gases  generated  by 
a  large  rectangular  brick  chamber,  from  the  top  of  the  Huntington- Heberlein  desulphurizing  process,  pre- 
which  are  suspended  a  number  of  lengths  of  \  in.  round  sents  several  unusual  features;  consequently,  the  de- 
iron,  forming  a  series  of  loose  curtains  through  which  sign  of  this  plant  was  modified  to  meet  conditions 
the  gas  must  pass.  The  dust  drops  from  these  curtains  which  might  reasonably  be  anticipated  by  obtaining  gas 
to  the  bottom  of  the  chamber,  from  which  it  is  with-  from  such  a  source.  To  some  extent  the  plant  is  prac- 
drawn  from  time  to  time.  The  gases  then  unite  in  a  tically  a  combination  of  both  the  chamber  and  tower 
common  flue  and  pass  to  the  Glover  tower.  The  Glo-  systems  of  acid  making,  and  consists  of  four  chambers 
ver  tower,  the  chief  functions  of  which  are  denitration,  and  seven  towers.  Of  the  seven  towers  in  the  system 
concentration,  and  cooling,  consists  of  a  lead-lined  there  are  two  Glovers,  two  inter-chamber  towers,  one 
tower  30ft.  high,  packed  with  hard-burnt  chemical  regulator,  and  two  Gay-Lussacs.  The  Glovers  and 
brick  in  checker  formation.  The  lead  linings  of  this  Gay-Lussacs  are  rectangular  in  section,  and  packed 
tower  are  much  heavier  than  the  others  of  the  system,  similarly  to  those  of  No.  1  set,  the  former  being  25  ft 
owing  to  the  violence  of  the  chemical  reactions  taking  high  and  latter  30  ft.  Owing  to  the  comparatively  low 
place  therein,  and  to  the  temperature  of  the  entering  temperature  of  the  gases  entering  the  (.lover  tower, 
gases,  which  average  about  300"C.  The  Gay-Lussac  its  function  as  a  concentrator  isnil,  but,  by  observing 
towers,  the  function  of  which  is  the  absorption  of  the  several  conditions,  it  still  serves  its  purpose  as  an  eflici- 
nitrogen  oxides  liberated  at  the  end  of  the  process,  are  ent  denitrator.  The  inter-chamber  towers  are  20  ft 
two  in  number,  and  similar  in  section,  height,  and  high,  andalsopacked  with  chemical  brick.  Theirchief 
packing  to  the  Glover  tower.  There  are  five  chambers  function  is  to  keep  alive  rapid  chemical  reaction  by 
in  this  plant,  of  the  following  dimensions:  thoroughly  mixing  the  gases,  and  so  minimizing  the 
Height  Width  Length  retarding  effect  on  chemical  activity  caused  by  carbon 
Nos.  1  and  2      19  ft.  6  in.     25  ft.     97  ft.  6  in.  dioxide  present  as  an  impurity  in  the  gas.      The  regu- 

No.  3 18ft.  Gin.     20ft.     96ft.  lator  is  similar  in  design  to  the  inter  chamber  towers 

No.  4 19  ft.  6  in.     25  ft.     60  ft.  It  is  placed  between  the  last  chamber  and  the  Gay- 
No.  5 19  ft.  6  in.      25  ft.     36  ft.  Lussacs.      It-,  chief  function  is  to  prevent  any  sulphur 

The  curtains  and  tops  of  the  chambers  are  built  with  dioxide  entering  the  Gay-Lussacs,  a  condition   which 

71b.  lead,  and  the  bottoms  of  8 lb.     They  are  con-  might  easily  occur  when  working  on  gases  liable  to 

nected  by  26  in.  lead  pipes  with  each  other  and   with  sudden   variations  of  sulphur  dioxide  contents.      The 

the  towers,  one  line  leading  from  the  Glover  tower  to  chambers  of  this  plant  are  built  narrow  and  high,  with 

the  chambers,  and  the  other    leading  from    the  last  the  view  of  decreasing  any  tendency  towards  the  for- 

chamber  to  the  Gay-Lussac  towers.     The  lead  fan  is  mation  of  zones  of  sluggish  gas-movement,  and  also  for 

placed  between  the  Glover  tower  and  the  first  chamber.  being  well  adapted  to  the  use  of  water  sprays.     They 


AUGUST,    1919 


115 


are  all  comparatively  short,  and,  in  order  to  secure  the 
requisite  and  proportional  chamber  volume,  one  to  an- 
other, the  first  two  are  grouped  abreast  and  work  in 
parallel.  These  two  act  virtually  together  as  ihe  first 
chamber  of  the  series.  Regarding  these  two  as  one, 
the  proportion  between  the  first,  second,  and  third 
chambers  is  approximately  4:2:1.  The  chamber  di- 
mensions are : 

Height  Width        Length 

Two     chambers     in 

parallel,  each     30  ft.         20  ft.         80  ft. 
Following    chamber     30  ft.         20  ft.         80  ft. 

Last  chamber     30  ft.         20  ft.         40  ft. 

The  gases  are  drawn  from  the  H.H.  plant  through  the 
dust  chambers  and  Glover  tower  by  the  suction  of  a 
lead  fan,  similar  in  design  and  position  to  that  of  No. 

1  plant.  In  front  of  the  fan  these  gases  divide,  a  por- 
tion going  into  No.  1  chamber,  and  a  portion  into  No. 

2  chamber,  working  in  parallel ;  the  gas  volumes  pass- 
ing into  these  chambers  being  controlled  by  dampers. 
The  issuing  gases  combine  in  a  30  in.  pipe,  common  to 
both  chambers,  and  are  forced  through  the  first  inter- 
chamber  tower  into  the  following  chamber.  From 
here  they  pass  through  the  next  inter-chamber  tower 
intothelast  chamber,  through  theregulator,  and  thence 
out  of  the  system  through  the  two  Gay-Lussac  towers, 
working  in  series.  Attached  to  this  unit  is  a  small  sul- 
phur burner,  capable  of  burning  three  tons  per  24 
hours.  This  will  be  used  to  supply  sulphurous  gas 
whenever  the  H.H.  plant  might  be  closed  down  for 
overhaul,  or  through  the  closing  down  of  the  blast- 
furnace. 

Nitric  Acid. — The  nitric  acid  required  for  use  in  the 
Glover  tower  is  manufactured  in  a  2  ton  plant,  in  a 
building  attached  to  No.  1  sulphuric  acid  plant.    This 
particular  unit  has  only  recently  been  installed,  and 
embraces  the  latest  improvements  in  apparatus  for  ni- 
tric manufacture.     Its  outstanding  features  are  the  un- 
usually large  retort  and  the   silica-ware  condensers. 
The  plant  consists  essentially  of  three  principal  parts 
— retort,  condensers,  and  receivers.     The  retort  is  cup- 
shaped,  and  is  set  in  brickwork.     It  is  fired  from  be- 
neath, and  the  flues  are  so  arranged  that  the  hot  gases 
of  combustion  circle    twice  round    the  retort    before 
reaching  the  chimney  stack.     Both  the  retort  and  its 
cover  are  castings,  made  of  special  acid-resisting  metal 
known  as  Narki  metal.     The  condensers  consist  of  a 
number  of  3h  in.  pipes,  3  ft.  long.     The  pipes  are  built 
up  in  parallel  tiers,  having  ten  pipes  in  a  set.      There 
are  four  of  these  sets  of  condensing  tubes  working  in 
parallel  from  a  common  receptacle.     All  the  pipes  are 
made  of  fused  silica-ware,  known  as  vitreosil,    which, 
besides  being  acid-proof,  withstands  sudden  changes 
of  temperature.      The  receivers  are  three  in   number, 
and  of  100  gal.  capacity  each.     They  are  made  of  acid- 
resisting  stoneware,  cylindrical  in  shape,  and  3  ft.  in 
diameter.      The  retort  is  charged  with  two  tons  of  ni- 
trate of  soda  and   the  requisite  amount  of  strong  sul- 
phuricacid,  and  a  slow  firestarted  in  thegrate  beneath. 
After  sometime  the  liberated  nitric  begins  to  distilover. 
It  escapes  from  the  top  of    the  retort    through   Sin. 
vitreosil    pipes,   which   lead   to  a  receptacle,    also    of 
vitreosil,  communicating  both  with  condensers  and  re- 
ceiveis.      During  its  passage  through  these  pipes  the 
nitric  is  condensed,  and  runs  into  any  one  of  the  three 
receivers, 

Superphosphate.— In  theory  the  process  of  manu- 
facture of  superphosphate  is  in  itself  simple.  The  raw 
phosphate  rock  contains  phosphoric  acid  as  tribasic 
phosphate  of  lime,  insoluble  in  water,  and  conse- 
quently not  assimilable  by  plants.  Therefore,  the 
process   of  manufacture   consists  in    converting  this 


insoluble  phosphoric  acid  into  the  "water-soluble" 
or  "  citrate-soluble"    form   in   which  it    is   available 
as  a  plant  food.     This  is  done    by  treating  the  raw 
phosphate    rock    with    sulphuric    acid,    which    con- 
verts two  parts  of  the  lime  into  gypsum,  leaving  one 
part  of  the  lime  combined  with  all  the  phosphoric  acid 
as  the  monobasic  or  water-soluble  phosphate  of  lime. 
This  product  is  known  as  "superphosphate,"  the  pre- 
fix "  super  "  denoting  that  the  ratio  of  phosphoric  acid 
to  lime  is  in  excess  of  that  of  the  normal  tribasic  phos- 
phate.    The  phosphate  rock  is  imported  from  the  Pa- 
cific Islands,  the  best-known  deposits  being  at  Ocean, 
Makatea,  Nauru,  and  Angaur  Islands.     They  contain 
a  higher  percentage  of  phosphoric  acid  than  any  other 
known  deposit,  and  range  from  82%   to  87%  tribasic 
phosphate  of  lime.     Cargoes  of  phosphate  rock  are 
unloaded  into  trucks  on  the  Corporation's  wharf  at 
Newcastle,  thence  by  rail  to  the  works  at  Cockle  Creek. 
These  trucks  run  over  the  top  of  the  large  storage  bins, 
and   are  there  discharged.     The  present  capacity  of 
these  bins  is  6,000  tons.     They  will  shortly  be  increased 
to  10,000  tons  capacity.     The  first  step  in  the  manu- 
facture is  the  crushing  of  the  rock  to  the  degree  of 
fineness  which  allows  rapid  reaction  between  the  raw 
material  and  sulphuric  acid.     The  rock  is  first  reduced 
in  size  by  a  gyratory  crusher,  and  thence  through  a 
series  of  screens  and  rolls  until  a  sufficiently  fine  pro- 
duct is  produced.     The  power  for  the  crushing  mill  is 
supplied  by  two  direct-current  motors  of  75  and  50  h. p. 
respectively.     The  finely-crushed  rock  is  elevated  from 
its  storage  bin  to  the  mixing  floor,  where  it  is  conveyed 
by  screw  conveyors  to  an  automatic  weighing  machine 
discharging  into  the  mixer.      As  the  crushed  rock  runs 
into  the  mixer,  it  also  receives  a  measured  quantity  of 
sulphuric  acid,    with  which  it   is  mechanically  mixed. 
The  mixers  are  totally  enclosed,  and  communicate  with 
an  exhaust  fan,   which  removes  any  corrosive  gases 
given  off  during  the  decomposition  of  the  rock     When 
mixed  (a  process  occupying  about  one  minute)  the  semi - 
liquid  mass  is  discharged   through  the  bottom  of  the 
mixer  into  reinforced  concrete  "  dens  "  below.     These 
dens  are  circular  in  section,  25  ft.  long,  and  have  a 
capacity  of  55  tons.      Here  chemical  reactions  between 
the  rock  and  acid  continue,  resulting  in  the  semi-liquid 
material  setting  to  a  fairly-solid  mass.     When  set  the 
end  and  bottom  doors  of  the  den  are  removed,  and  the 
superphosphate  cut  out  by  a  mechanical  excavator. 
As  the  material  is  cut  out  it  is  carried  by  belt  convey- 
ors and  elevated  to  the  "rasper,"  where  drying,  granu- 
lation, and  aeration  take  place.     A  definite  quantity  of 
clean  sand,  free  from  dust,  is  fed  on  to  the  conveyor 
belt  before  the  superphosphate  reaches  the  rasper,'  in 
order  to  maintain   the  standard   quality  or  grade,  and 
produces  an  effective  free-drilling  fertilizer.     From  the 
rasper  it  is  elevated  to  the  conveyor  belt  running  along 
the  top  of  the  storage  shed,  where  a  movable  tripper 
permits  it  to  be  discharged  into  any  desired  section. 
There  are  two  large  storage  sheds  with  a  combined 
storage  capacity  of  35.000  tons,  and  the  following  are 
the  dimensions  of  the  sheds  : 

No-  Length  Width     Height  from  floor 

to  ridgr  c.ip 

1     400  ft.  119  fl  4.S  It 

2    400  ft.  126  ft.         59  ft. 

It  is  m  these  storage  sheds  that  the  final  chemical  re- 
actions take  place,  and  from  which  the  fully-matured 
superphosphate  is  bagged  readv  for  market.  The  bag 
^ing  is  done  by  special  mills,  of  which  there  are  three 
in  each  shed.  The  superphosphate  from  the  pili 
broken  up  and  loaded  on  to  conveyors  or  barrows  by 
a  mechanical  loader.  The  material  is  then  taken  to 
the  bagging  mills,  where  it  is  screened,  the  screen 


116 


THE     MINING    MAGAZINE 


dropping  into  small  storage  hoppers.  Beneath  these 
hoppers  are  placed  the  weighing  machines.  These 
machines  deliver  a  set  weight  only  to  the  sack,  and  as 
soon  as  that  weight  is  attained  they  automatically  cut 
off  the  flow  of  material  to  the  sack.  The  superphos- 
phate is  put  up  in  standard  cornsacks,  12  bags  weigh- 
ing 6ne  ton.  From  the  bagging  mills  the  superphos- 
phate is  loaded  for  transport  into  Government  trucks 
placed  alongside  the  platforms  attached  to  each  shed. 


Besides  superphosphate  complete,  mixed  manures  are 
manufactured  and  marketed.  There  are  two  points  of 
special  interest  about  these  mixed  manures  :  first,  pot- 
ash is  used  in  varying  quantities  in  the  manures,  which 
is  now  being  obtained  from  burnt  seaweed  (kelp),  com- 
ing from  works  recently  established  in  Tasmania  ; 
the  second  point  of  interest  is  that  the  ammonjum  sul- 
phate is  obtained  as  a  by-product  from  the  power-gas 
plant. 


THE   HEIDELBERG  GOLDFIELDS. 


We  conclude  herewith  our  extracts  from  a  series  of 
articles  appearing  in  the  South  African  Mining  and 
Engineering  Journal  dealing  with  the  development 
of  the  Heidelberg  district  and  the  district  to  the  south 
of  that  town.  The  following  notes  relate  to  boring  now 
being  done  under  the  auspices  of  l>r  Hans  Saner  and 
Mr.  W.  E.  Bleloch  in  the  Heidelberg  district,  and  to 
the  work  done  round  Balfour  The  illustrating  map  is 
given  in  our  June  issue. 

In  the  Heidelberg  district,  three  large  diamond-drills 
and  a  small  drill  are  being  employed  to  test  the  Town 
Lands,  Boschhoek,  and  Eendracht  properties,  and  a 
large  amount  of  trenching  and  shaft-sinking  is  pro- 
ceeding. The  deepest  bore-hole  is  on  the  farm  Een- 
dracht No.  267.  This  hole  is  being  sunk  by  Dr  Hans 
Sauer  under  agreement  with  the  I  I  npany,    <  >n 

this  farm  the  strata  may  be  observed  in  some  clear  and 
well-defined  exposures,  notably  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
Homestead  and  close  to  the  present  diamond-drill  site. 
The  quartzitic  and  sandstone  beds  are  here  shown  in 
perfect  conformity  with  a  line  of  strike  which  is  ap- 
proximately N.E.  and  S.W.  and  a  dip  of  about  10  to 
the  N.W.  The  drill  is  a  Sullivan  P,  with  a  capacity 
to  work  to  a  depth  of  6,000  ft.  Work  on  the  hole  was 
commenced  in  April  of  last  year  and  was  at  first  diffi- 
cult and  slow.  Latterly,  however,  excellent  progress 
has  been  attained,  and  a  few  weeks  ago  a  reef  series  was 
encountered  at  a  depth  of  2,350  ft.  The  values  dis- 
closed were  very  poor  The  section  as  shown  bv  the 
cores  is  as  follows  :  2,350  ft.,  banket  series  ;  1  ft.  ban- 
ket;  19ft.,  7in.  quartzite;  2.370ft.  3  in ..  3  ft  banket  ; 
13  in.  quartzite  ;  12  in.  reef;  5  ft.  quartzite  ;  2,380  ft. 
4  in.,  conglomerate  4  ft.  4  in.  wide,  laying  on  12ft.  6  in. 
of  schist  and  slate.  At  the  time  of  writing  this  drill 
has  penetrated  to  a  depth  of  2,614ft.  and  at  that  depth 
wasstill  in  quartzite.  [In  our  July  issueannouncement 
was  made  of  the  suspension  of  all  drilling.--  EDI  rOR  ] 
Leaving  Heidelberg  to  the  north-west  and  travelling 
along  the  Vereeniging  Road,  one  crosses  the  farm 
Bosch f on tein  No.  271,  the  mineral  rights  of  which  (as 
to  3,000  acres)  are  held  by  the  Boschfontein  Gold  Mine, 
Ltd.  No  work  is  being  done  on  this  property  at  pres- 
ent, but  some  years  ago  a  certain  amount  of  develop- 
ment was  undertaken  at  a  shallow  depth.  There  is  a 
reef  exposed  in  acutting  alongsidethis  road.  This  reef, 
which  lies  on  slate,  shows  a  line  of  strike  approximately 
N.E.  and  S.W.  and  dip  to  the  N.W.  Adjoining  Bosch- 
fontein is  Boschhoek  No.  270,  the  property  of  the 
Boschhoek  Proprietary,  Ltd.,  which  has  a  capital  of 
/360.000.  A  bore-hole  is  being  sunk  here  by  agree- 
ment with  Dr.  Sauer.  The  drill  is  a  Sullivan  P.  ma- 
chine, and  at  the  time  of  writing  the  core  was  disclos- 
ing a  fine-grained  diabase  at  1,226  ft.  This  diabase  is 
now  showing  calcite  amygdules,  and  it  is  thought  that 
from  these  indications  the  diabase  will  soon  be  pene- 
trated. The  drill  encountered  a  bed  of  slate  from  600 
to  705  ft.  and  then  entered  the  diabase.  To  the  north 
of  this  hole  is  the  old  No.  1  Boschhoek  bore-hole  which 
was  stopped  in  dyke  at  960  ft.  This  hole,  it  is  con- 
tended, cut  the  Van  Ryu  Reef  at  about  122  ft.,  but  the 


core  was  ground  and  assays  were  poor.  This  reef  is 
correlated  with  the  exposure  in  the  cutting  alongside 
the  Vereeniging  Road  on  Boschhoek  already  referred  to. 

On  the  eastern  side  of  the  town  of  Heidelberg  the 
Eastern  Van  Kynand  Modderfontein  Gold  Reefs,  Ltd., 
isprospecting  1 ,151  claims,  while  a  further  1,000  claims 
on  the  dip  of  this  property  have  been  acquired  by  Dr. 
Hans  Sauer  and  may  eventually  be  consolidated  into 
one  property.  Prospecting  on  the  western  portion  has 
been  undertaken  in  a  number  of  shafts  and  cuttings. 
In  the  No.  1  or  A  working  a  12  in.  ore  body  lying  on 
quartzite  with  slate  underneath  with  a  dip  of  about  12 
was  being  opened  up,  and  the  reef  appeared  tobe  widen- 
ing at  the  time  of  the  Journal  s  representative's  visit 
In  the  B  workings  farther  to  the  east,  too,  the  reef  ap- 
pears to  be  making.  In  the  C  workings  the  dip  is 
steeper,  and  farther  east  again  the  reef  in  the  D  pros- 
pect is  larger  and  has  yielded  5dwt.  over  24  in.  In 
the  next,  known  as  the  eastern  workings,  the  reef  had 
been  sunk  on  to  a  depth  of  114  ft.,  and  was  yielding 
6dwt  over  4  in.  More  recently  the  values  disclosed 
in  the  prospecting  shafts  on  the  reef  identified  as  the 
Van  Ryn  have  greatly  improved,  An  old  bore-hole 
was  sunk  on  this  property  some  years  ago  which  en- 
countered a  reef  lying  on  shale  at  a  depth  of  1,943  ft. 
This  reef  assayed  1 1  dwt  over  3  in.  and  was  correlated 
with  the  Nigel.  Under  the  present  regime  a  bore  hole 
was  sunk  to  a  depth  of  265  ft.,  but  was  stopped  at  this 
depth,  as  it  was  considered  to  be  below  the  horizon  of 
the  Van  Ryn  series.  Another  hole  has  now  been  placed 
1 .200  ft.  to  the  south  of  this,  and  has  reached  a  depth 
of  121  ft.  It  is  estimated  that  in  this  hole  the  reef  will 
be  encountered  somewhere  around  1,500ft  Farther 
to  the  east  another  drill  of  Sullivan  H.  pattern  has  been 
sunk  to  219 

Adjoining  the  Town  Lands  are  the  properties  of 
Houtpoort,  Ltd  I'rospectingand  developing  work  are 
proceeding  on  Klippoortje  and  Tulipvale,  and  along 
the  railway  line  to  the  north  east  of  Heidelberg  a  well- 
developed  line  of  reef,  containing  a  number  of  black 
and  striped  pebbles  with  schistose  enclosures,  can  be 
followed  for  a  considerable  distance.  This  outcrop, 
which  runs  almost  parallel  with  the  railway,  is  on 
Klippoortje,  w  here  two  bore- holes  which  obtained  nega- 
tive results  were  put  down  some  years  ago.  In  the 
vicinity  of  the  No.  6  shaft  on  the  workings  of  Hout- 
poort, Ltd.,  the  reef  has  been  broken  by  an  east  and 
west  line  of  faulting,  but  it  has  been  located  again,  and 
in  some  portions  assays  of  10  dwt.  over  2  ft.  of  reef  are 
stated  to  have  been  obtained.  Other  workings  on  this 
section  are  styled  the  Nos.  2,  8,  and  9,  K.  1,  and  K  2 
prospects.  The  K.  1  workings  got  into  dyke,  and  no 
reef  is  to  be  observed  in  this  faulted  zone  so  far.  The 
K.  2  workings  have  followed  the  reef  down  to  37ft. 
and  at  this  depth  the  conglomerate  body  is  shown  to 
be  2  ft.  4j in.  and  King  on  schist.  This  reef  section 
has  been  divided  into  three  portions  and  has  given  the 
following  assays:  4  in.,  3  4  dwt.  ;  124in.,  11  dwt  , 
12  in.,  2'6dwt.  In  the  No.  9  workings  the  reef  has 
given  values  of  5  dwt.  over  4  ft.  at  a  depth  of  70  ft 


AUGUST,    1919 


117 


To  the  south-east  of  Klippoortje  liesTulipvale,  which 
is  also  a  portion  of  the  Houtpoort  property.  From 
the  house  just  inside  the  fence  and  gate  on  the  bound- 
ary of  Tulipvale,  a  view  is  to  be  obtained  to  a  corner 
of  the  Nigel  mine,  while  to  the  west  lies  Heidelberg. 
A  distance  of  twelve  miles  intervenes  between  Tulip- 
vale  and  the  extremity  of  Boschfontein,  and  the  greater 
portion  of  this  ground  is  held  by  the  Bleloch-Sauer  in- 
terests. On  the  northern  boundary  of  Tulipvale,  within 
1  JO  ft.  of  the  Blesbokspruit  and  lying  direct  on  slate  is 
a  reef  6ft.  6in.,  of  which  the  bottom  6in.  assayed 
lOdwt.,  and  the  other  part  4  dwt.  South  of  Tulipvale 
is  the  farm  Poortje. 

The  article  proceeds  to  give  an  account  of  the  prop 
erties  with  which  Mr.  Moffat  and  certain  influential 
capitalists  are  identified.  Reference  has  already  been 
made  to  the  late  Dr.  Corstorphine's  report  for  the 
Platkopies  Syndicate  on  the  farms  Nooitgedacht  (261), 
Elandsfontein  (281),  and  Platkopie  (63),  which  consti- 
tute what  may  conveniently  be  termed  the  Moffat  line 
of  country.  These  farms,  together  with  Koppiesfon- 
tein  No.  304,  lie  to  the  south-west  of  Heidelberg  and 
cover  an  extent  of  country  approximating  to  14  miles 
from  the  southern  boundary  of  Koppiesfontein  on  the 
south  to  the  northern  part  of  Nooitgedacht  on  the 
north.  Leaving  Heidelberg  to  the  north-east  a  drive 
of  about  four  miles  takes  one  on  to  Nooitgedacht,  just 
outside  the  northern  boundary  of  which  a  typical  de- 
velopment of  amygdaloidal  diabase  is  to  be  observed. 
The  gieater  part  of  Nooitgedacht  is  overlain  by  quart- 
zites  and  conglomerates  of  the  Upper  Witwatersrand 
formation,  but  on  the  eastern  portion  of  this  farm  the 
slates,  quartzites,  and  banket  beds  of  the  Lower  Wit- 
watersrand formation  are  clearly  exposed.  There  are 
certain  old  workings  on  this  farm — workings  of  the 
nineties — and  it  is  reported  that  in  one  of  these  pros- 
pects a  conglomerate  body  which  has  been  correlated 
with  the  Bird  Reef  was  opened  up  and  gave  values  of 
7 dwt.  per  ton.  To  the  east  of  Nooitgedacht  lies  the 
farm  De  Hoek  No.  68.  On  the  extreme  south-western 
point  of  this  farm  a  reef  has  been  exposed  by  trench- 
ing. Judging  from  its  geological  horizon  this  reef  is 
the  same  as  that  exposed  on  Nooitgedacht  to  the  north 
and  on  Elandsfontein  and  Platkopie  to  the  south.  On 
the  corner  of  De  Hoek  the  reef  is  15  in.  wide  and  dips 
at  a  low  angle  into  Nooitgedacht.  It  is  proposed  to 
sink  a  shaft  here  at  no  great  distance  from  the  De 
Hoek  fence,  with  a  view  to  intersecting  the  reef  at  a 
shallow  depth. 

To  the  south  of  Nooitgedacht  lies  the  farm  Elands- 
fontein 281.  The  valley  of  the  Sugar  Bush  River  cuts 
through  this  property,  which  over  its  greater  part  is 
overlain  by  the  sandstones  and  coal  measures  of  the 
Karroo  system.  On  the  south-western  and  north-east- 
ern portions  of  the  farm  the  Lower  and  Upper  Wit- 
watersrand beds  are  not  overlain  by  Karroo  measures 
and  may  be  clearly  observed.  At  about  the  middle  of 
Elandsfontein,  the  Consolidated  Gold  Fields  of  South 
Africa  opened  up  a  reef  lying  on  slate  about  25  years 
ago.  This  conglomerate  body  has  been  correlated  with 
the  Nigel  Reef,  that  is  the  Main  Reef  Leader  according 
to  orthodox  geologists.  South  of  Elandsfontein  is 
Platkopie  No.  63.  The  southern  and  eastern  portions 
of  Platkopie  are  overlain  by  the  amygdaloidal  diabase 
of  the  Ventersdorp  system,  but  on  the  western  side  the 
Witwatersrand  beds  are  exposed  dipping  at  an  angle  of 
about  25°  to  the  west.  A  good  deal  of  intelligent  pros- 
pecting work  has  been  carried  out  here  on  a  reef  lying 
on  shale  which  is  to  be  observed  on  the  boundary  of 
Platkopie  and  Elandsfontein  and  which  has  been  ex- 
posed in  a  trench  cutting  for  half  a  mile.  This  reef 
has  a  shale  foot-wall  and  quartzite  hanging,  and  dips 


at  varying  angles  of  from  15  to  30c  to  the  west.  On 
the  Elandsfontein  boundary  it  is  at  its  flattest,  but  as 
one  proceeds  southward  the  angle  of  dip  increases  un- 
til a  point  is  reached  at  about  the  middle  of  the  farm, 
where  there  appears  to  be  considerable  faulting,  and 
the  whole  formation  swings  around  to  the  east.  In  so 
far  as  the  exposures  in  the  trench  are  concerned,  this 
ore-body  exhibits  an  erratic  tendency  in  regard  to  width . 
In  places  the  pebble  bed  is  15  to  18  in.  thick,  while  in 
other  sections  the  conglomerates  thin  down  to  a  mere 
pebble  contact.  The  values  obtained  in  this  trench 
have  ranged  from  6  to  8  and  14  dwt.  per  ton.  At  the 
southern  extremity  of  the  trench  the  reef  and  its  ac- 
companying beds  manifest  signs  of  faulting.  The 
whole  formation  appears  to  have  been  swung  around 
to  the  south  east  and  the  line  of  faulting  would  seem 
to  be  roughly  denoted  by  the  line  of  the  spruit  to  be 
observed  on  this  portion  of  the  farm.  Half-a-mile  to 
the  south  east  a  reef  which  is  in  every  degree  compar- 
able with  the  conglomerate  body  referred  to  in  the 
foregoing,  has  been  exposed  in  a  shaft.  This  reef  lies 
on  what  has  been  termed  a  mud  shale.  The  shale  ex- 
hibits silicious  amygdules  and  is  regarded  as  possessing 
marked  characteristics  which  enable  one  readily  to  dis- 
tinguish it  from  the  shale  development  underlying  the 
so  called  Kimberley  series  of  the  Upper  Witwatersrand 
system.  A  shaft  sunk  on  the  banket  at  this  point  has 
exposed  the  reef  as  a  well-developed  body  of  conglomer- 
ate. But  its  erratic  character,  which  seems  in  many 
ways  to  be  comparable  with  the  outstanding  features 
of  the  Nigel  Reef  as  worked  in  the  Nigel  mine,  appears 
to  be  maintained,  since  on  one  side  of  this  shaft  an  as- 
say of  36  dwt.  per  ton  over  2  ft.  was  obtained,  while  on 
the  other  side  values  were  negligible.  To  the  south- 
west of  this  shaft  are  the  sites  of  the  bore-holes  put 
down  by  the  Platkopie  Syndicate.  These  holes  were 
apparently  in  igneous  rock  and  obtained  no  results  of 
any  value. 

Still  further  to  the  south  is  situated  Koppiesfontein 
No.  304,  the  northern  portion  of  which  is  covered  by 
the  Ventersdorp  amygdaloid.  As  the  crow  flies  it  is 
about  12  miles  from  the  southern  boundary  of  Koppies- 
fontein to  the  nearest  point  on  the  Vaal  River. 

A  characteristic  and  consistent  geological  feature  over 
the  greater  part  of  this  line  of  country  is  the  persistent 
development  of  a  conglomeratebody  lying  on  sandstone 
with  a  quartzite  hanging  wall  which  is  separated  from 
amygdaloid  diabase  (the  so-called  Bird  amygdaloid)  by 
a  belt  of  shale.  This  particular  reef  development  is 
correlated  with  the  Bird  Reef  series  of  the  Central 
Rand.  At  numerous  points  it  contains  an  apparently 
characteristic  chalk  pebble  and  it  dips  at  a  flat  angle 
to  the  west.  A  distance  of  about  1,200  ft.  separates  it 
from  the  line  of  reef  opened  up  by  Mr.  Moffat.  This 
overlying  conglomerate  body  has  been  exposed  in 
several  small  shafts  and  cuttings  on  Platkopie.  The 
reef  is  frequently  split  into  a  series  of  stringers,  and  at 
some  points  assays  of  6dwt.  per  ton  have  been  obtained, 
but  values  appear  to  be  generally  erratic.  Another 
prominent  feature  of  this  line  is  the  very  marked  de- 
velopment of  a  broad  shale  bed  lying  about  two  miles 
above  the  horizon  of  the  reef  worked  by  Mr  Mof'lat. 
These  shales  are  particularly  noticeable  at  around  the 
Elandsfontein-  Platkopie -Scbikf on tein  boundary  bea- 
con, where  the  Sugar  Bush  River,  after  flowing  through 
the  eastern  portion  of  Mount  Arabel,  cuts  through  a 
very  large  belt  of  these  shales. 

The  Moffat  properties  are  now  under  the  control  of 
a  company  known  as  the  Southern  Rand  Mines  Synd 
cate,  and  the  intention  is  to  proceed  with  the  initial 
prospecting  of  the  farms  and  the  proving  of  the  line  o( 
reef  thereon  exposed.     The  properties  have  already  re- 


118 


THE     MINING     MAGAZINE 


ceived  the  commendation  of  the  late  Dr.  Corstorphine, 
and  with  a  view  to  obtaining  further  conflrmation  of 
Dr.  Corstorphine's  optimistic  views  and  also  obtaining 
expert  advice  on  the  best  means  of  exploiting  the  auri- 
ferous conglomerates,  it  has  just  been  decided  to  have 
the  properties  reported  on  by  two  well-known  local 
mining  engineers  whose  names  stand  high  in  the  pro- 
fession. The  reports  of  these  gentlemen  will  be  await- 
ed with  very  considerable  interest.  In  the  meantime 
the  Journal  expresses  the  opinion  that  the  line  of  reef 
taken  up  by  the  Southern  Rand  Mines  offers  very 
promising  opportunities  for  the  demonstration  of  a 
payable  extension  of  the  Witwatersrand  conglomerates 
from  Heidelber^onwards.  The  sponsors  of  the  syndi- 
cate are  not  concerned  with  the  dual  reef  theory.  They 
contend  that  they  have  in  their  properties  the  extension 
of  the  reef  worked  in  the  Nigel  and  Sub  Nigel  mines, 
that  is  to  say,  they  claim  to  possess  the  Main  Reef  Leader 
of  the  orthodox  school  of  stratigraphists  This  claim 
has  been  supported  by  Dr.  Corstorphine.  The  syndi- 
cate is  not  engaged  in  the  prospecting  of  a  line  of  grit 
or  grit  contact  as  has  been  alleged  by  a  member  of  the 
heterodox  faith.  The  reef  exposed  on  the  properties 
referred  to  in  the  foregoing  is  a  true  conglomerate.  It 
would  appear  to  be  a  comparatively  thin  ore  body  and 
to  have  certain  erratic  characteristics  both  as  regards 
width  and  gold  content.  But  it  is  as  much  a  con- 
glomerate as  the  Main  Reef  Leader  or  South  Reef  of 
the  Central  Rand.  Moreover,  it  is  an  auriferous  con- 
glomerate ;  it  contains  gold  and  at  numerous  points 
along  the  line  of  prospecting  it  contains  gold  in  payable 
quantities. 

The  town  of  Balfour  (previously  termed  McHatties- 
burg  and  Vlakfontein)  lies  about  17  miles  as  the  crow 
flies  to  the  south-east  of  Heidelberg  The  township  is 
on  the  main  Natal  railway  line  and  is  the  centre  of  a 
prosperous  agricultural  community.  A  small  branch 
line  forks  off  from  Balfour  to  the  (".roots  lei  Collieries, 
and  it  is  reported  that  the  Railway  Administration  has 
the  construction  of  another  line  to  the  Free  State  in 
view.  This  branch  line  would  traverse  one  of  the  most 
fertile  areas  of  the  Transvaal,  and  the  future  of  Bal- 
four as  a  centre  of  agricultural  industry  is  assured  But 
there  are  also  most  unmistakable  evidences  of  mineral 
wealth  in  this  region,  and  it  will  not  be  surprising  if 
Balfour  becomes  the  centre  of  a  flourishing  outpost  of 
the  gold-mining  industry  within  the  next  few  years. 
This  area,  in  common  with  most  of  the  other  sections 
of  the  Greater  Heidelberg  goldGelds,  has  been  exten- 
sively prospected  in  the  past,  but  it  does  not  appear 
that  the  main  geological  features  of  this  field  were  ap- 
preciated until  recently.  The  Witwatersrand  beds 
occur  in  the  Balfour  area  in  the  form  of  an  outlying 
basin,  of  which  the  southern  rim  is  now  being  pros 
pected  along  the  line  of  the  farms  Malanskraal  No.  73, 
Driefontein  No.  280,  Tweefontein  No.  98,  Rietfontein 
No.  244,  Wilgepoort  No.  244,  and  Daspoort  No.  120 
A  complete  section  of  the  Lower  and  Upper  Wit 
watersrand  beds  in  their  proper  and  ordered  sequence 
forms  an  outstanding  and  favourable  feature  of  this 
area.  The  section  from  the  basal  granite  up  to  the  Els- 
burg  beds,  which  can  beclearly  observed  in  this  locality, 
is  in  every  degree  comparable  with  a  section  through 
the  heart  of  the  rich  Far  East  Rand  area,  across  the 
stratigraphical  line  on  which  the  great  Modderfontein 
mines  are  working.  The  completeness  and  sequence 
of  the  various  formations  which  make  up  this  section 
have  impressed  a  number  of  leading  geologists  and 
engineers  most  favourably.  The  onlv  striking  differ- 
ence to  be  noted  between  a  section  across  the  Malans- 
kraal-Wilgepoort  line  and  a  section  across  the  Far  East 
Rand  is  a  difference  in  the  thickness  of  the  beds.     This 


difference  would  account  for  mistakes  which  have  been 
made  in  the  past  in  prospecting  this  section  of  the 
country. 

The  most  prominent  reefs  outcropping  on  Wilgepoort 
are  the  Kimberley  reef  group,  which  reefs  attain  in 
places  great  widths,  from  20  to  30  ft. ,  and  generally  pan 
gold.  There  are  eight  banket  beds  in  this  series  within 
200  ft.,  and  two  more  some  500  ft.  on  the  dip.  Where 
the  Kimberley  shales  outcrop,  their  banded  structure 
attracts  the  eye.  It  was  on  the  Kimberley  group  that 
most  work  was  done  in  this  area  in  the  past,  it  being 
taken  for  Main  Reef  series  from  the  early  days  of  the 
goldfleldsby prospectorsand miningengineers.  Numer- 
ous shafts  have  been  sunk  on  the  different  reefs,  and  a 
number  of  bore  holes  have  cut  the  reefs  in  depth,  show 
ing  most  encouraging  values.  On  Wilgepoort  a  bore- 
hole under  the  direction  of  the  late  Dr.  Carrick  and 
Mr.  J  G  I  lutlmann  cut  two  reefs,  one  at  90S  ft.,  15  in 
wide,  assaying  114  dwt,  and  one  at  953  ft.,  30k  in  wide, 
assaying  6f  dwt.  On  Daspoort  a  bore-hole  put  down 
under  the  direction  of  J  II.  Davies  also  cut  two  reefs, 
one  at  2,024  ft  ,  174  in  wide,  assaying  15  4  dwt.,  and 
one  at  2,464  ft.,  30in.  wide,  assaying  783  dwt.  Tins 
latter  bore  hole  was  carried  down  to  2,715  ft.,  where 
it  cut  a  shale  bed.  On  the  lower  beds  a  lot  of  shafts 
and  bore-holes  have  tested  the  shale-sandstonecontacts 
looking  for  the  Nigel  Reef,  and  a  small  pebble  banket 
reef  from  12  to  30  in.  wide  is  very  persistent  along  this 
line.  The  attenuation  of  the  strata  and  the  prominent 
development  of  the  so-called  Kimberley  series  appear, 
however,  to  have  misled  the  earlier  searchers  after  a 
payable  extension  of  the  Far  East  Rand  goldfields  in 
this  outlying  area,  The  late  Laurie  Hamilton  directed 
a  considerable  amount  of  work  on  two  big  pebble  reefs 
which  are  now  ascribed  to  Kimberley  horizon,  and  in 
places  he  appears  to  have  encountered  good  values, 
assays  as  high  as  35  dwt.  over  6  in.  having  been  ob 
tained  along  this  line. 

Proceeding  from  west  to  east,  the  line  of  strike  of 
the  formation  appears  to  be  east  and  west  through 
Malanskraal,  Driefontein,  and  Tweefontein,  the  dip 
being  to  the  north.  Across  Wilgepoort  the  formation 
runs  with  a  N.W.-S  E  line  of  strike  and  a  dip  to  the 
north  east  in  undisturbed  country,  and  thereafter  this 
line  is  maintained  on  Daspoort,  although  on  this  latter 
farm  there  are  evidences  of  faulting  and  a  substantial 
displacement  of  strata.  To  the  east  and  south  of  Das- 
poort the  formation  is  overlain  by  Karroo  measures 
which  are  being  worked  on  Grootvlei  by  the  South 
Rand  Exploration  Company's  colliery.  Leaving  Bal- 
four, a  short  drive  to  the  south  takes  one  to  the  line  of 
banded  ferruginous  slates  (often  contorted  and  mag- 
netic) which  so  remarkedly  resemble  the  Hospital  Hill 
slates  of  the  Central  Rand,  a  characteristic  formation, 
the  value  of  which  as  a  marker  geologists  are  all 
agreed  on.  Traversing  the  formation  from  this  hori- 
zon one  cannot  fail  to  be  impressed  with  the  ordered 
sequence  of  the  various  beds  and  their  unmistakable 
similarity  to  a  typical  section  across  the  Far  East  Rand 
At  several  points  along  this  line  trenches  and  cuttings 
have  exposed  reef  formation  and  in  some  places  shafts 
and  diamond  drill  holes  have  penetrated  to  a  substan- 
tial depth. 

But  it  is  not  until  one  has  crossed  the  big  vlei  on  the 
southern  portion  of  Wilgepoort  that  important  work  is 
to  be  observed.  From  the  vlei  the  ground  rises  fairly 
steeply  up  to  the  line  of  kopjes,  below  which  the  pros- 
pecting camp  of  the  Far  East  Rand  South  Compan\  is 
located.  This  company,  which  has  a  nominal  capital 
of  £75,000  in  ten  shillings  shares,  is  styled  the  Far  East 
Rand  (South)  Gold  Mines  Selections.  Ltd.  (to  give  it 
its  full  title),  owns  500  claims  on  Wilgepoort  No.  244, 


AUGUST,    1919 


119 


and  has  been  quietly  prospecting  this  property  for  some 
months  past  under  the  management  of  J.  A.  Thorburn. 
The  claims  held  run  for  about  two  miles  along  the  out- 
crop, and  the  depth  of  the  area  is  from  six  to  ten  claims 
on  the  dip.  A  great  deal  of  intelligent  work  has  been 
done  here  along  a  line  of  reefs  lying  immediately  to  the 
south  of  the  prospecting  camp.  After  all  the  failures 
of  the  earlier  days  it  remained  for  the  late  Dr.  Carrick 
and  J.  G.  Hoffmann  and  the  late  Laurie  Hamilton  to 
divert  prospecting  work  on  to  the  line  at  present  un- 
der exploitation.  Their  efforts  resulted  in  the  opening 
up  of  two  banket  reefs  which  \yere  reported  as  being 
"  40  ft.  and  120  ft.  away  from  the  shale  contact." 

The  reefs,  A  and  B,  which  are  now  being  developed 
are  correlative  to  the  reefs  of  the  great  mines  of  the 
Far  East  Hand.  This  view  is  held  by  a  number  of 
prominent  geologists  and  mining  engineers,  so  that 
the  Far  East  Rand  (South)  Company  has  plenty  of 
stratigraphical  justification  for  prosecuting  work  on  its 
property.  The  series  containing  the  A  and  B  Reefs 
exhibit  a  dip  of  about  30°  to  the  north-east  and  the 
whole  reef  section  shows  a  thickness  of  4  ft.  6  in.  with 
a  bastard  foot  wall.  In  this  respect  the  section  ex- 
hibits a  striking  stratigraphical  similarity  to  a  section 


of  the  May  Consolidated  mine.  The  reefs  have  been 
opened  up  for  a  distance  of  5,000  ft.,  while  one  shaft 
had,  at  the  time  of  the  Journal's  visit,  been  sunk  to  a 
depth  of  100  ft.  and  another  shaft  on  the  South  Reef 
to  a  depth  of  70  ft.  In  each  of  these  shafts  the  reef  is 
showing  as  a  strong  and  well  defined  ore-body,  and  it 
would  be  well  if  the  company  was  in  possession  of 
sufficient  working  capital  to  demonstrate  the  exist- 
ence or  non-existence  on  Wilgepoort  of  large  pay 
shoots  similar  to  those  worked  on  the  Far  East  Rand. 
More  important  from  the  commercial  point  of  view 
than  the  geological  aspect  is  the  question  of  the  gold 
contents.  In  this  respect  the  company  is  favourably 
circumstanced.  The  latest  development  gives  assays 
as  follows  :  No.  I  shaft  at  150  ft.  :  Sample  No.  1  over 
25  in.,  122  dwt.  ;  sample  No.  2  over  14  in.,  12-3  dwt.  ; 
sample  No.  3  over  14 in.,  9'3  dwt.  ;  sample  No.  4  over 
25in.,6  6dwt.  Drive(west):  Sample  No.  5over  12 in 
214  dwt.  Good  results  have  also  been  obtained  on  the 
ground  of  the  Wilgepoort  Syndicate  adjoining  the  Far 
East  Rand  (South)  property  and  also  on  Malanskraal. 
where  a  large  ore-body  which  is  correlated  with  the 
A  Reef  worked  on  the  Wilgepoort  Farm  has  been 
opened  up. 


Geology  of  Southern  Nigeria  — At  the  meeting  of 
the  Geological  Society  held  on  June  25,  A.  E.  Kitson, 
director  of  the  Geological  Survey  of  the  Gold  Coast, 
gave  a  lecture  on  the  geology  of  Southern  Nigeria,  with 
special  reference  to  the  Tertiary  deposits.  The  oldest 
rocks  in  Southern  Nigeria  comprise  a  series  of  quart- 
zites,  schists  of  various  kinds,  blue  and  white  marble, 
grey  limestones,  altered  tuffs  and  lavas,  amphibolites. 
and  gneisses.  Their  strike  varies  from  west-north-west 
and  east-south-east  to  north-east  and  south-west. 
They  occur  in  the  northwestern  portion  of  the  country 
(Yorubaland),  north  of  lat.  7°  N.,  and  in  Oban- Hills 
region  in  the  east.  They  may  be  classed  provisionals 
as  Pre-Cambrian.  Intruded  into  these  are  large  masses 
of  granites  of  various  kinds,  syenite  and  diorite,  with 
pegmatite  dykes  and  aplite  dykes.  In  some  parts  these 
rocks  have  shared  in  the  dynamic  alteration  to  which 
the  oldest  series  has  been  subjected  ;  but  usually  they 
are  practically  unchanged.  There  is  no  definite  evi- 
dence to  show  to  what  period  they  belong,  but  they 
are  certainly  Pre- Cretaceous,  probably  Middle  and 
Early  Palaeozoic.  So  far  as  observed,  there  is  a  great 
hiatus  between  the  Pre-Cambrian  and  the  next  known 
sediments,  the  Upper  Cretaceous.  Normally,  these  are 
slightly  inclined  rocks.  They  include  :(1)  marine  fossil- 
iferous  shales,  mudstones,  limestones,  and  sandstones 
in  the  great  valley  between  the  Oban  Hills  and  the  Udi 
plateau,  the  fossils  being  principally  ammonites  and 
mollusca ;  (2)  estuarine  fossiliferous  carbonaceous 
shales,  mudstones,  and  sandstones  along  the  eastern 
foot  of  the  Udi  escarpment ;  (3)  lacustrine  sandstones, 
shales,  and  black  coal-seams,  with  numerous  plant- 
remains;  and  (4)  fluvio-lacustrine  sands,  shales,  and 
pebble-bands  in  the  lower  and  upper  parts  of  the  Udi 
plateau  Flanking  this  plateau  on  the  south  and  south- 
east, and  extending  thence  over  the  southern  part  of 
the  great  valley  to  the  Cross  River,  is  a  series  of 
Eocene  estuarine  shales,  clays,  and  marls,  with  sep- 
tarian  nodules  and  pieces  of  coal  and  resin,  and  a  rich 
fauna  consisting  principally  of  mollusca,  but  including 
fragmentary  remains  of  whales,  birds,  fishes,  and  tur- 
tles. A  thick  series  of  sandstones,  mudstones,  shales, 
and  seams  of  brown  coal  forms  a  large  portion  of  the 
basin  of  the  Niger,  west  of  the  Udi  plateau.  These 
rocks  appear  to  be  of  lacustrine  origin,  and  are  prob- 
ably Eocene.  They  contain  numerous  remains  of  un- 
determined  plants,   largely   of  dicotyledonous  types 


Their  relation  to  the  Cretaceous  and  to  the  Eocene 
estuarine  series  is  uncertain.  In  the  Ijebu  Jebu  dis- 
trict are  bituminiferous  sands  and  clays  with  Pliocene 
estuarine  shells.  Extending  over  practically  the  whole 
of  the  country  south  of  lat.  7°  10'  N.,  and  west  of  the 
great  valley  of  the  marine  Cretaceous  is  a  varying 
thickness  of  (usually  unstratified)  clayey  sands,  prob- 
ably late  Pliocene,  the  Benin  Sands  Series  of  J.  Parkin- 
son. Along  the  coast-line  and  extending  for  consider- 
able distances  up  the  Niger  and  Cross  Rivers  are 
fluviatile,  deltaic,  littoral,  and  swamp  gravels,  sands, 
and  muds  of  Pleistocene  and  recent  age.  In  the  Cross 
River  basin,  intruded  into  the  marine  Cretaceous,  are 
volcanic  necks  of  decomposed  agglomerate,  and  sills  (?) 
and  dykes  of  olivine-dolerite.  These  are  probably  Pre- 
Eocene.  Faulting  and  local  folding  are  visible  in  vari- 
ous portions  of  this  district.  Numerous  silver-lead- 
zinc-iron  lodes  occur  along  these  fault-lines,  with  brine- 
springs  in  several  localities.  The  Yorubaland  crystal- 
line rocks  contain  magnetite  in  considerable  quantities, 
while  these  and  the  crystalline  rocks  of  the  Oban  Hills 
show  smaller  quantities  of  cassiterite,  gold,  monazite, 
and  columbite 

In  reply  to  questions,  Mr.  Kitson  said  that  private 
boring  reports  stated  that  gas,  oil,  and  bitumen,  also 
shell  and  lignite,  had  been  obtained  in  bores  along 
the  Awni  River,  at  depths  of  from  630  to  750  ft.  He 
himself  had  seen  some  of  this  heavy  oil  and  fossilifer- 
ous clayey  sand,  etc.,  and  had  noted  that  the  latter 
contained  many  foraminifera  and  fragments  of  mol- 
lusca. From  the  general  character  of  the  fossils  he  re- 
garded them  tentatively  as  Older  Tertiary.  The  Orbi- 
toidal  limestone  to  which  reference  had  been  made 
had  been  determined  by  R.  B.  Newton  as  Eocene. 
In  the  Awni  district  these  Tertiary  deposits  rest  directly 
on  crystalline  rocks.  Farther  east  Upper  Cretaceous 
beds  apparently  supervene  between  them  and  the  crys- 
talline series,  for  from  the  material  which  Mr.  Parkin- 
son had  obtained  from  one  bore  (locality  not  given) 
Mr.  Newton  had  identified  an  Upper  Cretaceous 
Pelecypod.  This  linksthecontaining  deposit  with  those 
of  the  Cross-River  region  in  the  east  of  the  Colony. 
No  Miocene  or  Oligocene  deposits  have  been  observed 
in  the  Ijebu  district.  There  is  no  definite  evidence  re- 
garding the  age  of  the  Brown  Coal  Series.  Litho 
logically  the  beds  are  less  compact  than  those  of  the 
lascustrine  and  estuarine  Upper  Cretaceous,  and  so 


120 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


far  as  seen  the  plants  are  predominantly  of  dicotyle- 
donous types,  whereas  those  of  the  Upper  Cretaceous 
show  few  of  these  types.  No  correlation  by  the  aid 
of  the  contained  heavy  minerals  of  the  coarser  beds 
has  been  made  of  the  Tertiary  deposits,  for  all  the  con- 
centrates from  such  beds  contain  all  or  most  of  the 
characteristic  minerals  of  crystalline  rocks  :  such  as 
zircon,  magnetite,  ilmenite,  rutile,  tourmaline,  stauro- 
lite,  felspar,  monazite,  and  kyanite. 

Low-Grade  Nickel  Ores. — The  Journal  of  Indus- 
trial and  Engineering  Chemistry  for  July  contains  a 
paper  by  C.  W.  Davis  describing  experiments  on  the 
treatment  of  low-grade  nickel  ore  from  Webster,  North 
Carolina,  and  Chichagof  Island,  Alaska.  The  North 
Carolina  ore  is  a  silicate  associated  with  much  iron, 
and  averaging  1  %  nickel.  The  Alaska  ore  is  a  mixture 
of  pyrite,  chalcopyrite,  and  pentlandite,  running  3  7 
nickel  and  4%  copper. 

No  satisfactory  concentration  of  the  ores  was  ob- 
tained by  sizing  tests,  panning,  tabling, magnetic  con- 
centration, or  flotation.  Magnetic  treatment  of  the 
reduced  North  Carolina  ore  brought  the  concentra- 
tion of  nickel  from  0'97%  to3"6%,  the  recovery  being 
45%.  An  excess  of  concentrated  nitric  acid  or  aqua 
regia  extracted  the  nickel  from  the  finely  ground  ores 
by  hot  digestion.  Other  solvents  in  large  excess  dis- 
solved only  part  of  the  nickel.  Hot,  dilute  sulphuric 
acid  (2%)  in  excess  extracted  the  nickel  from  the  ores 
which  had  been  reduced  with  water  gas  at  1,000' C. 
A  large  excess,  however,  was  required  to  react  with 
the  iron  present  before  much  of  the  nickel  was  attacked. 
The  nickel  in  the  reduced  ores  was  largely  extracted 
with  an  excessive  amount  of  ferric  sulphate  solution. 
No  state  of  oxidation  was  found  at  which  the  nickel  was 
soluble  in  dilute  acid  without  having  the  iron  soluble 
also.  The  best  extracton  of  nickel  as  the  chloride 
from  the  North  Carolina  ore  was,  with  water,  10%, 
and  with  1%  acid,  37%.  The  acid  requirement  is 
nearly  the  same  as  that  for  the  extraction  of  nickel 
from  untreated  ore.  By  mixing  the  North  Carolina 
ore  with  an  excess  of  salt  and  sulphur,  and  heating  for 
some  time  at  1,000°C.,  it  was  found  possible  to  vol- 
atilize 50%  of  the  nickel  as  the  chloride.  A  sulphide 
roast  of  the  North  Carolina  ore  followed  by  a  treat- 
ment with  dilute  sulphuric  acid  gave  an  extraction  of 
about  70%  ;  the  consumption.  howe\er,  was  prohibi- 
tive. By  fusing  the  reduced  North  Carolina  ore  with 
an  equal  weight  of  nitre  cake,  90",'>  of  the  nickel  was 
rendered  water-soluble;  with  one-half  as  much  nitre 
cake  as  ore,  only  60%  was  water-soluble.  The  quantity 
of  nitre  cake  required  for  the  extraction  of  the  nickel 
from  roasted  and  reduced  Alaska  ore  varied  with  the 
nickel  content ;  the  ratio  of  the  ore  to  sodium  bisulphate 
was,  for  a  2'3%  ore,  1  to  1 ;  for  a  3  to  4",,  ore,  1  to  3 ; 
and  for  an  8  to  11%  ore,  1  to  3.  The  best  tempera- 
ture for  the  nitre  cake  roast  was  500  C.  Thirty  minutes 
was  sufficient  for  the  fusion  of  small  quantities  of  re- 
duced ore  with  nitre  cake.  By  treating  the  Alaska 
nickel  ore  with  an  equal  weight  of  nitric  acid  (70%), 
and  heating  for  2  hours  at  250°C.  95%  of  the  nickel 
was  made  water-soluble,  while  all  but  1"2%  of  the 
nitric  acid  was  driven  off.  Most  of  this  acid  could  be 
recovered  by  absorption. 

Results  obtained  from  the  work  on  the  low-grade 
nickel  ore  from  North  Carolina  indicate  that  it  cannot 
be  profitably  treated  with  the  chemical  market  as  it  is 
at  present ;  but  that  a  silicate  ore  even  of  as  low  grade 
as  the  ore  examined  might  be  economically  worked,  if 
of  low  iron  content,  by  reduction  and  subsequent  leach- 
ing with  dilute  sulphuric  acid.  With  a  favourable  price 
forquantitiesof  nitre  cake,  the  sulphide  ore  from  Alaska 
might  be  treated  for  the  removal  of  nickel  by  roasting 


the  tails  from  the  copper  flotation  separation  free  from 
sulphur,  reducing  with  charcoal,  roasting  with  nitre 
cake,  and  extracting  with  water,  the  nickel  to  be  re- 
covered electrolytically  or  by  precipitation  with  lime 
after  the  removal  of  iron  by  means  of  calcium  carbon- 
ate. The  complexity  of  this  treatment  would  be  an  im- 
portant factor  in  determining  whether  the  process 
could  be  used.  The  Alaska  ore  might  be  treated  with 
nitric  acid,  heated  to  remove  most  of  the  oxides  of 
nitrogen,  and  the  nickel  extracted  with  water,  the  nitric 
acid  being  recovered  by  water  absorption.  The  quan- 
tity of  nitre  acid  recovered  on  large  runs  would  largely 
determine  the  availability  of  this  treatment. 

Queensland  Wolfram. — The  Queensland  Govern- 
ment Mining  Journal  for  Maycontainsabrief  account. 
written  by  the  manager,  F.  C.  Cann,  of  the  mines  and 
mill  at  Wolfram  Camp  and  Mount  Carbine  developed 
by  the  Thermo  Electric  Reduction  Corporation,  and 
now  belonging  to  the  Burma  <  >ueensland  Corporation. 
A  general  outline  of  the  dressing  plant  at  Wolfram 
Camp  is  as  follows  :  The  ore  gravitates  to  a  grizzley 
with  1  5  in.  openings,  the  oversize  falling  into  No.  1 
jaw-breaker,  set  to  break  at  3  in.  guage.  The  ore  from 
this  breaker  falls  on  a  second  grizzley,  the  under- 
size  joining  the  undersize  from  the  first  grizzley,  and 
the  oversize  falling  into  No.  _'  jaw-breaker,  set  to  break 
at  15  in.  gauge.  The  product  from  No.  2  jaw-breaker 
joins  with  the  former  products,  gravitates  to  a  storage 
bin,  and  is  then  conveyed  to  the  mill  bin.  From  the 
mill  bin  the  ore  is  fed  to  stamps.  The  stamp  screens 
are  of  steel  wire,  \\  in.  aperture.  The  pulp  from  the 
stamps  is  automatically  sampled  as  it  passes  to  hy- 
draulic classifiers.  Thespigotdischargefrom  theclassi- 
fiers  go  to  jigs,  and  the  overflow  to  settlers.  The 
jigs  have  three  hutches.  The  products  from  Nos.  1, 
2,  and  I  hutches  are  fed  separately  on  Wilfley  tables, 
and  the  jig  tails  on  to  Buss  tables.  The  middlings 
from  the  tables  go  to  grinding  pans,  and  the  tailings 
from  the  tables  to  dewaterers.  The  spigot  of  'hese 
dewaterers  passes  to  the  flotation  plant,  and  the  prod- 
uct from  the  grinding  pans  goes  to  a  second  group  of 
classifiers.  The  spigots  of  these  classifiers  are  fed  on 
high-speed  reciprocating  tables.  Middlings  from  these 
tables  are  elevated  to  grinding  pans,  the  tails  joining 
the  tails  from  the  Wilfley  and  Buss  tables,  and  passing 
to  flotation  plant.  The  spigot  of  No.  1  group  of  sett- 
lers joins  the  overflow  from  No.  2  group  of  classifiers, 
and  passes  to  classifiers  of  No.  3  group.  The  spigot 
of  these  classifiers  feeds  Isbell  vanners,  and  the  tails 
from  the  vanners  go  to  flotation  plant.  The  overflow 
from  the  No.  1  groupof  settlers  joinstheoverflow  from 
No.  3  group  of  classifiers,  and  passes  to  large  settlers, 
the  spigot  of  these  settlers  feeding  slime  frames.  The 
tailings  from  the  slime  tables  join  the  tailings  from  the 
vanners,  and  are  treated  in  a  flotation  plant  separate 
from  the  flotation  plant  treating  the  tails  from  the 
tables.  The  water-concentration  plant  produces  wol- 
fram and  bismuth  concentrate  and  the  flotation  plant 
molybdenite  concentrate.  Thewholeof  themachinery 
is  worked  by  electric  motors,  and  the  works  are  lighted 
by  electricitv  throughout.  The  generating  plant  is 
situated  alongside  the  mill,  and  when  completed  will 
consist  of  four  Diesel  engines  (of  which  two  are  already 
erected)  of  200  b.h.p.  each,  and  coupled  direct  to  al- 
ternate current  generators.  Storage  tanks  for  fuel  oil 
have  been  erected  at  Cairns  and  Dimbulah,  and  also 
alongside  the  power-station.  The  oil  is  pumped  into 
tanks  on  railway  wagons  at  Cairns,  and  conveyed  to 
Dimbulah  ;  then  pumped  into  storage  tanks  at  Dimbu- 
lah, and  when  required  pumped  into  tanks  on  road- 
wagons  and  conveyed  to  the  power-station  storage 
tanks 


AUGUST,    1919 


121 


Amalgamating. — The  May  Journal  of  the  Chemi- 
cal, Metallurgical  &  Mining  Society  of  South  Africa 
contains  the  report  of  a  discussion  on  the  prevention 
of  the  escape  of  mercurial  fumes  during  the  steaming 
of  amalgamating  plates. 

J.  Fairfax  Walker  described  the  apparatus  used  for 
preventing  their  escape  at  the  plant  of  Consolidated 
Main  Reef.  The  old  method  of  steaming  plates,  com- 
mon to  most  mines,  is  to  have  a  wooden  box,  or  cover, 
placed  over  the  amalgamated  plate,  with  the  usualinlet 
of  steam.  The  sides  are  jammed  with  sacks,  or  blan- 
ketting,  with  a  view  to  retaining  all  the  steam.  The  re- 
sult is  that,  except  in  the  well-ventilated  plate-houses, 
mercury-laden  steam  pervades  the  building.  When 
the  steaming  cover  is  removed,  the  conditions  are  even 
worse,  as  the  workmen  have  to  handle  steaming  sacks 


10  lb.  pressure  for  the  required  time,  10  to  15  minutes, 
after  which  the  steam  is  turned  off,  the  flexible  steam 
pipe  disconnected,  hook  bolts  and  angle  iron  stays  taken 
adrift,  and  a  water  drain  pipe  plug  at  bottom  end  of  cover 
taken  out.  The  fan,  or  ejector,  is  kept  going  until  all 
the  fumes  are  eliminated,  and  then  the  top  section  of 
the  cover  is  raised  £  in.  for  two  or  three  minutes  to 
allow  fresh  air  to  enter  under  the  cover  and  drive  out 
the  last  of  the  fumes.  Lastly,  the  flexible  hose-pipe  is 
disconnected  from  the  cover.  When  the  latter  is  re- 
moved there  is  not  a  trace  of  fume  to  be  seen,  the  at- 
mosphere being  quite  clear  and  sweet.  The  advantages 
of  the  device  are  :  first  and  foremost,  safeguarding  the 
health  of  the  men  operating  on  steaming  amalgamated 
plates;  secondly,  the  amount  of  steam  used  is  much 
less  than  formerly,  owing  to  its  being  evenly  distri- 


S/8   INLCT   AIR  OR  STEAM 

,l~GAf>  BETWEEi*   match  boarding 
(  £20    GAUGE    GAl    /RON 

'-'■1 £=* £?-■„£ 


I  STEAM   INLET 


'A  F£U 


<j      *^_   /'■?"■;«    Strap 

^f] Bolted  sioss ' 

&  ENDS 


-M  FELT  ON  FACE 
OF  JOINTS 


Perforated  pipe 

Running    ACROSS   BOX 


Steaming   Amalgamating   Plates   at   Consolidated   Main    Reef. 


and  steam  is  still  present  under  the  cover.  The  new 
device  adopted  to  combat  these  conditions  consists  for 
a  12  by  5  ft.  table  of  a  clamped  down  cover  made  in 
two  sections.  The  top  of  the  cover  is  made  of  20  gauge 
galvanized  iron,  bolted  on  to  a  wooden  frame,  on  the 
bottom  of  which  is  tacked  thick  Kafir  blanket,  horse 
rug,  or  any  such  material.  This  cover  is  placed  on  the 
plate  with  four  pieces  of  angle  or  channel  iron,  two  for 
each  section  of  the  cover.  Hook  bolts  are  fixed  to  the 
frame  below  the  plate,  and  the  screw  portion  is  slipped 
into  slots  in  the  angle  iron  and  fastened  down  with  fly 
nuts.  This  makes  a  tight  joint  between  cover  and 
plate.  A  1  in.  steam  connection  is  fixed  to  the  top  sec- 
tion of  the  cover,  passes  inside,  and  spreads  over  the 
full  width  of  the  plate  by  means  of  a  perforated  pipe. 
A  pressure  of  from  5  to  10  lb.  is  maintained.  The 
steam  is  drawn  off  through  a  chamber,  tapering  in  di- 
ameter from  11  to  4  in.,  by  means  of  a  canvas  hose  5  in. 
in  diameter.  A  1  in.  spiral  wire  is  run  inside  the  hose 
to  stiffen  it,  and  the  outside  is  given  two  coats  of  oil 
paint  to  make  it  steam-tight.  The  fumes  are  exhausted 
through  the  roof  by  an  induction  fan  which,  on  this 
plant,  is  placed  outside  the  building.  An  air  or  steam 
ejector  has  been  found  a  satisfactory  substitute  for  the 
■fan.  The  method  of  operation  is  as  follows  :  The  fan, 
or  ejector,  is  started  and  steam  turned  on  at  from  5  to 


buted  all  over  the  plate  and  concentrated  under  cover  : 
thirdly,  the  fixing  of  the  device  and  steaming  of  the 
plate  are  done  in  less  time  than  by  the  old  method. 
The  cost  of  operating  is  small,  while  the  cost  of  instal- 
lation is  not  great.  On  this  plant  the  cost  of  installing 
all  but  the  fan  was  under  /100. 

J.J.  Smythe  then  described  a  simpler  apparatus  em- 
ployed at  the  Village  Main  Reef.  It  was  considered 
that  under  existing  circumstances  the  Village  Main 
Reef  was  not  justified  in  going  to  the  expense  of  such 
an  elaborate  plant  as  that  on  the  Consolidated  Main 
Reef.  The  steaming  box  and  mercury  fume  extractor 
at  Village  Main  Reef  was  devised  to  do  away  with  an 
expensive  installation  of  piping  and  a  power-driven  fan 
for  exhausting  the  steam.  The  apparatus  consists  of 
an  ordinary  steaming  box  with  a  patent  6  m.  H.A.S 
blower  fitted  to  the  lower  end  of  the  bottom  half  of  the 
box  and  open  to  the  interior.  This  Mower  has  a  nozzle 
of  A  in.  diameter,  and  consumes  at  80  lb.  pressure  21  '_' 
cub.  ft.  of  free  air  per  minute.  In  operation  it  is  only 
necessary  to  turn  on  sufficient  air  to  cause  a  vacuum 
strong  enough  to  prevent  steam  leaking  from  bad  joints 
caused  by  irregularities  of  the  surface  of  the  amal 
gamated  plates,  and  full  on  for  a  few  seconds  when 
steam  is  turned  off  from  the  box  in  order  to  clear  out 
any  remaining  vapour.     Where  air  is  unobtainable. 


12; 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


steam  can  be  used  in  the  blower.  The  whole  opera- 
tion of  steaming  one  plate  should  not  cost  in  air  con- 
sumption more  than  one  penny,  if  as  much.  At  the 
Village  Main  Reef  a  short  piece  of  pipe,  8  ft.  long, 
joined  on  to  the  blower  carries  the  steam  outside  the 
building  containing  the  plants  and  exhausts  to  atmos- 
phere. Contact  between  the  box  and  plate  is  made 
by  sufficiently  weighting  them  down  with  movable 
weights.  No  attempt  has  been  made  here  to  condense 
the  steam  from  the  box  and  so  recover  mercury  carried 
off,  it  being  understood  the  quantity  is  too  small  for  it 
to  prove  a  commercial  success  in  view  of  the  cost  of 
providing  and  running  a  condensing  plant.  As  a  re- 
sult of  the  experience  with  the  6  in.  blower  it  is  con- 
sidered that  a  4  in.  would  be  ample  to  do  the  work,  and 
thereby  save  in  weight  and  cost  as  follows:  6  in. 
blower,  approximate  cost,  £  12,  approximate  weight, 
33  lb.  ;  4  in.  blower,  approximate  cost,  /10,  approxi 
mate  weight,  22  lb. 

Oolitic  Ironstones. —  At  the  meeting  of  the  Minera 
logical  Society  held  on  June  17,  R.  11.  Kastali  read  a 
paper  on  the  mineral  composition  of  oolitic  limestones. 
In  many  oolitic  ironstones  the  ooliths  contain  more 
iron  or  are  more  highly  oxidized  than  the  matrix.  As 
suming  that  the  iron-content  of  such  rocks  is  intro- 
duced by  metasomatic  replacement  of  calcium  carbon- 
ate, this  may  be  explained  iu  the  following  way  : 
Many  ooliths  and  organic  fragments  in  limestones  con- 
sist of  aragonite,  while  the  cement  is  calcite  Arago- 
nite  is  less  stable  than  calcite  and  more  readily  decom- 
posed by  iron  bearing  solutions,  which  therefore  at- 
tack the  aragonite  first,  while  the  calcite  is  replaced 
later.  Hence  we  have  the  following  scheme,  in  succes- 
sive stages  : 

(a)  (b)  (c) 

ooliths         aragonite   -»   chalybite   ■»   limonite 
matrix        calcite        —  calcite        -*   chalybite 

The  ooliths  are  thus  always  a  stage  ahead  of  the  ma- 
trix in  replacement  and  oxidation.  The  origin  of  the 
green  iron  silicate,  found  in  many  ironstones,  requires 
further  investigation. 

SHORT    NOTICES 

Concrete  Shafts. — In  the  Engineering  and  Mining 

Journal  for  July  12.  R.  L.  Russell  describes  the  sink- 
ingand  simultaneous  concretingof  ashaft  at  the  Miami 
copper  mine,  Arizona. 

Electric  Hoists. — In  the  Mining  and  Scientific 
Press  for  July  5,  O.  E.  Jager  describes  the  electric 
hoisting  equipment  at  the  Butte  &  Superior  mine. 

Electric  Drills. — The  Iron  &  Coal  Trades  Review 
for  July  18  contains  a  paper  by  A.  H.  Telfer,  read  be- 
fore the  Association  of  Mining  Electrical  Engineers, 
describing  the  Crescent  and  Becander  electrically- 
operated  rotary  drills  intended  for  boring  coal. 

Gold  in  China.. — In  the  Engineering  and  Mining 
Journal  for  June  21,  H  K.  Richardson  describes  gold- 
washing  operations  on  the  Yang-tse-kiang  in  Sze-chuan 
province. 

Dredge  for  Colombia. — The  Engineer  for  July  25 
gives  an  illustrated  description  of  the  bucket-dredge 
designed  by  Inder,  Henderson,  &  Dixon,  and  made  by 
Lobnitz  &  Co.,  for  the  treatment  of  gold-platinum  de- 
posits in  Colombia. 

OilMining.— In  the  Engineering  and  Miningjour- 
nal  for  July  5,  S.  S.  Langley  describes  the  methods  of 
sealing  oft  water  from  oil  wells. 

Concentration. — The  Engineering  and  Mining 
Journal  for  June  28  is  the  "annual  milling  number" 
and  contains  a  number  of  articles  on  comminution, 
water-concentration,  and  flotation 


Magnetic  Separation.  —  In  the  Engineering  and 
Mining  Journal  for  June  28,  G.  J.  Young  writes  on 
working  adjustments  of  the  Wethenll  magnetic  separa- 
tor. 

Magnetic  Separation. —  In  the  Engineering  and 
Mining  Journal  for  June2S,  E.  (i.  Deutman  describes 
the  concentration  practice  in  the  Wisconsin  zinc  dis- 
trict. The  blende  is  associated  with  iron  sulphide  in 
the  form  of  marcasite.  The  concentrate  is  given  a 
a  roast  which  covers  the  marcasite  with  magnetic  ox- 
ide but  does  not  affect  the  blende.  The  two  minerals 
are  then  separated  magnetically 

Refining  Graphite. — -The  Engineering  and  Mining 
Journal  for  July  12  contains  a  paper  by  F.  G.  Moses 
on  the  refining  of  Alabama  graphite  and  the  production 
of  a  material  suitable  for  crucible  manufacture. 

Lake  Superior  Copper. —  In  the  Engineering  and 
Mining  Journal  for  July  5,  C.  H.  Benedict,  metallur- 
gist to  the  Calumet  &  Hecla,  writes  on  recent  advances 
in  ore-treatment  practice  at  the  copper  mines  of  Lake 
Superior. 

Shasta    County,    California. — In    the  Mining   ami 
Scientific  Press  for  June  14,  Herbert  Lang  continues 
his  paper  entitled  "A  Metallurgical  Journey  to  Shasta, 
California."     This  instalment  deals  with  early  cyani 
ding  and  chlorination. 

Sintering.  — In  Chemical  ami  Metallurgical  /•.'>;;  i 
neering  for  June  15,  R  M.  Draper  describes  the  sin 
tering  or  nodulizing  of  fine  flotation  concentrate  in  ro 
tary  kilns  using  pulverized  coal. 

Zinc  Smelting.  In  Chemical  ami  Metallurgical 
Engineering  for  June  15,  R.  S.  Dean  discusses  the 
prevention  of  the  formation  of  blue  powder  in  the 
smelting  of  zinc,  and  the  reason  why  salt  added  to  the 
charge  is  effective  in  this  prevention 

Treatment  of  Speiss. — Chemical  and  Metallurgi 
cal  Engineering  for  July  1  contains  a  translation  of  a 
paper  bv  P    I'apencordt  appearing  in  a  recent  issue  of 
Metall    und   Erz  describing   research    in    connection 
with  the  metallurgical  treatment  of  complex  speisses. 

Powdered  Coal  in  Blast-Furnaces. — The  July  littl 
letin  of  the  Canadian  Mining  Institute  contains  a  paper 
1>\  I  P  Mathewson  and  W.  L  Wotherspoon  on  the 
Garred-Cavers  method  of  using  pulverized  coal  in  blast 
furnaces  treating  copper  ores.  In  particular,  detailsof 
practice  on  the  Sudburv  copper-nickel  ores  at  the  works 
of  the  International  Nickel  Company,  Copper  ('lift, 
Ontario,  are  given.  We  intend  toquote  from  this  paper 
in  our  next  issue 

Cement  from  Blast-Furnace  Slag. —  The  Queens- 
land Government  Mining  Journal  tor  April  contains 
a  paper  bv  William  Poole  on  the  manufacture  of  ce- 
ment from  blast-furnace  slag,  based  on  studies  at  the 
iron  blast-furnaces  at  Newcastle  and  Lithgow,  New 
South  Wales. 

Copper  in  Arctic  Canada. — The  Mining  ami  Scien- 
tific Press  for  June  14  publishes  a  paper  by  J  J. 
O'Neill  describing  the  occurrence  of  native  copper  in 
Arctic  Canada  In  our  issue  of  May,  1917,  we  quoted 
Mr.  O'Neill's  paper  on  the  subject  that  appeared  in 
the  March  Bulletin  of  the  Canadian  Mining  Institute 

Burma  Geology. — The  Journal  of  Geology  for  May 
contains  a  paper  by  M.  H.  Loveman,  giving  the  results 
of  his  investigations  of  the  geology  ol  certain  parts  of 
the  Northern  Shan  States,  Burma,  not  previously 
mapped. 

Wasapika,  Ontario. — In  the  Canadian  Mining 
Journal  for  July  9,  Reginald  E.  Hore  describes  the 
Wasapika  gold  area  in  West  Shining  Tree  district, 
Ontario. 

Chrome  in  Maryland. — In  Economic  Ceology  for 
May,  J.  T.  Sinnewald  describes  the  Maryland  chrome 


AUGUST,    1919 


123 


ore  deposits.  In  early  days  these  ores  were  of  great 
importance.  Since  1880  the  output  has  been  confined 
to  concentrate  from  chromite-bearing  sand. 

Queensland  Coal.  —  The  Australasian  Institute  of 
Mining  Engineers'  Proceedings  No.  32  contains  a  paper 
bv  J.  F.  Hall  describing  the  Blair  Athol  coalfield,  cen 
tral  Queensland,  240  miles  by  rail  from  Rockhampton. 

Wonthaggi  Coalfield. — The  Australasian  Instituted 
Mi  ling  Engineers'  Proceedings  No  32  contains  a  paper 
by  H.  Herman  on  boring  operations  at  the  Wonthaggi 
coalfield. 

Phosphate  in  Victoria. — The  Australasian  Institute 
of  Mining  Engineers'  Proceedings  No.  32  contains  a 
paper  by  E.  W.  Skeats  and  E.  O.  Teale  describing 
newly  discovered  phosphate  deposits  in  the  Howqua 
district,  near  Mansfield,  Victoria. 

Oil  in  England. — In  the  Iron  &  Coal  Trades  Re- 
view for  July  25,  J.  Ford  discusses  the  oil  occurrences 
in  Derbyshire  and  Nottinghamshire,  dealing  specially 
with  the  results  of  the  bore  at  Kelham,  near  Newark. 


RECENT    PATENTS  PUBLISHED. 
11,643  of  1917  (128,623).     E    B.   Maxted  and 

T.  A.   Smith,  Walsall.      Furnace  for  producing  am- 
monia from  nitrogen  and  hydrogen  under  pressure. 

12,078-9  of  1917  (128,649-50).  J  P.  Roe, 
London.  Guard  sheaves  for  preventing  ropes  of  aerial 
ropeways  rising  from  the  supporting  sheaves. 

15,629  of  1917(128,676).  Societe  de  Metal- 
lukgie  Electrolytique,  Paris.  Improved  struc- 
ture of  rotary  cathodes  used  in  the  electeo-deposition 
of  copper,  zinc,  and  other  metals. 

467  of  1918  (128,327).  P.  L.  Hulin,  Grenoble, 
France.  Removing  water  from  hydrated  magnesium 
chloride  by  means  of  hydrochloric  acid  formed  in  situ 
by  burning  hydrogen  in  chlorine  gas. 

6,097  of  1918  (127,930).  Cooper  Co..  Cleve- 
land, Ohio.  An  alloy  used  in  making  high  speed  tools, 
consisting  of  nickel  or  cobalt,  zirconium,  aluminium, 
or  silica,  with  or  without  tungsten,  molybdenum,  chro- 
mium or  uranium.  , 

6,126  of  1918  (127,931).  A.  Francois,  Doncas- 
ter.  Method  of  pumping  cement  into  cavities  against 
pressure. 

6,270of  1918(120,194).  New  Jersey  ZincCo.. 
New  York.  Making  a  pigment  consisting  of  lead  sul- 
phate and  zinc  oxide  by  volatilizing  the  oxides  from 
oxidized  lead  zinc  ores  and  submitting  the  oxides  to 
S03  which  converts  the  lead  oxide  to  sulphate  but  has 
no  effect  on  the  zinc  oxide. 

9,379  of  1918  (127,964).  P.  J.  MacDonald 
and  C.  L.  Claflin,  Los  Angeles,  California.  Fur- 
nace for  reducing  oxides  to  metals  by  reaction  with 
carbonic  oxide  or  other  gas. 

9,622  of  1918  (127,985).  Sir  H.  Rogers  and 
C.  M.  Walter,  Birmingham.  Improved  cathode 
construction  for  use  in  connection  with  the  electrolytic 
recovery  of  tin  from  scrap. 

10,509  of  1918  (128,729).  Barclay  &  Co., 
Ltd.,  Kilmarnock.  Improved  compressed-air  engines 
for  haulage  between  working  faces  and  the  main  haul- 
age-way. 

11,378  of  1918  (118,605).  Norton  Co,  Wor- 
cester, Massachusetts.  Improvements  in  the  method 
of  refining  bauxite  by  excess  of  carbon  in  the  electric 
furnace. 

11,380  of  1918  (121.721).  Norton  Co.,  Wor- 
cester, Massachusetts.  Aluminous  abrasives  contain- 
ing silica  and  an  alkali  oxide,  the  relative  propor- 
tions of  these  being  regulated  according  to  the  required 
strength  of  grain  of  the  abrasive. 


11,424  of  1918  (128,041).  E  A  Davies  and  A. 
CRYER,  Cardiff.  In  hoisting  plant  for  mines  using 
balanced  cages,  gear  for  adjusting  thecages  as  the  rope 
stretches. 

13,245  of  1918  (128.455).  G.  H.  T.  Raynek 
and  P.  Rayner,  Sheffield.  Improved  tool  retaining 
device  for  percussive  rock-drills. 

16.333  of  1918(128,818).  E  F.  Morris.  Roby. 
Liverpool.  Method  of  obtaining  white  antimonious 
oxide  from  metallic  antimony. 

16,334of  1918(128,482).  E..F.  Morris,  Roby. 
Liverpool.  Method  of  manufacturing  antimony  pig- 
ments. 

18,818  of  1918  (128,833).  A.  W.  Gregory. 
London.  Removing  tin  from  scrap  by  ammonium 
polysulphides. 

381  of  1919  (128,507).  Air  Reduction  Co  , 
New  York.  Extraction  of  cyanides  from  furnace  pro- 
ducts. 

2,103  of  1919  (128,517).  A.  Maes.  Souvret. 
Belgium.     A  machine  for  trimming  mine  timbers. 

2,936  of  1919  (128,521).  T.  Price,  Nanaimo. 
British  Columbia.  For  the  prevention  of  accidents 
due  to  breakage  of  wire  ropes  in  hoisting  plant  where 
cages  are  balanced  against  each  other,  the  provision 
of  a  second  rope  which  winds  on  and  off  the  same 
drums,  in  this  way  making  it  unnecessary  to  use  bigger 
drums. 

3,242  of  1919  (128,865).  Ceretti  &  Teofam. 
Milan.  Improved  turning  stations  for  three-cable 
aerial  ropeways. 


NEW  BOOKS 

^•"Copies  of  the  books,  etc  .  mentioned  below  can  be  obtained 
through  the  Technical  Bookshop  of  The  Mining  Magazine. 
723,  Salisbury  House,  London  Wall,  E.C.2. 

Practical  Instructions  in  the  Search  for,  and  the  De- 
termination of,  the  Useful  Minerals,  including  the 

RareOres.  Second  Edition.   By  Alexander  McLeod. 

Price  6s  6d.   net.    New  York  :  John  Wiley  &  Sons. 

This  small  but  comprehensive  work  of  reference  is 
dated  1917,  although  it  was  received  for  review  only  a 
month  ago.  It  is  a  type  of  book,  unfortunately  too 
common  in  America,  which  reduces  the  conscientious 
reviewer  to  despair,  and  makes  him  wonder  why  pub- 
lishers accept  certain  technical  manuscripts  without 
subjecting  them  to  a  careful  examination  such  asnovels 
must  undergo  before  they  reach  the  greater  perman- 
ence of  print.  The  book  itself  is,  in  this  case,  one 
which  would  probably  be  useful  to  the  prospector  in 
the  field  ;  but  the  modern  prospector,  being  a  trained 
economic  geologist  or  mining  geologist,  will  recognize 
at  once  bow  much  better  it  might  have  been  done  had 
a  little  more  time  been  devoted  to  the  technique  of 
blowpipe  analysis,  and  accuracy  of  nomenclature,  and 
in  the  proof  reading  stage  to  the  deletion  of  infelicitous 
phrases  and  unnecessary  opinions.  As  an  example  of 
the  latter,  we  are  told  repeatedly  that  "  absolutely  no 
skill  is  required  "  to  carry  out  the  tests  described,  many 
of  which  are  said  to  be  "  gorgeously  simple."  Frankly 
such  a  statement  is  not  a  compliment  to  the  prospec- 
tor, whether  he  be  the  rough  diamond  of  the  older 
mining  fields,  or  the  highly-trained  specialist  of  to-day 
The  determination  and  location  of  minerals  generally 
requires  very  rare  skill,  and  an  author  who  denies  it 
adopts  an  unbecomingly  modest  attitude.  As  an  ex- 
ample of  inaccuracy  of  nomenclature  (and  fact)  the 
followingsentenceisworthv  of  quotation  (p. 9):  "Some 
minerals,  like  tin,  mona/.ite,  uranium,  and  wolfram. 
are  only  found  in  old  strata." 

The  author,  however,  is  filled  with   enthusiasm   for 


124 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


his  subject,  and  on  p.  104  he  momentarily  drops  into 

a  poetic  vein  : 

"  Who  says  the  prospector's  day  hath  fled  ?     His  day 

is  new  ;   and  it  is  merely  early  morn. 
"  And  thecontinents,  practically  unexplored,  especially 

as  far  as  the  rare  ores  are  concerned,  invite  him  to 

their  undiscovered  bonanzas." 

Arthir  Holmes. 

The  Elements  of  Astronomy  for  Surveyors.     By  R. 

W.  Chapman.    Cloth,  octavo,  247  pages,  illustrated. 

Price  5s.  net.    L6ndon  :  Charles  (iriffin  &  Co.,  Ltd. 

An  Australian  professor  (University  of  Adelaide)  has 
put  this  work  together  with  the  object  of  providing  a 
succinct  and  reliable  exposition,  not  only  of  the  most 
serviceable  methods  of  observation  and  computation, 
but  also  of  the  main  principles  on  which  they  are  based, 
and  which  should  be  thoroughly  understood  if  the 
formula-  for  the  reduction  of  the  field  work  are  to  be 
intelligently  applied.  He  has  endeavoured  in  his  treat- 
ment of  the  subject  to  maintain  a  position  intermediate 
between  that  of  the  severely  practical  text- book  of 
surveying,  which  usually  contents  itself  with  catalo- 
guing the  results  of  trigonometrical  inquiry,  and  that 
of  the  treatise  on  astronomy,  which  indulges  in  mathe- 
matical disquisitions  too  recondite  for  the  beginner  to 
follow,  besides  discussing  many  matters  that  have  but 
a  remote  bearing  on  survey  work.  By  thus  keeping  in 
view  the  needs  of  the  student  as  well  as  of  the  practi 
tioner,  he  has  succeeded  in  producing  a  really  useful 
book,  and  one  that  satisfactorily  fills  a  gap  in  the 
literature  of  surveying. 

The  twelve  chapters  into  which  the  volume  is  divided 
deal  respectively  with  the  following  sections  of  the 
subject:  The  solution  of  spherical  triangles;  the  celes- 
tial sphere  and  astronomical  co-ordinates  ;  the  earth  ; 
the  sun  ;  the  location  of  objects  on  the  celestial  sphere  ; 
astronomical  and  instrumental  corrections  to  observa- 
tions of  altitude  and  azimuth  ;  the  determination  of 
true  meridian  ;  the  determination  of  latitude  ;  the  de- 
termination of  time  by  observation  ;  the  determination 
of  longitude  ;  and  the  convergence  of  meridians.  Many 
explanatory  diagrams,  fully  worked  out  actual  observa- 
tions, and  examples  for  working,  are  given  ;  and  con- 
siderable attention  is  paid  to  analysing  the  effects  of 
various  observational  and  instrumental  errors. 

Of  all  the  operations  performed  by  a  surveyor  in  the 
field  none  is  more  fundamentally  important  than  the 
establishment  of  a  true  meridian.  To  the  ways  of  de- 
termining this  the  author  has  quite  rightly  devoted  the 
longest  chapter  in  the  book.  Four  methods  are  dis- 
cussed :  Equal  altitudes  of  a  circumpolar  star  ;  circum- 
polar  star  at  elongation  ;  extra-meridian  observations 
on  sun  or  star  ;  and  time  observations  upon  a  close 
circumpolar  star.  The  first  may  be  ruled  out  by  reas- 
on of  its  enjoining  on  the  surveyor  an  almost  all-night 
vigil  ;  the  second  is  on  the  whole  the  most  satisfac- 
tory ;  the  third  is  very  convenient,  and,  especially 
when  a  star  is  used,  is  quite  accurate  enough  for  most 
purposes  ;  the  fourth,  which  is  a  variant  of  the  second, 
is  more  suited  to  the  precise  requirements  of  the  geo- 
desist.  By  a  little  careful  planning  it  is  a  fairlv  sim- 
ple matter  to  arrange  a  programme  of  comfortable 
duration  which  includes  observations  on  two  circum- 
polar stars  and  on  several  east  and  west  stars  close  to 
the  plane  of  the  prime  vertical.  The  observations  on 
the  east  and  west  stars  can  be  fitted  in  before  and  be- 
tween the  observations  on  the  circumpolars.  If  bright 
stars  are  available,  operations  may  be  begun  half  an 
hour  or  an  hour  before  sunset,  provided  of  course  that 
the  position  of.  the  stars  on  which  daylight  observa- 
tions are  to  be  made  have  been  calculated  beforehand. 


It  is  not  generally  known  that  Polaris  can  be  observed 
with  the  ordinary  engineer's  transit  a  little  before  sun- 
down or  in  the  early  dawn  ;  and  that  it  is  possible  to 
observe  a  very  bright  star  like  Sirius  at  almost  any 
time  of  the  day.  It  is  better  for  beginners,  however, 
to  confine  their  star  work  to  the  dark  hours  ;  the  con- 
stellations are  then  all  visible  ;  and  with  the  aid  of  a 
chart  the  star  observed  can  be  identified  with  certainty, 
and  can  be  easily  brought  into  the  field  of  view  by 
sighting  along  the  top  of  the  telescope.  The  author 
employs  for  the  reduction  of  extra-meridian  observa- 
tions the  usual  formula  in  which  the  co  -  angles 
are  used  ;  he  does  not  mention  the  one  which  en- 
ables the  computation  to  be  entered  with  the  direct 
angles.  The  formula  which  allows  of  this  being 
done,  a  simple  modification  of  one  of  the  primary 
equations  of  spherical  trigonometry,  was  derived  by 
John  G.  McKlroy,  of  Beckenbridge,  Colorado,  and  is 
explained  in  the  Michigan  Engineer  s  Annual  for  1889  ; 
it  is  much  used  in  the  United  States.  For  the  deter- 
mination of  latitude  the  method,  among  others,  of  meri- 
dian altitude  of  sun  or  star  is  given  as  the  most  con- 
venient, and  for  precise  work  the  method  of  zenith 
pair  of  stars.  This  latter  method,  devised  by  Captain 
A.  Talcott  in  1834,  consists  in  observing  two  stars 
which  culminate  at  approximately  equal  altitudes  on 
opposite  sides  of  the  observer's  zenith.  Local  mean 
time  is  generally  obtained  by  means  of  an  extra  meri- 
dian observation  of  the  sun  or  of  east  or  west  stars, 
on  similar  lines  to  the  extra  meridian  observation  for 
azimuth.  In  determining  longitude  the  surveyor  is 
usually  restricted  by  circumstances  to  the  method  of 
moon-culminating  stars,  which,  as  the  author  points 
out,  will,  at  best,  permit  him  only  an  accuracy  of  5 
seconds  of  time,  corresponding  to  1|  minutes  of  arc  or 
to  a  distance  of  one  mile  near  the  equator.  It  is  to  be 
hoped  therefore  that  astronomers  will  be  able  to  ad- 
dress themselves  to  the  longitude  problem  with  some 
anticipation  of  relieving  existing  observational  disabili- 
ties. 

Surveyors  would  be  further  indebted  to  the  author 
if  he  .would  indicate  to  them  the  degree  of  precision 
attainable  by  the  various  methods  of  observation  when 
performed  with  the  ordinary  type  of  6  in.  transit  theo- 
dolite. Standards  for  comparison  are  highly  desir- 
able in  order  that  surveyors  may  be  in  a  position  to 
assess  the  quality  of  their  work.  They  have  probably 
read  that  with  such  an  instrument  azimuth  should  be 
obtained  from  the  sun  within  from  1  to  3  minutes  of 
the  truth,  depending  on  the  care  exercised,  and  from 
a  circumpolar  star  within  20  seconds  ;  latitude,  by  a 
pair  of  observations  on  a  close  circumpolar  star,  with- 
in 20  seconds,  and  by  the  Talcott  method,  within  10 
seconds  ;  and  so  on.  A  critical  review  of  this  question 
of  reliability  of  result  under  prescribed  instrumental 
conditions  would  be  of  considerable  value. 

Alex,   Richardson. 

Text-Book  of  Rand  Metallurgical  Practice,  Vol    II. 

Second  Edition.  Cloth,  octavo,  470  pages,  illus- 
trated. Price  25s.  net.  London  :  Charles  Griffin 
&  Co.  Ltd. 

Eight  years  or  so  ago  a  number  of  mining  men  and 
metallurgists  on  the  Rand  combined  to  publish  a  record 
of  the  methods  adopted  on  that  goldfield  for  crushing 
the  ore  and  extracting  the  gold.  A  second  edition  of 
the  first  volume  appeared  a  year  or  so  after  the  first 
edition.  A  second  edition  of  the  second  volume  has 
recently  made  its  appearance.  In  the  interval  a  large 
number  of  variations  in  practice  have  been  introduced, 
and  the  author,  Mr.  C  O.  Schmitt,  has  revised  and 
extended  the  volume  accordingly.     We  would  here  say 


AUGUST,    1919 


125 


that  the  two  volumes  partly  cover  the  same  ground, 
but  the  first  deals  with  the  metallurgical  problems  of 
milling  and  extraction,  while  the  second  is  concerned 
with  the  mechanical  side  or  the  design  and  construction 
of  the  plants.  In  looking  through  the  new  volume,  we 
see  that  the  sections  devoted  to  stamp-mills  and  tube- 
mills  have  been  modified,  according  to  present  practice 
in  coarse  crushing  with  heavy  stamps  and  putting  more 
of  the  work  on  tube-mills,  and  the  theory  of  the  design 
of  tube-mills  is  at  the  same  time  expanded.  Particu- 
lars are  given  of  the  Johnson  &  Winterton  screen  used 
for  removing  the  finer  material  from  the  ore  before 
being  fed  to  the  stamps,  and  the  benefits  of  classifica- 
tion before  tube-milling  are  discussed  in  greater  detail. 
In  the  amalgamation  section  attention  is  drawn  to  the 
modern  practice  of  placing  the  amalgamating  plates 
below  the  tube-mills  instead  of  below  the  stamps.  In 
the  chapters  on  the  transport  of  materials,  additional 
matter  deals  with  the  hardening  of  the  surface  of 
dumps  and  the  carriage  of  sand  for  filling.  The  biblio- 
graphy has  been  extended.  Twenty  new  illustrations 
are  given.  The  additional  matter  is  not,  altogether, 
very  great,  and  some  readers  would  doubtless  have 
been  glad  if  the  modifications  in  practice  had  been  de- 
scribed in  more  detail,  especially  seeing  that  descrip- 
tions already  published  are  not  now  easy  of  access. 
During  the  past  five  years  there  has  been  little  oppor- 
tunity for  extensive  research,  but  Rand  practice  has 
not  stood  still  and  innovations  in,  for  instance,  precipi- 
tation and  in  dissolution  and  decantation  will  be  intro- 
duced in  practice  as  financial  conditions  allow.  Neces- 
sarily, no  note  is  made  in  this  volume  of  prospective 
improvements. 
Compressed  Air  Plant.     Third  Edition.      By  Robert 

Peele.     Cloth,  octavo,  490  pages,  illustrated.     Price 

20s.net.     New  York  :  John  Wiley  &  Sons  ;    London: 

Chapman  &  Hall. 

This  is  the  third  edition  of  a  book  that  has  had  con- 
siderable vogue  in  the  United  States  during  the  last  ten 
years.  Mr.  Peele,  as  professor  of  mining  in  the  Col- 
umbia School  of  Mines,  has  a  large  audience,  and  his 
recent  "  Mining  Engineer's  Handbook  "  has  extended 
his  influence  throughout  the  world.  Compressed  air 
practice  develops  rapidly  and  much  re-writing  is  neces- 
sarv  in  preparing  new  editions.  This  book  is  useful  as 
an  exposition  of  American  practice,  and  in  this  country 
it  will  be  taken  as  a  supplement  to  other  text-books  or 
courses  of  instruction.  The  main  headings  of  the  book 
are  :  the  compression  of  air,  the  transmission  of  com- 
pressed air,  compressed-air  engines  and  other  devices 
used  in  hoisting,  haulage,  and  pumping,  and  rock- 
drills  and  similar  percussive  tools. 
Studies  in  the  Construction  of  Dams.     By  Professor 

E.  R.  Matthews.     Paper  boards,  octavo,  48  pages, 

illustrated.     Price  4s.  6d.   net.     London:    Charles 

Griffin  &  Co.,  Ltd. 

This  book  is  written  on  the  question  and  answer 
system,  and  is  intended  for  students  preparing  for  such 
examinations  as  that  for  the  Associate  Membership  of 
the  Institution  of  Civil  Engineers.  It  covers  earthen 
and  masonry  dams,  and  deals  with  calculations  of  de- 
sign and  general  description  rather  than  of  the  method 
of  construction. 

Oil  and  Petroleum  Manual  for  1919.  By  Walter 
R.  Skinner.  Cloth,  octavo,  250  pages.  Price  6s.  net. 
London:  Walter  R.  Skinner.  This  is  the  tenth  annual 
volume  of  a  well-known  manual,  K'vmg  particulars  of 
all  the  oil-producing  companies  known  in  London. 

The  Inflammability  of  Aluminium  Dust.  By  Alan 
Leighton.  Technical  Paper  No.  152  of  the  United 
States  Bureau  of  Mines. 


Black-Sand  Deposits  of  Oregon  and  Northern  Cali- 
fornia. By  R.  R.  Hornor.  Technical  Paper  196  of 
the  United  States  Bureau  of  Mines. 

Extinguishing  and  Preventing  Oil  and  Gas  Fires. 
By  C.  P.  Bowie.  Bulletin  170  of  the  United  States 
Bureau  of  Mines. 

Innovations  in  the  Metallurgy  of  Lead.  By  I>  A 
Lyon  and  O.  C.  Ralston.  Bulletin  157  of  the  United 
States  Bureau  of  Mines. 

Mining  and  Milling  of  Lead  and  Zinc  Ores  in  the 
Missouri-Kansas-Oklahoma  Zinc  District.     By  C.  A 
Wright.     Bulletin  154  of  the  United  States  Bureau  of 
Mines. 

Shutting-Off  Water  in  Oil  and  Gas  Wells.  By  F 
B.  Tough.  Bulletin  163  of  the  United  States  Bureau 
of  Mines. 

Sulphur  Dioxide  Method  for  Determining  Copper 
Minerals  in  Partly  Oxidized  Ores.  By  C.  E.  Van 
Barneveld  and  E.  S.  Leaver.  Technical  Paper  No. 
198,  published  by  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Mines 

Fifteenth  Biennial  Report  of  the  Bureau  of  Mines 
of  Colorado.  This  covers  the  years  1917  and  1918, 
and  is  issued  by  F.  Carroll,  Commissioner. 

Third  Annual  Report  of  the  State  Oil  and  Gas 
Supervisor  of  California.     By  R.  P.  McLaughlin. 

Canadian  Mining  Manual  1918.  Edited  by  Regin- 
ald E.  Hore.  Published  by  The  Canadian  Mining 
Journal. 

Limestone  Deposits  of  New  South  Wales.  By  J 
E.  Carne  and  L.  J.  Jones.  Sydney  :  The  Geological 
Survey. 


COMPANY  REPORTS 

Broken  Hill  Block  10.— The  report  of  this  company 
for  the  half-year  ended  March  31  shows  that  27,762 
tons  of  ore  was  raised,  averaging  1103%  lead,  10  s. 
zinc,  and  9  65  oz.  silver  per  ton.  This  ore,  together 
with  13,447  tons  of  Block  14  ore,  averaging  14  29% 
lead,  1163%  zinc,  and  10  92  oz.  silver  per  ton,  was 
sent  to  the  joint  concentration  plant.  The  total  of  ore 
treated  was  41, 209  tons,  averaging  1209%  lead,  11  07  % 
zinc,  and  1006  oz.  silver  per  ton.  At  the  water-con- 
centration plant  the  yield  was  5,886  tons  of  lead  con- 
centrate averaging  64T7%  lead,  6'62%  zinc,  and  34  98 
oz.  silver.  Of  the  tailing  products  11,064  tons  of  lead 
slime,  averaging  6'3%  lead,  1316%  zinc,  and  9'36  oz. 
silver  was  sent  to  the  lead-flotation  plant,  where  823 
tons  of  lead  concentrate  was  extracted  averaging  57  03°,. 
lead,  1118%  zinc,  and  76'24  oz.  silver.  The  tailing 
from  the  two  lead  plants,  amounting  to  34,500  tons, 
averaging  11%  zinc,  2  14",,  lead,  and  4  23  oz.  silver, 
was  sent  to  the  zinc  flotation  plant,  where  7,199  tons 
of  concentrate  was  produced,  averaging  46'8°„  zinc, 
5 '36",.  lead,  and  12  72  oz.  silver.  The  final  residue, 
amounting  to  27,301  tons,  averaged  1'29%  lead, 
zinc,  and  2  oz.  silver.  The  profit  for  the  half-year  was 
£16,859,  out  of  which  £15,000  was  distributed  as  divi- 
dend, being  at  the  rate  of  3s.  per  £\0  share. 

Broken  Hill  Block  14.— The  mining  ol  sulphide  ore 
was  resumed  in  November,  1917,  after  the  company 
had  depended  for  its  income  for  many  years  on  car 
bonates  from  the  old  stopes  in  the  upper  levels  At 
first  the  sulphide  was  sent  to  the  Junction  North  mill, 
but  from  June,  1918,  it  has  been  sent  to  the  new 
treatment  plant  owned  jointly  by  this  company  and 
Block  10.  The  report  for  the  half  year  ended  March  31 
last  shows  that  13,447  tons  of  sulphide  ore  was  raised 
and  treated.  Particulars  of  treatment  are  given  in  the 
preceding  paragraph.  1  hiring  the  same  period,  3,817 
tons  of  carbonate  ore,  averaging  22 '32".,  lead  and  13'62 
oz.  silver  per  ton,  was  raised.     The  accounts  show  a 


126 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


profit  of  £7,748,  of  which  £1,975  was  received  as  divi- 
dend on  shares  held  in  the  King  Island  Scheelite  Co. 
The  dividends  absorbed  £6,500,  of  which  £l,500  went 
to  the  preference  shares,  and  £5,000  to  the  ordinary 
shares  of  £l.  5s.  each. 

Briseis  Tin  &  General  Mining. — This  company  was 
formed  in  London  in  1899  to  acquire  alluvial  tin  de- 
posits in  the  north-east  of  Tasmania.  On  the  exhaus- 
tion of  the  original  properties,  others  adjoining  were 
purchased,  and  subsequently  alluvial  gold  mines  were 
acquired  in  Victoria.  Lake  &  Currie  are  the  consult- 
ing engineers,  and  Lindesay  C.  Clark  is  general  mana- 
ger. The  report  for  1918  shows  that  at  Krushka's 
Flat  197,000  cu.  yd.  yielded  2568  tons  of  tin  concen- 
trate ;  at  Ringarooma  300,000  cu.  yd.  yielded  65  tons, 
and  at  Mutual  Hill  38,953  cu.  yd.  gave7'6  tons.  The 
total  yield  was  328  tons,  which,  on  treatment  at  Laun- 
ceston,  yielded  234'3  tons  of  metallic  tin.  The  tin  was 
sold  in  Australia  for  £74,888,  the  average  price  being 
£319.  12s.  6d.  per  ton.  Owing  to  low  rainfall  and 
consequent  shortage  of  water,  development  of  the 
properties  by  removal  of  overburden  and  re-diversion 
of  the  river  have  been  retarded,  and  a  smaller  output 
may  be  expected  this  year.  Owing  to  the  greater 
depth  of  the  workings  it  will  be  necessary  to  look  out 
for  additional  water  supply.  The  Mutual  Hill  work- 
ings have  been  exhausted.  In  Victoria  the  last  dredge 
in  operation  treated  238,600  cu.  yd.  for  a  yield  of  gold 
worth  £3,899.  Operations  at  these  properties  have 
now  ceased.  An  option  has  been  obtained  on  an  allu- 
vial property  at  Gulgong,  New  South  Wales,  and  bor- 
ing is  being  conducted.  The  company's  accounts  show 
a  net  profit  of  £39,270,  out  of  which  £30,000  has  been 
distributed  as  dividend,  being  at  the  rate  of 

Lake  View  &  Star. — This  company  was  formed  in 
1910  to  acquire  thegold-mining  properties  of  the  Lake 
View  Consols  and  Hannan's  Star  companies  at  Kal- 
goorlie,  West  Australia.  Bewick,  Moreing  &  Co.  are 
the  general  managers,  and  James  Brothers  are  the 
consulting  engineers.  The  report  for  the  year  ended 
February  28  last  shows  that  114,613  tons  of  ore  was 
treated,  for  a  yield  of  gold  worth  £136,507.  The  bal- 
ance of  profit  was  £4,967,  out  of  which  and  the  bal- 
ance brought  forward  from  the  previous  year  £5,000 
was  written  off  for  depreciation  of  plant  The  amount 
of  ore  treated  was  25,073  tons  less  than  in  the  pre\  ious 
year,  this  reduction  being  in  pursuance  of  the  policy  of 
selective  mining  during  the  period  of  high  costs  and 
scarcity  of  labour.  Developments  at  the  Lake  View 
mine  continued  to  disclose  both  oxidized  and  telluride 
ore.  In  Hannan's  Star,  ore  was  found  in  a  winze  be- 
low the  1,100ft.  level.  At  Chaffers,  No.  2  lode  was 
opened  up  further  on  the  2nd  and  3rd  levels.  In  spite 
of  the  development  at  the  three  propenies  being  re- 
stricted, the  ore  reserves  were  maintained.  They  now 
stand  at  :  Lake  View  55,401  tons  averaging  28s.  8d., 
Hannan's  Star  240.213  tons  averaging  25s.  10d.,  Chaf- 
fers 4,660  tons  averaging  26s.  7d.  per  ton. 

Bullfinch  Proprietary. — This  company  was  formed 
in  1910  by  Sir  George  Doolette,  D.  L.  Doolette.  ami 
others  to  acquire  agold-mining  property  near  Southern 
Cross,  West  Australia.  The  mine  has  not  developed 
in  depth  in  the  way  that  was  hoped,  judging  from  the 
rich  ore  near  surfaces,  and  dividends  have  been  small. 
The  report  for  1918  shows  that  57.609  tons  of  ore  was 
treated  for  a  yield  worth  £60,412,  equal  to  20s.  lid. 
per  ton,  while  the  mining  cost  was  £58,582  The  ore 
reserve  is  estimated  at  59,498  tons  of  similar  tenor  to 
that  milled  during  the  year,  and  developments  continue 
to  disclose  the  same  quality  of  ore.  If  the  working 
costs  can  be  restored  to  their  former  level,  or  if  ore  of 
higher  grade  is  discovered,  a  return  to  dividend-pay- 


ing may  be  expected.  In  order  to  place  the  company 
on  a  sounder  financial  basis  and  provide  funds  either 
for  extra  development  or  for  the  purchase  of  a  new 
property,  reconstruction  is  to  be  undertaken.  Present 
£l  shares  are  to  be  exchanged  for  a  similar  number  of 
5s.  shares,  and  200,000  new  5s.  shares  are  to  be  creat- 
ed and  issued  for  cash  whenever  the  occasion  arises. 

Consolidated  Gold  Fields  of  New  Zealand. —This 
company  was  formed  in  1896  to  acquire  from  David 
Ziman  a  number  of  gold-mining  properties  at  Reefton, 
New  Zealand.  The  Progress  and  Black  water  mines 
were  floated  as  subsidiaries,  and  the  company  contin- 
ued to  work  the  Wealth  of  Nations.  The  report  for 
1918  shows  that  in  April  of  that  year  a  fire  caused  the 
cessation  of  work,  and  the  mine  is  only  now  being 
reopened.  During  the  short  time  the  mine  was  work 
ing,  gold  worth  £4,955  was  recovered.  The  company 
also  received  dividends  of  £4,606  from  its  holding  in 
Blackwater  Mines.  The  profit  was  £2,221 .  —  Progress 
Mines.  During  1918,  the  mill  treated  16,320  tons  of 
ore  for  a  yield  of  £23,375,  at  a  working  cost  of  £21,893. 
There  was  also  charged  against  revenue  :  development 
£4,280,  depreciation  £2,978,  and  debenture  interest 
/  1,719,  so  that  there  was  a  debit  balance  of  £5,776. 
Blackwater  Mines.  During  1918,  the  mill  treated 
31,728  tons  of  ore  for  a  yield  of  £61,309,  while  the 
working  cost  was  £38,597.  After  allowing  for  develop- 
ment and  depreciation,  the  net  profit  was  £10.885. 
Dividends  absorbed  £12.499,  being  at  the  rate  of  5",,. 
The  ore  reserve  is  estimated  at  84,887  tons  averaging 
10  84  dwt.  per  ton  over  3  ft.  The  mining  operations 
of  this  group  have  been  greatly  hampered  by  scarcity 
of  labour. 

Siamese  Tin.  Tins  company  uas  formed  in  190o  to 
dredge  alluvial  tin  ground  at  Ngow,  in  the  Renong 
district  of  the  Western  Siamese  States.  H.  G.  Scott 
is  general  manager,  and  A  N  Wakefield  is  manager 
at  Ngow  The  report  for  the  year  1918  shows  that 
two  of  the  three  bucket  dredges  were  out  of  commis- 
sion for  a  considerable  time  owing  to  the  necessity  for 
repairs.  The  total  ground  treated  was  1,656,900  cu. 
yd.,  and  the  output  of  tin  concentrate  was  777  tons. 
The  yield  per  yard  was  1  051b.,  worth  17  48d.  The 
income  was  £212,707,  and  the  net  profit  £35,652,  out 
of  which  £30,000  has  been  distributed  as  dividend,  be- 
ing at  the  rate  of  25".,. 

Ipoh  Tin  Dredging.  This  company  was  formed  in 
1913  to  acquire  alluvial  tin  property  in  the  Kinta  val- 
ley, l'erak.  Federated  Malay  States.  Since  1915  the 
local  management  has  been  in  the  hands  of  the  Borneo 
Company.  Reginald  Pawle  is  chairman,  and  L.  < ! 
Attenborough  is  mine  manager.  The  report  for  1918 
shows  that  634,820cu.  yd.  was  treated,  for  a  yield  of 
246£  tons  of  tin  concentrate.  The  yield  per  yard  was 
0'82lb.  The  proceeds  of  the  sales,  less  Government 
taxes,  were  £45,219,  and  the  net  profit  was  £"14,916, 
out  of  which  £8,960  has  been  paid  as  dividend,  being 
at  the  rate  of  10%  free  of  tax.  The  amount  of  ground 
dredged  during  the  year  was  9£  acres,  and  the  average 
depth  was  4l|  ft.  The  dredge  was  in  rather  poor 
ground  part  of  the  time.  A  new  screen  and  new  buck- 
ets have  been  supplied  recently.  During  the  year  a 
block  of  land  with  an  area  of  10£  acres  was  acquired. 
This  area  is  not  valuable  for  tin  contents,  but  affords 
room  in  which  the  dredge  can  turn. 

Kramat  Pulai. — This  company  belongs  to  the  Tro- 
noh  group,  and  was  formed  in  1907  to  acquire  alluvial 
tin  property  at  I'ulai,  in  the  Kinta  valley,  l'erak,  Feder- 
ated Malay  States.  Dividends  have  been  paid  since 
1912.  B.  W  Thunder  is  manager.  The  report  for 
191S  shows  that  1 77  tons  of  tin  concentrate  and  70  tons 
of  scheelite  concentrate  were  extracted       In  addition, 


AUGUST,    1919 


127 


114  tons  of  tin  concentrate  and  71  tons  of  scheelite  con- 
centrate were  won  by  tributers.  The  income  from  the 
sale  of  the  company's  output  was  £4  1,037,  and  the  in- 
come from  tributing  was  £7,603.  The  net  profit  was 
^35,551,  out  of  which  £25,000  has  been  distributed  as 
dividend,  being  at  the  rate  of  25%.  Part  of  the  bal- 
ance will  go  as  Excess  Profits  Duty. 

Burma  Ruby  Mines. — This  company  was  formed  in 
1889  by  the  Rothschilds  to  consolidate  a  number  of 
alluvial  properties  containing  rubies  and  other  precious 
stones  at  Mogok,  Burma.  The  financial  results  have 
been  generally  disappointing.  The  report  for  the  year 
ended  February  28  last  shows  that  903,760  loads  of 
ground  was  washed  for  a  yield  of  stones  valued  at 
£44,168.  The  trading  account  shows  sales  of  stones 
locally  £46, 145,  and  in  London  £4,697.  The  year's 
work  ended  in  a  loss  of  £562,  which,  added  to  the  de- 
ficiency of  £6,753  brought  forward  from  the  previous 
year,  make  a  total  debit  of  £7,316.  The  company  has 
suffered  from  lack  of  labour,  due  to  natives  preferring 
to  work  on  tribute  and  to  their  going  to  other  mines, 
such  as  those  of  the  Burma  Corporation.  Another  ad- 
verse circumstance  is  the  exhaustion  of  the  better  grade 
ground  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  treatment  plant. 
New  methods  of  treatment  are  being  tried  experiment 
ally. 

Libiola  Copper. — This  company  was  formed  in  1867 
to  reopen  a  pyrites  mine  near  Sestri  Levanti,  in  north 
Italy,  not  far  east  of  Genoa.  The  report  for  1918  shows 
that  owing  to  war  conditions,  the  output  of  pyrites  con- 
tinued to  decrease.  The  mining  costs  were  60%  higher 
than  in  1917.  The  profit  for  the  year  was  £1,819. 
The  reserve  is  estimated  at  990  tons  of  copper  ore  and 
1 1 ,000  tons  of  pyrites.  Since  the  armistice,  the  demand 
for  pyrites  has  fallen  away,  and  this,  together  with  la- 
bour troubles,  made  it  necessary  to  close  the  mine.  It 
is  impossible  to  say  when  work  can  be  profitably  re- 
sumed. 

Esperanza  Copper  &  Sulphur. — This  company  was 
formed  in  1906,  to  acquire  the  Esperanza,  Forzosa,  and 
Angostura  pyrites  mines  in  the  south  of  Spain.  G. 
Mure  Ritchie  is  chairman,  and  T.  D.  Lawther  ismana- 
ging  director.  The  report  for  1918  shows  that  62,720 
tons  of  pyrites  was  raised,  being  23,913  tons  less  than 
1917,  and  that  the  shipments  from  the  port  of  Huelva 
were  67,546  tons,  or  11,732  tons  less  than  in  the  previ- 
ous year.  The  output  of  copper  precipitate  was  60 
tons,  as  compared  with  104  tons.  The  net  profit  for 
the  year  was  £4,761,  to  which  was  added  £17,897 
brought  forward,  making  a  disposable  balance  of 
£22,658.  Out  of  this,  £17,500  was  distributed  as  divi- 
dend in  August  last,  being  at  the  rate  of  5%.  The 
shipments  throughout  the  year  were  irregular,  owing  to 
war  conditions.  After  the  signing  of  the  armistice,  de- 
mand ceased  temporarily.  It  became  necessary  to  sus- 
pend operations  at  Angostura  and  Forzosa  at  the  end 
of  October,  and  at  Esperanza  in  January,  1919.  The 
Esperanza  was  re-opened  in  June.  The  San  Daniel 
and  Nueva  Esperanza  properties  have  not  given  good 
results  in  development,  and  work  has  been  stopped. 
The  company's  total  ore  reserves  are  estimated  at 
886,000  tons.  The  company  has  recently  acquired 
control  of  the  New  Lymni  Company,  which  owns  ex- 
tensive low-grade  pyrites  deposits  in  Cyprus.  Thecom- 
pany  has  also  purchased  a  small  copper-extraction 
works  at  Stockton-on-Tees. 

Poderosa. — This  company  was  formed  in  1908  to 
acquire  from  local  owners  a  group  of  copper  mines  at 
Collahuasi,  Chile,  not  far  from  the  Antofagasta  tV  Bo 
livia  railway.  The  report  for  1918  shows  that  ship- 
ments of  ore  to  the  United  States  were  suspended  in 
June,  owing  to  shipping  restrictions,  and   accumula- 


ted ores  had  to  be  disposed  of  locally.  Mining  opera- 
tions thereafter  ceased  for  a  time.  The  concentration 
plant  was  shut  down  in  May  owing  to  bad  weather  and 
shortage  of  fuel.  Under  the  financial  strain  caused  by 
reduced  outlet  for  products,  it  was  impossible  to  do 
much  development.  The  output  of  ore  at  the  Poder- 
osa was  2,557  tons  averaging  32%  copper,  and  at  the 
Rosario242  tons  averaging  27%.  At  the  concentration 
plant,  3,547  tons  averaging  4  2%  copper  yielded  316 
tons  of  concentrate  averaging  26%  copper.  The  total 
shipments  during  the  year  were  3,309  tons  averaging 
30'7%.  The  ore  also  contains  silver,  the  average  of 
that  shipped  being  12'45oz.  per  ton.  The  reserve  is 
estimated  at  8,000  tons  averaging  22%,  and  5,000  tons 
of  milling  ore  averaging  5%.  The  accounts  show  re- 
ceipts from  the  sale  of  products  £60,100,  and  a  debit 
balance  for  the  year  of  £18,662. 

Antelope.  — This  company  was  formed  in  1908  by 
the  Rhodesian  Exploration  &  Development  Co.  to  ac- 
quire gold-mining  properties  in  the  West  Gwanda  dis- 
trict of  Rhodesia,  60  miles  south  of  Bulawayo.  Con- 
trol passed  subsequently  to  the  Gold  Fields  Rhodesian 
Development  Co.  Milling  commenced  toward  the  end 
of  1913,  the  process  consisting  of  dry  crushing,  roast- 
ing, pan-amalgamation,  and  cyaniding.  No  dividend 
has  been  paid.  The  report  for  1918  shows  that  39,830 
tons  of  ore  was  treated,  for  a  yield  of  18,224  cz.  of  gold, 
selling  for  £79,565.  The  working  cost  was  £78,176. 
Various  factors  have  combined  to  make  the  situation 
unsatisfactory,  such  as  the  intrusion  of  a  dyke,  higher 
pumping  and  hoisting  charges,  and  the  labour  position. 
The  directors  decided  therefore  to  cut  down  all  un- 
productive expenditure  and  draw  on  reserve  stores  in 
the  hope  of  continuing  work  at  a  profit  for  some 
months. 

Transvaal  Gold  Mining  Estates.  —  This  company 
was  formed  by  the  lateNicol  Brown  in  1882  to  acquire 
gold-mining  properties  at  Pilgrim's  Rest,  in  the  Lyden- 
burg  district  of  the  Transvaal.  In  1895  it  was  amal- 
gamated with  the  Lydenburg  Mining  Estates,  since 
when  it  has  been  in  the  control  of  the  Central  Mining 
group.  The  report  for  the  year  ended  March  31  last 
shows  that  at  the  Central  mines  112,130  tons  of  ore 
yielded  gold  worth  £172,456,  at  the  Elandsdrift  mine 
14,870  tons  yielded  £35,333,  and  at  the  Vaalhoek 
16,650  tons  yielded  £22,419.  The  total  ore  treated 
was  144,245  tons  and  the  yield  £231,359.  These  fig- 
ures compared  with  182,685  tons  and  £336,438  the 
year  before.  The  working  cost  was  £196,546  as  com- 
pared with  £2-19. 128.  and  the  working  profit  £34,813  as 
compared  with  £117,310.  The  unfavourable  results  are 
attributed  to  the  cessation  of  work  caused  by  the  influ- 
enza epidemic,  the  lower  grade  ot  the  ore  mined,  ai  .1 
the  increasing  costs.  The  reseives  are  estimated  a' 
Central  mines  408,873  tons  averaging  8'25dwt  i< 
ton,  Elandsdrift  70,700  tons  averaging  15  2  dwi 
Vaalhoek  51,041  tons  averaging  8  73  dwt.  The  share- 
holders received  a  dividend  of  £15,105,  at  the  rate  of 
2$  per  cent. 

Jupiter. — Thiscompany  belongs  to  the  Consolidated 
Gold  Fields  group  and  works  a  deep  level  gold  mine 
on  the  Rand,  below  the  Geldenhuis  Deep  and  adjoin- 
ing the  Simmer  Deep  on  the  east.  Owing  to  the  low 
grade  of  the  ore  the  mine  was  closed  from  1913  to  1915. 
In  the  latter  year  the  Howard  section  was  reopened. 
The  report  for  1918  shows  that  268,375  tons  of  ore  was 
mined  and  267,022  tons  sent  to  the  mill.  The  yield  of 
gold  by  amalgamation  was  44, S01  oz.  and  by  cyanide 
30, 803  oz.,makinga total  of  75, 604  oz.,  worth  £315, 810, 
equal  to  23s.  8d.  per  ton  milled.  The  working  cost 
was  £312,589,  or  23s.  5d.  per  ton,  leaving  a  working 
profit  of  £3,221,  or  3d    per  ton       A  dividend  ol    1  \  ".■ 


128 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


absorbing  £12,677  was  declared  in  December,  out  of 
a  balance  brought  forward  from  1917.  The  reserve  in 
the  Howard  section  is  estimated  at  674,000  tons  averag- 
ing 5  98  dwt.,  as  compared  with  787,000  tons  averaging 
5  27  dwt.  the  year  before.  The  variation  in  figures  is 
caused  by  theelimination  of  blocksof  low-gradeground. 
Sinking  of  the  Howard  incline  was  suspended  at  the 
I lth  level  owing  to  the  dangerous  nature  of  the  hang- 
ing wall,  and  an  auxiliary  shaft  is  to  be  sunk  to  the 
south  east. 

Simmer  Deep. — This  company  belongs  to  the  Con- 
solidated Gold  Fields  group,  and  was  formed  in  1906  to 
amalgamate  several  companies  owning  deep  levels  be- 
low the  Simmer  &  Jack  and  Rose  Deep  in  the  eastern 
part  of  the  Central  Rand.  Milling  commenced  in  1908, 
with  a  plant  owned  conjointly  with  the  Jupiter.  No 
dividend  has  ever  been  paid.  The  share  capital  is 
£l, 650, 000  and  there  are  £689, 400  debentures  out- 
standing. The  report  for  1918  shows  that  522,203  tons 
was  raised,  and  516,700  tons  sent  to  the  mill.  The 
yield  of  gold  by  amalgamation  was  72,353  oz.,  and  by 
cyaniding  51,748  oz  ,  making  a  total  of  124,101 oz 
worth  £518,924,  being  an  extraction  of  20s.  Id.  per 
ton  milled.  The  working  cost  was  £546,796,  or  21s.  2d. 
per  ton,  involving  a  loss  of  £27,871  or  Is.  Id.  per  ton. 
The  loss  is  largely  due  to  temporary  causes  such  as  the 
influenza  epidemic  and  scarcity  of  labour,  and  as  the 
development  is  now  giving  improved  results,  a  turn 
for  the  better  is  expected  In  the  meantime  power  to 
issue  prior  lien  stock  was  obtained  and  the  Consolida- 
ted Gold  Fields  underwrote  £100,000  of  the  issue  The 
ore  reserve  is  estimated  at  932,000  tons  averaging  5  02 
dwt.  per  ton 

Ginsberg. — This  company  belongs  to  the  Barnato 
group,  and  was  formed  in  1S92  to  acquire  an  outcrop 
property  in  the  middle  east  Rand.  The  Balmoral 
property  was  absorbed  in  1906.  The  report  for  1918 
shows  that,  after  sorting,  155,330  tons  averaging  4  95 
dwt.  per  ton  was  sent  to  the  mill.  The  yield  by  amal- 
gamation was  20,507  oz.,  and  by  cyaniding  14,776  oz  , 
making  a  total  of  35,283  oz.,  worth  £150,308.  In  ad- 
dition, £2,062  was  recovered  from  4,366  tons  of  accu- 
mulated slime.  The  net  profit  for  the  year  was  £4,595, 
which  was  carried  forward.  The  ore  reserves  have 
been  steadily  depleted,  and  stood  on  December  31  at 
59,191  tons.  It  is  expected  that  the  mine  will  be  ex- 
hausted before  the  end  of  the  year. 

Glencairn. — This  company  belongs  to  the  Barnato 
group,  and  wasformed  in  1 889  toacquireproperty  on  the 
outcrop  in  the  middle  east  Kand.  As  already  record- 
ed, the  mine  is  exhausted  and  hoisting  ceased  last  No- 
vember. The  report  for  1918  shows  that  21S.786  tons 
of  ore  was  raised,  and  after  the  rejection  of  8%  waste, 
200,900  tons  averaging  3'5  dwt.  was  sent  to  the  mill. 
The  yield  by  amalgamation  was  20,443  oz.,  and  by 
cyaniding  10,519oz.,  making  a  total  of  30. 962oz..  worth 
£132.152.  In  addition,  £5,029  was  obtained  from 
16,868  tons  of  accumulated  slime,  and  £5,407  from 
clean-upof  the  mill.  The  net  profit  was  £6, 796, which, 
with  the  balance  £20,838  brought  forward  from  the 
previous  year,  made  a  disposable  balance  of  £27,634. 
Out  of  this,  £27,500  has  been  distributed  as dividend.be- 
ingattherateof5%.  Operationsare  nowconfined  to  the 
treatment  of  accumulated  slime,  of  which  thereremains 
about  190,000  tons  averaging  2  dwt.  The  rate  of  treat- 
ment will  be  7,500  tons  per  month. 

New  Primrose. — This  company  was  formed  in  1887 
to  acquire  claims  on  the  outcrop  in  the  middle  east 
Rand,  and  milling  commenced  in  1888.  During  the 
next  few  years  several  adjoining  properties  were  ab- 
sorbed. For  many  years  satisfactory  dividends  were 
paid,  but  the  end  is  now  near.     The  control   is   with 


the  Barnatos.  The  report  for  1918  shows  that  200,936 
tons  of  ore  was  raised,  which  together  with  10,914 
tons  from  the  dumps  was  sent  direct  to  the  mill.  The 
yield  of  gold  by  amalgamation  and  cyanide  was  43,661 
oz.,  worth  £186,223,  being  an  extraction  of  17s.  7d.  per 
ton.  The  working  cost  was  £172,711,  or  Ids.  4d.  per 
ton,  leaving  a  working  profit  of  £13,512  or  Is.  3d.  per 
ton.  The  reserves  dwindled  rapidlv  during  the  year, 
and  at  December  31  stood  at  65,690  tons  averaging 
61  dwt.  There  is  in  addition  a  large  amount  of  ore 
that  in  parts  may  be  worth  working. 

Robinson  Deep. — This  company  belongs  to  the  Con- 
solidated Gold  Fields  group,  and  was  formed  in  1898 
to  acquire  property  below  the  Ferreira  Deep  and 
Robinson  Deep,  in  the  central  part  of  the  Rand.  In 
1915  the  company  was  reorganized  on  the  acquirement 
of  the  Booysens  property  on  the  dip,  and  in  191  8  the 
assets  of  Turfl'ontein  Fstate  were  bought  for  shares. 
A  new  deep  level  shaft,  known  as  the  "  Chris."  has  been 
sunk  to  tap  the  property  on  the  dip.  The  South  Reef 
was  reached  in  June  last  year  at  a  depth  of  3,990  ft., 
and  the  working  of  the  Chris  section  was  started  in 
September.  The  report  for  the  year  1918  shows  that 
10  tonsof  ore  was  raised  and  sent  to  the  mill.  The 
yield  by  amalgamation  was  109,692  oz.  of  gold,  ami  by 
cyaniding  61,317  oz.,  making  a  total  of  171,009  oz, 
worth  £714,034,  or  26s.  lid.  per  ton.  The  working 
cost  was  £679,808,  or  25s.  8d.  per  ton,  leaving  a  work- 
ing profit  ol  oris  3d.  per  ton  Other  items 
brought  an  income  of  £5,230,  and  £36,334  was  dis 
bursed  as  interest  on  loans,  special  war  expenditure, 
income  tax,  levies  under  Miners  Phthisis  Act,  etc. 
The  amount  spent  on  equipment  and  shaft-sinking  dur- 
ing  the  year  was  ;  125,005.  Owing  to  interruptions  in 
hoisting,  the  tonnage  milled  was  32,100  tons  less  than' 
during  the  previous  year.  The  yield  per  ton  was  6d. 
less,  the  working  cost  3s.  3d.  higher,  and  the  working 
profit  £108,466  lower.  The  abnormal  rainfall  at  the 
end  of  1917  and  early  in  1918  flooded  the  mine  and 
caused  delay  in  development  and  connection  to  the 
Chris  shaft,  and  in  the  installation  of  the  mechanical 
haulage  system  on  the  35th  level  The  No  2  shaft 
went  out  of  commission  at  the  end  of  1916,  and  until 
the  Chris  shaft  was  completed,  the  whole  of  the  hoist- 
ing had  to  be  done  through  No.  1  shaft.  Since  the  end 
of  1918,  No.  1  shaft  has  been  closed  for  repairs,  and 
hoisting  has  been  done  through  the  Chris  shaft.  When 
the  repairs  are  completed,  a  period  of  prosperity  may 
be  expected  to  return.  The  ore  reserve  at  December 
31  was  estimated  at  1,632,000  tons  averaging  6  9  dwt. 
per  ton.  In  addition  85,000  tons  of  partly  developed 
ore  have  an  indicated  content  of  6  42  dwt  At  the  end 
of  1917  it  was  necessary,  on  account  of  rising  costs,  to 
eliminate  175,000  tons  of  low-grade  ore  from  the  esti- 
mate. At  the  end  of  1918,  owing  to  still  further  rises, 
176,000  tons  were  classified  as  unpayable  On  Decem- 
ber 31,  1917,  the  reserve  was  estimated  at  1,725,000 
tons  averaging  6'43dwt.  About  half  of  the  reserve  is 
available  for  working  through  the  Chris  shaft.  When 
the  cross-cuts  from  the  Chris  reach  the  reef  the  rate 
of  development  will   be  considerably  accelerated. 

Glencoe  (Natal)  Collieries.  —  This  company  was 
formed  in  Natal  in  1901  to  acquire  coal  properties  in 
the  Dundee  district,  Natal.  The  report  for  191 8  shows 
that  work  was  greatly  hindered  by  floods,  and  that 
additional  pumps  to  cope  with  the  situation  were  un- 
obtainable. Scarcity  of  labour,  following  the  influenza 
epidemic,  also  caused  a  decrease  in  the  output  The 
output  of  coal  was  86,322  tons,  as  compared  with 
HO, 955  in  1917.  The  accounts  show  a  loss  of  £3.678. 
A  dividend  of  £6,250  was  distributed  out  of  theprev  - 
ous  year's  balance,  being  at  the  rate  of  2J%. 


The  Mining  Magazine 


W.   F.  WHITE,  Managing  Director. 


Edward  Walker,  M.Sc,  F.G.S.,  Editor. 


Published  on  the  15th  of  each  month  by  The  Mining  Publications,  Ltd., 
at  Salisbury  House,  London  Wall,  London,  E.C.2. 

Telephone:  London  Wall  8938.    Telegraphic  Address:  Oligoclase.     Codes:  McNeill,  both  Editions. 

(420,  Market  Street,  San  Francisco.  ,  ,,  ,.        ,~        ,     ,„  ,„.     ,    „  _,, 

Branch  Offices  :    I  300.  Fisher  Bdg..  Chicago.  Subscription  \  U-K-  a,nd  Canada,  12s.  per  annum  (Single  Copy  Is.  3d.) 

(  2.222,  Equitable  Building,  New  York.  '  Elsewhere.  16s.  per  annum  (Single  Copy  Is.  4d.l. 

PRICE 
ONE   SHILLING 


Vol.  XXI.    No.  3.      LONDON,   SEPTEMBER,    1919. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

Editorial 
Notes...., 130 

Camborne  Mining  School  130 

Interesting  announcements  are  made  relating  to 
new  appointments  to  the  teaching  staff. 

Tehidy  and  Lanhydrock 131 

Tehidy  Minerals,  Ltd.,  has  acquired  the  mining 
royalties  of  Viscount  Clifden's  estate. 

Broken  Hill 132 

Prospecting  for  continuations  of  the  rich  lodes  of 
silver-lead  zinc  ore  has  been  started  recently, 
based  on  a  new  geological  theory  brought  for- 
ward by  the  brothers  Marshall. 

Pulverized  Coal  133 

This  class  of  fuel  has  attracted  considerable  atten- 
tion recently,  from  the  point  of  view  of  its  appli- 
cation both  for  steam-raising  and  metallurgical 
purposes. 

Review  of  Mining  135 

Articles 

Pulverized  Coal  in  Blast-Furnaces  ... 
E.P.MathewsonandW.L.  W  other- 
spoon    139 

We  reproduce  herewith  a  paper  appearing  in  the 
July  Bulletin  of  the  Canadian  Mining  Institute, 
giving  particulars  of  the  use  of  coal  dust  in 
blast-furnaces  working  on  copper  ores,  an  im- 
portant recent  development  in  metallurgical 
practice. 

Diamond  Discovery  on  the  Gold  Coast 
A.E.Kitson   148 

This  article  contains  Mr.  A  E.  Kitson's  account  of 
his  discovery  of  diamonds  on  the  Gold  Coast,  to 
which  short  reference  was  made  in  the  August 
issue. 

The  Evolution  of  Ore  Deposits  from 
Igneous  Magmas   W.  H.  Goodchild  150 

A  Discussion  and  Reply. 

The  Minerals  of  Anatolia 

Norman  M.  Penzer,  B.A.,  F.G.S.   153 

The  author  gives  particulars  of  the  mineral  de- 
posits of  part  of  Asiatic  Turkey,  about  which 
little  is  known  in  this  country,  though  the  Ger- 
mans compiled  records  some  years  ago. 

Four  Years  as  a  Prisoner  of  War 

/.  C.  Farrant   157 

The  Author  continues  his  account  of  the  treatment 
of  English  Prisoners  of  War  by  the  Germans, 
describing  conditions  in  Saxony. 

3—3 


PAGE 

News  Letters 

Melbourne    159 

Broken  Hill 

Toronto    160 

Cobalt ;  Porcupine  ;  Boston  Creek  ;  The  Pas  Mani- 
toba. 

Brussels   161 

Position  of  Metallurgical  Industries. 

Camborne     162 

Non-Ferrous  Mining  Commission  ;  Grenville  ;  The 
Clifden  Deal ;  Geevor :  Wages  and  Produc- 
tion ;  Acquisition  and  Valuation  of  Land  ;  Re- 
search Work  ;  Tincroft ;  Levant. 

North  of  England  166 

Personal 168 

Trade  Paragraphs    168 

Metal  Markets  170 

Statistics  of  Production 172 

Prices  of  Chemicals   175 

Share  Quotations 176 

The  Mining  Digest 

Refractories  in  Zinc  Metallurgy/.  A.  Audley  177 

Glass  Sands  in  South  Africa 

Dr.  Percy  A.  Wagner  ISO 

Gold  Deposits  at  Matachewan,  Ontario 

A.  G.  Burrows  1S3 

The  Broken  Hill  Extension 185 

Ventilation  Problems  at  City  Deep  

E.  H.  Clifford  1S7 

The  New  Elmore  Process    1SS 

Tin  in  Tailing  Water    

Dr.  J.  C.  Philip  &  H.  R.  Beringer  L88 

Properties  of  Tin E.  F.  Northrup  189 

Short  Notices L89 

Recent  Patents  Published 190 

New  Books   

Miller  and  Singewald's  "  Mineral  Deposits  of 
South  America" Ralston  C.  Sharp     191 

Company  Reports  192 

Forum  River  (Nigeria)  Tin  ;  Kampong  K.ununting  Tin  Dredg- 
ing ;   Leadhills. 


EDITORIAL 


CABLE  restrictions  have  been  considerably 
'relaxed  during  the  last  month  or  two, 
and  mining  engineers  are  once  more  permitted 
to  use  McNeill's  Codes.  The  Defence  of  the 
Realm  Act  regulation  preventing  the  use  of 
this  code  was  quite  unnecessary  and  unjusti- 
fied. It  imposed  an  inconvenience  on  the 
mining  profession,  and  the  temporary  stoppage 
of  the  sale  of  the  code  involved  a  great  hard- 
ship on  our  good  friend  the  late  Bedford  Mc- 
Neill. For  the  sake  of  those  he  has  left  be- 
hind him,  we  hope  the  sale  of  the  codes  will 
rapidly  resume  its  old  proportions. 


GERMAN  brutality  of  method  is  not  yet 
dead,  as  the  Polish  population  of  the  coal 
and  zinc  regions  of  Upper  Silesia  can  testify. 
The  district  was  one  of  Germany's  treasure- 
houses  and  its  permanent  loss  to  the  enemy, 
for  so  he  must  still  be  called,  would  be  a  severe 
blow  to  him.  The  Allied  Council,  in  a  fit  of 
weakness  or  generosity,  agreed  to  refer  the 
question  of  the  political  control  to  a  plebiscite, 
and  the  Germans  promptly  resorted  to  means 
for  making  the  referendum  a  farce.  Terrori- 
zing the  population  so  astodeter  it  from  voting, 
or  even  to  drive  it  out  of  the  country  or  cause 
it  to  rebel,  has  been  the  weapon  employed  in 
rendering  the  Treaty  futile. 


IN  another  part  of  this  issue  particulars  are 
given  of  the  condition  of  the  non-ferrous 
metallurgical  industries  of  Belgium.  These 
industries  have  been  the  victims  of  German 
hatred,  but  they  owe  their  present  parlous  po- 
sition largely  to  the  economic  unsettlement  of 
things  generally  throughout  the  world.  The 
smelters  of  zinc,  lead,  silver,  and  copper  ores 
depended  for  their  living  on  imported  ores  and 
on  cheap  local  coal  and  labour.  With  only 
limited  supplies  of  ore  at  reasonable  prices, 
and  with  coal  and  labour  increased  incredibly 
in  cost,  there  is  little  encouragement  toward  re- 
construction, and  the  reopening  of  metallurgi- 
cal plant  is  restricted  and  tentative. 


ON  another  page  we  reproduce  part  of  the 
discussion  on  Mr.  W.  H.  Goodchild's 
paper  on  the  evolution  of  ore  deposits  from 
igneous  magmas,  read  at  the  June  meeting  of 
the  Institution  of  Mining  and  Metallurgy,  to- 
gether with  the  author's  replies.  Space  pre- 
vents any  extensive  quotation,  so  only  those 
parts  which  dealt  directly  with  the  argument 
can  be  given.     Readers  who  desire  to  follow 


the  discussion  in  full  will  find  it  in  the  bulle- 
tins of  the  Institution.  The  discussion  suffer- 
ed from  the  fact  that  the  paper  presented  to 
the  Institution  was  brief  and  did  not  contain 
the  elaboration  of  detail  that  characterized  the 
original  articles  in  this  Magazine.  Conse- 
quently some  of  the  speakers,  who  had  not 
read  these  articles,  did  not  grasp  the  full  sig- 
nificance of  the  theory.  As  their  criticisms 
and  suggestions  are  answered  in  the  articles, 
the  discussion  arising  need  not  be  reproduced 
in  our  pages. 

BEFORE  Parliament  adjourned  for  the 
autumn  recess,  Mr.  Lloyd  George  gave  a 
preliminary  statement  relating  to  the  Govern- 
ment'scoal-mining  policy.  He  threw  over  Mr. 
Justice  Sankey's  recommendation  for  nation- 
alization of  the  coal  mines,  and  foreshadowed 
a  scheme  on  the  lines  of  Sir  Arthur  Duckham's 
suggestion  contained  in  his  minority  report. 
The  miners,  under  the  leadership  of  Mr.  Rob- 
ert Smillie,  reject  this  Government  proposal  in 
advance.  We  have  not  space  for  a  discussion 
of  the  Duckham  plan,  but,  briefly,  it  lays  the 
responsibility  for  the  future  good  management 
of  the  country's  coal  resources  equally  with 
the  Government,  the  coal  owners,  and  the  mi- 
ners. The  machinery  of  management  under 
the  plan  would  be  such  that  no  one  party  to  the 
agreement  could  take  a  defiant  attitude  without 
losing  the  confidence  of  the  manufacturing  in- 
dustries and  of  the  people  at  large.  The  rank 
and  file  of  the  workers  would  do  well  to  take 
the  proposal  seriously,  and  to  cut  away  from 
the  irreconcilable  element  among  the  agitators. 


GOOD  news  is  to  hand  with  regard  to  the 
Camborne  School  of  Metalliferous  Min- 
ing. Mr.  J.  G.  Lawn  has  consented  to  take 
the  position  of  Acting- Principal  for  a  time, 
and  to  conduct  the  mining  classes,  until  the 
governors  find  an  engineer  who  can  accept  a 
permanent  appointment.  It  will  be  remem- 
bered that  he  was  lecturer  at  the  school  during 
the  years  1907  and  1908.  It  is  also  announc- 
ed that  Mr.  H.  W.  Hutchin  has  been  appoint- 
ed lecturer  on  assaying,  taking  the  position 
formerly  occupied  by  the  late  Mr.  J.  J.  Berin- 
ger.  Mr.  Hutchin  was  for  some  years  lec- 
turer at  the  school,  but  left  in  1908  to  establish 
a  private  practice.  Under  the  new  arrange- 
ment, he  will  continue  some  portion  of  his  pri- 
vate practice,  particularly  his  work  for  South 
Crofty.    The  school  has  been  further  strength- 


130 


SEPTEMBER,    1919 


131 


ened  by  additional  appointments  on  the  me- 
chanical, electrical,  and  mathematical  sides. 
Alluvial  mining  is  to  be  added  to  the  curricu- 
lum, and  ground  suitable  for  this  class  of  in- 
struction has  been  secured  at  the  head  of  the 
Red  River  valley  near  Bolenowe,  about  two 
miles  south  -  east  of  Camborne.  Mr.  T. 
Knowles,  who  has  manfully  kept  the  flag  fly- 
ing during  the  anxious  times  of  the  last  few 
years,  now  takes  the  post  of  vice-principal  and 
secretary,  and  will  conduct  the  chemical  clas- 
ses. The  school  is  full  for  the  coming  session. 
It  is  a  matter  of  sincere  congratulation  to  all 
concerned,  including  the  mining  profession, 
that  Camborne  Mining  School  has  entered 
another  era  of  success  and  usefulness. 


TWO  men  of  outstanding  personality 
passed  awayduring  the  month  of  August : 
Andrew  Carnegie  and  Louis  Botha.  The  first- 
named  was  known  conventionally  as  the  steel 
king  and  the  philanthropist,  and  we  will  let  it 
pass  at  that.  Louis  Botha  was  a  man  of  far 
greater  influence  for  good.  He  was  rapid  in 
action  and  decision  when  circumstances  de- 
manded, yet  easy  and  urbane  when  it  was  of 
advantage  to  give  those  who  disagreed  with 
him  a  chance  of  meditation  and  re-examination 
of  the  matter  under  controversy,  and  for  that 
reason  he  was  the  ideal  head  of  a  new  com- 
munity that  had  passed  through  turmoil  and 
trouble.  A  brave  foe,  a  steadfast  friend,  whose 
word  was  his  bond,  and  having  a  high  sense 
of  public  duty,  he  was  a  figure  that  might  have 
stepped  out  of  the  pages  of  Sir  Thomas  Malory 
or  Sir  Walter  Scott.  When  political  difficul- 
ties arise  in  the  future,  in  South  Africa  or  else- 
where within  the  Empire, thewatchword  might 
well  be:  "  Remember  Louis  Botha." 


Tehidy  and  Lanhydrock. 

In  these  days,  when  the  owners  of  mineral 
rights  are  denounced,  by  a  certain  section  of 
the  indiscriminating  public,  as  the  essence  of 
wickedness,  it  is  undoubtedly  a  judicious  policy 
of  the  lords  to  sell  these  rights  to  commercial 
organizations  or  go  partners  with  such  com- 
panies. Other  influences  have  also  been  at 
work  among  royalty  owners  of  late  years  in 
bringing  them  to  a  decision  to  depart  from  old 
practice,  and  many  shrewd  observers  among 
them  have  come  to  see  that  under  modern  con- 
ditions a  change  in  methods  of  tenure  and  ad- 
ministration would  bring  benefits  to  the  estates 
and  to  the  employees,  provided  the  purchas- 
ing company  is  not  a  mere  incorporated  land- 
lord, but  a  group  of  men  of  business  sagacity 
and  sound  mining  knowledge.     But,  of  course, 


there  are  landlords  and  landlords.  It  is  per- 
missible to  quote  this  old  tag  in  connection 
with  Tehidy  Minerals,  Limited,  because  it  is 
unusually  applicable  in  this  case.  The  com- 
pany was  formed  half-a-year  ago  to  acquire 
the  mineral  rights  of  the  Tehidy  estate,  in  the 
Camborne- Redruth  district,  belonging  to  the 
Basset  family,  other  than  those  purchased  by 
Dolcoath  and  East  Pool.  The  present  head 
of  the  Basset  family  may  be  taken  as  one  type 
of  landlord.  Another  deal  has  followed  quick- 
ly, for  it  was  announced  last  month  that  nego- 
tiations were  completed  for  the  acquisition  of 
the  mineral  rights  of  Viscount  Clifden,  of  Lan- 
hydrock. In  contrast  with  Mr.  Basset,  Lord 
Clifden  has  always  taken  a  deep  interest  in 
his  great  possessions.  The  humorist  in  Punch 
may  have  had  him  in  mind  when  he  drew  the 
picture  of  the  farmer  proposing  the  landlord's 
health  at  the  annual  rent  dinner  in  these  words : 
"  If  all  squires  would  do  as  our  squire  do, 
there  would  not  be  so  many  squires  do  as  they 
do  do."  And  in  this  pleasant  feeling  of  friend- 
liness, all  Cornwall  includes  his  agent,  Mr. 
John  Gilbert.  As  far  as  the  purchasing  com- 
pany is  concerned,  we  may  fitly  describe  it  as 
a  combination  of  the  talents  of  Dolcoath  and 
East  Pool,  and  the  names  of  Mr.  Oliver 
Wethered  and  Mr.  C.  Algernon  Moreing  de- 
serve special  mention. 

In  the  July  issue  we  gave  particulars  of  the 
rights  acquired  by  Tehidy  Minerals,  and  a  map 
indicating  the  extent  of  the  property.  The 
Tehidy  estate  is  all  in  the  Camborne- Redruth 
district.  On  the  other  hand,  Lord  Ciifden's 
interests  are  more  widely  distributed.  At  the 
time  of  writing,  no  map  is  available,  but  one 
will  be  published  before  long.  From  the  point 
of  view  of  present  tin-mining  operations,  the 
most  interesting  portion  of  the  property  is  the 
Tincroft  and  the  Agar  section  of  East  Pool  & 
Agar,  with  the  adjoining  North  Pool,  West 
Tolgus,  and  North  Seton  blocks.  This  group 
of  properties  fits  like  a  jig-saw  puzzle,  as  Mr. 
Wethered  said  in  his  speech,  between  the  Te- 
hidy properties,  and  their  acquisition  will  be 
of  great  benefit  to  the  proper  development  of 
the  ground  in  that  district.  There  are  many 
tin  mines  worth  re-opening  in  other  parts  of 
the  Clifden  estate,  at  Phillack,  Gwinear,  St. 
Just,  St.  Hilary,  Gulval,  Wendron.and  Cara- 
don  respectively,  and  silver-lead  mines  that 
have  been  worked  in  the  Bodmin  Moor  dis- 
trict. The  estate  also  contains  a  number  of 
hematite  deposits,  in  the  districts  of  Roche, 
Lanivet,  and  Withiel  in  central  Cornwall. 

The  most  interesting  feature  in  connection 
with  the  deal  is  that  Lord  Ciifden's  estate  in- 


132 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


eludes  many  china  clay  workings  and  exten- 
sive areas  containing  undeveloped  deposits. 
The  most  important  of  these  are  to  the  west  of 
St.  Austell,  and  they  include  the  Carpalla 
property,  which  figured  in  the  famous  legal 
query  :  "  Is  China-Clay  a  Mineral  ?"  Other 
deposits  are  on  Bodmin  Moor,  at  YYendron, 
and  Gulval.  The  china  clay  will  be  an  im- 
portant source  of  strength  to  Tehidy  Miner- 
als, particularly  on  account  of  the  fact  that  the 
Cornish  producers  control  the  trade  of  the 
world,  and  sellers  and  buyers  are  in  direct 
touch.  In  this  way  the  china-clay  producers 
are  at  an  advantage  over  the  tin  miners  and 
tin  users,  who  are  at  the  mercy  of  middlemen. 
It  seems  to  us  that  the  Tehidy  Minerals 
company  promises  to  be  the  most  important 
factor  in  Cornish  min- 
ing that  has  ever  been 
known,  and  that  its  in- 
fluence on  mining,  geo- 
logical, and  metallurgi- 
cal problems  will  be  of 
immense  benefit  to  non- 
ferrous  mining  in  this 
country.  The  fact  that 
the  ownership  of  the 
minerals  is  in  the  hands 
of  the  people  actually 
working  them  gives  a 
freedom  of  policy  not 
hitherto  experienced. 
It  has  always  been  and 
still  is  true  that  the  de- 
velopment of  ore  de- 
posits is  hampered  by 
the  indifference  of  the 

majority  of  royalty  -  owners,  a  notable  ex- 
ception, of  course,  being  the  Clifden  estate, 
and  in  many  cases  the  complicated  subdivis- 
ions of  ownership  have  made  it  well  nigh  im- 
possible to  obtain  compact  leases  of  mining 
properties.  This  drawback  has  been  empha- 
sized recently  by  difficulties  in  the  Pendeen 
and  St.  Agnes  districts,  but  it  is  ever  present 
with  us.  For  this  reason  it  is  to  be  hoped  that 
the  policy  of  purchasing  royalties  will  become 
the  recognized  practice.  It  may  be  asking  too 
much  of  Tehidy  Minerals  to  expect  the  board 
to  go  further  and  acquire  other  mineral  royal- 
ties, such  as  those  of  the  Tregothnan  estate. 
Other  mining  houses  may  incline  to  follow  the 
lead  of  Tehidy  Minerals  and  adopt  the  same 
procedure  in  dealing  with  mining  properties. 
We  take  this  opportunity  of  warning  them  in 
advance  that  they  will  only  succeed  if  they 
can  showcompetent  and  conscientious  methods 
of  business  and  technological  management. 


Broken  Hill. 

Mining  news  has  not  been  arriving  in  this 
country  from  Australia  with  any  regularity 
during  the  last  few  years.  The  war  and  its 
consequences  as  regards  cost  and  scarcity  of 
materials  and  labour  are  largely  the  reason,  but, 
in  addition,  the  decline  of  old  mining  districts 
and  the  absence  of  important  new  finds  have 
also  contributed  to  the  dulness  of  the  news. 
In  the  midst  of  this  period  of  comparative 
silence  on  the  part  of  the  journalists,  several 
interesting  ventures  that  have  been  started  re- 
cently have  not  received  the  attention  they  de- 
serve. One  of  these  is  the  promised  re-ex- 
ploration of  the  country  to  the  north  and  south 
of  Broken  Hill.  In  the  June  and  the  current 
issues  we  quote  articles  in  Australian  papers 


Thackaringa 


l\iuk.-n  Kill 
White  Leads 


Rockwell 


Scale  cfM/le.s 


Sketch  Map  of  the  Broken  Hill  District. 


relating  to  this  revival  of  interest,  and  giving 
brief  statements  of  the  geological  theory  put 
forward  by  Messrs.  Alexander  and  Allen  Mar- 
shall. The  news  as  it  comes  to  hand  is  not 
very  intelligible  to  English  readers,  for  it  as- 
sumes too  much  local  knowledge,  especially  of 
the  past  history  of  this  part  of  New  South 
Wales.  We  have  therefore  preparedan  outline 
map  of  the  district, and  by  its  means  thepresent 
problem  will  be  more  readily  appreciated. 

Considering  itsgreat  commercial  importance 
as  a  producer  of  silver,  lead,  and  zinc,  Broken 
Hill  deserves  a  greater  attention  on  the  part  of 
geologists  than  it  has  received.  For  twenty- 
five  years  Mr.  J.  B.  Jaquet's  classic  has  been 
the  standard  authority  on  the  geology  of  the 
district.  This  report  was  prepared  for  the 
Geological  Survey  of  New  South  Wales  in 
1893,  just  eight  years  after  the  Broken  Hill 
Proprietary  company  was  formed.  From 
then  until  two  years  ago,  neither  the  Geologi- 


SEPTEMBER,    1919 


133 


cal  Survey  nor  the  mine-owners  pursued  the 
investigations  on  any  comprehensive  scale. 
In  1917,  however,  the  companies  jointly  pro- 
vided funds  whereby  an  entirely  new  survey 
could  be  made,  and  the  Geological  Survey  com- 
missioned Mr.  E.  C.  Andrews  to  undertake  the 
work.  If  it  had  not  been  for  the  liberality  of 
the  companies,  the  Survey  would  not  havebeen 
able  to  devote  the  close  attention  to  the  ex- 
amination that  the  conditions  warrant,  but  as 
the  companies  will  receive  the  chief  benefit,  it 
is  right  that  the  funds  should  come  from  this 
source.  Mr.  Andrews  does  not  expect  to  have 
completed  his  investigations  before  the  end  of 
the  present  year,  so  his  report  will  not  be  avail- 
able for  some  time  yet. 

Silver-lead  ore  was  first  discovered  in  this 
part  of  New  South  Wales  at  Thackaringa  in 
the  year  1880,  and  the  deposits  at  Umberum- 
berka  and  Pinnacles  were  worked  a  year  or 
two  after.  In  1883  the  giant  outcrop  of  Broken 
Hill  was  tackled,  but  as  it  was  covered  with  a 
compact  iron  cap  the  nature  of  the  ore  to  be 
expected  underneath  was  not  understood.  In 
those  days  the  occurrence  of  tin  and  plati- 
num also  attracted  attention.  After  the  Broken 
Hill  lode  had  been  opened  up,  its  geology 
and  that  of  the  district  began  to  be  studied. 
The  rocks  were  determined  as  Silurian  schists 
much  folded,  and  the  main  ore-body  was  found 
to  occupy  the  saddle  of  a  fold.  The  strike  of 
the  rocks  is  approximately  NE — SW  and  that 
of  the  ore-bodies  follows  it.  There  are  other 
parallel  lodes,  the  saddles  of  which  have  dis- 
appeared. The  present  Broken  Hill  workings 
extend  for  about  three  miles,  but  mining  has 
been  conducted  in  earlier  years  at  points  farther 
along  the  strike  of  the  rocks,  south-westerly  at 
Pinnaclesand north-easterly  at  Round  Hilland 
Piesse's  Knob.  The  ore  and  rocks  at  these  out- 
lying places  are  similar  to  those  at  Broken  Hill, 
but  the  lodes  do  not  contain  bonanzas.  The 
arguments  advanced  by  the  brothers  Marshall 
relate  to  the  possibility  of  finding  bonanzas 
similar  to  that  at  Broken  Hill  in  these  exten- 
sions north-east  and  south-west.  A  study  of 
the  plans  and  models  of  the  workings  at  Bro- 
ken Hill  lead  to  the  belief  that  the  saddle 
should  be  more  correctly  called  a  dome,  and 
that  there  may  be  a  succession  of  dome  struc- 
tures along  the  strike.  The  way  in  which  the 
ore-bodies  north  and  south  pitch  leads  to  a  be- 
lief that  they  may  pass  through  troughs  and 
come  near  to  the  surface  again.  Plenty  of 
money  is  forthcoming  for  the  testing  of  these 
theories,  some  of  it  being  provided  by  the  Pro- 
prietary, Block  10,  and  Junction  companies. 
Additional  work  at  some  of  the  old  properties 


such  as  Round  Hill  and  White  Leads  will  add 
to  the  knowledge  of  the  geological  structure 
of  the  country.  After  this  development  has 
been  carried  out  and  when  Mr.  Andrews  has 
issued  his  report,  there  will  be  more  informa- 
tion available  on  which  to  determine  ascientific 
line  of  attack.  But  it  must  always  be  remem- 
bered that  in  highly  contortedand  broken  rocks 
the  bonanza  may  be  discovered  by  accident. 


Pulverized  Coal. 

The  mining  engineer  who  takes  non-ferrous 
metals  as  his  particular  study  is  confronted 
with  a  greater  variety  of  power  problems  than 
usually  confront  his  confrere  in  other  branches 
of  the  profession.  He  may  be  called  at  short 
notice  to  conduct  mining  operations  in  any  part 
of  the  world,  and  under  every  conceivable  con- 
dition as  to  sources  of  power.  In  erecting  a 
hoisting  plant  or  a  stamp-mill  investigations 
must  be  made  with  a  view  of  securing  the 
cheapest  and  most  dependable  means  of  driving 
it.  The  steam  engine  will  be  used  if  coal  is 
cheap  enough  and  water  is  plentiful,  or  wood 
may  be  employed  for  steam-raising  if  the  for- 
ests are  handy.  If  water  is  scarce  and  irregu- 
lar, coal,  coke,  or  wood  may  be  gasified  and  in- 
ternal-combustion engines  adopted.  If  oil  can 
be  obtained  at  reasonable  rates,  theengine  of  the 
Diesel  type  may  offer  advantages,  or  the  oil- 
spray  may  be  fixed  in  the  steam  boilers.  A 
waterfall  or  a  catchment  basin  naturally  sug- 
gests an  electric  installation.  The  eventual 
choice  of  the  source  of  power  does  not,  how- 
ever, depend  solely  on  the  ready  delivery  of 
coal,  wood,  oil,  or  water.  There  are  other  fac- 
tors to  be  considered.  One  question  to  be 
raised  relates  to  the  l)est  method  of  distribut- 
ing the  power  to  the  various  places  where  it  is 
required,  and  in  this  connection  it  may  be  best 
to  have  separate  engines  direct-connected,  or  it 
may  be  advantageous  to  distribute  electrically. 
Occasionally  compressed  air  has  been  used  for 
distributing  power  throughout  the  mine,  and  in 
any  case  it  is  the  medium  for  operating  rock- 
drills.  Another  factor  arises  from  the  associa- 
tion of  a  smelting  plant  with  the  mine.  Fuel 
will  then  be  required  for  heating  purposes  in 
the  furnaces,  and  on  the  other  hand  the  fur- 
nace gases  may  be  employed  for  power  pro- 
duction at  the  mine  or  smelter  either  in  steam- 
boilers  or  in  gas  engines.  A  further  factor  is 
the  recovery  of  the  by-products,  such  as  am- 
monia and  the  tar  compounds,  obtained  when 
gasifying  the  coal  or  wood.  Finally  the  engi- 
neer has  to  decide  on  the  best  method  to  adopt 
from  the  point  of  view  of  the  life  of  the  mine 
and  its  productivity.     That  is  to  say,  the  capi- 


134 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


tal  outlay  required  for  the  cheapest  form  of 
power  may  be  greater  than  is  warranted  by  the 
prospects  of  the  mine,  and  the  balance  between 
current  working  cost  and  capital  expenditure 
will  have  to  be  judiciously  studied. 

With  the  present  advance  in  the  price  of  fuel, 
the  power  and  metallurgical  problems  become 
accentuated,  and  all  possible  methods  for  re- 
ducing the  bill,  whether  at  the  power-house  or 
the  smelting  furnace,  must  be  closely  investi- 
gated. For  this  reason  we  take  the  opportunity 
of  drawing  the  attention  of  our  readers  to  the 
use  of  pulverized  coal.  In  this  issue  we  print 
a  paper  sent  to  us  by  Mr.  W.  L.  Wotherspoon, 
of  the  International  Nickel  Company,  on  the 
use  of  pulverized  coal  in  copper  blast-furnaces. 
This  paper  has  already  appeared  in  the  July 
Bulletin  of  the  Canadian  Mining  Institute,  but 
the  subject  is  of  such  great  importance  that  re- 
publication on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic  is  de- 
sirable. In  a  subsequent  issue  we  hope  to 
publish  an  article  on  pulverized  coal  as  it 
affects  the  mining  engineers  interested  in  non- 
ferrous  metals,  written  by  Mr.  L.  C.  Harvey, 
the  engineer  who  investigated  the  application 
of  pulverized  coal  in  America  for  the  Depart- 
ment of  Scientific  and  Industrial  Research.  In 
the  meantime  we  recommend  readers  to  study 
his  report,  which  was  issued  recently. 

To  the  ordinary  man  who  is  conversant  with 
the  difficulties  of  securing  a  complete  combus- 
tion of  the  carbon  of  the  coal,  the  burning  of 
the  coal  as  a  powder  injected  into  the  boiler 
furnace  with  a  jet  of  air  would  seem  both  to 
solve  the  smoke  problem  and  to  increase  the 
efficiency  of  the  combustion.  He  would  sup- 
pose that  complete  combustion  is  secured,  that 
labour  would  be  eliminatid,  that  the  regulation 
of  the  temperature  and  distribution  of  the  heat 
would  be  improved,  and  that  the  clinkering 
difficulty  would  be  avoided.  In  such  a  sup- 
position he  is,  of  course,  mostly  right,  but  on 
the  other  hand  the  opponents  of  the  method 
have  brought  forward  many  objections  that 
would  confuse  him.  The  system  is  admittedly 
not  so  simple  as  it  seems  at  first  sight,  and  there 
are  a  number  of  points  that  require  careful  con- 
sideration. One  of  these  is  the  cost  of  pulver- 
izing, and  another  is  the  liability  of  coal  dust 
to  spontaneous  combustion  in  bulk  and  to  ex- 
plosion when  mixed  with  air.  Then  it  is  said 
thatthe  refractory  bricks  andthetubesdeterior- 
ate  rapidly,  and  that  it  is  difficult  to  control  the 
flame  and  the  temperature.  Moreover  the  ac- 
cumulation of  ash -and  slag  presents  serious 
drawbacks.  But  to  the  practical  man,  who  is 
not  afraid  of  obstacles,  these  adverse  conditions 
have  not  acted  as  deterrents.     In  spite  of  all 


the  so-called  disadvantages,  the  system  has 
gone  ahead  in  America,  and  has  proved  highly 
efficacious  in  reducing  fuel  consumption,  while 
much  coal  hitherto  considered  as  waste  is  now 
being  turned  to  profitable  account.  Thus  the 
cost  of  running  the  power  plants  has  been  sub- 
stantially reduced  and  the  coal  resources  of  the 
world  are  being  conserved. 

The  application  of  pulverized  coal  as  a 
source  of  heat  in  metallurgical  operations,  par- 
ticularly in  connection  with  reverberatory  fur- 
naces in  the  smelting  of  copper  ores,  has  been 
described  in  this  Magazine  on  numerous  oc- 
casions, notably  by  Mr.  E.  J.  Carlyle  in  the 
issueof  September,  1914.  Morerecently  its  use 
in  copper  blast-furnaces  has  been  the  subject 
of  experiment,  first  at  the  works  of  the  Tennes- 
see Copper  Company,  and  more  recently  at  the 
Copper  Cliff  works  of  the  International  Nic- 
kel Company.  The  experience  gained  at  these 
two  smelting  plants  is  recounted  in  the  article 
published  in  this  issue.  Success  has  attended 
the  work  to  the  extent  that  50%  of  the  coke 
can  be  replaced  by  pulverized  coal,  giving  a 
distinct  saving  in  these  days  of  high  prices  for 
coke.  The  results  obtained  so  far  with  coke 
entirely  eliminated  have  not  been  satisfactory, 
but  they  are  sufficiently  encouraging  for  the 
experiments  to  be  continued.  It  has  to  be  re- 
membered in  connection  with  the  application 
of  pulverized  coal  to  copper  metallurgy  that 
the  coal  is  used  for  heating  and  not  for  the  re- 
duction of  the  metal  from  its  compounds.  The 
reduction  of  copper  oxide  by  carbon  is  an  un- 
satisfactory process  owing  to  inevitable  losses 
in  the  slags,  and  much  better  results  are  ob- 
tained by  removing  the  sulphur  from  copper 
sulphide  by  means  of  oxygen.  In  iron  metal- 
lurgy on  the  other  hand  the  reduction  is  effect- 
ed by  carbon,  and  at  the  present  time  many 
experiments  are  being  conducted  in  this  coun- 
try, the  continent  of  Europe,  and  America  with 
a  view  of  using  blasts  containing  coal  dust  or 
carbon  compounds  for  both  heating  and  reduc- 
ing. Of  these  experiments  we  shall  hear  more 
later.  Pulverized  coal  has  also  been  exten- 
sively used  in  steel  manufacture  and  similar 
metallurgical  operations, butthese  applications 
do  not  come  within  our  province. 

Before  leaving  this  subject,  we  would  ask 
metallurgists  or  power  engineers   to   invent  a 
new  word  for  pulverized  coal.     Various  wri- 
ters refer  to  "  pulverized  coal,"  "  pulverized 
fuel,"    "  powdered    coal,"    "  powdered    fuel," 
coal  dust,"    "  dust  coal,"    "duff,"    "culm," 
rejected  fuel,"  "coal  sludge,"  "coal  smudge," 
coal  screenings,"  etc.     Perhaps  some  reader 
will  oblige  with  a  suggestion. 


REVIEW  OF  MINING 


Introduction.  —  People  have  become 
alarmed  at  the  reckless  public  expenditure  and 
at  the  possibility  of  national  bankruptcy  or  the 
imposition  of  severer  taxation.  Among  the 
wage-earners  there  is  little  enlightenment  on 
the  necessity  for  hard  work.  The  tendency 
to  indolence  is  noticeable  in  other  classes  of 
society.  For  instance,  in  mining  circles  engi- 
neers are  complaining  that  the  financiers  and 
boards  of  directors  are  painfully  slow  in  get- 
ting a  move  on.  The  freeing  of  the  gold  mar- 
ket has  been  an  important  event,  and  will  bring 
a  brief  period  of  prosperity  to  many  mines  that 
have  been  suffering  from  high  costs.  On  the 
other  hand  the  new  Phthisis  Act  has  added  big 
burdens  to  the  mines  on  the  Rand.  Silver  has 
been  soaring  to  a  level  that  brings  its  market 
price  to  its  monetary  value.  Another  import- 
ant event  of  the  month  has  been  the  aequire- 
ment  of  the  Clifden  mineral  rights  by  Tehidy 
Minerals,  Ltd. 

Transvaal. — The  sittings  of  the  Rand  Mi- 
ning Commission  have  been  completed  and  the 
report  may  be  expected  shortly.  Political 
events,  such  as  the  ratification  of  the  Peace 
Treaty,  may  prevent  any  vigorous  action  on  the 
part  of  the  legislature,  and  indeed  no  such  ac- 
tion is  immediately  necessary  owing  to  the 
freeing  of  the  gold  market.  It  is  not  thought 
that  the  report  will  contain  any  recommenda- 
tions of  financial  aid  or  government  control,  but 
that  it  will  be  confined  to  the  widening  of  the 
recruiting  area  and  the  improvement  in  under- 
ground regulations  to  eliminate  delays. 

The  mines  are  now  able  to  sell  their  gold  in 
the  most  favourable  market,  and  premiums  are 
being  received  for  gold  shipped  to  the  United 
States.  With  American  exchange  at  $4*25 
the  premium  is  14j%,  which  will  have  impor- 
tant effects  on  the  profit  and  loss  accounts  of 
the  mines  on  the  Rand,  both  rich  and  poor. 

As  mentioned  in  a  recent  issue,  the  new 
Phthisis  Fund  regulations  were  expected  to 
impose  an  increased  burden  on  the  Rand  gold 
mines.  These  fears  have  been  fully  confirmed, 
and  some  of  the  assessments  are  distinctly  dis- 
concerting. For  instance,  the  levy  on  East 
Rand  Proprietary  Mines  is  increased  from 
£"16,500  to  ^41,000  per  year.  At  the  present 
time,  when  the  mines  are  getting  a  premium 
on  their  gold,  this  additional  impost  may  not 
be  particularly  alarming,  but  as  the  Phthisis 
Fund  is  a  fixed  liability  and  the  premium  on 
gold  is  an  uncertain  factor,  the  two  items  can- 
not be  held  to  counterbalance  each  other. 


The  excitement  in  the  Johannesburg  market 
in  Modder  East  shares  has  continued,  owing 
to  the  discovery  of  much  high-grade  ore.  The 
developments  have  been  so  satisfactory  that 
the  directors  have  decided  to  erect  treatment 
plant,  with  a  capacity  of  40,000  tons  per 
month.  For  the  purpose  of  providing  funds, 
a  further  issue  of  ^"300,000  convertible  deben- 
tures is  to  be  made.  These  will  be  issued  at 
par,  and  as  the  present  debentures  stand  at  a 
big  premium,  there  is  no  doubt  about  the  at- 
tractiveness of  the  offer. 

There  appears  to  be  some  activity  in  finan- 
cial circles  in  Johannesburg  having  for  its  ob- 
ject the  revival  of  interest  in  the  far  west  Rand. 
Two  particular  instances  may  be  mentioned 
in  connection  with  this  movement,  the  West- 
ern Rand  Estates  and  the  French  Rand,  re- 
spectively. Fifteen  years  ago  a  good  deal  was 
heard  of  the  former,  which  was  organized  by 
Messrs.  D.  J.  &  E.  J.  Pullinger  to  prospect  to 
the  south-west  of  Randfontein.  A  number  of 
bore-holes  were  sunk,  which  disclosed  two  reefs. 
One  hole  gave  quite  promising  results,  but, 
generally  speaking,  the  reefs  were  narrow  and 
of  low  assay-value.  The  present  does  not 
seem  to  be  the  right  time  for  re-commencing 
operations.  If  the  results  at  Randfontein  took 
a  decided  turn  for  the  better,  there  might  be 
some  encouragement  to  investigate  its  neigh- 
bours once  again.  As  it  is,  the  far  west  Rand 
can  only  be  considered  as  an  asset  of  problem- 
atical value  in  the  dim  and  distant  future. 

Rhodesia. — The  output  of  gold  during 
July  is  reported  at  ,£"214,919,  as  compared 
with  £"214,919  in  June  and  ^251,740  in  July 
last  year.  The  monthly  returns  have  been 
remarkably  regular  this  year,  and  the  failure 
of  some  of  the  old  stagers  is  compensated  by 
the  increased  output  from  some  of  the  smaller 
workings.  Other  July  outputs  for  Southern 
Rhodesia  are  :  Silver  13,493  oz.,  coal  41,521 
tons,  copper  245  tons,  chrome  ore  2,679  tons, 
asbestos  941  tons,  arsenic  4  tons,  tungsten  3 
tons,  diamonds  63  carats. 

It  is  reported  that  Sir  Abe  Bailey,  working 
through  his  Anglo-American  Rhodesian  Cor- 
poration, is  about  to  amalgamate  the  Enter- 
prise, Giant,  and  the  London  lY.  Rhodesian 
Mining  &  Land  companies.  A  new  company 
is  to  be  formed,  with  a  capital  of  ,£"2,000,000, 
of  which  £"331,000  will  be  issued  to  the  share- 
holders in  thecompaniesnamed,  the  Enterprise 
capital  being  written  down  75%  and  the  capital 
of  the  other  two  by  50%.     We  have  yet  to 


135 


136 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


learn  what  is  to  be  done  with  the  large  reserve 
of  unissued  shares. 

West  Africa. — The  output  of  gold  for  July 
is  reported  at  £102,467,  as  compared  with 
£106,612  in  June  and  £117,581  in  July,  1918. 
The  Taquah  return  showeda  temporary  fall  due 
to  a  shaft  accident,  while  the  Abbontiakoon 
figure  was  less  than  usual  owing  to  ore  of  low- 
er grade  being  treated.  The  output  of  Ashanti 
Goldfields  is  back  to  normal  again.  A  serious 
fire  occurred  last  month  in  the  Prestea  Block 
A  mine,  and  all  underground  work  was  stopped 
for  three  days.  Good  results  of  development 
are  reported  from  the  Abosso  mine.  The  West 
African  mines  are  now  free  to  sell  their  gold 
in  the  best  market  and  substantial  premiums 
are  being  secured. 

Nigeria. — Much  has  been  heard  of  lead-zinc- 
silver  deposits  in  Nigeria  belonging  jointly  to 
the  Kwall  Tinfields  of  Nigeria,  the  Transvaal 
&  Rhodesian  Estates,  and  the  Union  &  Rho- 
desian  Trust.  Some  particulars,  based  on  in- 
formation supplied  by  the  manager  of  the  first- 
named  company,  Mr.  R.  Cousin,  were  given 
at  the  meeting  in  April,  as  reported  in  our  is- 
sue of  that  month.  Further  information,  based 
on  a  cable  from  Mr.  F.  H.  Lathbury,  has  been 
published  this  month.  It  appears  that  several 
outcrops  have  been  traced,  and  that  they  vary 
in  width  up  to  50  ft.  Bulk  samples  are  now 
being  sent  home.  Further  prospecting  and  ex- 
amination will  be  necessary  before  any  idea  of 
the  value  of  the  deposits  can  be  obtained. 

Australasia. — The  strike  at  Broken  Hill 
still  continues.  The  woodcutters'  strike  at 
Kalgoorlie  has  been  settled,  but  full  resump- 
tion of  work  at  the  mines  has  been  delayed  by 
another  outbreak  of  influenza.  The  drought 
has  been  broken  in  South  Australia  and  New 
South  Wales,  and  the  position  at  many  mines 
whose  operations  have  been  hampered  by  scar- 
city of  water  is  improved  accordingly. 

Cable  advices  announce  that  the  profit  of 
the  Broken  Hill  Proprietary  for  the  year  ended 
May  31  was  £652,342.  At  Broken  Hill  the 
concentrator  treated  120,095  tons  of  lead-zinc- 
silver  ore,  producing  43,358  tons  of  lead  con- 
centrate, while  the  flotation  plant  treated 
211,438  tons  of  tailing,  producing  48,579  tons 
of  zinc  concentrate.  At  the  steel  works  at 
Newcastle,  the  output  of  pig  iron  was  155,172 
tons,  and  that  of  steel  ingots  178,000  tons. 
No.  2  blast-furnace  was  put  into  operation  on 
December  5,  and  afterwards  No.  1  furnace  was 
repaired.  Unfortunately,  since  the  close  of 
the  company's  financial  year,  the  shipping 
strike  has  cut  off  the  supplies  of  iron  ore,  and 
smelting  was  stopped  on  July  11.     Two  ad- 


ditional open-hearth  furnaces  are  to  be  built. 
It  was  recently  mentioned  in  this  column 
that  the  Waihi  Gold  Mining  Co.  was  contem- 
plating the  sale  of  the  Hora-Hora  hydro- 
electric power  station  to  the  New  Zealand 
Government.  This  deal  has  now  been  com- 
pleted. The  agreed  price  is  £212,500,  payable 
at  a  date  not  yet  fixed.  The  company  is  being 
credited  with  £10,625  per  year,  being  interest 
at5%,  against  the  cost  of  the  power  it  takes 
from  the  new  owners  for  use  at  the  mine  and 
metallurgical  works. 

It  is  announced  that  an  important  discovery 
of  gold  has  been  made  on  Hampton  Plains, 
West  Australia,  a  district  much  to  the  fore  in 
earlier  days.     Details  are  awaited. 

The  Lake  View  &  Oroya  Exploration  Co. 
is  about  to  capitalize  part  of  its  reserve  fund 
and  distribute  one  10s.  share  to  the  holder  of 
every  seven  shares.  The  company's  assets, 
especially  the  100,000  Burma  Corporation 
shares,  have  substantially  increased  in  value 
recently.  If  the  profit  were  realized  by  the 
sale  of  these  shares,  a  large  proportion  would 
go  as  Excess  Profits  Duty.  The  present  plan 
will  give  the  shareholders  some  return  that  will 
compensate  for  lack  of  dividends. 

The  West  Australian  Government  has  an- 
nounced its  intention  of  introducing  a  bill  to 
deal  with  gold-stealing  at  the  mines,  based 
mainly  on  the  law  in  operation  in  Victoria.  We 
devoted  considerable  space  in  the  issue  of  De- 
cember last  to  this  question,  and  detailed  the 
efforts  of  the  mine-owners  at  Kalgoorlie  to 
secure  proper  protection  against  theft.  But 
it  seems  like  locking  the  stable  door  after  most 
of  the  horses  have  been  dispersed. 

The  Commonwealth  Government  has  de- 
cided not  to  exercise  its  option  on  the  Blythe 
River  iron  mines  in  Tasmania.  We  take  it 
that  the  abandonment  of  the  project  is  due  to 
present  political  and  economic  conditions. 

A  flotation  plant  is  to  be  erected  by  the 
Mount  Read  and  Rosebery  Mines,  Ltd.,  at 
the  Rosebery  mine  in  Tasmania.  Develop- 
ment is  to  be  suspended  during  its  erection, 
as  the  reserves  are  large. 

A  company  called  Federation  Tin  has  been 
formed  by  M  elbourne  interests  to  acqui  re  a  lode- 
tin  property  at  South  Heemskirk,  on  the  west 
side  of  Tasmania.  A  mill  of  60  stamps  is  to 
be  erected  capable  of  treating  120,000  tons 
per  year.  The  ore  can  be  easily  worked  by 
open-cut,  and  Mr.  J.  B.  Lewis,  the  consulting 
engineer,  estimates  the  known  ore  at  1,000,000 
tons,  averaging  1%  of  tin  oxide. 

India. — It  is  reported  that  arrangements 
are  being  made  fortheconversion  of  the  Burma 


SEPTEMBER,    1919 


137 


Corporation  into  an  Indian  company,  but  no 
official  statement  has  yet  been  made.  The 
policy  seems  a  judicious  one,  seeing  that  the 
company  is  not  merely  the  owner  of  mines 
and  a  lead  smelter  in  Burma,  but  is  arrang- 
ing for  the  smelting  of  zinc  ores  in  central 
India,  and,  in  co-operation  with  the  firm  of 
Tata  &  Sons,  of  Bombay,  for  the  manufac- 
ture of  brass  and  galvanized  iron.  Moreover 
the  company  has  intimate  financial  relations 
with  the  Indian  Government,  the  latter  hav- 
ing advanced  £"200,000  towards  the  construc- 
tion of  the  zinc  works. 

Malaya.  —  Another  company  has  been 
formed  by  the  Austral  Malay  Tin  Co.,  to 
dredge  in  the  Federated  Malay  States.  This 
is  the  Ulu  Yam  Dredging  Co.,  Ltd.  The 
area  is  400  acres,  and  the  ground  is  estimated 
to  contain  13|  million  cubic  yards  averaging 
0'76  lb.  of  tin  oxide  per  yard.  A  dredge  with 
a  monthly  capacity  of  80,000  yd.  is  being  con- 
structed by  Chas.  Ruwolt  &  Co., of  Melbourne. 

Cornwall. — Particulars  of  the  expansion  of 
Tehidy  Minerals,  Ltd.,  by  the  absorption  of  the 
Clifden  royalties  are  given  by  our  Camborne 
correspondent,  and  comment  is  made  in  the 
editorial  columns.  Our  correspondent  also  re- 
fers to  the  Grenville  reconstruction.  An  ex- 
amination of  the  Geevor  mine  has  been  made 
by  Mr.  Josiah  Paull,  buthis  report  had  not  been 
issued  at  the  time  we  went  to  press. 

With  reference  to  our  criticism  of  Mr.  Albert 
F.  Calvert's  mining  ventures  in  the  Gwinear 
district,  Cornwall,  contained  in  the  last  issue, 
we  have  received  the  following  communica- 
tion, dated  August  22,  from  Messrs.  Ashurst, 
Morris,  Crisp  &  Co.:  "We  have  been  con- 
sulted by  our  client,  Mr.  Albert  F.  Calvert, 
with  reference  to  an  article  published  by  you 
on  page  74  of  the  Magazine  for  August,  con- 
taining statements  which  are  entirely  inaccu- 
rate. The  statements  you  refer  to  are,  you  say, 
to  be  found  in  articles  or  advertisements  ap- 
pearing in  certain  newspapers,  but  you  must  be 
well  aware  that  they  all  appeared  in  an  article 
written  and  signed  by  Mr.  Herbert  Thomas, 
Managing  Editor  of  The  Cornish  Post  and 
Mining  News.  It  is  incorrect  for  you  to  say  that 
these  statements  emanated  from  Mr.  Calvert, as 
he  was  in  London  at  the  time  Mr.  Thomas  visi- 
ted the  properties  and  wrote  and  published  his 
article.  It  is  untrue  to  say  that  Mr.  Calvert 
reported  that  his  average  assay-values  up  to 
date  gave  30  lb.  of  tin  per  ton  on  the  Trevascus 
property.  Mr.  Calvert  states  most  emphatic- 
ally that  he  has  never  given  this  or  any  other 
assay-value  in  connection  with  this  property, 
nor  has  he  ever  tested,  assayed,  or  valued  any 


ore  from  this  property.  If  you  will  refer  to  the 
article  again  you  will  see  it  distinctly  states 
that  it  was  Major  Bullen  who  reported  the 
assay-value  you  criticize,  and  as  the  Jumbil 
Company  has  erected  an  up-to-date  laboratory 
and  appointed  a  competent  staff  for  assaying 
purposes  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  H.  R. 
Beringer,  of  the  Camborne  School  of  Metalli- 
ferous Mining,  we  have  no  doubt  they  will  be 
able  to  justify  any  figures  put  forward  by  them. 
Your  statement  that  Mr.  Calvert  bought  the 
registration  of  the  Jumbil  Company  for  the 
particular  purpose  of  working  these  properties 
is  also  incorrect.  Neither  he  nor  anyone  else 
bought  this  registration,  but  the  company 
originally  purchaseda  property  in  Nigeria  from 
Mr.  Calvert  which  produced  some  tin,  but  did 
not  turn  out  as  successfully  as  was  anticipated, 
and  although  our  client  was  under  no  legal  obli- 
gation and  was  not  called  upon  to  do  so,  he  of- 
fered to  transfer  other  properties  in  Cornwall 
on  very  favourable  terms  to  the  company  or  to 
purchase  the  interest  of  any  shareholder  who 
preferred  to  sell.  These  offers  he  carried  out. 
In  view  of  the  fact  that  the  company  will  next 
week  commence  selling  tin  from  these  proper- 
ties, and  that  the  properties  are  turning  out 
most  favourably,  it  would  not  appear  that  the 
company  has  made  a  very  bad  bargain  in  tak- 
ing them  over."  As  regards  the  source  of  the 
statements,  it  is  true  that  they  all  originally  ap- 
peared in  an  article  in  The  Cornish  P,ost.  This 
article  was  reproduced  as  advertising  matter  in 
other  papers.  In  the  case  of  one  London  daily 
the  order  for  the  advertisement  was  refused. 
It  is  obvious  that  the  article  was  based  on  in- 
formation supplied  by  some  one  in  authority 
at  the  mines.  Mr.  Calvert  says  he  did  not  give 
the  figure  301b.,  but  that  Major  Bullen  did. 
No  doubt  Mr.  Calvert  accepts  the  figure,  and 
from  the  point  of  view  of  the  possible  share- 
holder this  is  much  the  same  thing.  With  re- 
gard to  the  third  point  raised,  relating  to  the 
history  of  the  Jumbil  transactions,  weacceptthe 
correction.  We  look  forward  to  the  regular  sales 
of  tin  with  uncommon  interest.  It  is  worth  not- 
ing that  though,  on  August  22,  the  company 
would  begin  selling  tin  "  next  week,"  it  has  not 
yet  made  its  debut  at  the  tin  ticketings. 

Norfolk. — A  brief  outline  of  progress  in 
connection  with  the  development  of  the  Nor- 
folk oil-shales  was  given  by  Dr.  Forbes- Leslie 
at  a  meeting  of  shareholders  of  the  English 
Oilfields,  Ltd.,  held  on  September  1.  This 
meeting  was  convened  for  the  purpose  of 
sanctioning  the  increase  of  capital  of  the  com- 
pany from  ^300,000  to^l, 500,000,  by  the  crea- 
tion of  1,200,000  new  shares,  to  be  issued  as 


138 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


required.  Dr.  Forbes- Leslie  stated  that  19 
bore-holes  have  been  sunk,  and  that  the  ground 
proved  thereby  covers  20  square  miles.  A 
number  of  beds  have  been  discovered,  one  be- 
low the  other  and  separated  by  partings.  The 
total  thickness  of  the  retortable  material  is 
given  at  not  less  than  150  ft.  One  of  the  bores 
passed  through  70  ft.  of  shale  high  in  paraffin 
wax.  Mining  operations  commenced  six 
months  ago  at  No.  1  Mine  West  Winch,  where 
the  fourth  seam  of  the  series  is  being  worked. 
The  sulphur  content  of  the  lower  seams  is 
much  lower  than  that  of  the  top  bed,  where,  it 
will  be  remembered,  the  shale  gave  a  fuel  oil 
having  a  sulphur  content  above  the  Admiralty 
limit.  The  present  capacity  of  the  mining 
plant  is  500  tons  per  day,  and  is  to  be  increased 
to  1,000  tons.  The  reserve  of  shale  indicated 
by  the  bore-holes  is  2,000,000,000  tons,  capable 
of  yielding  45  to  50  gallons  of  oil  per  ton,  and 
60  lb.  of  sulphate  of  ammonia.  A  distilling 
works,  with  a  capacity  of  1,000  tons  per  day, 
is  to  be  erected  forthwith.  Dr.  Forbes-Leslie 
promises  a  more  detailed  account  of  the  ven- 
ture later  in  the  year. 

Canada. — Cable  advices  announce  that  the 
strike  at  Cobalt  is  over. 

Alaska. —  Efforts  to  bring  the  milling  plant 
of  the  Alaska  Juneau  gold  mine  up  to  esti- 
mated capacity  are  being  vigorously  continued. 
As  has  been  recorded  on  several  occasions,  the 
ball-mills  crushed  only  a  small  fraction  of  what 
was  expected,  and  many  experiments  have 
been  made  to  devise  improvements  in  their 
performance.  The  latest  news  is  that  the  cost 
can  be  decreased  and  the  capacity  raised  by 
converting  the  ball-mills  into  the  closed-cir- 
cuit overflow  type.  Instead  of  re-grinding 
oversize  coarser  than  10  mesh  in  tube-mills, 
the  oversize  is  to  be  returned  to  the  ball-mills. 
Also,  grizzlies  are  now  placed  between  the 
gyratory  crushers  and  the  coarse-crushing 
stamps. 

A  permanent  exhibition  of  mining  machin- 
ery and  metallurgical  plant  is  to  be  opened  at 
the  Grand  Central  Palace,  New  York,  next 
month.  In  a  country  of  long  distances  such 
a  plan  will  save  much  time,  and  buyers  and 
designers  with  headquarters  in  New  York  will 
be  better  in  touch  with  the  makers  in  Chicago, 
Denver,  and  San  Francisco. 

Mexico. —The  public  outcry  against  the 
Mexican  Government,  particularly  in  the 
United  States,  has  roused  Carranza  to  reply, 
but  his  statements  are  not  couched  in  the 
language  of  a  wise  ruler  and  only  serve  to 
render  his  position  more  impossible.  The 
British  Government  is  issuing  a  warning  in 


this  country  advising  that  anyone  contem- 
plating the  investment  of  money  or  the  pur- 
chase of  land  in  Mexico  should  communicate 
first  with  the  British  Consul  in  Mexico  City 
before  taking  any  definite  steps.  The  warn- 
ing notice  states  that  the  precaution  is  neces- 
sary on  account  of  the  frequent  disputes  re- 
garding titles  to  land  at  the  present  time. 
This  attitude  on  the  part  of  the  Government 
is  all  right  in  its  way,  as  it  may  help  to  focus 
the  present  dissatisfaction,  but  many  of  us 
would  be  glad  to  see  stronger  action. 

The  property  of  the  San  Francisco  Mines 
of  Mexico, Ltd., is  beingexaminedby  anAmeri- 
can  group,  not  named,  with  a  view  to  purchase 
for  the  sum  of  $3,500,000.  These  mines  have 
been  before  the  British  public  for  sixteen  years. 
In  spite  of  the  presence  of  many  excellent 
business  men  on  the  board  of  directors,  and 
the  advantage  of  advice  from  eminent  experts, 
the  company  has  not  been  a  success,  owing 
chiefly  to  the  complexity  of  the  ores.  A  new 
plant  with  a  capacity  of  100  tons  per  day  was 
erected  a  year  ago,  its  object  being  the  produc- 
tion of  a  high-grade  silver-lead  concentrate, 
but  in  April  of  this  year  the  mine  and  mill  were 
closed  owing  to  the  disturbed  state  of  Chihua- 
hua. The  company's  position  is  that  further 
capital  would  have  to  be  obtained  for  extend- 
ing the  plant.  The  directors  consider  the  sale 
of  the  property  advisable,  if  it  can  be  effected. 

The  Esperanza  company  announces  that  it 
has  exercised  its  option  on  the  Union  en  Cuale 
property,  in  the  state  of  Jalisco. 

Spain. — The  directors  of  the  Cordoba  Cop- 
per Company  announce  that  the  sale  of  the 
property  has  been  completed,  and  that  the  pur- 
chase price,  one  million  pesetas,  has  been  re- 
ceived. The  company's  assets  now  consist  of 
^"70,000  invested  in  government  securities. 
The  directors  will  submit  their  proposals  with 
regard  to  future  policy  at  an  early  date. 

The  San  Miguel  pyrites  mine  is  to  be  closed 
and  the  company  liquidated.  Several  factors 
have  combined  to  force  this  decision.  The  cop- 
percontentof  the  ore  has  been  continuously  de- 
creasing of  late,  being  now  less  than  1%.  The 
developments  in  depth  have  given  poor  results, 
and  the  known  richer  ore  in  the  crush  below 
the  open-cut  is  too  dangerous  to  work.  The 
company  is  saddled  with  a  very  disadvantageous 
contract  for  the  sale  of  sulphur  ore,  a  legacy 
from  a  previous  board.  Finally,  the  price  of 
iron  required  for  the  precipitation  of  copper  is 
at  a  ruinous  level.  Mr.  John  F.  Allan,  the  con- 
sulting engineer,  and  Mr.  E.  Mackay  Heriot, 
the  manager,  have  not  been  able  to  combat 
these  adverse  conditions. 


PULVERIZED  COAL   IN   BLAST-FURNACES. 


By  E.  P.  MATHEWSON  and  W.  L.  WOTHERSPOON. 

We  reproduce  herewith  a  paper  appearing  in  the  July  Bulletin  of  the  Canadian  Mining 

Institute,  giving  particulars  of  the  use  of  coal  dust   in  blast-furnaces  working  on   copper 

ores,  an  important  recent  development  in  metallurgical  practice. 


HISTORY. — The  use  of  pulverized  coal 
in  reverberatory  furnaces,  cement  kilns, 
open-hearth  furnaces,  boilers,  and  other  similar 
furnaces,  has  been  dealt  with  extensively  in 
many  papers  and  publications  ;  the  present 
paper  will  be  confined  to  the  applicationof  pul- 
verized fuel  to  blast-furnaces,  wherein  the  mix- 
ture of  fuel  and  air  is  injected  into  the  lower 
portion  of  a  piled  mass  of  material,  and  com- 
bustion takes  place  under  pressure. 

Until  recently  the  history  of  pulverized  coal 
in  blast-furnaces  contained  nothing  but  records 
of  failures.  Sir  Lowthian  Bell,  in  his  book  on 
the  "  Principles  of  the  Manufacture  of  Iron 
and  Steel"  published  in  1872, which  deservedly 
ranks  among  the  world's  metallurgical  classics, 
mentions  an  attempt  to  introduce  finely  divided 
coal  with  the  blast  at  the  tuyeres  in  an  iron  fur- 
nace ;  the  attempt  was  soon  abandoned,  and 
Bell  remarked  that  it  needed  but  little  con- 
sideration to  ensure  the  rejection  of  all  such 
schemes.  About  1902,  Mr.  W.  J.  Forster,  of 
Darlaston,  England,  satisfied  himself  by  a 
great  number  of  experiments  at  the  Darlaston 
furnaces  "  that  nothing  but  failure  can  be  ex- 
pected from  the  addition  of  cold  materials  into 
the  hearth  of  the  furnace  with  the  blast." 
Possessed  of  this  opinion,  Mr.  Forster  sug- 
gested the  use  in  theblast-furnaceof  a  specially 
prepared  carbon  obtained  by  heating  solid  car- 
bon to  a  very  high  temperature,  so  that  all 
volatile  matterand  moisture  should  be  expelled 
and  the  carbon  should  be  strongly  heated  be- 
fore its  use  in  the  blast.  He  obtained  British 
and  American  patentson  the  expedient  of  so  pre- 
paring carbon  and  introducing  it  with  the  blast, 
whereby  he  hoped  to  make  special  grades  of 
iron.  The  idea  seems  to  have  produced  no 
effect  upon  the  art  of  smelting  iron,  but  it  may 
be  considered  to  illustrate  the  rest  of  the  history 
of  the  use  of  pulverized  fuel  in  blast-furnaces, 
as  this  history  consists  of  sundry  comparable 
suggestions  of  expedients  all  of  which  have, so 
far  as  known,  failed  to  meet  with  practical  suc- 
cess. The  efforts  to  use  successfully  pulver- 
ized fuel  in  iron  blast-furnaces  have  embraced 
such  expedients  as  the  substitution  of  heated 
gas,  with  and  without  super-heated  steam,  for 
some  or  all  of  the  air ;  the  careful  classifying 
of  the  fuel  into  different  and  distinct  sizes  with 
a  view  to  employing  the  liner  grade  to  create 


a  high  initial  temperature  to  ignite  the  rest ; 
the  substitution  of  an  annular  reverberatory 
arranged  around  the  base  of  the  charge,  and 
the  injection  tangentially  thereinto  of  the  pow- 
dered coal  and  air  ;  the  grinding  and  mixing  of 
the  charge  itself  so  that  the  particles  might  fall 
through  a  stream  of  burning  fuel  and  air,  and 
so  on.  It  is  not  profitable  for  present  purposes 
to  consider  all  these  expedients  or  the  various 
patents  which  have  been  granted  on  them,  be- 
cause, so  far  as  is  known,  none  of  them  has 
been  sufficiently  successful  to  secure  adoption. 
The  results  obtained  by  the  recent  work 
which  we  shall  now  describe  have  been  attained 
not  so  much  by  resort  to  extraneous  expedients 
as  by  the  development  of  the  combustion  pro- 
cess itself.  The  chemical  phenomena  of  com- 
bustion are  relatively  little  known,  although 
they  have  been  made  the  subject  of  important 
research  work  by  numerous  scientists  since  the 
days  of  Bunsen,  who,  in  1845,  made  investi- 
gations on  a  coal-fired  blast-furnace  used  for  the 
smelting  of  iron  ores ;  and  it  is  impracticable, 
within  the  limits  of  this  paper,  to  discuss  these 
phenomena  in  detail.  The  phenomena  ap- 
parently embrace  distillation  of  volatile  mat- 
ter, gasification,  and  combustion.  When  a 
mixture  of  air  and  finely  divided  fuel  is  di- 
rected into  and  against  a  mass  of  more  or  less 
refractory  material,  different  results  may  en- 
sue, according  to  variations  in  a  multiplicity 
of  factors.  The  work  to  be  described  seems 
todemonstrate  that  by  proper  provision  of  suit- 
able space  for  combustion,  and  maintenance  of 
correct  air  pressure  and  fuel  supply  within  the 
combustion  space,  it  is  practicable  to  develop 
within  the  charge  a  sort  of  super-combustion, 
which  provides  at  greatly  reduced  cost  the  heat 
necessary  to  bring  the  charge  to  a  molten 
condition.  It  is  particularly  difficult  to  gener- 
alize or  define  the  possibilities  or  limitations  of 
the  generation  of  heat  in  a  blast-furnace  so 
operated,  for  much  depends  upon  the  physical 
and  chemical  characteristics  of  the  charge,  as 
well  as  upon  the  variable  factors  directly  enter- 
ing into  the  combustion.  A  better  idea  of  the 
work  may  be  afforded  by  concrete  illustration. 
For  this  purpose  we  describe  work  in  a  field 
which,  we  believe,  has  heretofore  been  un- 
touched even  by  suggestion,  namely,  the  melt- 
ing of  copper  and  the  smelting  of  copper  ores. 


139 


140 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


Mr.  Garred  became  interested  in 
the  application  of  pulverized  fuel 
to  blast-furnaces  in  1913,  but  it 
was  two  years  later  when  he  applied 
some  of  his  ideas  in  a  practical  way, 
by  melting  blister  copper  in  a  blast- 
furnace. The  design  provided 
special  facilities  for  combustion, 
and  the  tuyeres  were  so  arranged 
that  in  the  event  of  the  charge  be- 
coming frozen,  they  would  remain 
clear.  During  the  experiment, 
over  a  million  pounds  of  blister 
copper  was  melted.  The  experi- 
ments were  particularly  interest- 
ing owing  to  the  fact  that  with  a 
furnace  of  36in.  diameter, handling 
large  angular  pieces  of  blister  cop- 
per, it  was  possible  to  continue  the 
work  to  the  extent  described.  In 
connection  with  the  danger  of  a 
charge  becoming  frozen  it  might  be 
mentioned  that  the  furnace  was  al- 
lowed to  stand  over  a  week  end,  and 
was  then  successfully  restored  to 
its  normal  condition  in  a  short  time,  by  the 
use  of  pulverized  fuel. 

Experiments  at  Tennessee. — Experi- 
ments at  the  smelter  of  the  Tennessee  Copper 
Co.  were  decided  upon  early  in  1918,  one  of 
their  standard  blast-furnaces,  22  ft.  6  in.  long 
by  60  in.  wide,  being  used.  Ten  tuyeres  on  one 
side  of  the  furnace  were  equipped  for  the  use 
of  pulverized  fuel,  and  the  first  test  run  of  im- 
portance started  on  April  22  and  was  continued 
until  May  4,  during  which  time  the  percentage 
of  coal  to  the  charge  was  3'8  as  against  5'7  of 
coke  used  on  the  other  furnaces  during  thesame 
period,  when  operating  with  a  similar  charge. 
The  second  test  run  started  May  9,  and  con- 
tinued until  May  24,  when  the  percentage  of 
coal  used  was  3'6,  a  very  small  amount  of  coke 
being  used  intermittently.  A  third  test  run  was 
then  made,  feeding  a  little  coke  on  the  side  of 
the  furnace  where  no  coal  was  fed  previously, 
as  it  had  been  found  there  was  a  tendency  for 
crusts  to  form  on  that  side  of  the  furnace.  It 
was  then  decided  to  apply  the  coal  at  ten  tu- 
yeres on  each  side,  but  experimental  work  was 
postponed, owing  to  the  possibility  of  some  un- 
consumed  carbon  in  the  furnace  gases  causing 
discolorization  and  affecting  the  quality  of  the 
acid, which  is  an  important  product  of  the  com- 
pany, particularly  during  the  war, when  a  por- 
tion was  used  in  the  manufacture  of  high  ex- 
plosives. The  war  requirements  in  this  con- 
nection no  longer  existing,  the  company  re- 
turned to  the  experimental  work  in  January, 


Fig.  1.     Diagrams  showing  the  method  of  applying 

and  are  continuing,  with  various  modifications, 
the  methods  of  applying  the  coal.  As  the 
Tennessee  Co.  had  not  used  pulverized  coal 
previously,  it  was  necessary  to  install  a  coal- 
preparation  plant.  A  plant  with  a  capacity  of 
three  tons  per  hour  was  constructed  at  a  cost 
of  about  $35,000.  The  cost  of  the  feeding  ap- 
paratus at  the  furnace  was  about  S5,000.  An 
analysis  of  the  average  ore  smelted  at  Copper- 
hill,  Tennessee,  during  1918,  is  as  follows  : 
Cu  1'55% ;  Fe  34'6 ;  S  24*6  ;  SiOo  20"3  ;  CaO 
49;  MgO  2*0;  Zn  1*4;  AL03  4'3.  The  fur- 
nace has  27  tuyeres  on  one  side  and  24  on  the 
other  and  the  air  blast  is  maintained  at  35  to 
45  ounces  pressure.  Fig.  1  presents  a  general 
arrangement  showing  the  method  of  applying 
pulverized  fuel  to  the  experimental  furnace. 

Experiments  at  Copper  Cliff. — Fol- 
lowing the  work  of  Garred,  already  des- 
cribed, the  International  Nickel  Co.  decided, 
in  June,  1918,  to  carry  out  experiments  in  the 
blast-furnace  department  of  their  smelter  at 
Copper  Cliff,  Ontario.  It  was  decided  to  uti- 
lize one  of  their  standard  blast-furnaces, which 
are  25  ft.  6  in.  long  by  50  in.  wide.  The  fur- 
nace bottom  is  lined  with  magnesite  brick  to 
within  14  inches  of  the  centre  of  the  tuyeres; 
the  two  lower  rows  of  jackets  are  cast  iron  with 
water  -  cooled  pipes,  and  the  two  upper  rows 
of  jackets  are  of  the  standard  water-cooled 
steel  type.  The  furnace  has  48  six-inch  tu- 
yeres, 24  on  a  side,  spaced  about  12  inch  cen- 
tres.    These  are  connected  to  a  main  bustle 


SEPTEMBER,    1919 


141 


Pulverized  Coal  at  the  Tennessee  Smelter. 

pipe  with  6  in.  galvanized  branch  pipes  fitted 
with  canvas  sleeves.  The  bustle  pipe  is  sup- 
plied, by  an  offset,  from  the  main  delivery  pipe 
which  feeds  seven  other  furnaces,  the  normal 
pressure  of  air  carried  at  the  tuyeres  being  23- 
24  ounces.  The  furnace  charge  consists  mainly 
of  a  refractory  copper-nickel  sulphide  ore,  a 
large  proportion  of  which  is  delivered  from  the 
company's  roasting  plant.  The  composition 
of  the  charge  and  the  average  size  and  analy- 
sis of  the  constituents  and  products  are  as  fol- 
lows : 

Nature  of  Charge. 

Percentage  of  charge 

to  blast  furnace. 
Average  for  6  months. 

Roasted  Ore 74  8 

Raw  Creighton   2  8 

Raw  Crean  Hill 80 


Total  Ore 


Converter  Slag   

Converter  Scrap     

Limestone  and  Quartz 


85'6 

10'2 
3"2 
10 


Screen  Tests. 


Roasted  ore— on  I J  in. 53 

Roasted  oie — on  1  in 16 

Roasted  ore— through  1  in.    31 

Raw  Creighton,  practically  all  through  1  in. 

Typical  Composition  of  Blast-Furnace  Charge 
and  Products. 
Cu      Ni       He       S     Si02Al2OaCaOMgO 


%  %  %  %  %  % 
410  38'50  1175  20'25  4'50 
3'90  39  50  23  00  2100  525 
175  2400  11'50  32'00  1000 
3'00  47  00  2'40  26'75  300 
6  00  4200  2'00  2175 
...  100  ...  2'50 
300      ...     91'00 


Roasted  Ore 1'40 

Raw  Creighton  Ore..  1'40 
Raw  Crean  Hill  Ore  2.50 

Converted  Slag  TOO 

Scrap  Charged 2'25 

Limestone     

Quartz     

Blast-Furnace  Matte  5'85  14'35  48'40  26  25 
B'ast-FurnaceSlag...  016    0'32  40  90     165  33' 15 


2'00 


290 


% 

2'25  2'50 
2'50  3'00 
5'00  5  50 
1'25  I  50 
75  1'50 
5275  l'lO 
l'OO  100 


6'50    370  2'50 


The  furnace,  under  normal  con- 
ditions of  smelting,  treats  about  500 
tons  of  charge  a  day,  using  60  tons  of 
coke,  the  average  coke  consumption 
for  six  months  being  12'5%  of  the 
charge. 

Regarding  air  conditions,  only  ap- 
proximate estimates  were  available, 
owing  to  the  whole  of  the  blast-fur- 
nace plant  beingsupplied  from  a  cen- 
tral blower  installation.  General  ob- 
servations indicated  that  the  furnace 
charge  is  kept  about  7  ft.  deep,  and 
XX"  the  smelting  zone  is  from  2  to  3  ft. 

above  the  tuyeres.  Blow-holes  form 
quickly  after  a  fresh  charge,  but  the 
amount  of  dust  made  is  about  nor- 
mal, 1'5%  to  2%  to  the  ore. 

The  tuyeres  require  punching 
regularly,  the  method  being  to  re- 
move the  tuyere  cap,  and,  by  intro- 
ducing a  rod, to  ease  the  ore  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  tuyere.  It  was  usual, 
when  cleaning  these  tuyeres,  for 
some  loose  ore  to  be  blown  out  on 
the  furnace  floor  in  a  condition  which  indicated 
that  the  ore  close  to  the  tuyeres  had  not  been 
strongly  heated.  Through  the  tuyeres,  the 
charge  appeared  black,  and  usually  there 
was  no  appearance  of  fire  until  near  the  mid- 
dle of  the  furnace. 

The  us*al  practice  is  to  make  up  a  furnace 
charge  consisting  of  certain  proportions  of 
roasted  ores,  green  ore,  by-products  such  as 
converter  slags,  and  coke,  all  being  dumped 
into  the  top  of  the  furnace  from  small  cars  in 
such  a  way  as  to  give  an  even  distribution  in 
the  body  of  the  furnace.  Under  these  condi- 
tions of  intermittent  charges  of  the  fuel,  the 
regularity  of  its  distribution  is  not  easily  ob- 
tained. 

Arrangements  for  conducting  the  experi- 
ments were  greatly  facilitated  because  the  com- 
pany had  used  pulverized  coal  in  reverberatory 
furnaces  since  1911.  The  coal  preparation 
plant,  however,  was  1,100  ft.  from  the  blast- 
furnace,and  the  first  problem  was  how  to  trans- 
mit the  coal.  Attempts  were  made  to  transmit 
the  coal  in  pipes  by  means  of  ejectors,  but,  al- 
though the  results  obtained  were  interesting, 
they  did  not  meet  the  particular  problem  satis- 
factorily. Compressed  air  was  then  used  for 
displacing  the  pulverized  coal  from  storage 
tanks,  and  it  was  found  that  2i  tons  of  coal 
could  be  transmitted  in  live  minutes  through 
a  3  in.  standard  wrought  iron  pipe,  1,100  ft.  on 
the  horizontal  and  with  an  elevation  of  50  ft. 
The  feed  or  service  bins  at  the  blast-furnace 


142 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


BBSS  "  ,',\,,::j 


'/  *  i  Reducer. 


fj  Coupling 


75  Air  Delivers  4  Lbs  Coal  Againsl  ?  Lbs  Pressure 
EJECTOR  A 


■ij  Coupling 
€5  Air  Delivers  4lbs  Coal  Against  / 'Lbs  Pressure 
EJECTOR  B 
I'/'l'ree- 


"^irf 


y    ...   .-"] 

■;;-■;--:;:"-::, 


40  Air  Delivers  4ibs  Coal  Againsl  'Lbs  Pressure 
EJKTOR  C 


30  Air  Delivers  41b x  Coal  Againsl /Lbs  Pressure 
EJECTOR  D 


~*v 


15  Air  Delivers  4Lbs  Coal  Against  ZLbs  Pressure 
EJECTOR  E 

Fig.  2.    Various  Forms  of  Ejectors. 


are  about  13  ft.  long,  3  ft.  wide  at  the  top,  14 
in.  wide  at  the  bottom,  and  about  6  ft.  deep. 
They  are  constructed  of  No.  14  gauge  steel 
plate,  and  are  completely  closed,  a  manhole 
being  provided,  and  an  air  vent  pipe  to  which 
a  cyclone  separator  is  fitted.    The  bins  each 


hold  about  l\  tons  of 
pulverized  coal.  At  the 
bottom  of  each  are 
twelve  common  screw 
feeders,  operated  from 
a  line  shaft  through 
bevel  gears, each  feeder 
having  a  small  clutch, 
the  line  shaft  being 
driven  from  a  variable 
speed  motor.  The  feed- 
ers can  be  operated 
satisfactorily  at  speeds 
between  40  and  100 
r.p.m.,  to  deliver  from 
3  to  6  lb.  of  coal  per 
minute  ;  and  any  indi- 
vidual feeder  can  be 
stopped  without  inter- 
fering with  the  general 
operating  conditions. 
The  screws  are  made 
of  special  length  and 
pitch,  being  made  in  a 
lathe.  In  calibrating 
these  at  differentspeeds 
for  the  discharge  of  the 
coal,  no  flushing  effects 
have  been  noticed.  This 
arrangement  of  feeding 
the  coal  is  positive,  suffi- 
ciently accurate,  and 
mechanically  simple. 
The  twelve  feed  screws 
at  each  bin  discharge 
the  coal  into  1  \  in.  dia- 
meter pipes  which  are 
in  turn  connected  with 
the  blast  pipes  or  tu- 
yeres at  the  furnace,  the 
coal  being  transmitted 
by  ejectors,  using  a 
small  quantity  of  high 
pressure  air,  which  is 
beneficial  in  the  mixing 
of  the  fuel  and  air  for 
the  furnace. 

Experiments  have 
been  made  with  a  num- 
ber of  ejectors,  the  de- 
sign of  which  is  impor- 
tant, when  giving  con- 
sideration to  economy  in  the  use  of  compress- 
ed air.  Easily  constructed  ejectors  may  be 
made  from  standard  pipe  fittings,  by  propor- 
tioning the  sizes,  but  the  size  and  proportion 
of  the  inlet  of  the  compressed  air  to  the  dis- 
charge of  the  ejector  is  a  most  important  fea- 


i  •"■•- 


T^^ 


SEPTEMBER,    1919 


143 


Dibliy  Vclvt-' 


12  Lbs  Air  Oelivtrs  5  Lbs. 
Coal  Against  27  Ox  Pres 


ture.  Some  of  the  ejec- 
tors used  are  shown  in 
Fig.  2. 

Incommencingthe  ex- 
periments, the  air  blast 
for  the  combustion  of  the 
coal  and  for  smelting  was 
furnished  in  the  regular 
way  under  normal  opera- 
ting pressure,  and  the 
pulverized  coal  was  intro- 
duced directly  into  the 
blast  before  entering  the 
tuyere.  It  was  found 
that  the  coal  could  be  in- 
troduced very  rapidly  in 
this  way  while  the  fur- 
nace had  its  regular 
charge  of  coke  and  ore, 
but  when  the  coke  was 
cut  below  50%  of  normal, 
it  was  found  that  the  tu- 
yeres becameclosed,coa! 
dust  would  lodge  in  the 
tuyere  pipe,  causing 
troubleatany  leaky  joint, 
thus  rendering  the  condi- 
tion around  the  furnace 
more  or  less  dangerous. 
At  thistime  the  joints  be- 
tween the  furnace  jack- 
ets and  the. tuyeres  were 
notas  tightas  theyshould 
be,  and  there  was  con- 
siderable leakage  of  coal  dust.  Tuyeres  of 
several  designs  were  tried  to  avoid  leakage, 
and  the  canvas  sleeves  on  the  branch  pipes 
were  replaced  with  standard  pipes,  having  flex- 
ible joints.  Improved  results  were  obtained  in 
this  way,  and  some  of  the  tuyeres  used  are 
illustrated  in  Fig.  3.  Later  on,  the  coal  was 
introduced  to  the  blast  by  means  of  an  ejec- 
tor like  that  used  by  Mr.  Cavers  at  the  Ten- 
nessee Copper  Company's  plant. 

During  this  stage  of  the  experiments,  the 
main  troubles  were  at  the  tuyeres,  which  re- 
quired regular  punching,  and  there  was  some 
leakage  of  coal.  The  coal  was  applied  to  only 
half  the  tuyeres  on  each  side  of  the  furnace, 
being  introduced  to  alternate  tuyeres,  those  on 
the  front  of  the  surface  being  staggered  in  re- 
lationship to  those  at  the  back.  Mr.  Garred 
experimented  with  check  or  explosion  valves, 
which  were  placed  in  the  branch  pipes.  It  was 
found  that  these  check  valves  were  not  effec- 
tive except  when  they  were  carefully  designed 
and  placed  in  every  branch  pipe,  and  this  was 
a  complication  of  apparatus  that  was  not  con- 


SECTION  OF  TENNESSEE  COPPER  CO  PULV  COAL  EJECTOR 


•dlasl  Furnace 
<Ci  Side  J<kA.-/ 


1 2 Lbs  Air  Delivers 
S  L  bs.Coal  Against 
2702  Pre s. 


EJECTOR  G 
■Tuyere  Coiling 
5 lbs.  Coal  Against  27 Or  Pres  FJFCTOR    M 

Fig.  3.     Various  Forms  of  Tuyeres. 

sidered  desirable.  It  was  then  found  that  if 
any  individual  tuyere  was  choked, the  coal  was 
drawn  into  the  bustle  pipe  by  suction  and  found 
its  way  down  the  branch  pipes  leading  to  tu- 
yeres that  were  open.  It  was  therefore  agreed 
that  any  possibility  of  explosions  could  be  ef- 
fectively prevented  by  arranging  check  or  ex- 
plosion valves  in  the  bustle  pipe  itself.  The 
experiment  was  then  made  of  introducing  the 
coal  between  and  slightly  above  the  tuyeres, 
by  boring  a  hole  through  the  jacket  and  con- 
necting to  these  the  coal  supply  pipe  from  the 
ejectors  at  the  screw  feeds,  thus  introducing  a 
dense  mixture  of  coal  and  air  into  the  furnace 
independent  of  the  main  air  supply.  This  was 
found  to  be  a  clean  method  and  a  test  was  made 
over  a  period  of  eight  days.  During  this  time 
the  coke  was  reduced  from  12%  to  about  6%, 
with  promising  results,  the  most  important  and 
necessary  condition  still  being  that  of  keep- 
ing the  tuyeres  open.  It  was  observed  that  the 
small  openings  (l^  in.  pipe)  through  which  the 
coal  was  introduced  into  the  furnace  required 
very  little  punching,  the  main   trouble  being 


144 


THE     MINING    MAGAZINE 


with  the  large  tuyeres ;  and  by  observation 
through  the  Dibley  valve,  the  combustion  and 
the  smelting  of  the  ore  in  the  furnace  could  be 
seen  in  operation. 

It  was  decided  to  use  specially  designed  fur- 
nace jackets  at  the  tuyere  level  of  the  furnace. 
The  design  finally  adopted  is  shown  in  Fig.  4. 
These  jackets,  it  will  be  seen,  provide  means 
for  a  more  even  distribut  on  of  the  blast,  and 
it  was  thought  that  they  would  give  better  op- 
portunity for  combustion  at  the  entrance  to  the 
charge.  It  was  also  believed  that  furnace 
jacketsdesigned  on  this 
principle  would  not  be 
more  expensive  than 
those  of  regular  design, 
as  two  tuyere  castings 
with  their  joints  and  ma- 
chine work  would  be 
dispensed  with.  The 
furnace  is  now  equip- 
ped with  some  of  these 
jackets.butitistooearly 
to  state,  definitely,  how 
advantageous  they  are. 

Experiments  have 
been  made  with  a  stan- 
dard blast-furnace  re- 
duced in  width  from  52 
in.  to36  in. at  thetuyere 
level,  with  the  air  blast 
at  various  pressures, 
and  melting  a  variety  of 
furnace  charges.  Con- 
siderable study  has  also 
been  given  to  modifying 
the  design  of  furnaces 
in  order  to  obtain  ideal 
conditions  in  smelting. 
Fig.  5  illustrates  one  of 
these  modifications, 
which  it  was  found 
could  be  easily  obtain- 
ed by  changing  the  sec- 
tion of  the  jackets  in 
the  existing  furnace  at 
the  International  Nic- 
kel Company's  smelter. 

These  modifications 
should  be  advantageous 
for  these  reasons  : 

(l).  There  will  be 
produced,  mechanically 
or  artificially,  a  condi- 
tion wherein  the  melt- 
ing zone  is  fixed  in  pro- 
per relation  to  the  com- 
bustion and  charge. 


(2).  The  tuyereswill  be  free  and  unobstruc- 
ted, giving  improved  conditions  with  reduced 
costs. 

(3).  The  most  efficient  use  of  air  blast 
will  be  possible,  on  account  of  its  complete 
control,  regulation  and  distribution. 

(4).  There  will  be  a  combustion  chamber 
and  tuyeres  so  arranged  that  the  gaseous  fuel 
can  be  used  efficiently  ;  among  such  gaseous 
fuels  may  be  included  pulverized  coal  and 
atomized  oil.  • 

(5).  The  furnace  construction  will  cause  the 


S«ct.on  B-8 


Furnace  Jackets  at  the  Tuyere  I.i  vj  i 


Fig.  5.     Modified  Form  of  Blast-Furnace  using  Pulverized  Coal. 


SEPTEMBER,    1919 


145 


gases  from  the  combustion  chamber  to  be  dis- 
tributed efficiently  to  the  furnacecharge.  Com- 
bustion arrangements  are  such  that  positive 
ignition  of  all  the  fuel  is  assured. 

(6).  The  molten  mass  in  the  crucible  will 
be  strongly  heated  to  facilitate  the  separation 
of  the  metals. 

(7).  The  furnace  construction  can  be  so  ar- 
ranged that  concentrates,  flue  dust,  fines,  etc., 
can  be  smelted  economically  and  with  mini- 
mum losses  by  being  introduced  into  the  lower 
part  of  the  furnaces  by  means  of  the  tuyeres 
or  other  suitable  connections. 

(8).  There  will  be  the  utmost  economy  in 
the  use  of  air  blast,  with  resulting  economies 
in  power,  and  there  will  be  a  greater  efficiency 
in  the  use  of  oxygen,  due  to  the  pre-heating  of 
the  gases  and  their  better  distribution. 

(9).  The  furnace  may  be  rectangular  or  cir- 
cular, with  the  melting  zone  arranged  corres- 
pondingly.    . 

(10).  With  a  furnace  of  this  design,  com- 
bustion occursatthebaseof  the  furnace  charge, 
thus  obtaining  the  most  efficient  use  of  the  heat 
and  gases. 

(11).  The  furnace  design  provides  facilities 
for  repairs  to  the  lower  portion  of  the  furnace 
without  resorting  to  the  usual  procedure  of 
shutting  down  and  digging  out  the  whole  of  the 
furnace  charge. 

To  summarize  the  results  of  the  experiments 
at  Copper  Cliff,  it  can  be  said  that  under  diffi- 
cult conditions,  and  without  interfering  with 
production  in  the  slightest,  it  has  been  demon- 
strated that  important  economies  are  possible 
at  many  smelting  plants  by  the  use  of  pulver- 
ized coal,  thus  replacing  a  considerable  portion 
of  the  coke,  and  the  International  Nickel  Com- 
pany, early  this  year,  decided  that  an  aggres- 
sive policy  of  experimentation  and  develop- 
ment should  be  followed. 

Operating  Conditions  and  Costs. — 
It  is  a  foregone  conclusion  that  the  character- 
istics of  the  charge  will  have  an  important 
bearing  on  the  results  obtained.  At  Tennessee 
the  charge  consists  of  run-of-mine  ore  and 
quartz  in  large  pieces,  with  a  high  percentage 
of  sulphur,  and  melting  conditions  that  call  for 
relatively  small  quantities  of  fuel.  At  Copper 
Cliff,' the  ore  is  comparatively  fine,  over  74% 
of  the  charge  coming  from  the  roasting  beds 
from  which  it  is  reclaimed  and  handled  two  or 
three  times,  and  the  final  sulphur  content  does 
not  much  exceed  12%. 

There  are  some  blast-furnaces  operating  in 
conjunction  with  re verberatory  furnaces, where 
the  blast-furnace  charge  is  favourable  for  easy 
smelting  conditions,  due  to  the  slags  and  other 
3—4 


by-products  being  treated  therein.  It  is  gener- 
ally believed  by  those  conversant  with  the  ex- 
periments that  successful  work  at  Copper  Cliff 
can  assuredly  be  followed  by  successful  work 
in  a  large  proportion  of  the  blast-furnaces 
smelting  non-ferrous  ores  elsewhere. 

Regarding  blow-holes  in  the  charge,  it  ap- 
pears that  these  should  be  less  when  using  pul- 
verized fuel  than  under  normal  operating  con- 
ditions, as  segregations  of  the  coke  are,  to  a 
large  extent,  responsible  for  the  blow-holes. 
For  the  same  reason,  beneficial  results  might 
also  be  anticipated  regarding  dust  losses. 

It  is  often  stated  that  large  pieces  of  incan- 
descent coke  are  necessary  in  the  charge  to  sup- 
port the  burden.  This  may  be  so  under  cer- 
tain conditions,  but  the  experiments  indicate 
that  it  is  not  essential  in  smelting  copper  sul- 
phide ores,  and  we  do  not  expect  it  to  be  a  mat- 
ter of  great  moment  when  treating  other  non- 
ferrous  ores. 

Another  point  of  great  importance  is  the  ef- 
fect of  the  Garred- Cavers  process  on  the  tuyeres 
and  the  amount  of  tuyere  punching.  Tuyere 
punching,  under  normal  conditions,  entails  a 
good  deal  of  hard  labour,  and  it  is  our  opinion 
the  conditions  in  this  connection  will  be  greatly 
improved.  The  moisture  content  in  the  charge 
may  be  high  without  causing  trouble,  during 
the  experiments  several  charges  of  wet  fines, 
the  clean-up  from  storage  bins,  having  been 
handled  without  trouble. 

In  the  preparation  of  pulverized  coal  it  is 
customary  first  to  reduce  the  run-of-mine  pro- 
duct, when  this  is  used,  to  about  one  inch  in 
size,  preparatory  to  drying,  and  then  to  reduce 
the  powder  in  pulverizers.  The  first  precau- 
tion should  therefore  be  to  remove  any  iron  or 
steel  from  the  coal,  by  means  of  magnetic 
separators.  The  next  precautionary  measure 
is  to  employ  a  type  of  dryer  that  does  not  allow 
the  coal  to  accumulate  in  large  settling  cham- 
bers, to  guard  against  overheated  bearings,  and 
to  have  the  dryer  fired  and  controlled  in  such 
a  manner  that  its  temperature  is  under  control 
at  all  times.  It  is  also  important,  in  arranging 
conveyors  and  elevators,  to  see  that  pockets 
and  other  spaces  are  not  left  for  the  accumu- 
lation of  pulverized  coal. 

Coals  high  in  sulphur  and  moisture  content 
are  liable  to  spontaneous  combustion,  and  it  is 
therefore  advisable  that  bins  should  be  made 
of  metal,  totally  enclosed,  with  no  corners  or 
pockets  where  the  coal  is  likely  to  lodge  and 
stay  for  any  length  of  time.  Storage  capacity 
should  be  as  small  as  possible,  compatible  with 
uninterrupted  service. 

Danger  of  explosion  occurs  when  the  atmos- 


146 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


phere  is  charged  with  finely  divided  fuel,  and 
overheating,  through  accidents  or  negligence, 
causes  combustion.  It  is  claimed  that  sparks 
alone  will  not  ignite  the  coal  dust  air  mixture. 

Pulverized  coal  is  much  safer  than  oil  or 
natural  gas,  as  a  leak  is  easily  detected  by  the 
eye,  and  the  trouble  can  be  quickly  remedied. 
The  entire  system,  from  the  point  where  the 
coal  is  dried,  to  the  tuyeres  at  the  furnaces,  can 
be  entirely  enclosed,  and  the  bins  and  convey- 
ing system  contain  but  a  small  quantity  of  air, 
so  that  the  danger  of  explosion  is  negligible. 

It  is  safe  and  good  practice  to  blow  pulver- 
ized coal  through  comparatively  small  pipes, 
and  there  are  several  successful  installations 
where  the  fuel  is  transmitted  long  distances  by 
the  Bonnot  system,  the  coal  being  carried  in 
suspension,  with  about  one-third  of  the  volume 
of  air  necessary  for  combustion. 

With  blast-furnace  tuyeres  in  good  condi- 
tion for  operating,  there  should  be  no  risk  of 
explosion,  but  check  and  relief  valves  should 
be  installed  to  guard  against  such  a  contin- 
gency, in  the  event  of  interruption  of  the  blast 
pressure.  Automatic  controllers  should  be  used 
to  stop  the  coal  feed  under  such  circumstances. 

Regarding  the  ratio  of  furnace  capacity  to 
hearth  area,  it  is  too  early  to  state  anything 
definite. 

There  is  consumed,  in  the  United  States, 
about  ten  million  tons  of  pulverized  fuel  per 
annum,  and  its  use  is  still  further  being  in- 
creased, so  that  there  is  now  an  established 
practice  in  the  preparation  of  the  fuel. 

The  most  important  influence  on  operating 
costs  is  in  connection  with  the  fuel  used,  the 
normal  practice  being  to  use  coke  only, whereas 
these  experiments  show  that  coke  can  be  re- 
placed, to  a  large  extent,  by  pulverized  coal. 
The  relative  costs  of  coal  and  coke  vary  a  great 
deal,  but,  on  the  average,  coke  may  be  stated 
to  cost  twice  as  much  as  coal  delivered  at  the 
smelters.  It  is  only  necessary  to  refer  to  the 
fuel  conditions  in  Canada  to  appreciate  this 
phase  of  the  problem.  For  instance,  the  Inter- 
national Nickel  Company  of  Canadaconsumed, 
in  connection  with  their  blast-furnace  plant  at 
Copper  Cliff,  during  the  last  few  years,  about 
300  tons  of  coke  per  day,  the  average  cost  of 
this  product  during  the  year  1915-16  being 
§6"25  per  ton.  The  price  of  high-grade  bitu- 
minous coal,  as  used  by  them  in  connection 
with  reverberatory  furnaces,  had  a  correspond- 
ing cost  of  $3'50  per  ton  of  slack.  Up  to  the 
present,  high-grade  bituminous  coal  has  been 
used  in  the  experiments.  The  average  analyses 
of  this  coal  during  the  month  of  August,  1918, 
which  average  may  be  said  to  be  fairly  repre- 


sentative, was  :  fixed  carbon  51'85%,  volatile 
matter  36"  10%,  ash  12'05%,  and  sulphur  3'28%; 
fineness  93%  to  94%  to  pass  a  100  mesh  screen, 
and  75%  to  85%  to  pass  a  200  mesh  screen.  It 
will  undoubtedly  be  possible,  however,  to  de- 
velop the  use  of  a  large  variety  of  pulverized 
fuel  for  blast-furnace  operations,  as  has  been 
the  case  with  boilers  and  other  types  of  fur- 
naces. Lignite  will  be  suitable  in  many  locali- 
ties, among  which  are  certain  portions  of  Can- 
ada, Mexico,  and  Burma. 

In  blast-furnace  smeltingof  copper  ores,  the 
ash  content  of  the  fuel  is  of  minor  importance, 
and  the  more  erosion  in  a  furnace  charge  the 
greater  the  efficiency,  so  that  these  two  factors 
connected  with  the  used  of  pulverized  coal, 
which  are  discussed  so  freely  in  connection 
withother  furnaceapplications.arehere  of  little 
significance.  The  influence  on  power  costs 
should  be  favourable,  owing  to  the  increased 
efficiency  in  the  furnace,  and  the  possibilities 
of  more  regular  charge  reducing  the  wastage 
of  air.  The  amount  of  power  used  for  apply- 
ing the  coal  at  the  furnace  is  small,  being  con- 
fined to  the  feeders  and  other  apparatus,  such 
as  ejectors,  etc.  The  air  supply  will  naturally 
vary  according  to  the  character  of  the  furnace 
charge  and  the  height  of  the  column  that  is 
found  to  be  advisable.  The  present  work  has 
been  carried  on  with  the  same  air  pressure  and 
the  same  height  of  charge  as  is  usually  em- 
ployed at  these  smelters;  but  if  higher  pres- 
sures are  used,  it  is  anticipated  that  the  addi- 
tional cost  of  power  will  be  more  than  met  by 
the  increased  efficiency  in  the  smelting  opera- 
tion. 

The  introduction  of  the  fuel  at  the  tuyeres 
gives  considerable  relief  on  the  charge  floor  of 
the  furnace,  and  in  a  large  smelter  should  have 
favourable  effects  on  the  cost  of  tramming,  the 
coke  being  usually  handled  in  cars  or  other 
mechanical  devices,  from  storage  bins,  and  this 
requires  an  appreciable  amount  of  labour, 
power,  and  equipment. 

The  cost  of  preparing  pulverized  coal  will 
vary  considerably,  as  there  are  several  factors 
bearing  on  the  matter,  among  which  are  labour, 
power,  fuel  for  dryer,  repairs,  in  addition  to  in- 
terest and  depreciation  on  buildings  and  equip- 
ment. The  power  required  for  crushing,  dry- 
ing, elevating,  and  conveying  the  pulverized 
coal  will  be  about  20  horse-power-hours  per 
ton  of  coal  handled,  and  with  modern  equip- 
ment under  average  conditions, the  cost  will  be 
about  8  cents  per  ton  per  hour.  The  cost  of 
operating  the  dryer  will  depend  upon  the  cost 
of  the  fuel,  as  the  amount  required  per  ton  of 
coal  dried,  with  a  given  moisture  content,  with 


SEPTEMBER,    1919 


147 


standard  dryers,  will  not  vary  much.  The  cost 
of  labour  will  be  directly  affected  by  the  equip- 
ment installed  and  the  size  of  the  plant.  The 
costs  from  several  plants,  with  a  capacity  of 
from  5  to  10  tons  per  hour, varies  considerably. 
The  records  for  1912, at  the  American  Iron  and 
Steel  Manufacturing  Co. of  Lebanon,  Pennsyl- 
vania, show  40c.  per  ton  for  the  actual  prepara- 
tion of  the  coal,  on  a  basis  of  150  to  200  tons 
per  day,  and  20c.  for  the  conveying  system, 
which,  in  their  case,  is  of  an  extensive  charac- 
ter, owing  to  the  large  number  of  furnaces  to 
which  pulverized  coal  is  applied. 
The  details  are  as  follows  : 

Rate  per  ton  of 
coal  produced. 

Fuel $0034 

Repairs  to  buildings  0  002 

Operating    0"  145 

Power  (steam  and  electric)  ...     0  221 

Repairs  to  machinery  and  equipment 0  200 

$0'602 

Atthe  International  NickelCompany'ssmel- 
ter,  the  average  cost  of  preparing  and  deliver- 
ing the  coal  to  the  furnace  in  1913  was  as 
follows  : 

Labour SO' 15 

Power 010 

Repairs    0145 

Coal  for  drying 0055 

$0'45 

The  present  costs  are  abnormal,  due  to  war 
conditions,  and  will  undoubtedly  be  reduced  in 
the  near  future.     They  are  as  follows : 

Labour  (6  months)  $0'384 

Power  (June  to  November,  inclusive,  1918)  ■•■    0'084 

Repairs    0  284 

Coal  for  drying  (101  tons  per  day  average)     ...     0108 

$0"860 

In  this  connection  it  may  be  stated  that  the 
cost  of  dry  ing  is  excessive,  because  the  moisture 
content  of  the  coal  averages  about  10%,  and 
that  the  amount  of  labour  employed  could  con- 
veniently prepare  a  much  larger  tonnage  of 
coal.  The  item  "repairs"  includes  all  repairs 
to  coal  crackers,  grinders, conveyors,  fans, belt- 
ing, etc.  Four  men  on  an  8  hour  shift  are  all 
that  are  necessary  to  prepare  and  deliver  100 
to  200  tons  per  day. 

The  costs  in  connection  with  lignite  are,  of 
course,  greater  than  with  other  fuels, due  to  the 
large  increase  in  dryer  costs  on  account  of  the 
moisture.  This,  to  a  certain  extent,  is  compen- 
sated for  in  reduced  repair  cost  to  pulverizing 
machinery,  as  lignite  is  easily  ground.  Some 
of  the  average  operating  costs,  under  recent 
conditions,  are  reported  as  follows  : 

Small  plants  (2  to  5  tons  per  hour),  Sl'20 
per  ton. 

Medium  plants  (10  to  15  tons  per  hour),  75c. 
per  ton. 


Large  plants  (20  tons  and  over  per  hour), 
45c.  per  ton. 

The  preparation  of  lignite  calls  for  more  at- 
tention than  that  of  other  fuels,  on  account  of 
the  high  moisture  content, which  is  frequently 
in  excess  of  50%,  and  on  account  of  the  large 
amount  of  volatile  constituents.  It  is  usual  to 
reduce  the  moisture  to  about  6% ;  to  attempt 
further  reduction  is  to  invite  trouble  in  the  way 
of  fires  and  excessive  dryer  costs,  and  all  to  no 
avail,  because  it  will  again  absorb  this  much 
moisture  from  the  atmosphere.  Various  tests 
show  that  lignites  lose  2f%  of  their  volatile 
combustible  matter, when  exposed  to  a  temper- 
ature of  214°F.  for  a  period  of  30  minutes. 
Such  losses  cannot  be  allowed,  and  so  the  dry- 
ing must  be  done  at  lower  temperatures,  and 
therefore  with  increased  equipment,  recent 
practice  being  to  arrange  the  dryers  in  series. 

We  have  prepared  a  table  showing  the  ap- 
proximate costs  of  plants  of  different  capacities 
with  certain  costs  as  a  basis  : 

Daily  Capacity                                        Total  Building 

in  net  tons  No.  of  mills               cost.  only, 

per  24  hours.  required.                     8  $ 

20  one  33  in.                34,000  5,500 

50  one  42  in.  40.700  7,500 

100  three  33in.                49.500  10,700 

200  three  42in.               66.000  12.500 

300  two  57  in.                79,200  14,750 

400  three  57in.                92,500  15,300 

500  four  57  in.  106,700  16.000 

7i0  five  57  in.  143.000  19,000 

1,000  seven  57  in.  177,000  21,750 

These  costs  are  for  complete  plants,  but  there 
should  be  added  10%  for  engineering.  They 
are  for  January,  1919.  The  estimates  are  for 
construction  in  the  eastern  or  middle  regions  of 
the  United  States. 

We  also  include  the  distribution  of  an  esti- 
mate for  a  coal  plant  of  500  tons  per  day,  336 
tons  capacity  in  16  hours,  electrically  driven  : 

Building  32ft.  by  120ft.  erected  : 

Structural  steel 10.200 

Corrugated  roofing 

Corrugated  siding    l.tOO 

Louvres   64  8 

Steel  windows  and  doors 1,650 

Concrete  foundations 1,200 

Excavations 200 

S  16.080 

Machinery : 

Steel  track,  hoppers,  grating,  plate  feeder,  etc.  1.000 

Single  roll  coal  crusher 1.410 

Motor  for  coal  crusher  

Steel  cased  elevators 4,266 

Mo'or  drives  for  elevators   1.720 

Magnetic  separator 

Storage  bins  and  supports   2,600 

Cr;ule  feeder  with  driving  mechanism    750 

Rotary  coal  dryer  with  exhauster,  dust  collec- 
tor, piping,  and  motor  drive    12,670 

Brick  work  for  dryer 1,400 

Pulverized  coal  equipment  for  dryer  1,500 

Screw  conveyor  with  trough  "00 

Three  20  ton  bins  above  mills,  with  discharge 

pouts,  bin  gates,  and  spouts 4.571 

Thne  57  in.  mills  with  pullej  drives,  motors, 

and  belts 31.260 

Steel  platforms,  runways,  and  stairs  4,000 

Discharge  spouts  from  mills  300 

10  ton  crane   1,500 

Screw  conveyor  with  motor   drive  620 


148 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


Conveyor  cover,  exhauster,  dust  collector,  and 

piping  1,900 

Wiring  and  installation  of  motors 4,000 

Machinery  foundations  and  floors    3,150 

Excavations   1,000 

Miscellaneous  erection,  labour 3,750 

Total    

Engineering  10% 


85.458 
8101.538 

10.150 


Sill. 888 

General. --Theexperiments  described  give 
a  general  outline  of  the  work  done  by  Garred 
and  Cavers,  and  the  authors  have  presented 
general  information  obtained  to  date.  The  ex- 
periments of  the  Tennessee  Copper  Company 
are  continuing  with  encouraging  results,  and  at 
the  plant  of  the  International  Nickel  Com- 
pany the  most  recent  work  has  been  to  endea- 
vour to  operate  the  furnace  entirely  without 
coke  following  earlier  work  where  an  average 
of  about  50%  of  the  coke  had  been  replaced. 
The  results,  with  all  coke  eliminated,  have  not 
as  yet  been  satisfactory,  but  are  sufficiently 
encouraging  to  continue  the  experiment  with 
that  object  in  view. 

The  processes  involving  the  application  of 
pulverized  fuel  to  blast-furnaces  have  been  pa- 
tented in  the  United  States,  Canada,  and  many 
foreign  countries,  the  patentees,  Garred  and 


Cavers,  both  being  engaged  in  work  connected 
with  the  smelting  of  non-ferrous  ores, and  both 
simultaneously  working  on  practically  the 
same  problem,  of  the  combustion  of  finely  di- 
vided fuel  in  a  blast-furnace.  Owing  to  the 
magnitude  of  the  problems  involved,  a  con- 
solidation of  their  interests  was  effected  recent- 
ly by  the  formation  of  the  Garred-Cavers  Cor- 
poration, New  York,  which  company  has  ac- 
quired the  patents  issued  and  pending  in  con- 
nection with  this  work.  It  is  expected  that 
experiments  on  the  smelting  of  silver-lead  ores 
will  be  commenced  in  the  near  future,  and  we 
have  every  reason  to  believe  the  prospects  are 
good  for  increasing  the  efficiency  of  blast-fur- 
nace practice. 

During  the  last  few  years,  some  twenty  to 
thirtymillion  tons  of  non-ferrous  ores  per  year 
have  been  treated  in  blast-furnaces  in  the 
I'nited  States,  Canada,  and  Mexico,  and  it  is 
believed  that  further  developments  of  a  satis- 
factory nature  in  connection  with  this  work 
will  enable  a  large  proportion  of  these  ores  to 
be  smelted  with  considerable  economies  in  fuel 
consumption. 

[The  subject  of  pulverized  fuel  as  applied 
for  metallurgical  and  power  purposes  is  dis- 
cussed elsewhere  in  this  issue. — EDITOR.] 


DIAMOND  DISCOVERY  ON   THE  GOLD  COAST. 

This  article  contains  Mr.  A.  E.  Kitson's  account  of  his  discovery  of  diamonds  on  the  Gold 
Coast,  to  which  short  reference  was  made  in  the  August  issue. 


IT  was  announced  recently  that  diamonds 
were  discovered  by  Mr.  A.  E.  Kitson,  Di- 
rector of  the  Gold  Coast  Geological  Survey,  in 
theshallowquartz-gravelsoftheAbomo  stream 
and  the  adjacent  ridge,  near  the  village  of  Abo- 
moso,  on  the  Birrim  River,  at  a  point  about  15 
miles  to  the  north-west  of  Kibbi,  in  the  district 
of  Akim  Abuakwa,  and  some  65  miles  to  the 
north-west  of  Accra,  the  capital  of  the  Colony. 
Mr.  Kitson's  report,  which  was  published  a 
few  weeks  ago  by  the  Gold  Coast  Government, 
is  given  below,  with  certain  modifications  em- 
bodying the  recent  official  announcement  of 
the  Colonial  Office  relating  to  the  discovery. 

On  February  4  last,  while  bicycling  down 
the  slope  of  the  low  rise  on  the  eastern  side  of 
the  Abomo  Su,  on  the  road  from  Asunafo  to 
Abomoso,  Mr.  Kitson  saw  some  angular  quartz- 
gravel  in  the  gutter,  and  decided  to  test  it  for 
gold.  Three  small  panfuls  were  collected, 
panned  in  the  Abomo  near  by,  and  two  small 
diamonds  with  some  gold,  including  one  good 
speck,  were  found  therein.  Five  small  pans  of 
gravel  from  the  bed  of  this  very  small  swampy 


stream  were  also  concentrated  and  one  more 
diamond  was  found.  During  the  following 
six  days  numerous  places  on  the  low  ridges 
and  the  Abomo  Su  flat  were  tested  by  pann- 
ing with  a  view  to  trace  the  distribution  of  the 
diamonds.  Altogether  325  diamonds,  most  of 
them  very  small,  were  obtained,  chiefly  from 
the  gravel  in  the  bed  of  the  Abomo  Su.  Most 
of  the  work  was  done  away  from  the  channel 
of  the  stream,  otherwise  many  more  diamonds 
would  have  been  found. 

A  tour  extending  over  eleven  days  was  then 
made  to  Kade  Mountain  and  back  to  Abomoso, 
via  Asunafo,  through  the  country  to  the  north- 
west of  Abomoso,  in  order  to  test  it  for  dia- 
monds. During  this  tour  a  few  small  dia- 
monds were  found.  Seven  of  these  came  from 
the  Bwano  Su,  4  miles  away;  twelve  from 
the  Asikawkaw  Su,  from  three  places,  6  miles,' 
6i  miles,  and  10  miles  away;  three  from  the 
Kadewa  Su,  14  miles  to  the  north-west:  and 
two  from  the  Akwasi  Su,  one  mile  north-east. 

On  return  to  Abomoso,  21  pits,  varying  from 
5  to  10  ft.  in  depth,  were  sunk  into  bedrock 


SEPTEMBER,    1919 


149 


at  various  places  on  the  Abomo  flat  and  on 
the  adjacent  low  ridge  to  the  east  of  it. 

Numbers  of  small  pans  of  gravel  and  sand 
were  washed  from  different  layers  in  these 
shafts,  and  from  the  surface  soil  near  them,  and 
some  45  diamonds  found.  None  of  these  was 
found  in  the  bedrock;  all  of  them  came  from 
the  material  overlying  it.  This  later  work 
proved  the  distribution  of  the  diamonds  over  a 
length  of  li  miles  along  the  Abomo  valley. 
The  bedrock  in  some  cases  proved  to  be  de- 
composed phyllites  (altered  slates);  in  others 
a  decomposed  volcanic  rock  with  chlorite,  or 
tuffs.     All  of  them  belong  to  the  Birrim  Series. 

Some  620  diamonds  have  been  found  merely 
by  panning  during  the  time  the  surrounding  lo- 
cality was  being  tested  with  regard  to  theorigin 
and  distribution  of  the  diamondiferous  gravels. 
Of  these  about  530came from  the  gravelsof  the 
Abomo  Su.  This  might  appear  as  if  the  stones 
had  been  naturally  concentrated  to  a  consider- 
able extent  in  the  stream-bed ;  but  that  is  prob- 
ably not  so,  for  in  the  pool  at  the  road  crossing 
the  native  womenhavewashedthe  gold-bearing 
material  taken  from  the  slopes  of  the  eastern 
ridge.  Since,  however,  the  stream  is  little 
more  than  a  trickle  except  during  the  height 
of  the  rainy  season,  there  cannot  be  much  con- 
centration of  this  calabashed  material;  hence 
theaverage  yield  from  the  stream-gravel  should 
not  be  much  better  than  that  from  the  gravel 
on  the  rise  at  the  site  of  the  original  discovery. 

Many  of  the  diamonds  are  beautifully  per- 
fect crystals,  colourless  and  transparent,  the 
commonest  forms  being  the  octahedron  and 
the  rhombic  dodecahedron.  A  few  are  of  pale 
yellow,  blue,  green,  grey,  and  brown  tints ; 
others  are  colourless,  but  with  small  dark  in- 
clusions. Cleavage  plates  of  octahedra  occur  in 
fair  numbers,  some  of  them  by  their  size  in- 
dicating that  the  original  crystals  were  much 
larger  than  any  of  those  found.  Many  are 
more  or  less  chipped,  as  if  due  to  damage 
during  transport  by  water,  while  there  are 
many  fragments. 

All  the  stones  found  up  to  the  present  are 
small,  averaging  approximately  30  to  the  stan- 
dard carat,  the  largest  being  about  j  carat.  In 
value  they  vary  from  10s.  to  12s.  per  carat  for 
the  smaller  grade;  17s.  6d.  per  carat  for  the 
medium  grade;  and  30s.  to  32s.  6d.  per  carat 
for  the  larger  grade.  This  is  for  mixed  sam- 
ples, including  all  qualities  of  stones.  Some 
of  the  largest,  however,  are  worth  from  70s. 
to  80s.  per  carat. 

The  gravel  which  contains  the  diamonds  is 
usually  coarse,  with  a  good  deal  of  quartz;  the 
fine  sand  is  as  a  rule  barren.     The  concentrate 


is  scanty,  consisting  of  quartz,  topaz,  zircon, 
black  sand  (undetermined),  a  little  red  garnet, 
brown  corundum,  ragged  and  partly- worn  gold 
(coarse  and  fine),  odd  fragments  of  rutile  and 
black  tourmaline,  and  numerous  small  flat  el- 
liptical crystals  (undetermined)  of  pale  bluish- 
grey  colour,  but  white  when  bleached.  The 
general  character  of  the  diamondiferous  gravel 
and  the  concentrates  therefrom  suggests  their 
derivation  from  a  granite-pegmatite  area,  but 
much  of  the  quartz  and  the  gold  are  undoubt- 
edly of  local  origin.  Much  more  work  needs  to 
be  done  before  the  origin  and  the  full  distribu- 
tion of  the  diamonds  can  be  proved. 

The  diamonds  may  have  been  derived  in- 
directly or  directly  (as  in  South  Africa)  from 
some  volcanic  rocks  (now  concealed)  which 
were  intruded  as  plugs  and  flows  into  the 
Birrim  Series  during  the  deposition  of  the  beds 
of  that  series,  or  at  a  later  time;  or  they  may- 
have  been  formed  in  pegmatite  dykes  or  along 
a  contact  between  intrusive  granite  and  the 
Birrim  sediments;  or  they  may  have  been  de- 
rived from  a  pre-existing  diamondiferous  con- 
glomerate, or  from  an  existing  one  of  the 
Birrim  Series. 

One  of  the  pits  sunk  on  the  high-terrace 
pebbly  gravels  of  the  old  bed  of  the  Birrim 
River,  near  Abomoso,  yielded  one  diamond 
from  a  small  part  of  the  material  in  it  that  was 
panned;  while  in  the  Anasso  Su,  close  to  the 
Birrim  River,  some  5  miles  to  the  north-east, 
I  found  one  diamond  larger  than  the  average 
of  those  at  Abomoso.  This  indicates  that  the 
Birrim  River  gravels  are  diamondiferous, 
though  to  what  extent  remains  to  be  proved. 
Bu|  the  peculiar  character  of  the  diamond- 
bearing  gravel  on  the  eastern  slopes  into  the 
Abomo  Su,  where  there  is  no  definite  Birrim 
gravel,  raises  the  suspicion  that  some  at  least 
of  the  stones  may  have  been  locally  derived. 

The  mode  of  panning  necessary  to  detect 
the  diamonds  is  different  from  that  for  gold. 
Many  of  the  larger  stones,  especially  those 
more  nearly  approaching  a  round  shape,  such 
as  the  octahedron  and  the  rhombic  dodecahe- 
dron, roll  easily  out  of  the  pan  long  before  the 
concentrate  has  been  obtained;  while  all  the 
stones  float  quickly  away  on  the  water  if  the 
pan  becomes  partly  dry  on  the  bottom.  Pan- 
ning needs  to  be  done  in  a  good  light,  prefer- 
ably a  strong  diffused  one,  and  the  pan  needs 
to  be  tilted  frequently  from  side  to  side  and 
slowly  forward  so  as  to  get  flashes  from  the 
stones.  Panning  in  deep  shade  is,  therefore, 
almost  useless;  while  strong  sunlight  gives 
strong  flashes  from  many  minerals,  and  causes 
confusion. 


THE  EVOLUTION   OF  ORE  DEPOSITS 

FROM 

IGNEOUS    MAGMAS. 

By   W.    H.   GOODCHILD,   A.R.S.M.,  M.Inst.M.M.  F.G.S. 
A  Discussion  and  Reply. 


AT  the  June  meeting  of  the  Institution  of 
l\  Mining  and  Metallurgy,  Mr.  W.  H. 
Goodchild  read  a  paper  introducing  his  theory 
of  the  origin  of  ore  deposits,  the  paper  being 
in  the  nature  of  a  brief  summary  of  his  views 
put  forward  in  the  seriesof  articles  appearing  in 
this  Magazine  from  February  to  October,  1 
The  paper  was  discussed  at  some  length  by 
many  eminentgeologists  and  mining  engineers, 
as  recorded  in  our  July  issue.  A  full  report 
of  this  discussion,  together  with  the  author's 
reply,  is  printed  in  the  Institution's  Bulletin 
for  August.  We  extract  in  the  following 
paragraphs  the  parts  of  the  discussion  that  ap- 
pear to  be  the  most  helpful,  together  with  the 
author's  replies  in  brackets. 

Mr.  E.  T.  McCarthy  said  that  the  subject 
was  so  vast  and  complex  and  had  been  so  little 
studied  from  the  metallographic  point  of  view 
that  the  paper  opened  up  to  most  of  them  a 
new  field  of  study,  one  which  would  give  rise 
to  much  controversy  and  even  antagonism  ; 
nevertheless,  he  made  bold  to  prophesy  that  it 
would  prove  revolutionary,  as  he  believed  it 
gave  the  explanation  of  the  origin  of  many 
mineral  deposits,  although  not  doing  away  al- 
together with  some  of  the  old  theories.  Th^se 
old  theories  would  still  hold  good  to  a  great 
extent,  but  were  more  applicable  to  secondary 
deposits  derived  in  the  first  instance  from  the 
author's  primary  ones. 

In  the  evolution  of  igneous  rocks  by  mag- 
matic  differentiation  the  author  traced  the 
changes  which  occurred  in  the  melt  from  that 
of  precipitation,  the  main  source  of  contact 
deposits,  down  to  the  ultimate  and  complex 
sub-magmas  which  constituted  the  source  of 
many  other  ore  deposits.  The  author  set  out 
with  the  statement  that  primary  rock  magma 
was  evolved  periodically  over  large  areas  be- 
neath the  earth's  crust  by  direct  oxidation  of 
elemental  Mg,  Ca,  Fe,  Al,  K,  Na,  Si,  etc., 
the  process  being  powerfully  exothermic  and 
expansive  and  in  the  nature  of  an  annulment 
to  the  general  cooling  process  of  the  earth, 
and  he  would  like  to  ask  him  to  dilate  a  little 
more  fully  on  the  proofs  or  methods  of  deduc- 
tion by  which  he  arrived  at  the  existence  of 


his  original  melt,  because  it  appeared  to  him 
that  if  the  author  could  reasonably  establish 
its  truth  most  of  his  subsequent  deductions 
would  be  incontrovertible. 

Again,  what  would  be  the  source  of  the  oxy- 
gen needed  for  its  conversion  into  that  highly 
exothermic  condition  ?  It  was  difficult  to  con- 
ceive that  the  small  quantity  of  water,  or  ele- 
ments of  water  referred  to,  would  be  sufficient 
to  oxidize  such  enormous  masses  of  the  melt. 
The  author  referred  to  that  process  of  direct 
oxidation  as  being  powerfully  exothermic  and 
expansive  and  said  that  the  CaO,  KaO,  Na_<  >, 
etc.,  so  formed  was  present  in  high-tempera- 
ture or  anhydric  forms  in  contradistinction  to 
the  low- temperature  forms  commonly  present 
in  larger  proportions  in  the  magmas  subse- 
quently produced  by  (  rystnllization  differentia- 
tion. He  would  ask  the  author  to  elucidate  a 
little  more  clearly  the  cause  for  that  exother- 
mic condition,  because  it  was  difficult  to  con- 
ceive how  the  pyroxene  swarm  of  crystals 
which  the  author  stated  were  in  an  anhydrous 
state  could  so  exist  with  the  liberation  of  water 
or  steam  which  resulted  from  that  fractional 
crystallization,  although  it  was  true  that  at  a 
later  period  regeneration  did  take  place  in  a 
highly  exothermic  manner. 

[As  regards  the  origin  of  primary  rock  mag- 
ma, I  do  not  think  I  can  add  much  to  the  pres- 
entation of  the  subject  given  in  T/ie  Mining 
Magazine.  It  was  based  on  the  same  funda- 
mental physico-chemical  principles  as  applied 
to  the  cooling  of  rock  melts.  It  is  generally 
accepted  that  the  interior  of  the  earth  is  made 
up  of  matter  in  the  metallic  and  elemental  con- 
ditions. Clearly  this  elemental  complex  is 
surrounded  in  some  way  or  other  with  a  rocky 
shell.  If  one  wanted  to  conserve  the  heat 
energy  of  a  mass  of  metal  one  surrounded  it 
with  a  non-conducting  lagging,  and  it  is  pre- 
cisely in  respect  to  this  heat  conductivity  that 
the  earth's  shell  differs  so  markedly  from  its 
interior.  If  one  had  a  huge  heated  mass  of 
mixed  metals  and  their  dissolved  gases  and  it 
was  radiating  off  heat  energy  into  space,  an  ob- 
vious way  of  retarding  this  lossof  energy  would 
be  to  develop  a  non-conducting  or  only  poorly 
conducting  coating.     Now  that  was  precisely 


150 


SEPTEMBER,    1919 


151 


what  the  Le  Chatelier  law  told  them  a  complex 
heterogeneous  mass  of  elemental  substances 
would  be  likely  to  do.  Looking  at  the  struc- 
ture of  the  earth  in  this  way  as  displayed  by 
cosmic  investigations  one  could  understand  at 
once  why  we  find  a  non-conducting  shell  sur- 
rounding a  high  density  interior.  By  further 
refinements,  that  is  to  say,  by  evolving  the  non- 
conducting material  periodically  and  exother- 
mally  in  the  fluid  state,  and  making  the  fluid 
crustitselftosomeextent  self-heating  by  means 
of  allotropic  changes,  in  fact  by  the  continued 
application  of  the  LeChatelier  law  to  the  whole 
series  of  events,  one  arrived  at  the  hypothesis 
of  primary  rock  magma  formation  I  have  put 
forward.  It  is  gratifying  to  note  that  Mr.  Mc- 
Carthy thinks  that  if  this  hypothesis  of  prim- 
ary rock  magma  is  sound,  then  most  of  my 
subsequent  deductions  are  incontrovertible. 
W.H.G.].- 

Dr.  J.  W.  Evans  said  Mr.  Goodchild  con- 
sidered that  2%  of  water  was  perhaps  a  very 
large  amount  to  be  present  in  a  magma,  and 
there  might  not  be  so  much.  He  should  have 
said  himself  that,  in  the  average  magma,  20% 
by  weight  of  water  and  other  volatile  constitu- 
ents would  have  been  very  much  nearer  the 
truth. 

[With  Dr.  Evans'  suggestion  of  20%  water 
for  an  average  rock  magma,  I  cannot  agree, 
nor  do  I  think  he  will  find  any  support  for  such 
an  extremely  high  proportion  of  water  among 
petrologists  generally.  The  known  facts  of 
igneous  metamorphism  are  altogether  against 
it,  and,  as  another  geologist  has  pointed  out,  it 
is  probable  that  there  would  be  no  land  surface 
to  the  globe  if  such  were  the  case.  A  very 
small  proportion  of  water  in  the  melts  seems 
fully  competent  to  explain  the  known  facts  and, 
as  I  pointed  out  in  introducing  the  paper,  if  one 
took  the  molecular  weights  of  the  substances 
into  consideration,  a  very  small  percentage  of 
water  in  the  melts  is  sufficient  to  account  for 
the  difference  in  crystallization  between  gabbro 
and  basalt  as  regards  the  mode  of  occurrence 
of  their  iron  oxides. — W.H.G.]. 

Dr.  J.  Vincent  Elsden  endorsed  the  re- 
marks of  previous  speakers  with  regard  to  the 
incompleteness  of  our  knowledge  of  some  of 
the  facts  which  appeared  to  be  assumed  in  the 
paper.  He  referred  more  particularly  to  the 
high-temperature  and  low-temperature  forms 
of  calcic  oxide  and  the  proof,  or  evidence,  that 
pyroxene  lime  differed  from  felspar  lime.  A 
positive  proof  of  that  problem  would  be  very 
difficult  to  supply. 


As  geologists  they  had  always  been  more  or 
less  in  a  state  of  perplexity  as  to  the  actual  con- 
dition of  what  might  be  called  a  silicate  melt. 
Many  of  them  had  expressed  various  opinions 
upon  that  subject.  Supposing  one  took  an 
olivine  crystal  and  melted  it,  what  was  there 
in  the  melt  ?  Was  it  olivine  ?  Was  it  a  mix- 
ture of  magnesiaand  silica  or  was  it  still  further 
dissociated,  as  probably  would  be  found  to  be 
the  fact,  into  more  elementary  substances  still  ? 
The  experiments  which  had  been  made  as  to 
the  electrical  conductivity  in  silicate  melts 
seemed  to  prove  that  there  was  a  progressive 
dissociation  as  the  temperature  rose;  there  was 
an  increase  of  conductivity  certainly,  and  that 
could  be  most  reasonably  explained  by  dissocia- 
tion. Therefore,  it  might  be  expected  that  at 
a  very  high  temperature  one  would  have  in  the 
olivine  melt,  magnesium,  oxygen,  silicon,  and 
perhaps  various  ions,  according  to  the  tempera- 
ture, which  would  make  up  the  whole  thing, 
and,  on  cooling  again,  of  course,  would  recom- 
bine  to  form  the  original  olivine.  That  was 
probably  the  state  of  things  in  an  actual  melt, 
but  when  one  came  to  the  changes  of  volume 
which  they  had  been  hearing  about  that  even- 
ing, these  must  be  the  result  of  cooling  and 
crystallization. 

One  point  which  he  had  found  somewhat 
difficult  had  been  to  reconcile  Mr.  Goodchild's 
theory  with  regard  to  those  volume  changes 
with  some  of  the  primary  fundamental  laws 
which  he  laid  down  as  governing  those  condi- 
tions. For  instance,  they  all  firmly  believed 
in  the  principle  of  Le  Chatelier  and  the  prin- 
cible  of  Van  't  Hoff,  but  he  found  it  difficult  to 
understand  how  those  principles  were  satisfied 
by  such  things  as  an  isothermal  reaction  in 
which  expansion  took  place.  That  seemed  to 
be  a  difficulty,  but  probably  the  author  could 
explain  it. 

Then  the  author  had  referred  in  several 
places  in  the  paper  to  reactions  which  were  ex- 
othermic and  expansive.  He  would  almost 
have  thought  that  an  exothermic  change  could 
not  be  expansive ;  it  seemed  to  him  that  such 
a  change  must  be  endothermic.  That  was  so 
fundamental  to  the  author's  theory  that  the 
speaker  felt  he  had  either  misapprehended  some 
portion  of  it  or  that  he  had  missed  some  point 
upon  which  he  could  probably  be  enlightened. 

Again,  with  regard  to  one  of  the  points  upon 
which  the  author's  theory  seemed  to  rest,  that 
is,  the  order  of  consolidation,  Kosenbusch's 
normal  order,  it  had  to  be  remembered  that, 
although  that  order  might  be  called  normal,  it 
was  not  by  any  means  universal.  Let  them 
take,  for  instance,  the  pyroxene  crystal  swarm 


152 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


described  by  the  author  ;  he  expected  that,  if 
one  examined  the  pyroxene-bearing  rocks  all 
over  the  world,  quite  as  many  cases  would  be 
found  in  which  there  could  not  have  been  a 
pyroxene  swarm  as  those  in  which  there  might 
have  been  one.  There  was  no  pyroxene  swarm 
in  the  ophitic  diabase,  or  ophitic  dolerites  ;  in 
these,  felspar  crystallized  first  and  formed  the 
basis  on  which  the  pyroxene  had  crystallized 
afterwards.  In  regard  to  the  normal  order  of 
crystallization  or  consolidation  they  had  to  bear 
those  things  in  mind  and  consider  them  in  their 
proper  light. 

Another  point  which  had  occurred  to  him 
was  that  the  mechanism  which  the  author  de- 
scribed as  explaining  the  squirting  of,  say,  the 
metalliferous  veins  with  liquid  material,  as  far 
as  he  could  gather,  was  due  to  the  expansion 
produced  by  high  volume  changes  in  mineral 
composition,  which  exerted  a  pressure  upon  the 
residual  fluid  in  the  magma.  If  they  were  to 
believe  in  the  normal  order  of  consolidation 
that  residual  fluid  should  not  contain  very  much 
mineralore,  because  of  all  the  substances  whii  h 
were  deposited  in  the  early  stage  he  thought 
the  mineral  ores  preserved  the  rule  most  gener- 
ally. If  that  were  so,  the  squirt  of  residual 
liquid  would  not  have  any  metal  in  it,  as  practi- 
cally it  would  have  had  its  metal  already  pre- 
cipitated. 

[Dr.  Elsden  endorses  the  remarks  of  some 
previous  speakers  with  regard  to  the  incom- 
pleteness of  our  knowledge  of  some  of  the 
facts  which  appeared  to  be  assumed  in  the 
paper.  Now  I  particularly  stated  in  the*  in- 
troduction to  this  paper  that  these  facts,  to 
which  he  specifically  refers  later  in  his  re- 
marks, were  given  in  my  original  articles.  He 
refersmore  particularly  to  the  high- temperature 
and  low-temperature  forms  of  lime.  This 
seemed  to  have  been  a  stumbling-block  to  so 
many,  but  the  physico-chemical  evidence  in 
regard  to  lime  is  remarkably  clear  and  definite. 
Two  forms  of  widely  different  densities  have 
been  actually  prepared  experimentally,  and  by 
means  of  density  analysis  of  felspars  and  py- 
roxenes taken  in  conjunction  with  the  question 
of  affinity  pressures,  very  striking  and  con- 
vincing evidence  has  been  obtained  of  the  re- 
lationships that  subsist  between  felspar  calcium 
silicate  and  pyroxene  calcium  silicate.  In  the 
case  of  aluminium  silicate  there  are  noless  than 
three  different  silicates  definitely  known  in  the 
free  state,  but  in  the  case  of  the  calcium  sili- 
cates they  occur  as  double  silicates  intermixed 
with  some  other  silicate,  such  as  one  of  these 
aluminium  silicates,  so  that  the  phenomena 
are  not  quite  so  obvious,  but  nevertheless  den- 


sity analysis  on  the  lines  I  have  developed 
brings  them  out  into  sharp  relief  and  in  an  un- 
mistakable fashion. 

As  regards  Dr.  Elsden's  difficulty  about  an 
isothermal  reaction  accompanied  by  expansion, 
it  is  a  question  of  ascertained  fact  and  not  one 
of  conjecture. 

The  oxidation  of  ferrous  oxide,  which  is  a 
strong  base  that  exercises  a  strong  affinity 
pressure  on  silica,  to  ferric  oxide  is  approxi- 
mately isothermal,  while  ferric  oxide  is  acidic 
and  does  not  exercise  this  strong  affinity  pres- 
sure on  silica,  consequently  the  silica  expands. 
Since  Van  't  Hoff's  general  theorem  was  that 
reactions  proceeding  at  high  temperatures  tend 
to  be  endothermic  while  those  at  low  temper- 
atures tend  to  be  of  the  opposite  nature,  an 
approximately  isothermal  reaction  is  precisely 
the  sort  of  thing  to  be  expected  and  looked  for 
as  likely  to  occur  over  an  intermediate  tem- 
perature range.  As  regards  these  exothermic 
and  expansive  reactions  generally,  I  would  re- 
Fei  Dr.  Klsden  to  the  experimental  data  given 
in  my  original  articles. 

1  >i .  IClsden's  reference  to  the  Rosenbusch 
law  and  its  reversals  is  a  welcome  and  pene- 
trating contribution  to  the  discussion.  It  is 
a  matter  of  fundamental  importance  to  any 
petrogenic  theory.  When  one  comes  to  con- 
sider the  ils  in  die  light  of  the  Le 
Chatelier  law  and  the  facts  of  allotropy,  the 
meaning  of  it  becomes  pretty  clear.  It  appears 
that  the  Rosenbusch  order  represents  only  one 
side  of  a  reversible  process,  much  like  one  side 
of  a  reversible  equation.  I  f  the  concentration 
of  the  low-temperature  forms  in  a  rock  melt 
tend  to  become  high,  then  in  terms  of  the  Le 
Chatelier  law  one  would  expect  these  to  crys- 
tallize out  before  the  unconverted  allotropes, 
for  when  once  conversion  has  taken  place  they 
are  useless  for  the  further  generation  of  heat. 
By  reversing  the  order  in  this  way  in  the  case 
of  such  magmas,  the  unconverted  residues  are 
available  for  a  still  further  prolongation  of  the 
liquid  state  by  their  gradual  conversion  coinci- 
dent with  the  continuous  crystallization  of  the 
low-temperature  forms  and  the  consequent  in- 
crease of  water  concentration  in  the  residual 
fluid  material. 

As  regards  Dr.  Elsden's  remarks  on  the  be- 
haviour of  the  mineral  substances,  I  would 
emphasize  that  there  are  two  opposing  factors 
that  must  be  clearly  borne  in  mind  when  deal- 
ing with  the  behaviour  of  these  traces  in  a  rock 
melt,  and  if  these  two  opposing  factors  are  not 
duly  allowed  for,  one  is  apt  to  get  in  a  hope- 
less muddle  in  trying  to  decipher  their  joint 
results.     Cooling  of  the  silicate  melt  down  to 


SEPTEMBER,    1919 


153 


the  point  at  which  crystallization  just  com- 
mences tends  to  precipitate  these  traces,  but 
with  the  advance  of  crystallization  of  the  main 
melt,  the  water  concentration  in  the  residua  is 
continually  increasing  and  this  not  merely 
tends  to  retard  any  further  separation  of  ore- 
making  precipitates  but  to  drive  early  formed 
precipitates  back  into  solution,  so  that,  granted 
early  precipitation  of  these  ore-forming  con- 


stituents, unless  they  become  concentrated  in- 
to large  masses  during  the  fluid  life  of  the 
main  magma  by  gravitative  descent  or  in  other 
ways,  the  scattered  traces  tend  to  redissolve  in 
the  final  aqueous  residua  and  become  expelled 
in  solution  when  the  solidified  crusts  are  sub- 
jected to  those  intense  mechanical  stresses  de- 
veloped during  the  later  stages  of  magma  con- 
solidation.— W.H.G.] . 


THE    MINERALS    OF    ANATOLIA 

By   NORMAN    M.   PENZER,  B.A.,  F.G.S. 

The  author  gives  particulars  of  the  mineral  deposits  of  part  of  Asiatic  Turkey,  about  which 
little  is  known  in  this  country,  though  the  Germans  compiled  records  some  years  ago. 

(Continued  from  August  issue,  page  81 .) 


Coal. — The  coal  deposits  of  Anatolia  are 
of  great  economic  importance,  the  pre-war  out- 
put and  value  being  far  larger  than  all  the  other 
minerals  put  together.  In  the  following  notes 
reference  is  made  to  a  map  in  this  issue,  and 
to  the  general  map  published  last  month. 

Practically  all  the  coal  is  mined  in  the  vila- 
yet of^Castamuni  in  the  Hereclea  basin.  The 
term  "  Hereclea  basin  "  is  used  to  denote  all 
the  deposits  in  the  vicinity,  that  is  to  say,  those 
of  Kiosse-Aghzy,  Zunguldak,  and  Amasra. 
All  the  deposits  are  situated  near  the  Black 
Sea  coast,  the  distance  from  Hereclea  (often 
called  Eregli  in  maps)  to  Amasra  being  65 
miles.  At  present  the  deposits  are  not  known 
to  stretch  more  than  about  5  miles  inland,  al- 
though it  is  thought  that  beds  connected  with 
the  most  easterly  of  the  deposits  may  be  en- 
countered further  inland. 

The  three  deposits  above  referred  to  consist 
of  long  and  narrow  parallel  bands  of  Carbon- 
iferous rocks,  comprising  culm,  lower  Carbon- 
iferous limestones,  and  upper  Carboniferous 
coal-measures.  The  general  trend  of  the  bands 
is  N.  70°  E.  The  correlation  of  the  complete 
geological  sequence  of  this  area  with  the  cre- 
taceous of  the  Balkan  has  been  established. 
The  strata  of  the  Hereclea  basin  can  be  classi- 
fied in  ascending  order  as  follows  : 

(1)  Basal  Carboniferous  limestone. 

(2)  Coal-bearing  measures  on  which  lie 

uncomformably    thick    Cretaceous 
beds  represented  by 

(3)  Greyish  crystalline  limestone. 

(4)  A  mixture  of  dark  clays  and  sandstone, 

for  the  most  part  fine-grained. 

Palacontological    study    by    M.M.    Zeiller, 

Ralli,  and  others,  has  lead  to  a  recognized  local 

sub-division intothreestages,  the Aladja-Aghzy 

at  the  base,  which  comprises  coal  richest  in 


volatile  matter,  the  Cozloo  or  middle  stage  from 
which  the  best  coal  is  derived,  and  the  Caradon 
or  upper  stage  containing  a  poorer  variety  of 
coal. 

Beginning  at  the  west  end  of  the  basin  about 
6  miles  east  of  Hereclea  at  Kiosse-Aghzy, 
there  occurs  a  long  fault  where  the  measures 
have  sunk  in  depth.  The  coal  seams  in  this 
district  can  be  correlated  with  the  Cozloo  stage. 
The  systems  of  seams  occur  here  known  as  the 
Tsamly  and  Beylik  groups.  The  former  is  the 
most  important  and  stretches  over  a  distance 
of  about  2\  miles.  At  the  village  of  Tsamly 
on  the  coast  the  seams  appear  nearly  vertical. 

Going  eastwards  the  Aladja-Aghzy  stage  is 
best  represented  at  the  village  of  the  same 
name.  The  strata  have  a  general  east-west 
strike  and  dip  from  10°  to  30°  south.  The 
region  has  undergone  much  faulting  since  the 
coal  was  formed,  and  there  are  15  seams  dis- 
tinguished by  various  names.  The  same 
measures  also  appear  at  Kiosse-Aghzy  and  in 
the  valley  of  the  Kiretchlik.  Almost  vertical 
seams  occurring  along  a  double  east- west  line 
of  faulting  mark  the  transition  zone  between 
the  Aladja-Aghzy  and  Cozloo  measures. 

The  Cozloo  stage  is  represented  in  the  val- 
leys of  Zunguldak,  Kilimli,  and  Chatal-Aghzy. 
This  forms  the  most  important  part  of  the  en- 
tire district.  The  strata  dip  respectively  to 
the  northandsouth,  formingan  anticlineplainly 
visible  in  the  Kilimli  valley.  In  the  Zungul- 
dak valley  the  seams  are  3  miles  wide  and  ex- 
tend some  way  beyond  Chatal-Aghzy.  Their 
average  thickness  is  4  ft.  9  in.  Twenty-five 
seams  are  distinguished  locally,  but  lack  of  geo- 
logical information  makes  detailed  information 
impossible.  It  was,  however,  reported  in  1918 
that  a  cadastral  survey  of  the  mines  at  Hereclea 
and  Eski-Shehr  was  to  be  shortly  undertaken. 


154 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


The  Caradon  is  represented  at  Cozloo  and 
at  the  village  of  the  same  name  between  Kilimli 
and  Chatal- Aghzy,  but  more  inland  than  either. 
The  seams  have  an  average  thickness  of  about 
4  ft.  Beds  of  clay  are  intercalated  between 
the  seams.  The  Amasra  basin  comprising  the 
Chatal- Aghzy  district  also  appears  to  form  part 
of  the  same  series.  Five  seams  are  known 
here.  The  outcrops  east  of  Amasra  are  thought 
to  be  a  continuation  of  this  group. 

The  coal  of  the  Hereclea  basin  is  of  the 
bituminous  variety,  and  is  lighter  in  ash  than 
corresponding  European  types.  It  has  been 
divided  into  two  classes:  (l)  That  obtained 
from  the  veins  of  the  middle  series,  containing 
from  30%  to  40%  volatile  matter  ;  (2)  that 
mined  from  the  lowest  stage,  containing  from 
40%  to  45%  volatile  matter.  The  first  is  ex- 
cellent for  coking  purposes,  while  that  of  Aladja- 
Aghzy  is  used  chiefly  in  the  manufacture  of 
illuminating  gas  and  for  steam  generation. 

Attention  was  first  drawn  to  the  Hereclean 
coalfield  in  1854  during  the  Crimean  War, 
when  the  Turkish  Government  allowed  the 
allies  to  take  what  coal  they  liked.  No  fur- 
ther mining  was  done  until  1885,  when  a 
French  syndicate  obtained  a  concession  to 
work  all  the  seams  east  of  Cozloo,  and  to  build 
a  harbour  at  Zunguldak,  and  also  to  lay  down 
a  railway  by  means  of  tunnels  from  the  mines 
to  the  coast.     Seven  years  later  the  syndicate 


failed  through  want  of  capital,  as  did  also  a 
second  French  syndicate  a  year  or  two  later. 
However,  in  May,  1896,  a  company  was  form- 
ed, known  as  the  Societe  Francais  d'Heraclee. 
This  company  obtained  a  concession  for  50 
years  to  expire  in  1946.  It  got  the  right  to 
work  all  the  mines,  which  constituted  a  group 
of  nineteen  seams  varying  in  thickness  from 
3i  ft.  to  23i  ft.  The  area  was  5,000  hectares. 
Besides  the  mines  above  mentioned,  which 
were  worked  by  adit,  one  was  worked  by  a 
vertical  shaft  over  800  ft.  deep.  The  company 
also  obtained  permission  to  construct  a  port 
and  quays  at  Zunguldak,  the  right  to  admin- 
ister the  same,  and  to  join  the  mines  to  the 
port  by  light  railways.  The  company  built 
three  cargo  piers  to  facilitate  the  loading  of  the 
coal. 

Difficulties  were  always  cropping  up  when 
there  was  apparently  no  need  for  them  at  all. 
First  of  all  the  difficulties  raised  by  the  Gov- 
ernment were  of  a  purely  technical  nature,  but 
in  course  of  time  they  became  legal  and  dip 
lomatic.  There  were  other  troubles  to  con- 
tend with.  Eighteen  hundred  miners  were 
employed  and  a  thousand  workmen,  but  labour 
always  difficult  because  the  native  popu- 
lation is  agricultural  and  the  miners  only  work 
for  short  periods.  They  bring  their  own  food 
and  as  soon  as  it  runs  out  they  go  back  home. 
The  first  appearance  of  snow  also  sends  them 


Mat  of  the  Hereclea  Coal  District. 


SEPTEMBER,    1919 


155 


home.  The  Government  did  nothing  to  help 
the  various  companies  which  obtained  conces- 
sions a  few  years  later,  but,  on  the  contrary, 
seemed  to  find  pleasure  in  breeding  hostility 
between  them. 

With  all  these  difficulties  the  Societe  Fran- 
cais  d'Heraclee  could  do  little  with  its  capital 
of  10  million  francs,  and  so  great  were  expen- 
ses that  in  1900  it  had  to  borrow  another 
17,500,000  francs,  and  up  to  1911  paid  no  divi- 
dend. Although  the  output  was  fairly  good 
(1904,  456,075  tons;  1905,  403,033;  1906, 
450,425  ;  1907,  484,807)  no  profit  was  made 
until  some  years  later.  In  1911,  1912,  and 
1913  matters  had  improved. 

The  following  table  shows  the  amount  of 
coal  sold  at  the  port  in  these  years,  and  the 
amount  exported  : 

1911  1912  1913 

Bunker  Coal 260.000  217  672  166,570 

Exports  to  : 

Constantinople  60,000  186.415  160,585 

Salonica    20.000  17,254  2.311 

Smyrna 72,000  6+,445  56,720 

Roumania.  Bulgaria,  etc   ....  60.000  28,113  39,717 

Total     amount     screened     and 

washed 472,000        513.899        425.903 

Average  price  per  ton  f.o.b 12s.  6d.  16s.  20s. 

Several  other  concessions,  already  referred 
to,  were  also  obtained.  Les  Houilleres  de  la 
Banque  de  Metelin  started  very  well,  reaching 
an  output  of  90,000  tons,  but  owing  to  a  bad 
fire  the  figuresfell  considerably.  Another  com- 
pany, Les  Houilleres  Rombaki  et  Panopulos, 
produced  about  100,000  tons  which  it  sold  to 
La  Societe  Fran9ais  d'Heraclee.  A  fourth 
company,  Les  Houilleres  Saridja,  produced 
80,000  tons,  but  at  a  loss.  The  total  produc- 
tion of  these  three  companies  in  1911,  1912, 
and  1913  was  as  follows  : 

Year  Tons  Price 

1911  250,000  6s.  to  7s  f.o.b.  chiefly  to  Turkey. 

1912  220.000  12s.  6d.  f.o.b. 

1913  400.000  15s.  6d.  f.o.b. 

In  1913  the  producing  centres  were  as  fol- 
lows : 

Tons 

Zunguldak 43,000 

Amasra 6,000 

Cozloo 177,000 

Chatal-Aghzy 1,000 

Kilimli 98,000 

Aladja-Aghzy 7,000 

Candilli  &  Tsamly  6S.000 

As  has  been  already  stated,  there  were  many 
influences  at  work  detrimental  to  the  thorough 
and  harmonious  exploitation  of  the  Hereclean 
basin,  but  one  not  yet  mentioned  was  the  di- 
viding up  of  the  area  into  too  small  conces- 
sions, which  were  too  easily  obtained.  This 
trouble  only  disappeared  when  several  of  the 
smaller  companies  amalgamated  into  one  or 
two  larger  ones,  and  it  was  found  possible  to 
bear  the  large  initial  expenses. 


A  few  years  before  the  war  a  German  com- 
pany under  the  control  of  Hugo  Stinnes  and 
the  Deutsche  Bank  bought  up  a  number  of 
mines  in  this  district,  the  chief  of  which  was 
the  Abadgi,  from  which  1,500  to  2,000  tons 
was  extracted  monthly.  The  Candilli  mines 
were  being  opened  out  in  1917  by  Hugo  Stin- 
nes with  new  shafts,  as  the  old  ones,  being  on 
the  sea  shore,  were  too  exposed  to  gun  fire.  A 
Belgian  syndicate  was  also  formed,  and  the 
Germans  bought  up  5  million  marks  worth  of 
shares.  In  1916  these  mines  were  taken  over 
entirely  by  Stinnes  and  the  Deutsche  Bank. 

For  a  long  time  the  Germans  have  had  a 
plan  of  connecting  the  Hereclea  Basin  to  Bolu 
by  rail.  Bolu  is  situated  on  the  Anatolian 
Railway  near  Adabzar. 

The  Porte  recently  bought  the  harbour  of 
Zunduldak  from  the  French  company  for 
nearly  ^600,000,  as  since  the  war  the  Turk- 
ish Government  had  taken  over  the  control  of 
the  whole  enterprise  and  had  replaced  the 
French  employees  by  Turks  and  Germans.  A 
further  ,£"90,000  was  granted  for  the  enlarge- 
ment of  the  harbour,  &c. 

The  Government  is  endeavouring  to  form 
all  the  different  companies  in  the  Hereclean 
district  into  a  single  large  company  for  the  ex- 
ploitation of  the  district.  In  order  to  attain 
this  end,  it  has  ordered  that  the  export  of  coal 
may  take  place  only  by  way  of  Zunguldak, 
and  the  transport  overland  only  by  the  rail- 
way now  being  built  for  the  Government. 

It  was  reported  in  the  foreign  press  in  1918 
that  the  "  Societe  Fran^ais  de  Heraclee," 
which  had  been  transformed  into  an  Ottoman 
company,  had  40%  of  the  shares  in  the  hands 
of  the  '  Committee  of  Union  and  Progress," 
and  20%  in  the  hands  of  the  Ottoman  mer- 
chants and  shipowners.  It  will  be  interesting 
to  see  what  finally  happens  in  this  area  now 
that  peace  is  signed. 

The  annual  production  of  the  entire  basin 
in  1884  was  only  70,997  metric  tons  ;  by  1900 
it  had  gradually  risen  to  390,428  ;  in  1911  it 
was  750,000  ;  and  in  1912  there  was  a  slight 
drop  to  700,000  tons.  If  the  war  had  not  oc- 
cured  it  was  thought  that  the  output  would 
soon  have  reached  1,000,000  tons.  As  to  fu- 
ture developments  little  can  be  expected  until 
a  far  more  detailed  geological  and  topographi- 
cal survey  is  made  and  maps  constructed. 
These  will  in  all  probability  show  hopeful  pos- 
sibilities in  the  Amasra- Djide  region  at  the 
extreme  east  of  the  basin. 

Apart  from  the  Hereclean  basin  the  coal  de- 
posits of  Anatolia  are  unimportant.  In  most 
cases  they  only  yield  sufficient  for  local  needs, 


156 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


as  in  the  case  of  the  deposits  at  Man  jilik,  south 
of  Biga,  Sokia,  south  of  Smyrna,  and  Nazilli, 
east  of  Aidin.  Other  deposits  have  not  yet 
been  worked,  as,  for  instance,  the  Lapsaki  de- 
posit near  the  Dardanelles. 

By  paying  a  certain  percentage  to  the  Gov- 
ernment, the  local  inhabitants  of  Soma,  north 
of  Smyrna,  draw  coal  enough  to  supply  the 
factories  of  Soma,  Kirchagach,  Kereh,  and 
Bergoma.  It  is  reported  from  Konia  that  coal- 
fields have  been  discovered  in  Jarik-Kasa,  the 
development  of  which  is  being  undertaken  by 
the  local  authorities. 

AtMakri.in  the  south-west  corner  of  the  vila- 
yet of  Aidin,  there  is  a  coal  mine  which  pro- 
duces good  quality  coal.  In  the  vilayet  of 
Sivas,  coal  has  been  found  near  Zara,  Zile, 
and  Kardashlar.  The  deposits  have,  however, 
been  very  little  worked. 

Lignite. —  Most  of  the  lignite  deposits  be- 
long to  a  transition  stage  between  the  Miocene 
and  Pliocene,  and  are  lacustrine  in  origin,  the 
decaying  vegetation  having  accumulated  dur- 
ing a  period  of  depression.  The  chief  of  these 
deposits  is  at  Manjilik  in  the  vilayet  of  Brusa. 
The  seams  outcrop  for  2\  miles,  and  are  work- 
ed by  the  owners  of  the  Baha  lead  mines  near 
by.  The  lignite  is  used  for  an  electric  power- 
station,  which  feeds  the  smelters,  &c.  A  small 
trade  is  done  at  the portof  Akchai,  where  lignite 
is  transported  from  deposits  near  Edremid.  In 
Bighalignitehasbeenfoundat  Lapsaki,  but  up  to 
1914  had  not  been  exploited.  The  beds  can 
be  traced  across  the  Marmora  to  the  European 
coasts.  There  are  also  mines  south-east  of 
Pandemia,  between  Kirmasti  and  Michalij. 
The  quantity  and  quality  of  the  lignite  is  small. 
Further  east  at  Demirtash,  5  miles  north  of 
Brusa,  deposits  are  also  known  to  occur,  but 
they  are  of  no  real  importance.  On  the  sea 
of  Marmora  at  Gemlik  two  distinct  formations 
are  found,  but  they  are  of  little  value.  An- 
other deposit  is  at  Koure,  between  Bilejik  and 
Eskishehr,  just  east  of  the  Anatolian  Railway. 
By  1913  there  was  one  shaft  which  had  been 
sunk  about  200  ft.  Deposits  have  also  been 
discovered  at  Gueve,  between  Brusa  and  Her- 
eclea. 

The  most  westerly  Tertiary  lignite  is  found 
in  the  mountains  round  Chai,  near  Afium  Kar- 
ahissar.  Seams  have  been  discovered  here  at 
an  altitude  of  1,840  metres,  lying  over  calcare- 
ous conglomerates  and  capped  by  clay  beds. 
The  thickness  of  the  coal  attains  6  ft. 

In  the  vilayet  of  Aidin  there  are  three  local- 
ities .where  lignite  is  found  :  Soma,  Sokia,  and 
Nazilli.  The  Soma  deposits  are  situated  58 
miles  north-east  of  Smyrna.     They  were  not 


worked  previous  to  the  war.  The  quality  is 
decidedly  second  rate  and  it  could  only  be 
used  if  mixed  with  better  lignite  or  coal.  The 
lignite  was  previously  carried  from  the  mines 
to  the  station  by  carts,  but  by  1917  an  over- 
head railway  was  completed  capable  of  dealing 
with  1,000  tons  per  day. 

The  Sokia  deposits  lie  50  miles  south-south- 
east of  Smyrna.  The  monthly  production  is 
about  500  tons,  but  the  quality  is  even  poorer 
than  that  of  Soma.  It  is,  however,  good 
enough  for  use  of  the  railways,  and  the  cloth 
and  tlour  mills  in  Smyrna. 

The  Nazilli  mines  are  situated  near  the 
station  on  the  Aidin  Railway.  The  quality  is 
equal  to  that  at  Sokia,  and  is  conveyed  by  road 
and  then  by  rail  to  Smyrna  and  Aidin.  About 
200  tons  are  extracted  daily.  The  chief  de- 
posits belonged  to  an  American  company,  but 
were  little  worked  during  the  war. 

In  the  vilayet  of  Angora,  lignite  has  recent- 
ly been  discovered  at  Karaly-Bala.  The  qual- 
ity is  good  and  has  given  rise  to  a  belief  of  the 
existence  of  coal  in  the  vicinity,  although  as 
far  as  is  known  no  further  investigations  have 
been  made. 

To  be  continut 

The  South-Western  Polytechnic  Insti- 
tute, Manresa  Road,  Chelsea,  London,  SAW, 
will  re-open  on  September  12,  for  day  and  even- 
ing courses.  The  courses  include  lectures  in 
physics,  chemistry,  mathematics,  and  practical 
instruction  in  the  fully  equipped  laboratories 
of  the  Institute.  The  chemical  and  metal- 
lurgical departments  are  respectively  under  the 
charge  of  J.  B.  Coleman,  A.R.C.S.,  F.I.C., 
F.C.S.,and  \Y.  A.  Naish,  A.R.S.M.,  A.I.M.M. 

The  Meeting  of  the  American  Institute  of 
Mining  and  Metallurgical  Engineers,  held  in 
Chicago  this  month,  promises  to  beat  the  rec- 
ord in  many  ways.  No  less  than  145  different 
papers  will  be  presented,  and  the  social  fea- 
tures include  a  smoker,  a  banquet,  boat  excur- 
sions on  Lake  Michigan,  and  trips  to  points  of 
historical  interest.  Of  considerable  interest 
in  the  week's  programme  will  be  a  symposium 
on  bituminous  coal  of  low  sulphur  content,  the 
supply  of  which  is  rapidly  becoming  exhausted. 
Contributors  to  this  symposium  are  planning 
a  discussion  of  means  of  conservation,  which 
is  expected  to  develop  results  of  vital  import- 
ance to  the  country.  The  technical  discussions 
include  subjects  relating  to  practically  every 
metal  known  to  the  mining  world.  The  cen- 
tral location  of  the  meeting  will  probably  make 
it  the  largest  in  the  Institute's  history.  The 
membership  of  the  Institute  now  totals  7,500. 


FOUR    YEARS    AS    A   PRISONER    OF  WAR 

By   J.   C.    FARRANT. 

(Continued  from  the  August  issue,  page  94). 

The  Author  continues  his  account  of  the  treatment  of  English  Prisoners  of  War  by  the 
Germans,  describing  conditions  in  Saxony. 


January  4,  7917.  Chemnitz,  Saxony. 
Men  leaving  for  kommandos  were  compelled 
to  give  up  their  English  blankets,  which  were 
personal  property.  Bowls,  cups,  knives,  and 
forks,  which  had  been  purchased  from  the  Ger- 
man canteen,  were  also  taken  away.  This 
high-handed  robbery  was  reported,  but  with 
the  usual  result. 

January  6.  I  swapped  a  jersey  for  2  oz.  of 
German  tobacco. 

January  11.  Russell,  of  the  R.B.,  was 
murdered  in  the  guard-room  on  Borna  kom- 
mando  J  675-6.  Russell,  who  had  been  re- 
ported by  one  of  the  guards,  was  taken  into  the 
guard-house  when  the  party  returned  from  work. 
He  was  never  seen  alive  again,  and  he  was 
buried  two  days  later.  No  Englishman  was 
allowed  to  see  him,  but  a  Russian,  who  placed 
him  in  the  coffin,  stated  his  arm  was  broken 
and  his  body  was  covered  with  wounds.  The 
matter  was  reported,  and  an  inquiry  was  held 
by  the  Germans,  but  we  never  heard  the  result. 
Sergeant-Major  Hall,  of  the  R.B.,  who  was 
exchanged  shortly  after,  reported  the  matter  in 
Holland. 

Men  were  returning  from  kommando  almost 
daily,  mostly  from  coal  mines,  with  smashed 
fingers,  strains,  and  ruptures. 

The  life  at  the  coal  mines  was  hell.  Con- 
demned mines  at  Oelsnitz  had  been  reopened 
and  British  prisoners  of  war  were  compelled  to 
go  below.  They  worked  absolutely  naked.  At 
first  men  wore  their  boots,  but  the  sweat  made 
this  impossible,  and  soon  every  one  went  bare- 
footed. There  was  a  night  shift  and  a  day 
shift.  The  men  slept  in  crowded  quarters  and 
had  no  recreation.  Indeed,  they  were  only  too 
glad  to  turn  in  after  a  meal.  The  place  was 
alive  with  fleas  and  bugs,  and  continued  in  this 
condition  during  the  whole  of  the  time  our  men 
were  there.  In  eight  months  65%  of  the  origi- 
nal number  were  returned  to  lager  as  unfit  for 
work,  and  a  man  had  to  be  very  bad  before  he 
was  excused  duty.  'No  two  Englishmen  were 
allowed  to  work  together.  As  a  rule  a  gang 
consisted  of  three  Germans  and  one  English- 
man. There  were  numerous  cases  of  man- 
handling. Self-inflicted  wounds  were  not  in- 
frequent ;  anything  to  get  away  from  that  hell 
on  earth,  Oelsnitz.    The  numbers  of  the  mines 


to  which  our  men  were  sent  were  I  32,  I  34, 
and  I  37. 

January  17.  Twenty  British  N.C.O.s  left 
Chemnitz  for  Holland.  Urgent  requests  were 
made,  by  men  who  had  been  sent  back  from 
the  mines  as  unfit,  that  a  report  should  be  laid 
before  the  Dutch  Ambassador  concerning  the 
brutal  treatment  our  men  were  receiving  at 
the  coal  mines. 

March  13.  The  Dutch  Ambassador's  repre- 
sentative arrived  in  the  lager  and  many  com- 
plaints were  lodged.  He  departed  for  the  coal 
mines  next  day.  The  usual  farce  was  enacted  at 
the  lager  the  day  upon  which  the  representative 
arrived.  Potatoes  were  placed  in  the  cookers 
and  left  there.  Firewood  and  coal  were  placed 
in  conspicuous  heaps  in  the  drumming-up  shed, 
and  the  hot  water  was  turned  on  for  an  hour. 
Needless  to  say,  as  soon  as  he  left  the  lager 
the  coal  and  wood  were  taken  from  the  drum- 
ming-up shed  by  the  authorities.  But  ort  this 
occasion  we  did  get  the  potatoes  in  the  soup, 
the  only  potatoes  we  drew  in  the  soup  during 
the  year  1918.  I  do  not  mean  to  say  that  no 
potatoes  were  issued,  because  they  were  being 
taken  down  to  the  cook-house  on  certain  days. 
But  we  never  saw  them.  The  Russian  cooks 
used  to  take  what  they  wanted,  and  then  vari- 
ous German  N.C.O.s  and  soldiers  would  come 
and  take  what  they  could.  So  the  graft  went 
on. 

March  23.  The  big  German  offensi  ve  started. 
Weobtained  German  newspapersdaily,  so  dur- 
ing the  next  three  weeks  we  had  an  anxious 
time.  The  Germans  didn't  lose  a  chance  of 
rubbing  it  in.  However,  April  1  was  a  holi- 
day, and  we  were  busy  making  preparations  for 
a  sports  fete.  Men  were  running  round  the 
square  in  the  evening,  getting  fit.  This  was 
the  best  means  we  could  employ  as  an  antidote 
to  the  news  appearing  in  the  German  papers. 

April  1.  International  sports  were  held 
throughout  the  day,  and  the  whole  affair  was 
quite  a  success.  There  was  a  field  behind  the 
lager,  which  at  first  was  opened  on  Sundays 
only,  but  after  various  letters  had  been  ad- 
dressed to  the  commandant  and  the  Dutch 
Ambassador,  the  authorities  opened  the  field 
daily  for  a  few  hours.  None  of  the  English 
staff  was  supposed  to  play  until  after  5  p.m., 


15; 


158 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


and  the  field  was  closed  at  5.30  p.m.  As  was 
only  to  be  expected,  the  members  of  the  staff 
used  to  dodge  out  and  have  a  kick. 

This  field  was  also  used  for  punishment. 
Defaulters  were  drilled  in  squads,  each  man 
carrying  an  old  German  pack,  filled  with  stones 
and  weighing  about  60  lb.  Punishment  drill 
lasted  two  hours,  and  consisted  of  running, 
halting,  lying  down,  getting  up,  and  running 
again.  A  German  sergeant-major  issued  the 
commands.  This  same  punishment  was  in- 
flicted at  the  mines,  and  many  a  man  collapsed 
under  it.  One  German  sergeant-major  in  par- 
ticular "  had  it  in  "  for  the  Britishers.  He  was 
called  "Willie  Woodbine "  because  he  was 
thin  and  anaemic. 

He  used  to  inspect  the  barracks  daily  at 
10  o'clock,  and  anyone  in  the  room  had  to 
stand  to  attention  while  he  made  his  survey. 
On  one  occasion  he  pushed  one  of  our  men  be- 
cause he  was  not  standing  properly  to  atten- 
tion. Taylor,  the  man  who  was  pushed,  hauled 
off  to  plant  him  one,  but  was  fortunately 
stopped  by  the  man  next  to  him.  Taylor  was 
sent  to  chink,  and  thence  straight  to  the  mines, 
where  he  had  a  rough  time. 

Shortly  after  we  were  brought  to  Chemnitz, 
an  order  was  given  out  that  all  Germans  above 
the  rank  of  lance-corporal  were  to  be  saluted. 
This  was  the  first  time  since  we  had  been  cap- 
tured that  such  an  order  had  been  given,  and 
every  one  jibbed.  Quite  a  number  got  cells  in 
consequence.  Bill  Partridge,  a  Cockney 
sergeant  in  the  Royal  Scots,  was  reported  to 
the  commandant  for  refusing  to  salute  a  Ger- 
man sergeant-major.  The  commandant  swore 
at  him  and  ordered  him  to  salute  ;  Bill  refused 
point  blank,  and  got  seven  days'  cells. 

Previous  to  this  a  boxing  tournament  had 
been  arranged,  and  Sergeant  Partridge  versus 
Sergeant  Wilkinson,  of  the  The  Buffs,  was  one 
of  the  fights.  The  boxing  was  held  on  Satur- 
day night  at  6  p.m.  Bill's  time  was  up  at 
6  p.m.  the  same  day  :  at  7  o'clock  he  was  in 
the  ring,  and  after  six  good  rounds  beat  his 
man,  and  the  same  German  sergeant- major  saw 
him  do  it. 

Here,  as  at  other  camps,  the  interpreters 
were  our  worst  enemies,  and  the  doctor  at  this 
camp  was  one  of  the  worst  we  had  struck.  He 
was  a  dark-bearded  man,  and  his  soubriquet 
was  "  black  muzzle."  The  sick  were  classi- 
fied by  this  man.  1  A,  the  dreaded  "  classment" 
meant  mines.  All  kinds  of  dodges  were  used 
to  induce  palpitation,  and  in  some  cases  ap- 
peared to  be  successful,  though  not  many.  Two 
men,  Grassick  and  Brown,  had  been  on  the 
coal    mines  and  had  been  returned  as  unfit. 


They  were  both  determined  that  they  would 
not  go  back.  On  different  occasions  they  both 
"  chucked  dummies,"  that  is  to  say,  pretended 
to  have  fits.  Brown  had  his  fit  in  the  square 
when  the  doctor  was  making  his  visit.  He 
was  taken  to  hospital,  examined,  and  tested, 
and  put  under  observation  for  three  weeks. 
The  final  result  was  that  both  men  got  cushy 
numbers  in  the  lager,  and  kept  them  till  we 
came  home. 

Every  Sunday,  football  matches  were  ar- 
ranged, and  many  excellent  matches  took  place. 
We  really  forgot  we  were  prisoners  on  these 
occasions,  unless  the  ball  went  over  the  wires. 
Sometimes  the  German  guards  would  tin 
back,  but  more  often  not,  and  then  the  game 
would  be  held  up  until  a  Frenchman,  who 
looked  after  the  sheep  grazing  outside,  came  to 
our  assistance. 

We  were  really  in  poor  condition,  as  was  evi- 
denced by  the  fact  that  if  a  piece  of  skin  was 
knocked  off  the  place  became  septic  the  same 
night.  The  same  thing  happened  at  work,  ow- 
ing to  the  lack  of  fresh  meat  and  vegetables 
for  nearly  four  years. 

May  6.  500  new  British  prisoners  of  war 
arrived.  These  men  had  been  captured  in  the 
big  push.  Their  general  physique  was  not 
equal  to  that  of  the  1914  men. 

May  17.     One  of  the  R.N. D.  men  was  sent 
back    from    the    mines    suffering    from    brain 
trouble.     He  was  quite  off  his  head.     The  poor 
devil  would  implore  every  one  he  met  to 
him  from  being  sent  to  the  mines  again. 

Just  at  this  time  there  was  an  epidemic  of 
"flu"  in  the  lager;  most  of  the  men  got  it, 
among  them  myself.  Six  weeks  later  an- 
other epidemic  of  "  flu  "  broke  out.  This  was 
much  worse  than  the  first,  and  out  of  26  deaths 
among  the  British,  23  were  old  prisoners  of  war, 
clearly  showing  how  our  general  health  had 
been  undermined  during  our  long  captivity. 

The  numbers  of  new  prisoners  of  war  at  this 
camp  were  nearly  equal  to  those  of  the  old  at 
this  time. 

.Every  Sunday  night  a  kinema  show  was 
given  by  the  Germans  in  the  riding  school  at 
a  charge  of  20  pfennigs  and  50  pfennigs  per 
man.  The  place  was  packed  every  time,  and 
there  were  some  exciting  scrimmages  at  the 
entrance.  The  rushes,  as  soon  as  the  doors 
were  open,  became  so  bad  that  the  Germans 
posted  guards  inside  the  building  with  fixed 
bayonets.  After  the  kinema  had  been  running 
for  some  time,  the  Germans  had  the  bad  taste 
to  show  photos  of  military  achievements,  wind- 
ing up  by  producing  Hindenburg's  portrait. 
This  was  the  last  straw.     The    picture    was 


SEPTEMBER,    1919 


159 


greated  with  yells  of  derision,  which  continued 
until  the  light  was  switched  on.  The  com- 
mandant issued  an  order  the  next  day  that  if 
such  behaviour  was  repeated  the  whole  lager 
would  be  placed  under  punishment. 

During  1918  continual  rumours  were  run- 
ning round  the  camp  that  all  old  prisoners  of 
war  would  be  exchanged.  As  a  matter  of  fact 
we  had  lived  on  these  rumours  for  about  a  year, 
and  every  time  a  batch  of  sick  was  sent  for 
examination  to  Aachen,  exchange  stock  boomed 
high,  only  to  fall  again  when  50%  of  the  sick 
returned  a  week  later,  having  failed  to  pass  the 
doctor. 

The  exchange  of  officers  and  N.C.O.s 
started  at  the  beginning  of  1918,  and  we  never 
gave  up  hope  that  the  men's  turn  would  come. 
But  it  didn't,  at  least  not  until  the  armistice 
was  signed.  During  the  second  epidemic  of 
flu"  the  boys  called  it  "exchange  fever." 

Men  were  coming  into  lager  almost  daily 
from  the  mines  in  bad  condition,  among  them 


another  man  who  had  gone  off  his  head.  He 
was  subsequently  sent  to  an  insane  asylum. 
He  belonged  to  the  R.F.A.  He  would  wake 
up  in  the  middle  of  the  night  with  a  yell  that 
startled  the  whole  barrack-room,  mentioning 
many  times  the  name  of  "  Knock-out  Brown," 

a  German  N.C.O.  whose  name  was  K ,one 

of  the  worst  type  of  man-handling  bullies  we 
had  met.  He  was  reported  and  court-mar- 
tialled,  but  never  received  any  punishment  as 
far  as  we  knew. 

During  August  the  reports  from  the  west 
front  were  very  encouraging,  and  coupled  with 
constant  exchange  buzzes  had  the  effect  of  put- 
ting the  men  in  a  very  excitable  frame  of 
mind.  The  health  of  the  men  both  on  kom- 
mando  and  in  the  lager  was  very  poor.  Our 
blood  was  in  such  a  state  that  if  the  skin  be- 
came broken,  it  would  take  weeks  before  it 
would  heal. 

(To  be  concluded). 


NEWS  LETTERS 

MELBOURNE. 

July  12. 

Broken  Hill. — The  closing  down  of  the 
mines  owing  to  the  strike  has  led  to  greater 
attention  being  given  to  the  outlook  at  the 
mines  as  regards  reserves,  and  to  the  possibility 
of  finding  extensions  of  the  ore  deposits,  as 
already  known.  Some  of  the  mines  are  coming 
to  the  end  of  their  ore  reserves,  notably  Block 
10,  Junction  North,  and  the  Proprietary. 
These  companies  are  taking  interests  in  prop- 
erties north  and  south  on  the  basis  of  the 
Marshall  theory.  The  Junction  North  has  the 
Pinnacles,  the  Mayflower,  and  the  Allendale; 
the  Proprietary  is  developing  the  Potosi; 
Block  10  has  an  interest  in  some  of  thesouthern 
leases.  Little  work  is  being  done  at  present  on 
these  outside  leases.  Development  is  proceed- 
ing on  some  of  the  Marshall  blocks,  two  more 
of  which  were  floated  into  a  company  in  Syd- 
ney recently.  The  wolfram  claims  are  all  idle, 
and  there  is  no  sign  of  the  central  treatment 
plant  that  was  going  to  do  so  much. 

The  contract  between  the  Junction  Mining 
Co.  and  Amalgamated  Zinc  (De  Bavay's)  has, 
as  already  recorded,  been  cancelled.  The 
Junction  raised  and  crushed  the  ore  and  De 
Bavay's  treated  it,  but  the  arrangement  did 
not  prove  altogether  satisfactory.  The  termi- 
nation of  this  contract  together  with  the  strike 
caused  a  suspension  of  production  at  the  mine, 
and  the  future  working  of  the  property  is  be- 
ing considered  by  the  new  directorate.     There 


was  recently  a  change  in  the  board,  and  the 
control  of  the  company  was  moved  from  Syd- 
ney to  Adelaide.  W.  G.  Thomas,  well-known 
in  Adelaide  financial  circles,  is  the  new  chair- 
man. With  a  view  to  assisting  it  in  its  future 
policy,  the  board  engaged  the  services  of  C. 
G.  Klug,  the  Australian  manager  for  Bewick, 
Moreing  and  Co.,  who  will  report  fully  on  the 
property.  Developments  have  recently  shown 
that  the  mine  has  a  fair-sized  ore  reserve,  and 
although  the  lead  contents  of  the  ore  are  not 
as  high  as  in  some  of  the  other  mines,  this  is 
off-set  by  the  silver  contents.  Taking  the  last 
three  years'  production,  the  ore  averages  12% 
lead,  9oz.  silver,  and  1\%  zinc.  Judging 
from  the  experience  of  the  Junction  in  its 
prior  dealings  with  the  Sulphide  Corporation 
(I  quote  the  Industrial  Australian  &  Mut- 
ing Standard)  better  results  were  obtained 
by  mixing  the  Junction  ore,  which  has  a 
hard  gangue,  with  the  more  easily  milled  ore 
of  the  Central  mine.  The  best  policy,  how- 
ever, would  be  to  amalgamate  with  an  adjoin- 
ing property  such  as  the  British  or  Junction 
North,  particularly  with  the  latter,  which  is  ad- 
mittedly in  need  of  feed  for  its  mill.  The 
Junction  property  is  in  close  proximity  to  the 
Junction  North  plant,  and  most  of  the  Junc- 
tion workings  are  closer  to  the  Junction  North 
main  shaft  than  to  the  Junction  main  shaft. 
Under  the  present  regime,  the  Junction  has 
been  well  opened  up,  is  thoroughly  equipped, 
and  is  able  to  produce  a  good  regular  tonnage 
of  ore.  In  earlier  years  the  old  stopes  in  the 
upper  levels  were  filled  with  high-grade  tail- 


160 


THE    MINING     MAGAZINE 


ing,  which,  under  modern  methods,  would  well 
bear  re-treatment  by  anyone  with  the  requisite 
plant.  To-day,  too,  it  is  possible  to  recover 
some  of  the  high-grade  ore  for  which  this  mine 
was  famous  20  years  ago,  and  which  was  left 
in  the  old  crushed  ground.  New  lodes  have 
been  opened  up,  too,  at  the  900  and  1,000  ft. 
levels,  the  latter  being  the  lowest  working 
level, though  the  main  shaft  is  down  to  1,136  ft. 
The  ore  at  the  lower  levels  is  of  average  value. 

TORONTO. 

August   12. 

COBALT. — The  silver-mining  industry  here 
is  completely  at  a  stand-still,  owing  to  a  strike 
of  the  miners  who,  to  the  number  of  over  2,000, 
walked  out  on  J  uly  23,  as  they  had  been  threaten- 
ing to  do  for  some  weeks.  Definite  action  was 
delayed  from  time  to  time  in  the  hope  that  a 
settlement  could  be  arrived  at  by  the  interven- 
tion of  Hon.  G.D.  Robertson,  Canadian  Minis- 
ter of  Labour,  who  Opened  negotiations  with 
the  mine  managers.  These  were  unavailing, 
as  the  employers  firmly  adhered  to  the  position 
they  have  maintained  throughout,  in  refusing 
to  deal  with  or  recognize  the  miners'  union. 
This  is  practically  the  only  question  in  dispute, 
as,  though  some  further  claims  are  put  for- 
ward by  the  men,  these  issues  are  so  com- 
paratively trifling  that,  were  the  matter  of 
union  recognition  out  of  the  way,  they  could 
be  very  easily  disposed  of.  The  reason  as- 
signed by  the  mine  managers  for  their  stand 
is  that  previous  dealings  with  the  Western 
Federation  of  Miners,  with  which  the  union  is 
affiliated,  have  been  unsatisfactory.  The  posi- 
tion taken  by  the  miners,  and  endorsed  by  the 
Minister  of  Labour,  is  that  during  recent  years 
the  policy  and  leadership  of  the  Western 
Federation  have  been  materially  altered,  and 
that  it  is  unreasonable  to  judge  that  organiza- 
tion by  the  conditions  which  prevailed  ten 
years  ago.  Since  the  strike  was  declared  all 
attempts  to  effect  a  settlement  have  proved 
futile.  Many  of  the  miners  have  left  the  camp, 
and  the  mines  are  filling  with  water.  One  effect 
of  the  strikes  at  Cobalt  and  Kirkland  Lake  has 
been  to  stimulate  development  at  the  newer 
camps  and  outlying  districts,  where  many  of 
the  strikers  have  found  work  on  new  pros- 
pects. 

The  Nipissing  during  June  mined  ore  of  an 
estimated  value  of  $357,474,  and  shipped  bul- 
lion from  Nipissing  and  customs  ore  of  an 
estimated  net  value  of  $111,777.  The  share- 
holders of  the  Kerr  Lake  have  ratified  a  by- 
law reducing  the  capitalization  of  the  company 
from  $3,000,000  to  $2,400,000.     The  Foster 


mine  is  being  dismantled  and  the  mining  plant 
transferred  to  a  property  owned  by  the  lessees 
at  Gowganda.  The  Peterson  Lake  is  install- 
ing new  machinery  to  treat  ore  formerly  class- 
ed as  waste.  L.  W.  Ledyard  has  resigned  his 
position  as  manager  of  the  Beaver  Consoli- 
dated and  is  succeeded  by  Harry  Donaldson, 
of  Madoc,  Ontario. 

PORCUPINE. — The  labour  situation  in  this 
camp  continues  satisfactory,  the  relations  be- 
tween the  companies  and  theiremployeesbeing 
harmonious  since  an  agreement  was  arrived  at 
under  which  some  of  thegrievancescomplained 
of  by  the  men  will  be  removed.  The  Hollinger 
Consolidated  is  building  a  hospital  and  has 
purchased  three  stores,  at  which  their  employ- 
ees will  be  able  to  buy  goods  at  considerably 
lower  prices  than  have  hitherto  obtained. 
The  men  will  also  receive  half-pay  during 
periods  of  illness.  The  number  of  men  em- 
ployed in  the  district  is  greater  than  ever  be- 
fore, the  Hollinger  having  2,000  on  its  pay- 
mil  and  the  Mclntyre  about  400.  The  Hol- 
linger is  installing  machinery  which  will  in- 
crease the  number  of  stamps  from  160  to  200, 
and  this,  together  with  the  ball-mill,  will  increase 
the  milling  capacity  to  3,500  tons  daily.  The 
Mclntyre  has  declared  an  interim  dividend  of 
5  .  The  mill  is  treating  about  600  tons  daily, 
the  ore  averaging  some  $10  per  ton.  Lateral 
work  at  the  1,350  ft.  level  will  shortly  be 
stai  ted,  tins  being  the  deepest  working  at  Por- 
cupine. The  shareholders  of  the  Davidson 
have  authorized  the  reorganization  of  the  com- 
pany, which  will  be  known  as  the  Davidson 
Consolidated  Gold  Mines,  Ltd.,  with  a  capital- 
ization increased  to  $5,000,000.  The  new  com- 
pany acquires  additional  territory,  increasing 
the  area  from  1  20  to  420  acres.  Shareholders 
will  receive  a  bonus  of  one  share  of  Consoli- 
dated stock  for  every  three  shares  in  the  origin- 
al company,  and  after  paying  for  the  additional 
acreage  the  company  will  have  1,000, OOOshares 
in  the  treasury  and  $125,000  cash.  Of  the 
treasury  stock  500,000  shares  will  be  sold  at 
75  cents  each  to  provide  funds  for  development 
on  a  large  scale.  A  power  transmission  line  is 
to  be  run  from  the  Davidson  to  the  North 
Davidson,  which  "has  shown  up  well  undjsr 
diamond-drilling.  The  Norwood  has  let  a 
contract  for  6,000  ft.  of  diamond-drilling. 
Very  promising  ore-bodies  have  been  en- 
countered in  trenching  and  diamond-drilling 
on  the  Sovereign.  A. shaft  is  down  60  ft.  on 
ore  averaging  $9  to  the  ton. 

Boston  CREEK. — This  area  is  not  affected 
by  strikes,  and  mining  operations  are  being 
carried  on  without  interruption.  There  is  much 


SEPTEMBER,     1919 


161 


complaint  among  mining  men  against  the  in- 
action of  the  Provincial  Government,  which, 
while  carrying  out  an  extensive  road-making 
programme  in  many  parts  of  Northern  On- 
tario, has  failed  to  provide  the  promised  im- 
provements in  transport  facilities  for  the  Bos- 
ton Creek  district.  The  Miller  Independence 
is  building  an  addition  to  its  mill,  and  it  is 
hoped  to  have  the  machinery  installed  before 
the  cold  weather  sets  in.  Diamond-drilling  on 
the  O' Donald  claims,  which  are  under  option 
to  the  Allied  Gold  Mines,  shows  encouraging 
results,  one  vein  28  in.  wide  cut  at  depth  carry- 
ing upwards  of  $17  to  the  ton.  Extensive  ex- 
ploration work  has  been  done  in  Skead  Town- 
ship and  some  good  finds  are  reported. 

The  Pas,  Manitoba. — Rich  finds  of  gold 
at  Copper  Lake,  some  70  miles  north  of  The 
Pas,  have  caused  arush  of  prospectors  into  that 
district.  The  genuineness  of  the  discovery  is 
confirmedby  Dr.  R.  O.  Wallace, Commissioner 
for  Northern  Manitoba,  who  has  examined 
samples  of  the  ore  and  declares  that  he  has 
never  seen  gold  specimens  equal  to  them  in 
richness.  The  vein  is  stated  to  be  4  ft.  in 
width,  of  quartz  and  greenstone,  carrying  very 
coarse  gold  forming  50%  of  the  quartz.  Dr. 
Wallace  states  that  it  is  almost  impossible  to 
break  the  quartz,  owing  to  the  tenacity  with 
which  the  gold  holds  it  together.  Many  claims 
in  the  neighbourhood  have  been  staked. 

BRUSSELS. 

An  official  report  has  been  issued  giving  de- 
tails of  the  condition  of  various  Belgian  indus- 
tries at  the  beginning  of  June.  Thinking  that 
your  readers  will  be  interested  in  the  latest 
news  as  to  the  present  position  of  the  zinc,  lead, 
silver,  and  other  non-ferrous  metallurgical 
works,  I  am  sending  you  a  translation  of  this 
section  of  the  report.  The  metallurgical  in- 
dustries in  question  are  located  in  the  provinces 
of  Liege,  Limburg,  and  Antwerp. 

First,  with  regard  to  the  province  of  Liege. 
The  Societe  de  la  Vieille-Montagne,  which  ob- 
tains its  ore  from  its  own  mines  situated  abroad, 
has  restarted  four  zinc  furnaces  at  its  Valen- 
tin-Cocq  works  at  Hollogne-aux-Pierres  and 
six  at  its  works  at  Flone  ;  others  will  be  started 
soon.  In  May,  smelting  had  not  been  started 
at  the  company's  plant  at  Angleur,  but  work 
will  be  commenced  at  any  moment  when  the 
necessary  ore  is  received. 

The  establishments  for  the  production  of 
crude  zinc  of  the  Societe  de  Lamine  and  of  the 
Societe  Austro-Belge,  in  the  region  of  Huy.are 
not  working  on  account  of  lack  of  ore.  The 
Societe  de  la  Nouvelle-Montagne  has  been 
3—5 


able  to  obtain  a  supply  of  ore,  though  at  a  very 
high  price,  and  limited  in  amount,  whereby 
it  has  been  possible  to  start  two  blocks  of  fur- 
naces. The  Societe  Dumont  at  Sclaigneaux 
has  also  been  able  to  light  two  furnaces  which 
the  Germans  had  not  destroyed.  The  zinc 
furnaces  and  roasting  furnaces  belonging  to 
the  Societe  Anonyme  Metallurgique  de 
Proyon  at  Trooz  -  Foret,  are  closed  com- 
pletely for  lack  of  ore.  At  the  zinc  works 
of  Ougree,  production  has  not  yet  started. 
Repairs  of  accessory  plant  are  being  continued, 
but  the  reconstruction  of  the  furnaces  has  not 
yet  been  commenced.  The  zinc  works  of 
Bleyberg  remain  at  a  standstill.  The  princi- 
pal obstacles  are  the  lack  of  supplies  of  ore, 
the  high  rates  of  transport,  and  the  excessive 
cost  of  fuel.  It  is  impossible  to  fix  a  time  for 
the  reopening  of  the  works,  but  it  is  hoped  that 
this  will  be  accomplished  during  next  winter. 
On  the  whole,  the  production  of  the  zinc  smel- 
ters of  the  province  of  Liege  is  very  much  re- 
duced, and  this  industry  cannot  regain  its  pre- 
vious activity  as  long  as  the  supply  of  ore  is 
uncertain. 

The  zinc  and  copper  rolling  mills  of  Chenee, 
the  zinc  rolling  mills  of  Fraipont,  Angleur, 
Proyon,  and  Tilff,  proceed  at  a  reduced  output 
by  reason  of  lack  of  raw  materials  and  high 
prices;  the  crude  zinc  treated  comes  chiefly 
from  England  and  America. 

In  the  province  of  Limburg  and  Antwerp, 
the  stoppage  is  complete  at  all  the  zinc  works, 
and  there  is  no  reason  to  anticipate  the  early 
recommencement  of  the  smelters.  The  fur- 
nace of  the  Boom  (Antwerp)  works  have, 
furthermore,  been  damaged  by  the  enemy.  The 
Lommel  (Limburg)  works  have  been  at  a  com- 
plete standstill  since  January  31,  1919.  The 
last  furnaces  working  at  the  Overpelt  (Lim- 
burg) works  were  put  out  of  commission  at  the 
beginning  of  May.  The  Rothem  works,  also 
in  the  province  of  Limburg,  has  remained 
closed  since  the  beginning  of  the  war. 

To  sum  up,  it  may  be  said  that  the  zinc  in- 
dustry in  Belgium  is  greatly  handicapped  for 
the  following  reasons:  (l)  Considerable  in- 
crease in  cost  of  labour,  (2)  a  similar  great  in- 
crease in  cost  of  coal,  (3)  unfavourable  rate  of 
exchange,  (4)  high  freight  charges.  As  com- 
pared with  1914  the  cost  of  coal  used  in  these 
works  is  now  three  times  as  high  and  the  cost  of 
labour  is  double.  The  result  is  that  the  cost 
of  treating  one  ton  of  ore  has  incfeased  from 
70  francs  to  over  200  francs.  Under  these  con- 
ditions it  is  impossible  to  buy  ore  at  the  pres- 
ent price  and  make  a  profit  in  smelting.  As 
already  mentioned,  the  rollers  of  zinc  are  be- 


162 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


ginning  to  introduce  into  Belgium  zinc  of 
foreign  origin,  English  and  American. 

The  sulphuric  acid  industry,  as  far  as  it  de- 
pends on  the  roasting  of  zinc  ores,  has  been 
stopped  in  the  province  of  Liege.  With  re- 
gard to  the  works  in  the  northern  provinces 
that  depend  on  the  zinc  works,  at  the  end  of 
May  three  roasting  furnaces  were  started  at 
Lommel,  feeding  a  system  of  lead  chambers. 
These  are  treating  blende  ores  for  a  Dutch 
company.  With  regard  to  the  works  of  Bae- 
len,  owned  by  the  Societe  de  la  Vieille-Mon- 
tagne,  this  was  partly  demolished  by  the  Ger- 
mans. All  the  lead  from  the  chambers  and 
the  platinum  from  the  catalytic  plant  were  tak- 
en away.  Most  of  the  furnaces  and  part  of  the 
lead  chambers  have  been  repaired,  and  it  is 
hoped  by  the  end  of  the  year  to  be  working  at 
about  50%  of  the  normal. 

The  province  cf  Liege  has  only  two  lead 
works,  that  of  the  Societe  Dumont  at  Sclaig- 
neaux  and  that  of  Bleyberg,  near  the  frontier. 
The  first  one  was  completely  destroyed  by  the 
Germans  and  the  resumption  of  work  is  not 
yet  in  contemplation.  Some  of  the  employees 
are  occupied  in  repairing  what  remains  of  the 
original  installation.  Work  has  been  partly 
restarted  at  the  lead  works  of  Bleyberg  on  ma- 
terial and  residues  which  were  left  by  the  Ger- 
mansand  lead  slags  bought  in  Belgium.  Itisim- 
possible  as  yet  to  obtain  ore  from  abroad. 
Operations  will  expand  as  it  becomes  possible 
to  buy  raw  materials  in  sufficient  quantities, 
but  it  must  be  remembered  that  these  raw  ma- 
terials consist  for  the  most  part  of  by-prod- 
ucts of  zinc  smelting. 

The  lead,  silver,  and  copper  industries  are 
represented  in  the  northern  provinces  by  the 
desilverizing  works  at  Hoboken,  the  Yieille- 
Montagne  works  at  Baelen-sur-Xethe,  and  the 
Overpelt  works.  In  the  province  of  Antwerp 
the  important  works  of  the  German  company 
"  Usine  de  Desargentation  de  Hoboken  "  have 
just  been  handed  over,  through  the  sequestra- 
tion of  the  said  German  company,  to  the  Com- 
pagnie  Industrielle  d'Oelen.  All  their  plant 
is  in  excellent  condition.  In  May  only  one 
roasting  furnace,  a  cupelling  furnace,  and  a 
refining  furnace  for  the  treatment  of  black  cop- 
per of  the  Union  Miniere  du  Katanga  were 
running.  The  works  could  be  put  again  into 
activity  in  all  its  departments  and  the  resump- 
tion of  work  would  be  complete  if  it  were  pos- 
sible to  obtain  the  raw  material  such  as  lead 
for  desilverizing,  lead  slag,  galenaconcentrates, 
copper  mattes,  or  sulphide  ores  of  lead,  cop- 
per, and  >ilver.  The  German  company  used 
to  treat  ore  from  German  West  Aftica. 


At  Baelen-sur-Nethe,  the  lead  works  of  the 
Societe  dela  Vieille- Montague  has  suffered  less 
than  the  sulphuric  acid  works,  the  only  things 
taken  away  being  the  electric  motors.  It  is 
hoped  to  set  these  works  partly  going  again  in 
two  or  three  months'  time,  in  such  a  manner  as 
to  reach,  by  the  end  of  1919,  half  of  the  nor- 
mal production ;  but  it  is  difficult  at  the  present 
time  to  obtain  ore  on  suitable  terms.  The  in- 
stallation of  the  Overpelt  works,  devoted  to 
the  treatment  of  complex  lead,  silver,  and 
arsenical  ores  and  mattes,  are  also  at  a  stand- 
still for  want  of  raw  material;  at  the  end  of 
May  only  a  small  furnace  used  for  the  treat- 
mentof  lead  mattes  was  working.  'I  he  Beersse 
works  of  the  Compagnie  Metallurgique  de  la 
Campine,  which  produced  before  the  war  a 
considerable  amount  of  antimony  and  C0| 
have  been  completely  at  a  standstill  since 
the  Germans  left.  Their  plant  and  tools  have 
been  very  much  damaged,  and  to  a  great  extent 
have  been  put  out  of  use;  all  ores  and  other 
raw  materials  have  disappeared,  and,  in  addi- 
tion, the  company  has  not  the  capital  necessary 
to  repair  the  damage  and  obtain  raw  material. 
These  raw  materials  consisted  mostly  of  ore 
and  regulus  coming  from  China,  some  copper 
residues,  and  antimony  slag. 

To  sum  up,  the  future  of  the  zinc,  lead,  sil- 
ver, copper,  and  antimony  metallurgical  indus- 
tries is  far  from  being  assured,  the  stoppage 
having  been  almost  complete.  1  Belgium  owed 
her  prosperity  in  this  industry  to  her  special 
economic  conditions,  that  is,  cheap  coal  and 
labour  and  low  shipping  rates.  1  iy  modifying 
these  conditions  the  war  has  greatly  handi- 
capped the  future  prosperity  of  Belgian  in 
dustries,  which  are  based  upon  the  treatment 
of  raw  material  of  foreign  origin. 

CAMBORNE. 
Non  Ferrous  Mining  Commission.— 

On  August  9,  the  Board  of  Trade  appointed 
the  following  gentlemen  as  a  Commission  to 
"  investigate  and  report  upon  the  present  con- 
dition and  economic  possibilities  of  Non- Fer- 
rous Mining  in  the  United  Kingdom  and  to 
make  recommendations  as  tosuch  Government 
action  as  may  be  expedient  in  regard  thereto": 
H.  B.  Betterton,  M.P.  (Chairman),  Henry  F. 
Collins,  J.  Harris,  Dr.  F.  H.  Hatch,  Sir  Lionel 
Phillips,  Hart..  R.  Arthur  Thomas,  and  James 
Wignall,  M.P.  Messrs.  Thomas  and  Harris 
represent  respectively  the  owners  and  workers 
in  the  tin-mining  industry.  Messrs.  Collins  and 
Wignall  the  owners  and  workers  in  the  zinc 
and  lead-mining  industry  ;  and  the  other  mem- 
bers   were    nominated    bv    the   Government. 


SEPTEMBER,   1919 


163 


The  chairman's  qualifications   for   that  post 
are  of  a  doubtful  order,  for  he  appears  to  have 
little    or    no  practical   knowledge    of    mining 
affairs,  while  certainly  the  labour  representa- 
tives will  be  out  of  their  depth  when  technical 
matters    are    under    consideration.      All     the 
members  of  the  Commission  other  than  the 
chairman  are  known,  by  declarations  already 
made  from  time  to  time,  to  favour  Government 
assistance  for  the  industry,  and  on  this  point 
it  can  only  be  the  form  of  assistance  or  subsidy 
on  which  there  is  likely  to  be  any  difference 
of   opinion.      For   this   reason   alone   we   are 
sceptical  of  any  practical  result  of  the  inquiry, 
and  this  view,  evidently,  is  held  by  represen- 
tatives of  the  zinc  and  lead  mines,  for  Mr. 
Felix  Wilson,  of  the  Leadhills  Mining  Com- 
pany, at  a  recent   meeting,   referring   to  the 
inquiry  and  existing  conditions,   said:    "the 
reformation   will  have  to  come  from  within, 
not  from  without."      Most  of  the  evidence  and 
facts  relating,  at  any  rate,  to  the   tin-mining 
industry  are  already  in  the  possession  of  the 
Board  of  Trade.     We  hold  the  view,  already 
expressed    publicly    by    Mr.   C.   A.    Moreing, 
that  those  interested  in  the  tin-mining  industry 
must  take  steps  to  help  themselves  by  means 
of  reorganization  and  scientific  investigation 
if  the  mines  are  to  be  kept  going,  and  Mr. 
Moreing,  by  his  recent  activities  referred  to 
elsewhere  in  this  letter,  appears  to  be  acting 
on  that  opinion.     There  can  be  no  question 
that  the  industry  is  deserving  of  Government 
assistance  on  national  grounds,  as  has  repeat- 
edly been  urged  in  these  columns.      Moreover, 
non-ferrous    mining    in    this   country    clearly 
meets  pach  of  the  following  tests  laid  down 
by  the  Prime  Minister  in  his  speech  of  August 
18,     when     he    outlined    the     Government's 
proposal   to  shield    unstable    key   industries : 
"  (l).  Whether  the  industry  was  revealed  to 
be  essential  for  war  or  the  maintenance  of  the 
country  during  the  war.     (2).   Whether  during 
the  war  it  was  discovered  that  the  industry  had 
been  so  neglected  that  there  was  an  inadequate 
supply  of  goods  produced  in  the  industry  for 
the  purpose  of  equipping   ourselves   for   the 
essential  tasks  of  war.     (3).  Whether  it  was 
found  necessary  for  the  Government  to  take 
special  steps  to  promote  and  foster  that  indus- 
try during  the  war.      (4).     Whether   if    that 
special  Government  support  were  withdrawn 
those  industries  could  maintain  themselves  at 
a  level  of  production  which  the  war  has  shown 
to  be  essential  to  the  national  life."      But  in 
spite  of  this,  tin-mining  is  not  included  in  the 
list  of  key  industries  recently  scheduled  by  the 
Board  of  Trade,  and  the   niggardly    way   in 


which  the  department  is  interpreting  the  re- 
cent promise,  made  to  the  Joint  Industrial 
Council,  of  lending  money  on  the  security  of 
machinery,  as  witness  the  case  of  Wheal  Kitty 
(which  occasioned  a  spirited  protest  on  the 
part  of  the  Joint  Industrial  Council  at  its  last 
meeting),  is  evidence  of  the  views  prevailing 
at  Whitehall.  No  doubt  the  public  pressure 
for  economy  is  the  ready  excuse,  but  economy 
should  be  on  sound  lines,  and  it  is  obviously 
unsound  to  let  the  tin-mining  industry  be 
seriously  injured  for  the  want  of  a  little 
financial  assistance,  pending  the  return  of 
more  normal  conditions. 

Centralization  of  plants  and  amalgamation 
of  properties,  so  that  operations  may  be  con- 
ducted on  a  much  larger  scale,  thus  materially 
reducing  working  costs,  is  clearly  one  of  the 
recommendations  which  it  may  reasonably  be 
anticipated  the  Commission  will  make,  and 
steps  to  that  end  are  not  unlikely  to  develop 
in  the  not  far  distant  future.  Such  a  policy 
is  obviously  much  facilitated  in  the  Mining 
Division  by  the  fact  that  the  Basset  and 
Clifden  mineral  rights  are  now  owned  by 
Tehidy  Minerals,  Ltd. 

Messrs.  C.  A.  Moreing  and  Oliver  Wethered 
have  been  appointed  by  the  tin-mining  inter- 
ests to  give  evidence  from  the  owners'  stand- 
point, and  no  better  selection  could  have  been 
made.  We  hope,  too,  that  Mr.  C.  V.  Thomas, 
whose  work  for  Cornish  mining  behind  the 
scenes  is  not  so  generally  recognized,  will,  in 
his  able  and  forceful  way,  find  an  opportunity 
of  submitting  his  views. 

Grenville. — The  financial  resources  of 
the  company  being  exhausted,  the  directors 
have  decided  on  a  scheme  of  reconstruction, 
which  will  involve  each  shareholder  who  de- 
cides to  support  the  scheme  in  a  liability  of  3s. 
per  share.  The  existing  company  has  a  nomi- 
nal capital  of  ^100,000,  divided  into  200,000 
sharesof  10s.  each,  and  of  this  number,  180,000 
are  issued.  The  new  company  will  be  of  the 
same  nominal  capital,  but  will  be  divided  in 
shares  of  5s.  each,  and  for  each  10s.  share  in 
the  old  company,  two  5s.  shares,  3s.  6d.  paid 
up,  will  be  issued.  As  the  issue  has  been  un- 
derwritten at  a  total  cost  of  2d.  per  share,  the 
sum  of  ,£"27,000  will  be  available,  less  £3,000 
for  underwriting,  or  £"24,000  net.  In  our 
opinion,  this  sum  is  inadequate  to  meet  the 
registration  costs,  pay  the  debts  of  the  old  com- 
pany (the  trade  debts  alone  are  estimated  at 
£9, 000),  meet  current  losses,  and  carry  out  the 
proposed  development  work  in  the  upper  levels. 
apart  from  any  exploration  in  the  bottom  of 
the  mine  or  any  of  the  many  equipment  im- 


164 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


provements  referred  to  in  the  reportsof  Messrs. 
Josiah  Paull  and  Joseph  Nile.  These  develop- 
ments in  the  upper  levels  are  alone  estima- 
ted at  ,£"12,000,  and  we  therefore  fear  that  be- 
fore the  mine  has  had  the  further  chance  which 
its  past  record  warrants,  the  capital  will  be 
exhausted  and  the  faith  of  those  now  backing 
the  venture  seriously  upset.  We  hope  this 
expression  of  opinion  will  not  be  thought  due  to 
lack  of  good- will  ;  on  the  contrary,  we  admire 
the  courage  and  perseverance  of  the  directors 
under  most  discouraging  conditions,  but  they 
suffer — and  have  for  years  past — through  lack 
of  sound  technical  advice.  It  is  true  they  have 
now  consulted  Mr.  Paull  on  the  condition  of 
affairs  at  the  mine,  and,  incidentally,  his  report 
is  by  no  means  optimistic,  but  he  says  nothing 
of  the  outlay  involved,  nor  probably  would  he 
know  the  financial  condition  of  the  old  com- 
pany. He  says  :  "  Given  pre-war  conditions, 
or  a  post-war  price  for  black  tin  in  relative  pro- 
portion to  the  rise  that  has  taken  place  in  ma- 
terials and  labour,  or  other  factors  arising  to 
equal  the  same,  as  for  example,  largely  in- 
creased tonnageof  production  or  rise  in  the  pro- 
duce of  the  same,  your  mine  is,  in  my  opinion, 
well  worthy  of  fresh  capital  being  put  into  it, 
and  its  chances  of  again  becoming  a  prosper- 
ous undertaking  are  quite  good."  We  should 
be  prepared  to  endorse  this  conditional  expres- 
sion of  opinion  if,  before  "  fresh  capital,"  the 
word  "  adequate  "  were  inserted,  and  by  "  ade- 
quate "  we  mean  at  least  ,£"25,000  for  expendi- 
ture in  and  at  the  mine  alone. 

It  is  quite  evident  from  the  reports  referred 
to  that  no  systematic  sampling  of  the  lodes  has 
hitherto  been  carried  out,  nor  any  assay  plans 
kept  at  the  mine  ;  the  lack  of  this  very  neces- 
sary information  may  now  lead  to  the  waste 
of  much  money  on  clearing  levels  for  investi- 
gation purposes.  This  is  more  evidence  of  the 
need  of  independent  technical  advice. 

The  development  work  already  undertaken 
in  the  upper  levels  has  given  very  encouraging 
results,  and  with  theopening  up  of  many  points 
of  attack,  there  is  good  reason  to  believe  that 
large  quantities  of  average  grade  ore  will  be- 
come available,  sufficient,  perhaps,  to  warrant 
an  increased  milling  capacity.  In  the  bottom, 
too,  the  management  are  hopeful  that  when  the 
water  is  got  out,  it  will  be  found  that  a  bunch 
of  rich  tin  ground  is  within  sight  at  the  395  tm. 
level.  1 1  is  interesting  and  comforting  to  note 
that  Mr.  Paull  does  not  anticipate  any  trouble 
with  the* water  from  the  adjoining  Basset  mine. 
He  suggests  the  installation  of  an  electrical 
pump  at  the  150  fm.  level  to  supplement  the 
existing  pumps  by  dealing  with  the  large  in- 


flux of  surface  water  ;  by  this  means,  the 
pumping  costs  could  be  considerably  reduced 
and  the  life  of  the  Cornish  pumps  prolonged. 
The  Clifden  Deal. — In  February  last, 
we  recorded  in  these  columns  the  purchase  of 
the  Basset  mineral  rights  by  Tehidy  Minerals, 
Ltd.,  a  company  with  a  nominal  capital  of 
.000,000,  formed  by  the  Dolcoath  and  East 
Pool  groups,  the  purchase  price  being  .£"60,000. 
Now  we  have  to  record  a  much  more  impor- 
tant transaction  in  the  transference  to  the  same 
company  of  the  mineral  rights  of  Viscount 
Clifden  for  a  sum  of  .£"200,000,  all  of  which, 
with  the  exception  of  .£"10,000,  is  payable  in 
fully-paid  shares  of  the  company.  To  enable 
this  to  be  done,  the  nominal  capital  of  the  com- 
pany has  been  increased  to  ,£"300,000.  Of  the 
190, 0C0  shares  to  be  issued  to  Viscount  Clif- 
den, 40.000  are  offered  to  existing  shareholders 
— other  than  the  Dolcoath  or  East  Pool  com- 
panies -at  par,  and  as  the  shares  command  a 
premium,  tins  is  equivalent  to  a  substantial 
bonus,  and  no  doubt  they  will  be  readily  ab- 
sorbed. This  will  leave  Viscount  Clifden  with 
150,000  shares,  or  slightly  more  than  half  the 
capital  of  the  company.  This  is  surely  show- 
ing substantia]  faith  in  its  future. 

The  mineral  rights  acquired  relate,  in  the 
over  25,000  acres,  principally 
situated  in  Mid  and  West  Cornwall.  In  West 
Cornwall,  the  mines  which  are  being  worked 
include  Wheal  Agar  (leased  to  East  Pool  & 
Agar,  Ltd.,  in  which  the  famous  Rogers  lode 
is  located)  and  Tincroft  mines,  while  in  the 
ii  of  Ulogan,  the  areas  acquired  adjoin  and 
tit  in  with  the  other  setts  already  belonging  to 
the  company,  so  that,  if,  as  seems  likely  in  the 
future,  large  propositions  are  to  be  the  order 
of  the  day,  it  will  be  very  helpful  to  this  end 
that  the  minerals  will  be  under  one  ownership. 
In  Mid  Cornwall,  the  principal  rights  acquired 
are  those  for  china  clay,  and  taking  pre  war 
output  figures,  say  70,000  tonsper  year,  thepits 
concerned  produced  about  one -eighth  of  the  total 
output  for  Cornwall.  But,  in  addition,  there 
are  large  areas  at  present  undeveloped  or  not 
even  tested  which  it  is  believed  by  Mr.  J.  Gil- 
bert will  prove  to  be  good  clay  ground.  There 
can  be  no  doubt  that  although  at  the  present 
time  production  is  more  than  equal  to  demand, 
when  labour  settles  down  once  more  and  trade 
conditions  can  be  more  clearly  estimated,  the 
demand  for  clays  for  the  Continent  and  America 
will  be  enormous,  and,  bearing  in  mind  that 
the  selling  price  is  controlled  from  Cornwall, 
we  firmly  believe  that  there  is  a  very  bright 
future  for  thechina-clay  industry  in  this  country. 
Mr.  Gilbert  asserted  at  the  meeting  that  the 


SEPTEMBER,    1919 


165 


output  of  clay  in  Corn  wall  had  reached  1,000,000 
tons  by  the  end  of  1913,  but  this  was  not  so, 
and  probably  the  error  arose  through  the  in- 
clusion of  the  Devon  output.  As  the  figures 
given  at  the  meeting  by  Mr.  Moreing  were  only 
for  1912,weappend  some  later  figuresextracted 
from  the  Year  Book  of  the  Cornish  Chamber 
of  Mines : 

Cornwall  Devon  Totals 

Tons        Value        Terns  Value       Tons  Value 

1913  862.977     £555.330    414. 86S     £170,097      1.277,845  £725,427 

1914  803,576       539,512       353.0,8       150.   87       1,156,594       689.899 

1915  549.670      361,272      222,254        96.3s>5         771,924      457,667 

1916  564,826      389  908       166. 7S9        85.721  731.615       475,629 

1917  439,661       342.536      143,074        99,012         582,735      441.548 
The  reduction  of  output  indicated  was  due  to  the  war. 

Of  course,  the  present  available  working 
capital  of  the  company  would  be  quite  inade- 
quate for  the  development  of  its  properties,  or 
one  might  even  say  for  the  testing  of  them, 
but  there  are  strong  groups  behind  who  can 
find  all  the  money  required.  It  appears  to  be 
the  settled  policy  of  the  company  not  to  work 
the  properties  but  to  sell  outright  or  grant 
leases,  although,  no  doubt,  a  certain  amount 
of  exploratory  work  will  be  done.  The  com- 
pany is  at  the  present  time  in  receipt  of  a 
revenue  from  royalties  of  approximately 
.£"20,000  per  year,  and  it  will  doubtless  aim  to 
substantially  increase  this  sum.  It  was  a  bold 
stroke  on  the  part  of  Messrs.  C.  A.  Moreing, 
C.  V.  Thomas,  and  Oliver  VYethered  to  acquire 
the  Clifden  rights,  and  it  is  good  evidence  of 
the  faith  of  these  three  leaders  in  the  future  of 
the  Cornish  mining  industry. 

GEEVOR. — The  publication  of  the  report 
made  on  this  property  by  Mr.  Josiah  Paull,  as 
a  result  of  a  recent  inspection,  is  being  looked 
forward  to  with  interest,  but  it  may  with  con- 
fidence be  stated  that  it  will  be  of  a  highly  fa- 
vourable nature.  The  developments  continue 
to  disclose  high-grade  ore,  and  every  engineer 
who  visits  the  property  appears  to  be  impress- 
ed with  its  great  possibilities.  The  accounts, 
wrfen  issued,  should  show  a  fairly  satisfactory 
state  of  affairs,  but  doubtless  more  capital  will 
be  needed  if  the  milling  capacity  is  to  be  yet 
again  enlarged.  A  dividend  may  be  expected  to 
be  declared  by  the  time  this  letter  is  published. 

East  Pool  &  Agar. — It  is  good  news  to 
hear  that  the  water  has  at  last  been  got  out  of 
the  workings  on  the  Rogers  lode  at  the  240  fm. 
level  ;  it  has  been  a  difficult  and  expensive 
task.  Locally  the  slow  progress  in  unwater- 
ing  made  a  bad  impression,  and  this  doubtless 
accounts  for  the  recent  weakness  of  the  shares. 
Now  that  the  stopes  on  the  240  fm.  level  are 
available,  and  it  must  be  remembered  that  the 
highest  values  were  encountered  at  this  level, 
it  may  reasonably  be  anticipated  that  the  re- 


turns will  considerably  improve.  With  the 
installation  of  electric  pumps  to  supplement 
the  Cornish  pump  at  Agar,  there  need  be  no 
fear  in  the  future.. 

Wages  and  Production.— The  demand 
bythe  Unions  for  increased  wages  having  been 
refused  by  the  Owners'  Federation, the  Unions 
are  now  suggesting  that  the  application  should 
be  submitted  for  arbitration.  The  owners, 
under  the  circumstances,  will  be  well  advised 
to  refuse  to  go  to  arbitration  ;  the  best  answer 
is  that  there  are  not  more  than  two  mines  in 
Cornwall  able  to  meet  costs  at  the  present 
time. 

At  the  Joint  Industrial  Council,  an  interest- 
ing and  illuminating  discussion  recently  took 
place  on  the  question  of  increased  production, 
and  the  suggestions  of  the  sub-committee  of 
owners  and  workers  to  that  end  are  awaited 
with  interest.  It  has  been  truly  said  that  on 
the  average  the  miners  do  not  put  in  5|  hours 
per  shift  at  the  face,  and  even  when  they  do, 
the  efficiency  is  so  very  poor.  There  can  be 
no  doubt  in  part  this  slackness  is  due  to  the 
fatal  policy,  much  in  vogue  in  the  past,  of  cut- 
ting rates  if  the  men  did  well,  but  there  are 
nownotmany  managers  foolish  enough  toact  so 
shortsightedly.  But  it  is  difficult  to  eradicate 
the  conviction  of  the  miner  on  this  score,  a 
conviction  handed  down  from  father  to  son. 

Acquisition  and  Valuation  of  Land. 
— As  a  substitution  for  the  state  purchase  of 
minerals,  which  it  is  urged  would  put  an  end 
to  the  alleged  evil  of  recalcitrant  owners  who 
refuse  to  allow  their  minerals  to  be  worked 
except  on  impossible  terms,  the  Ministry  of 
Reconstruction  Committee  dealing  with  this 
subject  agreed  that  wherever  any  private  right, 
proprietary  or  contractual,  interfered  with  the 
national  interests  in  connection  with  mineral 
development,  there  should  be  an  independent 
authority  over-riding  such  private  rights  on 
fair  conpensation.  This  is  a  matter  which  the 
Commission  of  Inquiry  will  doubtless  deal 
with. 

Research  Work.— The  report  of  the  Tin 
and  Tungsten  Research  Board  for  1918-19  was 
published  recently,  but  as  reference  has  already 
been  made  to  it  in  the  Magazine  I  need  not  go 
into  details  here.  I  would  like  to  say,  how 
ever,  that  the  investigations  of  the  actual  Re- 
search Committee  are  in  the  main  directed  tO' 
improvements  on  existing  methods  of  extrac- 
tion. It  is  left  largely  to  outside  investigators 
to  experiment  on  entirely  new  lines,  and  cer- 
tainly the  view  in  Cornwall  in  many  quarters, 
although  not  openly  expressed,  is  that  the  work 
is  not  being  pushed  very  energetically  by  the. 


166 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


Research  Committee,  nor  conducted  on  right 
lines.  However,  when  details  of  the  results 
of  the  work  done  for  the  Research  Committee 
by  Messrs.  O.  J.  Stannard,  H.  W.  C.  Annable, 
H.  R.  Beringer,  A.  M.  Drummond,  and  F. 
H.  Michell  are  published,  a  better  idea  will 
be  obtained  of  the  value  of  the  mode  of  investi- 
gation. 

Mr.  Moreing  has  now  made  public  the  fact 
that  extensive  research  work  has  been  carried 
out  at  East  Pool — quite  apart  from  the  now 
suspended  tests  on  the  Richards  process— and 
laboratory  results  of  the  process,  believed  to 
be  flotation,  show  an  extraction  of  93/c,  and  a 
unit  of  pUnt  for  testing  it  on  a  commercial 
scale  is  now  being  erected.  Mr.  Moreing  has 
high  hopes  of  the  success  of  this  process,  and 
if  his  optimism  is  justified,  his  firm,  responsible 
for  much  splendid  metallurgical  work  in  other 
parts  of  the  world,  will  be  credited  with  the 
rejuvenation  of  Cornish  mining. 

TlNCROFT. — This  mine  has  recently  been 
examined  by  Messrs.  Bewick,  Moreing  &  Co., 
proposals  having  been  made  for  its  acquisition 
by  a  neighbouring  mining  company,  but  no  de- 
cision as  to  this  is  yet  known  locally.  Doubt- 
less considerable  losses  are  still  being  made  in 
spite  of  the  improved  prices  for  tin  and  arsenic, 
but  we  firmly  believe  that  this  mine  would 
justify  the  expenditure  of  a  considerable  sum 
in  development. 

Levant. —  The  accounts  for  the  16  weeks 
ended  August  23  last  show  a  loss  of  £2,976, 
after  deducting  ,£"2,300  expended  on  "  recon- 
struction," or  presumably  in  other  words  on 
work  of  a  capital  nature.  The  difficulty  is  that 
no  capital  account  is  kept  by  mines  run  on  the 
cost-book  system.  The  loss  made  compares 
with  £3,237  lost  on  the  previous  16  weeks' 
working.  The  following  comparative  figures 
will  be  of  interest : 

Black  Tin  Prodik  i  i"\ . 


Tons  of 

ore 
milled 
Maj   !,     1919        4.427 
Aug.  23.  1919        5.368 


4  months 
ended 


Qnsi,y  As* va-  lb.r 

,ons             I  £  milled 

110.'             l_'l  13.363  55 

1167             136  15.908  49 


NORTH   OF   ENGLAND. 

The  position  is  worse, but  it  is  a  little  clearer. 
We  know  at  least  where  and  how  we  stand. 
It  cannot  be  said  that  the  prospect  is  at  all 
cheerful.  It  is  true  that  the  Board  of  Trade 
has  appointed  a  Commission  to  investigate  and 
report  upon  the  present  condition  and  econo- 
mic possibilities  of  non-ferrous  mining  in  the 
United  Kingdom,  and  to  make  recommenda- 
tions as  to  such  Government  action  as  may  be 
expedient  in  regard  thereto,  but  it  is  doubtful 
whether  we  have  much  to  hope  for  from  the 


Government  whatever  representations  may  be 
made  to  them  by  the  gentlemen  who  consti- 
tute the  Commission.  It  is  patent,  however, 
that  for  the  present  we  can  only  mark  time. 
The  gentlemen  who  compose  the  Commission 
are  mostly  well  known  to  our  industry.  Mr. 
Henry  F.  Collins  is  of  course  the  representa- 
tive of  the  Lead  &  Zinc  Association,  Mr. 
James  Wignall,  M.P.,  is  the  representative  of 
the  Non-Ferrous  Industrial  Council  ;  Mr.  K. 
Arthur  Thomas,  is  representative  of  the  Corn- 
wall tin  mines;  Sir  Lionel  Phillips  is  the  late 
Controller  of  Mineral  Resources;  and  Dr.  F. 
H.  Hatch,  is  the  new  Controller.  Mr.  II.  B. 
Betterton,  M.P.,  the  Chairman  of  the  Com- 
mittee, and  Dr.  Hatch,  I  understand,  are  short- 
ly to  visit  the  North  of  England  mines,  and 
will  afterwards  try  to  make  the  round  of  the 
Welsh  mines.  The  Lake  Country  mines, 
Nenthead  and  W'eardale,  are  all,  I  believe, 
to  come  within  the  purview  of  Mr.  Detterton 
and  Dr.  Hatch.  It  may  not  be  without  inter- 
est, by  the  way,  to  mention  that  though  the 
Ministry  of  Munitions  staff  concerned  with 
mineral  resources  is  being  disbanded,  it  is  not 
unlikely  that  Mr.  Cunningham  will  remain.  It 
such  proves  to  be  the  case  we  shall  all  be  very 
pleased,  for  Mr.  Cunningham  knows  the  whole 
subjei  t  from  top  to  bottom,  and  the  capacity 
he  has  shown  for  the  position  he  holds  has  won 
him  the  respect  and  confidence  of  all,  and  it 
should  surely  be  unnecessary  to  add  that  his 
engaging  personality  has  made  him  liked  by 
every  mine-owner  who  has  come  in  contact 
with  him. 

Strong  representations  have  been  made  by 
the  Lead  &  Zinc  Mine-Owners'  Association 
with  a  view  to  the  continuance  of  the  output 
bonus  until  the  report  of  the  Commission  has 
been  received.  So  far  nothing  has  been  heard 
of  what  effect,  if  any,  they  have  had  upon  the 
powers  that  be,  but  I  believe  that  Dr.  Hatch  is 
doing  his  utmost  to  obtain  the  reconsideration 
of  the  subject.  The  bonus  terminated  on  June 
30.  The  industry  has  been  two  months  with- 
out it,  with  the  result  that  production  has  been 
suspended  at  Thornthwaite  and  at  Nenthead, 
the  latter  a  mine  which  raises  about  two-fifths 
of  the  entire  output  of  the  United  Kingdom. 
Notice  was  given  to  the  whole  of  the  men  to 
cease  work  on  September  10,  and  any  men  who 
are  retained  after  that  date  will  continue  their 
employment  on  three  days'  notice. 

A  strike  has  occurred  at  the  Mill  Close  mine 
in  Derbyshire,  the  Union  having  withdrawn  the 
firemen,  enginemen,  and  pumpmen.  It  is  to 
be  hoped  that  wiser  counsels  will  prevail  among 
the  men,  who  appear  to  have  acted  with  un- 


SEPTEMBER,     1919 


167 


usual  precipitation,  and  that  if  they  do  not  re- 
sume work  they  will  at  least  permit  the  pumps 
to  be  kept  going. 

The  production  of  lead  and  blende  is  being 
suspended  at  Force  Crag  in  the  Lake  Country, 
and  I  believe  that  the  company  intends  to 
concentrate  its  energies  on  barytes,  of  which 
it  has  a  very  fine  deposit.  As  far  as  Threlkeld, 
not  many  miles  away,  is  concerned,  work  is 
being  practically  confined  to  development.  The 
owners  ha,ve  suspended  the  reconstruction  of 
the  dressing  plant,  pending  the  decision  as  to 
what  their  position  will  be  regarding  the  out- 
put bonus.  The  forebreast  on  the  main  horse 
level  is  showing  good  ore,  certainly  two  tons 
to  the  fathom,  which  with  this  easily  worked 
lode  is  a  paying  proposition,  subject  to  reason- 
able prices  being  obtained.  The  whole  de- 
velopment of  the  Caldbeck  area  is  now  in  abey- 
ance, as  the  capitalists  interested  say  that  they 
cannot  possibly  touch  it  under  the  present  cir- 
cumstances. 

One  of  the  North  of  England  managers 
offered  his  output  of  blende  to  one  of  the  smel- 
ters and  received  an  absolutely  astounding 
reply.  It  appears  that  the  smelters  are  not  at 
liberty  to  purchase  home-produced  blende  with- 
out a  special  permit  from  the  Government. 
This  question  has  been  put  to  the  Board  of 
Trade,  but  no  reply  has  been  received.  It 
seems  fairly  obvious  that  the  Government  is 
determined  to  place  its  concentrates,  namely, 
those  purchased  from  iVustralia,  in  preference  to 
those  of  the  home-produced  ores.  At  all  events, 
in  this  particular  instance,  as  the  smelter  had 
no  permit  to  buy  the  ore  from  this  mine,  the 
manager  was  unable  to  obtain  an  offer. 

One  of  the  chief  smelters  informs  me  that 
as  a  matter  of  fact  smelting  is  a  game  not 
worth  the  candle  in  existing  circumstances.  If 
you  are  rolling  sheets  or  making  pipes  you  can 
calculate  the  cost  if  you  buy  lead  from  the  Gov- 
ernment. But  he  is  not  prepared  to  engage  in 
any  contract  for  the  purchase  of  ores  unless  he 
safeguards  himself  against  the  possibility  of  a 
further  rise  in  wages,  and  he  can  only  cover  by 
buying  ores  at  a  low  figure.  He  has  to  dis- 
count the  costs  consequent  upon  shortening  of 
hours  of  labour  and  the  increase  in  the  price  of 
coal,  ■  and  he  has  therefore  to  quote  a  price 
which  is  ridiculous.  In  this  particular  in- 
stance, in  which  the  smelter  represents  the 
lead  smelters  generally,  the  prices  offered  work 
out  at  considerably  below  the  pre-war  figures 
for  ores.  A  broker  tells  me  that  the  cost  of 
importing  pig  lead  and  spelter  is  about  ^"10 
per  ton.  When  the  Government  has  com- 
pleted such  obligations  in  America  as  it  entered 


into  for  the  purchase  of  lead  and  zinc,  the  price 
in  England  of  American  lead  must  be  as  far 
as  America  is  concerned  ^"10  above  the  Ameri- 
can quoted  price.      But  the  tide  has  begun   to 
turn.     The  Government  stocks  of  lead  were 
reduced  during  July,  and  it  is  probable  that 
they  were  further  decreased  in  August.     It  is 
reported  that  consumption  is  only  at  the  rate 
of  64,000  tons  per  annum  at  the  present  mo- 
ment.    The    pre-war   home    consumption    of 
lead  was  200,000  tons.     If  these  figures  are 
correct,  the  present  stocks  of  lead  will  prob- 
ably be  absorbed  within  the  next  six  months. 
Assuming  that  we  shall  return  to  the  normal 
rate  of  consumption  the  feeling  in  well  inform- 
ed quarters  is  that  lead  must  rise  to  well  over 
^30  and  probably  as  high  as  £35  per  ton,  and 
spelter  to  a  figure  approaching  ^"50  per  ton. 
The  zinc  smelters  at  the  present  time  are  of 
course  well  safeguarded,  as  the  Government 
is  purchasing  the  whole  of  their  output  at  a 
fixed   price  of  ^"56  per  ton,  a  figure    which 
represents  a  bonus  of  almost  ^"18  per  ton,  paid 
out  of  the  taxpayers'  pockets.     This  arrange- 
ment may  be  terminated  by  the  Government 
on  November  5.     The  difference  in  the  treat- 
ment of  the  producer  of  the  raw  material  and 
the  smelters  is  a  subject  that  might  very  well 
call  for  caustic  comment.     The  battle  is  to  the 
strong.     The  smelters  put  a  pistol  to  the  head 
of  the  Government.    Their  threat  to  close  down 
unless  the  guarantee  was  given  was  effective. 
A  contemporary  makes  the  naive  suggestion 
that  as  the  Government  has  a  great  stock  of 
concentrates  on  their  hands  they  should  be  sold 
at  a  low  price  to  the  smelters,  and  thereby  dis- 
pense with  the  continuance  of  aguaranteed  price 
to  the  smelters,  and  so  avoid  the  suspicion  of 
giving  a  subsidy  to  any  particular  industry.     I 
understand  that  Mr.  Anthony  Wilson,  of  the 
Thornthwaite  mines,  a  gentleman  with  an  un- 
rivalled knowledge  of  the  industry  in  which  he 
is  engaged,  who  exercises  great  influence  among 
mine  owners,  has  written  to  the  editor  pointing 
out  how  disastrous  this  would  be  to  the  home 
mines.     If  the  Government  adopts  this  policy 
of  selling  zinc  ores  at  a  nominal  price  in  order 
to  get  rid  of  something  for  which  it  had  not  a 
sufficient  sale,  it  would  bring  the  price  of  all  the 
blende  from  home  producers  to  the  same  level. 
The  uncertainty  as  to  what  the  Government  is 
going  to  do  concerning  these  concentrates  pre- 
vents any  user  of  zinc  ore  from  making  definite 
contracts  for  purchase  from  the  home  mines. 
No  wonder  is  it  that  in  a  recent  instance  a  con- 
sumer of  zinc  ores  (not  a  smelter)  offered  a  mm  \ 
much  lower  sum  (£2  a  ton)  than  their  ore  is 
worth  to  him  at  the  present  moment. 


168 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


PERSONAL 


C.  A.  Banks  has  returned  to  Canada. 

E.  G.  Banks,  manager  of  the  Waihi  Gold  Mining 
Co.,  is  returning  to  New  Zealand  by  way  of  Canada. 

Guy  Berling  has  been  appointed  general  mana- 
ger in  Australia  and  New  Zealand  for  the  Ingersoll- 
Rand  Company. 

R.  E.  BlNNS  is  returning  for  Spain. 

E.  C.  Bloomfield  has  sailed  for  Burma 

F.  K.  Borrow  is  here  from  the  mines  of  the  Fron- 
tino  &  Bolivia  Company,  in  Colombia 

G    A.  Browne  has  left  for  Nigeria. 

G.  W.  CAMPION  is  returning  to  Taquah,  West 
Africa. 

A.  R.  Canning  is  returning  from  Nigeria. 
H.  F.  Collins  is  back  from  Spain. 
N.  F.  Dare  has  left  for  the  Federated  Malay  States. 
\V.  BOYD  Daw  kins,  Emeritus  Professor  of  Geology 
in  the  University  of  Manchester,  has  been  created  a 
Knight. 

II.  S.  Denny,  C.B.E  ,  has  been  demobilized  after 
four  years  of  factory  work  and  three  months  assisting 
General  Plumerin  Cologne.  His  address  is  Salisbury 
House,  London,  E.C  2. 

W.  Elsdon  Dew  is  the  new  president  of  the  South 
African  Institution  of  Engineers. 

SAMUEL  E  \  w  s  is  here  from  Johannesburg. 
James    Gray    has    been    elected    president  of  the 
Chemical,  Metallurgical,  &  Mining  Society  of  South 
Africa. 

Max  Hon  net  has  been  appointed  assistant  general 
manager  of  the  Central  Mining  &  Investment  Corpor- 
ation. 

J.  A.  B.  HORSLEY  has  been  appointed  an  electrical 
inspector  of  mines  under  the  Coal  and  Metalliferous 
Mines  Regulation  A.cts. 
James  Howlison  is  in  Abyssinia. 
Colonel  H.  W.  Lake  has  been  released  from 
military  duties  and  is  back  in  the  City.  His  address 
is  Broad  Street  Avenue,  EC. 2. 

Ernest  Levy  has  left  British  Columbia  for  Hav- 
ana, Cuba. 

M.  C.  H.  Little  has  been  appointed  manager  of 
the  Aber-Llyn  zinc  mine,  Bettws-y-Coed,  North  Wales. 
H    E.  Nicholls  has  left  for  Nigeria. 
W.  Pellew-Harvey  has  left  for  Spain. 
Dr.  J.  E.  Petayel,  F.R.S.,  professor  of  engineer- 
ing in  the  University  of  Manchester,  has  been  appoint- 
ed director  of  the  National  Physical  Laboratory  in  suc- 
cession to  Sir  R.  T.  Glazebrook,  who  retires  this 
month  on  reaching  the  age  limit. 

W.  J.  Phillips  has  returned  from  the  Raub  gold 
mines,  Pahang,  and  is  now  at  Chacewater,  Cornwall. 
Thomas  T.  Read,  formerly  associate  editor  of  the 
Mining  mid  Scientific  Press,  and  lately  with  the  New 
Jersey  Zinc  Co.,  has  joined  the  staff  of  the  United 
States  Bureau  of  Mines. 

J.  B.  Richardson  has  left  for  Bolivia. 
Captain  W.  R.  Rumbold,   M.C.,  of  the  firm  of 
Laws,  Rumbold  &  Co.,  writes  from  Nigeria  saying  he 
expects  to  be  demobilized  shortly  and  to  be  back  in 
London  in  September. 

W.  E.  Simpson  is  here  from  Canada  on  a  short 
visit. 

Sir  Harry  Ross  Skinner  is  expected  from  South 
Africa. 

J.  E.  Spirr  has  been  appointed  editor  of  the  Engi- 
neering and  Mining  Journal. 

C.  H.  Stewart,  of  the  firm  of  Alexander  Hill  & 
Stewart,  is  in  Cuba. 


W.F.White  is  back  from  Felixstowe  after  a  month's 
absence  due  to  a  sharp  attack  of  pneumonia. 

Hallett  Winmill  has  left  for  the  Gold  Coast. 


Arthur  Burr,  for  so  long  identified  with  Kentcoal, 
died  last  month.  His  methods  of  finance  were  erratic 
and  unorthodox,  and  the  new  coalfield  suffered  in  re- 
pute accord  in  gly 

W.  Toyote  has  been  killed  by  Yaqui  Indians  in 
Chihuahua.  He  was  a  capable  mining  geologist,  and 
knew  the  southwestern  States  and  northern  Mexico 
well.  His  articles  in  recent  issues  of  this  Magazine 
were  characteristic  of  his  careful  habit  of  observation. 

Francis  William  Oldfield,  who  recently  re- 
turned from  Mexico  to  England  owing  to  ill-health, 
died  in  London  after  a  fortnight's  illness.  He  repre- 
sented the  Marcus  Daly  mining  interests  in  Mexico, 
of  which  Judge  Gerrard,  ex-Ambassador  to  Germany, 
is  president.  During  the  Mexican  revolution  he  man- 
aged by  his  ability  and  tact  to  operate  successfully  one 
of  the  few  mines  running  during  this  time  in  the  south 
western  part  of  Mexico,  which  now  ranks  among  the 
foremost  silver-producing  mines  in  the  world.  IPs 
record  in  Cinco  Minas  speaks  for  itself,  for  durn 
vears'  stay  under  rev olutionary  conditions  operations 
at  the  mine  had  been  practically  continuous  and  large 
pro6ts  had  been  made  all  at  a  cost  lower  than  that  of 
any  other  mine  in  the  district  He  took  Ins  A.R.S.M .  in 
1901,  and  was  an  Associate  Member  of  the  Institution 
of  Mining  and  Metallurgv  and  a  Member  of  the  Ameri- 
can Instiiute  of  Mining  and  Metallurgical  Engineers. 

TRADE   PARAGRAPHS 

The  Clark  Trui  ir\<  tor  Company,  of  Chicago, 

has  been  recently  incorporated  for  the  purpose  of  mak 
ing  a  motor  which  will  carry  a  load  and  also  haul  trail- 
ers behind  it.  The  machine  has  one  wheel  in  front  and 
two  behind.  It  is  built  entirely  of  metal,  its  centre  of 
gravity  is  low,  and  it  can  turn  in  its  own  length.  Many 
applications  can  be  found  for  it  at  the  mine  and  metal- 
lurgical works. 

The  Standard  Spiral  Pipe  Works,  of  Chicago, 
I  .S.A.,  send  us  a  catalogue  relating  to  their  reinforced 
spiral  steel  pipes.  These  have  a  continuous  interlock- 
ing seam,  with  the  rib  which  acts  as  a  reinforcement 
outside,  the  inside  being  quite  smooth.  Thev  are  use 
ful  for  many  purposes  in  connection  with  minir.,',  for 
water  or  oil,  steam,  or  compressed  air,  powdered- 
coal  circulation,  pump-dredging,  chimney  stacks,  etc. 
The  catalogue  gives  full  details  of  dimensions,  and  of 
■  joints  and  other  accessories. 

,\i  \i  i  EN  &  Co.,  Ltd.,  of  the  Imperial  Steel 
Works,  Sheffield,  have  commenced  the  publication  of 
the  Edgar  Allen  Neus,  a  house  organ  devoted  par- 
ticularly to  the  interests  of  their  business,  but  contain- 
ing also  a  great  deal  of  useful  information  relating  to 
steel  and  its  applications.  The  tool  steel  and  the  ore- 
crushing  machinery  made  by  this  firm  are  well  known 
in  mining  circles.  Engineers  are  recommended  to  apply 
to  the  firm  for  a  copy  of  the  News  to  be  sent  to  them 
regularly. 

Henry  Gardner,  for  so  long  a  director  of  Henry 
R.  Merton  &  Co.,  Ltd.,  having  obtained  a  licence  to 
trade  under  the  Non-Ferrous  Metals  Act,  has  formed 
his  business  into  a  limited  liability  company,  under  the 
name  of  Henrv  Gardner  &  Co.,  Ltd.,  with  a  capital  of 
/l, 000, 000,  of  which  £650,000  has  been  issued  and 
fully  subscribed.  The  directors  of  the  new  company 
are:  Henry  Gardner  (chairman),  Walter  Gardner, 
Sir  Woodman  Kirby,  George  E.  Leon,  and  William 
Murray.     The  new  firm  has  purchased  the  whole  of 


SEPTEMBER,    1919 


169 


the  share  capital  of  Huntington,  Heberlein  &Co., 
Ltd.,  mechanical,  chemical,  and  metallurgical  engi- 
neers. The  board  of  the  last  named  company  will  con- 
sist of  Walter  Gardner  (chairman  and  managing  direc- 
tor), H.  C.  Bingham,  H.  J.  Bush,  and  R.  H.  Bingham. 

The  British  Westinghouse  Electric  &Manu- 
facturingCo.,  Limited,  of Trafford  Park,  Manches- 
ter, have  sent  us  the  following  pamphlets  relating  to 
new  specialties:  Industrial  motor  drive  of  planing 
machines  ;  large  outdoor  switches  and  transformers  ; 
bracket  pedestal  bearings  ;  some  Westinghouse  electric 
winding  engines  ;  direct  current  motor  starters,  type 
"  SD  "  ;  Westinghouse  motor  generators;  British 
Westinghouse  oil-immersed  forced  cooled  single  and 
3-phase  shell  and  core-type  transformer  ;  British  West- 
inghouse single-phase  shell  type  oil  immersed  self 
cooled  transformers.  The  particulars  of  the  winding 
engines  are  of  special  interest  ;  fuller  details  will  be 
sent  by  the  company  on  receipt  of  a  request. 

Hadfields,  Limited,  of  Sheffield,  have  issued 
catalogue  No.  147,  giving  up-to-date  information  of 
breakers,  rolls,  and  disc  crushers.  The  wearing  parts 
are,  as  is  well  known,  made  of  Hadfield's  "  Era"  man- 
ganese steel.  The  machines  illustrated  in  the  cata- 
logue are  intended  for  handling  ore  on  a  large  scale. 
The  breaker,  of  the  jaw  type,  has  a  feed  opening  54  in. 
long  by  36  in.  wide.  It  will  take  a  block  of  ore  or  stone 
weighing  1^  tons  or  more  and  reduce  it  to  6  in.  or  8  in. 
pieces.  The  capacity  is  about  150  tons  per  hour,  and 
the  power  required  is  from  150  to  200  h.p.  The  weight 
of  the  machine  is  90  tons.  The  high-speed  rolls  illus- 
trated are  60  in.  diameter  by  42  in.  wide.  They  will 
crush  Lincolnshire  ironstone  as  delivered  by  the  steam- 
shovel  to  6  in.  or  8  in.  pieces  at  the  rate  of  100  tons  per 
hour.  They  revolve  at  200  r.p.m.  and  require  100  to 
150  h.p.  One  of  the  rolls  is  fitted  with  two  rows  of 
slugger-teeth  for  breaking  up  the  larger  pieces.  The 
catalogue  also  illustrates  the  Symons  disc  crushers. 
These  are  essentially  large  capacity  breakers,  taking 
the  ore  from  the  sledging  crushers  and  reducing  it  to 
2|  in.  or  less, 

The  Dorr  Company,  of  New  York  and  Denver 
(London  office,  16,  South  Street,  E.C.2),  have  issued 
Bulletin  13  describing  the  Dorrco  pump,  which  is  of 
the  diaphragm  type,  and  is  intended  primarily  for 
regulating  the  consistency  of  the  discharge  from  Dorr 
thickeners,  though  it  is  also  applicable  to  elevating 
sludge  where  the  actual  lift  is  not  greater  than  6  to  8 
ft.  The  pump  body  is  mounted  on  suitable  base 
boards  rigidly  bolted  to  a  steel  and  iron  frame.  The 
upper  part  of  the  frame  supports  the  eccentric  shaft 
on  which  the  drive  pulleys  and  eccentrics  are  mount- 
ed. The  eccentrics  are  adjustable  by  means  of  a  hand 
screw  to  give  a  variation  in  length  of  stroke.  The 
eccentric  is  connected  through  an  eccentric  rod  and 
lift  yoke  to  the  centre  of  a  flexible  diaphragm  in  the 
pump  body.  A  light  hood  is  supplied  to  cover  the 
top  of  the  pump  body  and  prevent  splash.  The  body 
of  the  pump  is  divided  into  an  upper  and  lower  cham- 
ber by  means  of  a  diaphragm.  The  diaphragm  is 
clamped  rigidly  around  its  periphery  to  the  pump  body 
by  means  of  a  retaining  ring,  which  can  readily  be  re- 
moved when  it  becomes  necessary  to  renew  the  dia- 
phragm. The  lift  yoke  containing  the  discharge  valve 
is  attached  around  the  central  opening  in  the  dia- 
phragm. The  lower  or  suction  chamber  contains  the 
suction  valve  operating  immediately  over  the  feed  or 
suction  line  to  the  pump.  The  upper  or  discharge 
chamber  is  open  and  is  provided  with  a  discharge  lip 
which  is  from  4  to6in.  above  the  discharge  valve. 
This  depth  of  pulp  protects  the  valve  from  air  in  case 
it  is  prevented  from  seating  properly  by  foreign  mat- 


ter such  as  chips,  waste,  etc.  Both  valves  are  opened 
by  the  action  of  the  diaphragm  and  are  closed  by  grav- 
ity, no  springs  being  required.  They  are  retained  in 
place  by  suitable  guide  webs.  The  valves  are  faced 
with  rubber  gaskets  which  seat  on  rubber  rings  wedg- 
ed into  replaceable  metal  valve  seats.  The  upper 
valve  is  larger  than  the  lower,  and  both  valves  may 
be  easily  removed  without  dismantling  the  pump  by 
lifting  the  lower  valve  through  the  upper  valve  open- 
ing. This  type  of  valve  quickly  cleans  itself  from  chips 
and  waste  which  frequently  interfere  with  the  opera- 
tion of  other  types  of  valves.  Among  the  many  ad- 
vantages claimed  for  the  Dorrco  over  other  diaphragm 
pumps  are:  (1)  Integral  casting  for  pump  base  and 
bowl  ;  (2)  novel  method  of  securing  the  diaphragm  ; 
(3)  novel  design  of  valves  and  valve  seats  ;  (4)  high 
discharge  lip.  At  the  bottom  of  the  suction  chamber 
and  level  with  the  suction  valve  a  small  hole  is  tapped 
for  the  admission  of  water  tangentially  to  the  peri- 
phery of  the  valve.  With  pulps  containing  appreci- 
able quantities  of  coarse  material  the  water  is  useful 
in  freeing  the  valve  in  starting  up  after  a  shutdown. 
Another  small  hole  is  tapped  in  the  upper  part  of  the 
suction  chamber  for  the  admission  of  air  for  control- 
ling the  capacity  of  the  pump.  The  capacity  of  the 
pump  is  regulated  by  means  of  the  speed,  length  of 
stroke,  and  by  the  admission  of  air  to  the  suction 
chamber.  Ordinarily  the  speed  is  held  constant  and 
the  eccentric  adjusted  to  a  slightly  greater  stroke  than 
required.  The  final  control  is  then  obtained  by  means 
of  a  small  quantity  of  air  admitted  to  the  suction  cham- 
ber through  a  needle  valve.  A  ^  in.  pipe  is  connected 
to  the  suction  chamber  and  extended  2  or  3  ft.  above 
the  top  of  the  pump  body,  terminating  in  the  needle 
valve.  The  valve  is  thus  removed  from  anv  danger 
of  contact  with  the  palp.  The  admission  of  air  pro- 
vides a  very  delicate  and  satisfactory  means  for  accom- 
plishing a  close  regulation  of  the  quantity  pumped. 
Thisequipment  is  furnished  with  each  pump.  As  com- 
pared to  an  air  lift  or  free  spigot  discharge,  the  Dorrco 
pump  is  much  more  efficient  in  maintaining  a  uniform 
discharge  from  thickeners  at  a  maximum  density.  The 
operation  of  the  pump  is  extremely  simple  and  requires 
practically  no  attention  except  lubrication  once  a  shift, 
unless  it  is  necessary  to  change  the  capacity  of  the 
pump.  The  power  required  is  very  low  and  for  a  sim- 
plex No.  4  pump  will  usually  be  about  ih.p.  The 
power  for  a  multiple  pump  is  less  in  proportion  than 
for  a  simplex,  since  the  eccentrics  are  set  at  equal  an- 
gular distances  around  the  shaft,  thus  giving  a  balanc- 
ing effect.  At  one  plant  a  No.  4  simplex  required  £ 
horse  power  motor  input  when  lifting  140  tons  of  solids 
per  23  hours  at  40%  moisture  a  distance  of  2  ft.  above 
the  top  of  the  thickener  tank.  In  erecting  the  pump 
it  is  important  to  properly  adjust  the  length  of  the 
eccentric  rod  to  prevent  over-stretching  and  tearing  the 
diaphragm  on  either  the  upward  or  downward  stroke. 
The  natural  shape  of  the  diaphragm  as  installed  in  the 
pump  represents  approximately  its  maximum  down- 
ward position.  With  the  eccentric  set  for  the  maxi- 
mum downward  stroke,  the  eccentric  rod  should  be 
connected  to  the  lift  yoke  with  the  diaphragm  at  rest 
in  its  natural  position.  When  handling  cold  neutral 
sludges  diaphragms  should  last  from  three  to  four 
months,  and  there  are  numerous  records  showing 
lengths  of  life  exceeding  a  year.  The  firm  have  de- 
veloped diaphragms  of  special  construction  for  general 
use  as  well  as  for  strongly  alkaline,  acid,  or  hot  sludges. 
In  these  diaphragms  none  of  the  fabric  comes  into  con- 
tact with  the  sludge.  Special  moulds  are  used  so  that 
rubber  covers  the  fabric  throughout  the  surface  as 
well  as  inside  of  the  bolt  holes  and  valve  opening. 


170 


THE    MINING   MAGAZINE 


Daily  London  Metal  Prices:    Official  Closing  Prices  on 

Copper,  Lead.  Zinc,  and  Tin  per  Long  Tons  ;  Silver 


Silver 

c 

OPPER 

f 

Lead 

• 

Standard  Cash 

Standard  (3  mos  ) 

Electrolytic 

Best  Selected 

Soft  Foreign 

Aug. 

d. 

£ 

s. 

d. 

£ 

s. 

d 

£ 

s. 

d.  £ 

s. 

d 

£ 

s. 

d. 

£ 

s. 

d. 

£ 

s. 

d.    £ 

s. 

d. 

i 

s. 

d.   £ 

s.  d. 

11 

58i 

91 

2 

6  to 

91 

7 

6 

92 

2 

6  to  92 

7 

6 

104 

0 

0 

to 

115 

0 

0 

106 

0 

0  to  107 

0 

0 

24 

7 

6  to  25 

2  u 

12 

58$ 

92 

5 

0  to 

92 

10 

0 

9=1 

5 

0  to  93 

10 

0 

103 

0 

0 

to 

114 

0 

0 

105 

0 

0  to  106 

0 

0 

24 

12 

6  to  25 

7    6 

13 

58i 

96 

0 

0  to 

96 

5 

0 

97 

0 

0  to  97 

5 

0 

103 

0 

0 

to 

114 

0 

II 

105 

ii 

0  to  106 

0 

0 

24 

15 

6  to  25 

15  0 

14 

5SS 

97 

10 

0  to 

98  0 

0 

98 

10 

0  :o  99 

0 

0 

103 

0 

0 

to 

113 

0 

0 

105 

0 

0  to  1C6 

0 

0 

25 

2 

6  to  25 

12  6 

15 

59 

98 

5 

0  to 

98 

10 

0 

99 

5 

0  to  90 

10 

0 

105 

0 

0 

to 

114 

0 

0 

108 

0 

0  to  109 

0 

0 

25 

0 

0  to  25 

12  6 

18 

59| 

101 

15 

0  to 

102 

0 

0 

102 

15 

0  to  103 

0 

II 

107 

0 

0 

to 

118 

0 

0 

108 

0 

0  to  109 

0 

0 

25 

0 

0  to  25 

12  6 

19 

593 

100 

0 

0  to 

100 

10 

0  101 

0 

0  to  101 

10 

0 

107 

0 

0 

to 

ns 

0 

0 

109 

0 

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0 

0 

25 

0 

0  to  25 

12  6 

20 

595 

100 

15 

0  to 

101 

0 

0 

101 

15 

0  to  102 

0 

0 

109 

0 

0 

to 

120 

0 

0 

109 

0 

o  to  no 

0 

0 

24 

17 

6  to  25 

10  0 

21 

60i 

100 

15 

0  to 

llil 

0 

0 

101 

15 

0  to  102 

0 

0 

110 

0 

0 

to 

120 

0 

1) 

109 

0 

0  to  110 

0 

0 

24 

17 

6  to  25 

10  0 

22 

603 

99 

5 

0  to 

99 

10 

0 

100 

5 

0  to  100 

10 

3 

110 

0 

0 

to 

120 

0 

0 

109 

0 

o  to  no 

0 

0 

24 

15 

0  to  25 

7  6 

25 

eof 

98 

0 

0  to 

98 

10 

(i 

99 

0 

0  to  99 

5 

0 

118 

0 

0 

to 

120 

0 

0 

109 

0 

0  to  110 

11 

0 

24 

17 

6  to  25 

7  6 

26 

6ll 

96 

0 

0  to 

96 

5 

0 

97 

0 

0  to  97 

5 

0 

0 

0 

to 

120 

0 

0 

109 

1) 

o  to  no 

0 

0 

24 

15 

0  to  25 

10  0 

27 

61? 

98 

Hi 

0  to 

99 

0 

0 

99 

11) 

0  to  100 

0 

0 

110 

0 

0 

to 

120 

0 

0 

109 

II 

0  to  110 

0 

(J 

24 

15 

0  to  25 

7  6 

28 

58? 

97 

15 

0  to 

98 

0 

0 

98 

15 

0  to  99 

0 

0 

110 

'1 

0 

to 

120 

0 

0 

109 

II 

o  to  no 

0 

0 

24 

15 

0  to  25 

7  6 

29 

58 

99 

0 

0  to 

99 

5 

0 

100 

0 

0  to  100 

5 

0 

110 

0 

0 

to 

120 

0 

0 

109 

0 

o  to  no 

0 

1) 

24 

17 

6  to  25 

7  6 

Sept. 
1 

59 

100 

15 

0  to 

101 

0 

0 

101 

15 

0  to  102 

0 

0 

110 

ii 

II 

to 

120 

0 

0 

109 

I) 

o  to  no 

0 

0 

24 

17 

6  to  25 

10  0 

2 

61 

101 

2 

6  to 

101 

5 

0 

102 

2 

6  to  102 

5 

0 

no 

0 

0 

to 

120 

1) 

II 

109 

1) 

oto  no 

(1 

(1 

24 

15 

0  to  25 

7  6 

3 

61 

101 

10 

0  to 

I'll 

15 

0 

102 

10 

0  to  102 

15 

0 

110 

0 

0 

to 

120 

11 

0 

109 

0 

0  to  no 

0 

0 

21 

15 

0  to  25 

7  6 

4 

61 

101 

7 

6  to 

101 

12 

1. 

102 

7 

6  to  102 

12 

f. 

110 

0 

0 

to 

120 

11 

0 

109 

11 

oto  no 

0 

0 

25 

ll 

0  to  25 

12  6 

5 

61 

101 

0 

0  to 

101 

5 

0 

102 

0 

0  to  102 

5 

0 

no 

0 

(1 

to 

120 

0 

0 

109 

0 

oto  no 

0 

0 

25 

2 

6  to  25 

17  6 

8 

61 

iOO 

5 

0  to 

11)11 

10 

0 

101 

5 

0  to  101 

10 

0 

no 

0 

0 

to 

1  M 

0 

0 

109 

0 

oto  no 

0 

0 

25 

2 

6  to  25 

17  6 

9 

61 

100 

in 

0  to 

li  0 

15 

0 

101 

0 

0  to  101 

5 

0 

109 

0 

0 

to 

120 

11 

o 

IC8 

0 

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0 

0 

25 

2 

6  to  25 

17  6 

10 

61 

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0 

1)  to 

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o  100 

l£ 

0  to  101 

0 

0 

0 

II 

to 

120 

0 

0  to  I0Q 

0 

2< 

5 

0  0 

METAL   MARKETS 

Copper. — The  standard  market  has  seen  some 
fluctuation  during  the  month  of  August,  Prices  in  the 
early  part  of  the  month  declined  considerably,  about 
£90.  10s.  cash  being  touched.  Subsequently  a  revival 
set  in,  carrying  values  to  ^102,  but  latterly  the  tone 
eased  off  again.  These  fluctuations  are,  of  course,  not 
so  much  due  to  variations  in  the  actual  copper  position, 
as  to  the  vagaries  of  speculative  sentiment.  There  is 
no  doubt  that,  during  the  recent  upward  movement  in 
copper  in  America,  a  considerable  amount  of  specula- 
tion for  the  rise  was  indulged  in  in  the  London  stand- 
ard market,  and  the  consequence  of  this  is  that  tin- 
market  became  somewhat  top  heavy  and  unwieldy  and 
liable  to  be  affected  by  outside  considerations  Rather 
easier  stock  markets  in  Wall  Street  had  a  somewhat 
unsettling  effect  for  a  time,  as  also  had  the  reports  of 
the  unsatisfactory  labour  position  in  the  I'nited  States. 
There  have,  however,  been  frequent  "shake-outs"  in 
the  market,  which  has  no  doubt  consolidated  the  posi- 
tion, and,  on  any  set-back,  fresh  buying  for  the  rise  is 
noticeable.  Meanwhile  the  margin  between  standard 
copper  and  refined  is  fairly  wide,  and  forth  at  reason 
it  may  be  that  no  material  decline  is  probable  in  stand- 
ard. The  present  price  of  refined,  however,  does  not 
seem  any  too  cheap,  having  regard  to  the  cost  of  pro- 
duction in  America,  and  although  the  demand  for  the 
metal  has  been  growing,  it  still  seems  somewhat  doubt- 
ful whether  it  is  sufficient  both  to  use  up  the  present 
output  as  well  as  to  absorb  the  surplus  stocks  which 
were  on  hand.  Indeed,  during  the  first  half  of  the  year 
it  is  stated  that  the  surplus  in  America  had  not  dimin- 
ished at  all.  Business  here  with  consumers  was  on 
quite  a  good  scale  at  one  time,  but  latterly  there  seems 
to  be  less  anxietv  to  buy,  and  there  seems  to  be  con- 
siderable competition  for  the  orders  which  were  going. 
Of  course,  during  the  upward  movement  in  America 
much  copper  found  its  way  into  the  hands  of  dealers 
and  speculators,  and  this  could  be  resold  at  under  the 
producers'  present  price,  and  still  leave  a  good  profit 
to  holders.  When  this  gets  used  up,  doubtless  pro- 
ducers may  have  the  market  again  in  their  own  hands, 
but  meanwhile  it  is  rumoured  that  there  are  prospects 
of  the  American  Copper  Export  Association  being  dis- 
solved before  long,   which  of  course  might  result  in 


competition  among  the  various  producers  with  the 
natural  effect  upon  prices.  The  manufactured  copper 
business  in  this  country  has  been  fairly  good.  Makers 
are  well  sold,  while  India  has  been  buying  for  delivery 
up  to  the  first  quarter  of  next  year.  This  remark  at 
least  applies  to  yellow  metal. 

Average  prices   of  cash    standard    copper:   August 
1919,  £97.  lis    5d.  ;  Julv  1919,  /99.  Ms   5d.  ;   August 
5s    ;   July  1918,  £120.  3s.  3d. 

Tin. — This  market  has  also  seen  some  fluctuation 
during  the  period  under  review.  Early  in  the  month 
prices  were  firm,  advancing  to  about  £276  cash.  This 
was  followed  bv  a  sharp  reaction,  when  prices  declined 
i)  forprompt  metal.  Values  later  improved  again 
to  about  £274.  10s  ,  and  finally  relapsed  to  £l7i.  A 
very  good  business  was  mm  ing  in  the  standard  market 
in  the  early  part  of  the  month ,  but  latterly  the  turnover 
showed  an  inclination  to  taper  off,  which  might  be 
partly  due  to  the  fact  that  at  the  moment  there  seems 
no  particular  feature  in  the  market  to  attract  specula- 
tors in  either  direction.  At  one  time  a  large  business 
was  put  through  for  America,  but  latterly,  although 
the  local  demand  there  seems  to  be  fairlv  good,  there 
has  not  been  so  much  fresh  business  offering  to  this 
side.  No  doubt  a  pause  is  only  to  be  expected,  until 
the  recent  purchases  have  been  digested.  In  the  mean- 
time there  has  been  a  considerable  inquiry  reported 
from  Germany  for  tin,  and  it  is  estimated  that  that 
country  could  take  as  much  as  from  3,000  tons  to  4,000 
tons  in  order  to  get  properly  equipped  for  resuming  in- 
dustry. Of  course  the  financial  aspect  of  the  business 
is  rather  a  difficult  question,  as  some  buyers  are  only 
willing  to  pay  for  the  tin  against  its  arrival,  while  sel 
lers  here  wish  to  do  business  on  fob.  terms.  A  fair 
business  has  been  moving  in  the  East,  although  at  one 
tune  sellers  there  were  very  reserved.  Latterly  they 
have  shown  more  inclination  for  business,  although  it 
apparently  could  only  be  put  through  at  high  prices. 
At  one  time  the  price  advanced  to  £278,  although  it 
subsequently  declined  about  £6  from  that  level. 
Business  with  home  consumers  has  latterly  been  show- 
ing some  improvement. 

Average  prices  of  cash  standard  tin:  August  1919, 
£271.  8s.;  July  1919,  £253.  5s  Id.;  August  1918, 
/380.  16.  Sd.  ;   July  1918.  £359.  17s.  9d. 

Lead. — This  market  maintained  a  fairly  steady  tone 


SEPTEMBER,     1919 


171 


the  London  Metal  Exchange. 

per  Standard  Ounce. 


Stan 

dard  Tin 

7i«ir 

(Spelter 

Cash 

3  mos. 

£ 

s. 

d.   i 

s. 

d. 

£ 

s. 

d.   £ 

s. 

d. 

£   s. 

d.    £ 

s. 

d. 

3S 

10 

0  to  39 

0 

0 

260 

0 

0  to  261 

0 

0 

254  10 

OtO  254 

15 

0 

38 

10 

0  to  40 

0 

0 

266 

5 

0  to  266 

15 

0 

259  10 

0  to  260 

15 

0 

39 

0 

0  to  40 

10 

0 

270 

0 

0  to  270 

10 

0 

264  15 

Oto  265 

0 

0 

39 

0 

0  to  40 

10 

0 

270 

0 

0  to  270 

10 

0  263  15 

Oto  264 

0 

0 

39 

0 

0  to  40 

10 

0 

271 

10 

0  to  272 

0 

0 266  10 

Oto  267 

0 

0 

40 

10 

0  to  41 

10 

0 

271 

0 

0  to  272 

0 

0265  10 

0  to  265 

15 

0 

41 

0 

0  to  42 

0 

0 

272 

0 

0  to  272 

10 

0267  0 

Oto  267 

5 

0 

40 

10 

0  to  41 

10 

0 

274 

10 

0  to  275 

0 

0  269  10 

0  to  270 

0 

0 

40 

0 

0  to  41 

0 

0  272 

10 

0  to  273 

0 

0  269  0 

Oto  269 

10 

0 

40 

0 

0  to  41 

0 

0  273 

10 

0  to  274 

0 

0[269  10 

0  to  270 

0 

0 

39 

5 

0  to  40 

5 

0 

272 

10 

0  to  273 

0 

0  268  10 

0  to  268 

17 

6 

38 

10 

OtO  39 

10 

0 

271 

0 

0  to  272 

0 

0'268  10 

0  to  269 

0 

0 

38 

10 

0  to  39 

10 

0 

271 

10 

0  to  272 

0 

0  267  5 

Oto  267 

Ki 

0 

37 

15 

0  to3S 

15 

0 

271 

0 

0  to  271 

10 

0  266  5 

Oto  266 

15 

0 

38 

5 

0  to  39 

5 

0 

272 

10 

0  to  273 

0 

0 

257  5 

Oto  267 

15 

0 

39 

15 

0  to  40 

15 

0 

275 

10 

0  to  276 

0 

0 

268  15 

0  to  269 

0 

0 

40 

10 

OtO  41 

10 

0 

279 

0 

0  to  280 

0 

01271  10 

Oto  271 

15 

0 

41 

0 

0  to  42 

0 

0 

278 

10 

0  to  279 

0 

0I272  10 

0  to  273 

0 

0 

41 

5 

0  to  42 

5 

0 

279 

10 

0  to  280 

0 

0  27+  0 

0  to  274 

5 

0 

41 

0 

0  to  41 

15 

0 

279 

0 

0  to  280 

0 

0274  0 

0  to  274 

5 

0 

40 

5 

0  to  41 

5 

0 

282 

10 

0  to  283 

0 

0 

275  5 

Oto  275 

10 

0 

40 

P 

0  to  41 

0 

0 

282 

0 

0  to  2S3 

0 

0 

276  0 

0  to  276 

10 

0 

40 

5 

Oto  41 

5 

0 

281 

0 

0  to  282 

0 

0 

274  10 

0  to  275 

0 

0 

throughout  the  month  of  August.  Values  advanced 
in  the  middle  of  the  month  to  £25.  2s.  6d.  for  August 
shipment  metal,  and  at  the  close  the  quotation  was 
only  about  5s.  less  than  this,  while  £25.  7s.  6d.  was 
quoted  for  November.  A  fair  turnover  has  taken 
place  on  the  Metal  Exchange,  a  good  deal  of  the  metal 
bought  having  evidently  been  on  speculative  account, 
and  some  conjecture  is  indulged  in  as  to  the  effect  on 
the  market  when  this  comes  out  for  resale.  Apart 
from  this,  a  good  demand  has  been  seen  from  the  con- 
suming trades,  this  remark  applying  particularly  to  the 
cable-making  business.  This  line  seems  particularly 
active,  and  there  is  talk  of  some  works  putting  on  a 
night  shift.  Purchases  have  been  made  for  as  far  for- 
ward as  February  of  next  year.  As  regards  the  sheet 
and  pipe  business,  this  has  not  been  very  active,  being 
dependent  upon  the  building  trade,  which  has  not  yet, 
despite  all  the  talk,  got  properly  started.  English 
makers  are  well  sold  and  the  Government  appear  to 
have  the  situation  very  much  in  their  own  hands,  as 
competition  from  America  and  other  overseas  sources 
is  absent. 

Average  prices  of  soft  pig  lead  :  August  1919,  £25. 
Is.  7d.  ;  July  1919,  £23.  14s.  2d.  ;  August  1918  £29  • 
July  1918,  £29. 

Spelter.— Like  other  metals,  this  article  has  seen 
some  variation  in  price  during  the  last  few  weeks. 
Prices  about  the  middle  of  August  declined  to  £38.  10s. 
for  August  shipment  and  £39  for  November,  and  after 
showing  some  recovery  declined  again  to  £38.  5s.  for 
August  and  £39.  5s.  for  November.  The  reason  of 
the  decline  toward  the  end  of  the  month  was  somewhat 
obscure,  as  the  Government  have  firmly  maintained 
their  prices,  which  were  £44  for  Prime  Western  and 
£44.  10s.  for  English.  The  American  market  was 
above  the  parity  of  prices  here,  while  English  makers 
could  not  turn  out  the  metal  at  the  figures  which  were 
current  on  the  Metal  Exchange.  Values  appear  to 
have  become  depressed  by  some  resales  of  speculative 
parcels,  while  some  metal  which  had  arrived,  and  for 
which  buyers  could  not  apparently  at  the  moment  be 
found,  weighed  somewhatheavily  upon  the  market.  At 
the  lower  level,  the  tone  became  rather  firmer  latterly. 
Business  with  the  consuming  trades  has  been  on  a  fair 
scale,  and  a  gratifying  feature  has  been  the  improve- 
ment in  the  galvanized  sheet  business,  which  should 


ultimately  make  for  an  increased  business  in  this  metal. 
At  the  present  time,  consumers  generally  do  not  ap- 
pear to  be  well  covered,  and  in  view  of  the  weakness 
of  the  market  on  'Change,  have  been  confining  their 
purchases  to  near-by  requirements  only.  The  low  rate 
of  the  American  exchange  must  have  a  considerable 
influence  on  this  market  in  view  of  the  increase  in  cost 
of  importing  metal  from  the  United  States. 

Average  pricesof  spelter:  August  1919.  £39  16s   9d 
July   1919,  £42.  3s.   lOd.  ;    August  1918,  £52;    July 

Zinc  Dust.— The  stocks  of  Australian  on  spot 
seem  to  be  pretty  well  disposed  of,  and  most  of  the 
business  moving  now  is  for  forward  shipment  The 
quotation  stands  at  £68  to  £70  per  ton  c.i.f.  for  \us- 
trahan  high  grade  (88  to  92%). 

Antimony.— The  price  of  English  regulus  was  ad- 
vanced by  £2  to  £42  per  ton,  at  which  a  fair  trade 
was  moving,  especially  for  export.  Since  then  the 
price  has  been  advanced  to  £45.  Foreign  on  spot  is 
not  plentiful  and  stocks  are  well  held.  For  import, 
Chinese  might  have  been  had  at  £40  to  £41  c.i.f! 
at  one  time,  but  in  view  of  the  last  advance  in  English 
doubtless  more  will  be  asked  now. 

Arsenic— The  market  has  been  quiet  but  firm  and 
the  price  of  white  is  about  £58  to  £60  per  ton  delivered 
London. 

Bismuth.— 12s.  6d.  nominal  per  lb. 
Cadmium.— 6s.  6d.  to  6s.  9d.  per  lb. 
Aluminium  — £150  per  ton  for  the  home  trade. 
Nickel.— For  the  home  trade  £205  per  ton,  while 
for  export  the  price  is  £210. 

Cobalt  Metal.— 12s.  6d.  to  13s.  per  lb. 
Cobalt  Oxide.— 7s.  9d.  per  lb. 
Platinum.— 450s.  nominal  per  oz. 
Palladium.— 500s.  nominal  per  oz 
Quicksilver.— £23.  10s.  to  £24.  10s.  per  bottle. 
Selenium.— 12s.  to  15s.  per  lb. 
Tellurium. — 95s.  to  100s.  per  lb. 
Sulphate  of  Copper  —  Quiet  at  about  £40  per  ton 
Manganese  Ore.  —  The  market  has  been    firm. 
Indian  grades  are  quoted  at  about  2s.  3d.  to  2s.  4d 
per  unit  c  i.f.  U.K. 

Tungsten  Ores.— Wolframite  65%  and  scheelite 
65%  are  quoted  at  3?s.  6d.  per  unit. 

Molybdenite.  -  85%  is  quoted  at  75s.  per  unit. 
Silver. — The  market  has  been  strong  on  Chinese 
buying,  but  declined  when  this  ceased.     At  the  end  of 
August  spot  standard  bars  were  quoted  at  58d. 
Corundum.— Nominal. 
Graphite— 80%,  £35  to  £40  c.i.f.  U.K. 
Iron    and  Steel.— The  pig-iron   markets  in   the 
Cleveland  district  underwent  somewhat  of  a  lull,  ow- 
ing to  the  holiday  season,   but  latterly  business  has 
been  settling  down  again.     The  situation  in  respect  of 
foundry  iron  is  not  quite  so  stringent,  but  the  tone  re- 
mains firm.       The  quotations  at  present  are  164s.  for 
No.  1,  160s.  for  No.  3  and  No.  4  foundrv.  and   about 
157s.  for  No.  4  forge.    Business  in  steel  has  been  some- 
what difficult  to  negotiate  as  the  main  inquiry  is  for 
ship-plates,  which  are  difficult  to  procure  owing  to  the 
well  sold  conditions  of  works,     A  good  deal  has  been 
heard  of  American  competition,  although  this  latterly 
seems  a  less  serious  factor  in  the  home  markets,  which 
no  doubt  is  largely  due  to  the  fall  in  the  rate  of  ex- 
change.    In  overseas  markets  the  American  price  seems 
still  to  be  under  ours,  but   the   disparity  between    the 
two  appears  to  be  less  marked  than  it  was  at  one  time. 
Fair  quantities  of  American    billets   and  semi-manu 
factured    metal  generally   have   been   coming    in,    but 
latterly  business  in  American  products  here  seems  to 
have  tapered  off. 


172 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


STATISTICS. 

Production  of  Gold  in  the  Transvaal. 


July.  1918... 

August  

September 

October 

November 
December 


Year  1918 


January.  1919 662.205 

February  621,188 

March I     i      5 

April  676,702 

May    706,158 

Uine    632.603 

July    705,523 


Rand 


Oz. 

716  010 
719.849 
686.963 
667,955 
640.797 
630.505 


Else- 
where 


Total 


Oz. 

20.189 
20.361 
21.243 
11,809 
17.904 
10.740 


Oz. 

736,199 
740.210 
708.206 
679.764 
658.701 
641.245 


Value 

£ 

3,127,174 
3,144.211 
3,008.267 
2,887,455 
2,797.983 
2.723.836 


221.734        Vtl'ivi; 


13.854 
15,540 
17,554 
18.242 
18.8:17 
19,776 
19,974 


676,059 
636.728 
712.379 
694,944 

70'. 379 


15.768.688 

2.871.718 
2.704.647 
3.025.992 
2.951.936 
3.079.583 

3.0ai,;iJ 


Natives  Employed  in  the  Transvaal  Minks 


Gold 
mines 


July  31,  1918  178.412 

August  31    179.390 

September  30     179.399 


October  31 

November  30 

I  lecember  3 1  ... 
January  (1,  f919 
February  28 

March  31  

April  30    

May  31 

June  30 

July  31 


173  153 
160.275 
152.606 


16  1,3  19 
172.359 
175.620 
175.267 
173.376 
172.505 
173.613 


Coal 
mines 


Diamond 
1     mines 


Total 


1  i  .790 
12.108 

11.811 


11. 8  is 
Ll.,863 
11.168 

12.544 

12.453 


5.011 
4,954 

4.749 
4.016 
3.180 

4. .1.1 

5.080 
5.742 
5.939 
5,831 
5.736 


195.213 
196.29* 
196.395 
189.726 
176.117 

192.915 
191.547 
190.830 


Cost  and  Profit  on  the  Rand 
Compiled  from  official  statistics  published  by   the  Transvaal 
Chamber  of  Mines.     The  profit  available  for  dividends  is  about 
60%  i A  the  '..' 'i king  profit 

Work'g 

cost 
per  ton 


July.  1918. 

August 

September  .... 

October  

November 

December  


Tons 
milled 


2.167.869 

2.158.431 
2,060.635 
2.015.144 
1,899,925 
1.855.S91 


Year  1918    24.922.763 


January,  1919...  1,942.329 

February 1,816,352 

March 2,082,469 

April 1,993.652 

May 2,099.450 

lune     2.032.169 


Yield 
per  ton 


Work'g       Total 

profit      working 
per  ton         profit 


s.    d. 
27  10 


s.  d. 

6  6 

6  3 

5  10 

5  3 

5  1 

5  6 


5  8 
5    6 

5  (. 
5  9 
5  10 

5    10 


Production  of  Gold  in  Rhodesia  and  West  Africa 


Rhodesia.                       West  Africa. 

1918 

1919                 1918 

1919 

January  

£ 

253,807 
232.023 
230.023 
239.916 
239.205 
225.447 
251.740 
257.096 
247,885 
136.780 
145.460 
192.870 

£                 £ 

211,917     '        107.863 
220.885     |        112.865 
225,808     ,        112.605 
213.160            117. S2f) 

£ 
104.063 
112.616 
112,543 

109,570 

Mav 

218.057 
214,215 
214,919 

126.290 
120,273 
117,581 
120,526 
115.152 
61,461 
108.796 
112.621 

100.827 

i 

July     

September  ... 

— 

November    ... 
December    ... 

— 

Total 

2.652,250 

1.518.961 

1.333.553 

748.698 

Transvaal  Gold  Outputs. 


702.360 
676.146 
600.330 
531.774 
480.102 
507.860 


6    0  I     7,678.129 


547,793 

573.582 
573.143 
608.715 
592.361 


July,  1919 


Aurora  West    

Kantjt-s 

Barrett 

Brakpan    

City  &  Suburban    -••• 

City  Deep 

Cons.  Langlaagte 

Cons.  Main  Kief   

Crown  Mines  

Durban  Roodt-pooi  I 

East  Rand  P.M. 

Ferreira  Deep 

Geduld  

I  ieldenhuis  Deep  

rg  

Lydenburg  



Government  <i.M.  Areas    • 

Heriot    

Jupiter  

Kleinfontein ■ 

Knights  Central 

Knights  Deep 

Langla  

Luipaard's  Vlei 

Meyer  &  Charlton 

Modderfontein 

Mi  idderfontein  B  

Moddei  f '  intein  I  >eep  

New  Tinned    

Nourse  

Primrose  

Princess  Estate 

ntein  Central     

Robinson    •••■ 

Robinson  I  >*  ep 

oort  United  



Simmer  &  Jack  

Sumner  Deep 

Springs 

Sub  Nigel  

Transvaal  G.M.  Estates—- 

Van  Rj  n    

Y.in  Rj  n  1  >eep    

Villas    1  

Main  Reef  

West  Rand  Consolidated    . 
Witwatersrand  (Knights)   ■ 

Witwatersrand  Deep   

Wolhuter 


Tons 
13.000 


55.000 
47,300 
50.3lO 

179,000 
11.700 

125.000 
35,000 
43.700 
51.100 

14. '.SO 
122.000 
12.6C0 
25.100 
51.000 
25.500 
95.000 
42.000 
22.250 
15.000 
81.000 
57.000 
43.500 
12.000 
41,400 
19.000 
20.200 
161. (mo 

55.500 
24.400 
56.000 
58.400 
45.200 
38,500 
11.000 
15,540 
34.500 
48.300 
43.200 
18.700 
33.260 
34,600 

32.000 


Value 


£ 

13.459 


92.854 
30,602 

106,778 
55.422 
73.530 

240.381 
11,357 

149.974 
50.552 
66.126 
58.232 

7.490 

12.721 

16.198 
27.632 
68  J43 
30.871 

50.281 
22.258 
40.382 
172.858 
1 22.600 
95  587 
12.018 
53.651 

27.705 
177.974 
43.3*4 
73.252 
22,333 
64,580 
69,952 
.50.484 

66.372 
28.135 
26.296 
33.923 
107.991 
64.119 
25.664 
38,865 
41. M0 

36.756 


Wbsi   African  Gold  O' 


July.  1919 


Treated 


Abbontiakoon     .... 

Abosso  

Ashanti  Goldfields 
Prestea  Block  A  ... 

Taquah 

Wassau 


Tons 
7.717 
7.300 
7.821 

15.189 
4,520 
2,641 


Value 


£ 

11.376 
12,470 
37.568 
25.345 
11.994 
3,332 


Rhodesian  Gold  Outputs. 


July,  1919 


Antelope  

Cam  .V  Motor 

Eldorado  Banket  

Falcon  

Gaika 

Globe  &  Phoenix 

Lonely  Reef 

Rezende    , 

Rhodesia,  Ltd 

Sbamva     

Transvaal  &  Rhodesian 
Wanderer 


Tn  ,it(  (1 

Value 

Tons 

£ 

3,025 

4.070 

1.040 

3.697 

16.447 

22.208* 

3.103 

5.477 

6.461 

7.749r 

4,650 

24,916 

5.600 

14.297 

345 

978 

54.366 

35,851 

1.800 

4.750 

*  Gold.  Silver  and  Copper  ;  t  Ounces  Gold. 


SEPTEMBER,     1919 


173 


West  Australian  Gold  Statistics. 


Production  of  Gold  in  India. 


Reported 
for  Export 


August,  1918.. 
September  ... 

October 

November  ... 
December  ... 
January,  1919 

February  

March    

April  

May   

June  

July    

August  


1,444 

2.739 

* 

733 
nil 
33 
525 
1.050 
680 
835 


Delivered 
to  Mint 


76.156 
74,057 
71.439 
70,711 
61,314 
69,954 
66,310 
66,158 
63.465 
68,655 
73,546 
68,028 
58,117 


Total 


72.155 
64,053 

* 

67.043 
66.158 
63,498 
69.180 
74.596 
68,708 
58.952 


Total 
value  £ 


306,494 

272,208 

* 

284,779 
281,120 
269,720 
293,856 
316  862 
292.852 
250,410 


*  By  direction  of  the  Federal  Government  the  export  figures 
from  July.  1916,  to  November,  1918,  were  not  published. 

Australian  Gold  Returns. 


Victoria. 

Queensland.    |     ^^T 

1918 

1919 

1918 

1919 

1918 

1919 

January  ... 
February 

March 

April    

£ 

32.134 
58.113 
65.412 
29.620 
87,885 
45,765 
61.347 
61.163 
65,751 
* 

70,674 

£ 

36,238 
46,955 
40,267 
63,818 
37.456 

£ 
47,600 
45.470 
48,020 
47.600 
46.740 
51,420 
51,000 
44,600 
45.900 
54,400 
38,200 
56,281 

£ 

37.100 
43.330 
48,000 
61,200 
38,200 
44,600 
42,060 

£ 

25,000 
28.000 
30.000 
30.000 
45,000 
32.000 
25,000 
21,000 
32,000 
40.000 
25,000 
38,000 

£ 

18,000 
24,000 
16,000 
24,000 

Tune 

17  000 

July   

August    ... 
September 
October  ... 
November 
December 

22,000 
20,000 

Total    ... 

674.655 

225.432 

578.213 

314,490 

370,000 

157.000 

*  Figures  not  received. 


Australasian  Gold  Outputs. 


Associated   

Associated  Northern  J  Iron  Duke 

Blocks (  Victorious 

Blackvvater 

Bullfinch  

Golden  Horseshoe    

Great  Boulder  Prop 

Ivanhoe 

Kalgurli 

Lake  View  &  Star 

Mount  Boppy 

Oroya  Links    

Progress    

Sons  of  Gwaha  

South  Kalgurli    

Talisman 

Waihi 

Waihi  Grand  Junction 


July,  1919 


Tons 
6,110 


2,160 
5,700 
7,548 
6.861 
10.225 
3,217 

2,980 
1,523 
1,450 

13.057 

7,533 

225 

15.153 
5,620 


Value 

£ 

7.883 
1.956* 

4,035 
5.828 
14,238 
19,949 
21,118 
7,455 

4.650 
15,3381 

1,713 
18,546 
11.914 

2.962 
25.295; 

8.155t 


*  burplus  ;  t  Total  receipts  ;   I  Gold  and  Silver  to  August  9. 


Miscellaneous  Gold  Output. 


Barramia  (Sudan) 

Espe.ranza  (Mexico) 

Frontino  &  Bolivia  (Colombia) 

Nechi  (Colombia) 

Ouro  Preto  (Brazil)  

Pato  (Colombia) ! 

Philippine  Dredges  (Philippine  Islands) 

Plymouth  Cons.  (California) 

St.  John  del  Rey  (Brazil)    

Santa  Gertrudis  (Mexico)  

Sudan  Gold  Field  (Sudan) 


Cubic  yards.     +  Dollars.     §  Ounces,  fineness  not  stated. 
I  I  Profit,  gold  and  silver. 


Julj 

,  1919 

Treated 

Value 

Tons 

£ 

15,987 

3,250 

2.620 

8,861 

89,888* 

30.3?8+ 

7,600 

11.000 

165,428* 

121,7251 

— 

383§ 

10.400 

12.876 

— 

in. in  111 

35.100 

28.850ft 

1.530 

1,470 

1916 

1917 

1918                1919 

£ 
192.150 
183.264 
186.475 
192,208 
193,604 
192.469 
191.404 
192.784 
192,330 
191.502 
192,298 
205,164 

£ 
190.047 
180,904 
189,618 
185,835 
184.874 
182.426 
179.660 
181,005 
183,630 
182.924 
182,388 
190,852 

2.214.163 

£                     £ 
176.030            162.270 

173.343     ;        153.775 
177.950            162.790 

176.486            162.550 

Mav 

173.775             164.080 

lune 

•174.375             162.996 

July     

171,950            163.795 

172.105 

September   ... 

170.360 
167,740 

November    ... 
December    ... 

157.176 
170.630 

Total 

2.305.652 

2.061,920     !    1,034.256 

Indian  Gold  Outputs. 


Balaghat    

Champion  Reef  ••• 
Hutti  (Nizam's)  ... 

Jibutil    

Mysore 

North  Anantapur 

Nundydroog   

Ooregum  


July,  1919 


Tons 
Treated 


2,750 
11,856 


22.422 
1.000 
8.765 

12.900 


Fine 
Ounces 


2,193 
7,157 


13.534 

914 

6.481 

7.370 


Base  Metal  Outputs 


Arizona  Copper Short  tons  copper 

(  Tons  lead  concentrate.... 
British  Broken  Hill  ...  •!  Tons  zinc  concentrate.... 

I  Tons  carbonate  ore  

Tons   lead    concentrate. 


Broken  Hill  Block  10 


Burma  Corp 

Cordoba  Copper.... 
Fremantle  Trading 

North  Broken  Hill 


Tons  zinc  concentrate- 
Tons  refined  lead 

Oz.  refined  silver 


..Long  tons  lead  

I  Tons  lead 

"  I  Oz.  silver 

Poderosa Tons  copper  ore    

Rhodesian  Broken  Hill-Tons  lead  and  zinc  

Tanganyika Long  tons  copper 

Tolima  Tons  silver-lead  concentrate 

Tons  zinc  concentrate 

Tons  lead  concentrate 


July. 
1919 


619 
L52 


1 1 16 
219 
015 

45 


Zinc  Corp. 


Imports  of  Ores  and  Metals  into  United  Kinudom. 


Iron  Ore Tons  .. 

Manganese  Ore  Tons  .. 

Copper  and  Iron  Pyrites  Tons  ■■ 

Copper  Ore   Tons  ■• 

Copper  Precipitate Tons  .. 

Copper  Metal    Tons  .- 

Tin  Concentrate  Tons  •- 

Tin  Metal   Tons  .. 

Lead,  Pig  and  Sheet  Tons  .. 

Zinc  (Spelter) Tons  .. 

Quicksilver Lb.     .. 

Zinc  Oxide Cwt.    .. 

Barytes    Cwt.   .. 

Rock  Phosphate  -Tons  ■• 

Brimstone  Cwt. 

Boracic  Compounds  Cwt.   .. 

Nitrate  of  Potash Cwt.   ■■ 

Petroleum  : 

Crude   Gallons 

Lamp  Oils 1  >allons 

Motor  Spirit  Gallons 

Lubricating  Oils Gallons 

Gas  Oil    1  i  Lilon 

Fuel  Oil  Gallons 

Total  Petroleum Gallons 


Aug. 
1919 


669,738 

13.7.:5 

25. S'.- 

516 

2,315 

". 

1,623 

1,353 

7.505 

5.535 

379.704 

44  933 

34.492 

19.341 

10,565 

-'6.239 

66 

1.723,335 

12. 547.058 

5.099.116 

2.409.321 

10,674  942 

45.396,482 


Year 
1919 

3,858.240 
221.005 

81,71  i 

12,067 
173.243 

2,074.791 

114,789 
172.189 
121,879 

1.866.734 

hr.9M.47-. 
140.935.081 
40.542,485 

13.269,287 

462.748.047 


174 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


United  States  Metal  Exports  and  Imports. 


Imports. 


Copper  Ingots 
Copper  Sheets 
Copper  Wire. 

Lead,  Pig 

Zinc 

Zinc  Sheets  •■ 


t  ports. 

May 

June 

Tons. 

Tons. 

8.342 

10.826 

382 

22-J 

1.76S 

2.127 

1.017 

7.492 

5,023 

10,730  ' 

5% 

746  | 

Antimony 

Tin  Ore 

Tin  ... 

Manganese 

Ore 

Tungsten 

Concentrate 
Pyrites 


June 
Tons. 

722 


338 
50,545 


Outfits  oh   Tin  Mining  Companies. 
In  Tons  of  Concentrate. 


Nigeria  : 

Abu 

Anglo-Continental 

Benue  

Berrida   

Bisichi  

Bongwelli  

Dua  

Ex-Lands 

Filani  

Forum  River  

Gold  Coast  Consolidated  

Gurum  River 

I.i ii 1. 1 1  

Jos     

Kaduna  

Kano  

Kassa-Ropp  

Keffi 

Kuru    

Kuskie 

Kwall  

Lower  Bisichi  

Lucky  Chance 

Minna 

Mcmgii     

Naraguta     

Naraguta  Extended    

New  Lafon    

Nigerian  Tin  

Ninghi 

N  N.  Kanchi 

Offin  River     

Rayfield  

Ropp    

Rukuba  

South  Biikeru   ...  

Svbu    

Tin  Areas  

Tin  Fields 

Torn 

Federated  Malay  Stall  s 

Chenderiang 

Gopeng   

Idris  1  [ydraulic    

Ipoh 

Kainunting     

Kinta    

Kledang  

Lariat  

Malayan  Tin 

Pahang 

Rambutan 

Snngi  i  Besi  

Tekka 

Tekka-  Taiping 

Tronoh 

Tronoh  South 

Cornwall  : 

Cornwall  Tailings  

Dolcoath    

I'ool   

Geevor    

South  Crofty     

Other  Countries  : 

Aramayo  Francke  (Bolivia) 

Briseis  (Tasmania) 

Deebook  (Siam)  

Mawchi  (Burma) 

Porco  (Bolivia) 

Renong  iSiam) 

Rooiberg  Minerals  (Transvaal)-. 

Siamese  Tin  (Siam>    

Tongkah  Harbour  (Siam)    

Zaaiplaats  (Transvaall   


Year 

1918 

Tons 

33 

207 

146 

275 
17 
60 

342 
37 

274 
30 
99 

141 

228 
178 

60 

133 

118 

12 

21 

108 

99 

27 

40 

476 

478 

280 

198 

W 

435 
120 
689 
836 
132 
94 
40 
96 
108 
17 

179 
979 
136 
245 
236 
478 
28 
399 
730 

1.877 
/07 
408 
508 
400 

1.364 
133 

140 
787 
1,336 
392 
598 

1.816 
327 
398 
658 
227 
615 
335 
989 

1.528 
563 


July 
1919 
Tons 

l 


44 
46 

187 
9 
60 
30 
30 

129 


180 
18 

85 
27 
70 
12 
44 
107 
12 


Year 

1919 

Tons 

13 

79 

33 
1 

90 

29 

40 
208 

14 

35 

20 

65 

65 
136 
120 

93 

84 

30 
173 


52 

19 

21 

312 

215 

139 

125 

25 

25 

205 

32 

397 

596 

23 

32 

19 

«2 

101 

3 

52 
506 

90 

96 
252 

10 

242 

398 

1,258 

90 
210 
263 
186 
850 


444 
613 
186 
339 

1.253 
142 
160 
4  65 
162 
555 
186 
382 
672 
314 


Nigerian  Tin  Production. 
In  long  tons  of  concentrate  of  unspecified  content. 
Note      These  figures  are  taken  from  the  monthly  returns 
made  by  individual  companies  reporting  in  London,  and 
probably  represent  85%  of  the  actual  outputs 


1914 

1915          1916 

1917          1918         1919 

February    •■• 

April     

June     

July  

Tons 
485 
469 
5f2 
482 
480 
460 
432 
228 
289 
272 
283 
326 

Tons       Tons 

417  531 
358           528 

418  547 
444            486 
357           536 
373           510 
455           506 
438           498 
442           535 
511            584 
467           679 
533            654 

Tons 
667 
646 
655 
555 
509 
473 
479 
551 
538 
578 
621 
655 

Tons 
678 
668 
707 
584 
525 
492 
545 
571 
520 
491 
472 
518 

Tons 
613 
623 
606 
546 
475 
476 
467 

September 
October 
November  ... 
December  ... 

Total    .. 

4.708 

5.213         6594 

6.927 

6.771 

Total  Sales  of  Tin  Concentrate  at  Redruth  Ticketings. 


Julv  1 

July  15   

July  29 

August  12 

August  26 

September  9    

Septeinl"  i     i 
October  7.. 

i  Ictober  21   

Ni  >\  ember  4 

November  18 

I  ii  r  . 

nber  16   

iber  30  

.ind  Average 

January  13,  I 

January  27    

February  10 

Febl  nary  Jt  

March  10 

March  24 

April  7. 

April  22 

May  5 

May  l'>  

June  2  . 
June  16... 

June  30 

July  14  

July  2S  

August  11 

August  23 

iiber  8 


Long  tone 


Value  Average 


1704 

164 

146J 

144 

142 

142* 

".45? 

136* 

150 

1 4 1  i 

150 
163? 
1754 
152 


£34.035 

£34,595 
£33.816 
£"33.116 
£"31.211 

£29.639 
£27.037 

£27.636 

£27.592 

£26.032 
£19.539 


£"199  12 

5 

£"210  1,9 

0 

£231     4 

6 

£2.9  19 

6 

£"219  16 

ii 

£"202  1 
£203     7 

2 

2 

£197  14 

3 

£197  16 
£195  13 

4 

1 

9 

£150  19 

ii 

£J48    6 

7 

4,094 


160 

1354 

153 

142 

144* 

1484 

1344 

134i 

129 

1264 

140 

139 

136 

145 

122 

1274 

130* 

115* 


£130 

£125 
£113 
£105 
£"l-'5 
£120 
£1M 
£111 
£115 

£  1 23 

£125 

'  I  to 

£143 


0  0 
11  0 
10  7 
19  10 
14   10 

8     5 

8  10 
18     1 


13  2 

5  0 
15  0 

15  9 
8  0 

17  3 

16  11 

6  5 
4  3 

12  6 


I  'i  l  ah  s  oi    Re  DRI  ih  Tin  Tic  i 


E.  Pool  & 

No.  la 

„       No.  lb 

,.  ..       No.  lc 

Dolcoath,  No.  1 

No.  la  

No   lb  

No.  2 

A    

South  Crofts 

..  ..       No    la 

Grenville  Ltd..  No   1 

No.  la 

.       No.  2 

Tincroft  Mines,  No.  1 

,,       No.  la 
Levant  Mines.  No.  1 
.. 

Wheal  Bellan 

Hingston    Downs 

Peevi  r  

Trencrom 


August  11 


August  25 


Total 127* 


Tons 

10 
10 
10 

9 
9 


11 
11 

8 

7 

2 

54 

6 

8 

7 

2 


Realized 
in  r  ton 


Tons 
Sold 


Realized 


£   s.  d 

133  12  e 

134  10  0 
133  10  0 

139  0  0 

140  12  6 

140  15  0 
66  10  0 

135  5  0 
135  5  0 

128  15  0 

129  15  0 
63  5  0 

144  0  0 

145  15  0 

141  0  0 

142  0  0 

143  10  0 


£  s.  d. 

10     138  15  0 

10     i 

10     138  15  0 


3 

1 
11 
II 

8 

8 

54 
6 


145  0 

147  5 

147  5 

62  0 

126  0 

139  10 

139  15 

135  15  0 

134  17  6 


150  0  0 

150  0  0 

147  0  0 

153  12  6 

111  12  6 

125  0  0 


SEPTEMBER,    1919 


175 


Production  of  Tin  in  Federated  Malay  States. 

Estimated  at  70%  of  Concentrate  shipped  to  Smelters.     Long 
Tons.     *  Figures  not  published. 


PRICES   OF   CHEMICALS.    Sept.  10. 


1915 

1916 

1917 

1918 

Tons 
3.149 
3.191 

2.608 
3.308 
3.332 
2,950 
3.373 
3.259 
3,166 
2.870 
3,131 
3.023 

1919 

January     ■•• 
February  ... 
March    

Tons 

4.395 
3.780 
3.653 
3,619 
3.823 
4,048 
3,544 
4,046 
3.932 
3.797 
4.059 
4,071 

46.767 

Tons 
4,316 
3.372 
3.696 
3.177 
3.729 
3.435 
3.517 
3.732 
3,636 
3,681 
3.635 
3.945 

43.871 

Tons 

3.553 
2.755 
3.286 
3.251 
3,413 
3,489 
3,253 
3,413 
3,154 
3,436 
3.300 
3,525 

•  39.833 

Tons 
3,765 
2.673 
2,819 
2,855 

3,404 

2,873 

July 

August  

September  . 

October 

November  . 
December  . 

3,756 
2.955 

37.370 

25.100 

Stocks  of  Tin 
Reported  by  A.  Strauss  &  Co. 


Long  Tons. 


August  31, 
1919 


Straits  and  Australian  Spot  

Ditto,  Landing  and  in  Transit     

Other  Standard,  Spot  and  Landing  ... 

Straits,  Afloat 

Australian.  Afloat 

Banca,  in  Holland 

Ditto,  Afloat    

Billiton,  Spot  

Billiton,  Afloat    

Straits,  Spot  in  Holland  and  Hamburg 

Ditto.  Afloat  to  Continent 

Total  Afloat  for  United  States 

Stock  in  America 


Total 


18.157 


Shipments,  Imports,  Supply,  and  Consumption  of  Tin. 
Reported  by  A.  Sttauss  &  Co.     Long  tons. 


Shipments  from  : 

Straits  to  U.K.  

Straits  to  America    

Straits  to  Continent 

Straits  to  Other  Places  

Australia  to  U.K 

U.K.  to  America   

Imports  of  Bolivian  Tin  into  Europe-- 

Supply : 

Straits   

Australian    

Billiton 

Banca    • 

Standard  

Consumption  : 

U  Ki  Deliveries 

Dutch  „         

American 

Straits,  Banca  &  Billiton.  Continen 
tal  Ports,  etc. 


Straits  in  hands  of  MalayGovernm.nl 

controlled  by  U.S.  Governnn  ni 
„  „  „  French  and  Italian 


July 
1919 


Tons 

1.562 

5,305 
435 

2,467 
100 

1.000 
295 


7,302 
100 
60 

1,955 
906 


1.949 
102 

50 


Governments. 


Banca  'n  Trading  Company's  hands-. 


733 


August 
19.9 


Tons 

4  164 
3,825 

840 
1,363 

100 
1.720 

839 


8.829 
100 


1,333 

60 

4,345 


£   s.  d 


Alum  per  ton 

Alumina,  Sulphate  of 

Ammonia,  Anhydrous per  lb. 

0'880  solution   per  ton 

,,  Carbonate per  lb. 

Chloride  of,  grey per  ton 

,,  ,,  ,,    pure per  cwt. 

Nitrate  of   per  ton 

Phosphate  of 

Sulphate  of   

Antimony  Sulphide per  lb. 

Arsenic,  White per  ton 

Barium  Sulphate 

Bisulphide  of  Carbon 

Bleaching  Powder,  35%  CI 

Borax  

Copper,  Sulphate  of    

Cyanide  of  Sodium,  100% per  lb 

Hydrofluoric  Acid    

Iodine , 

Iron,  Sulphate  of per 

Lead,  Acetate  of,  white 

,,      Nitrate  of   

,,      Oxide  of,  Litharge   

,,      White  

Lime,  Acetate,  brown 

grey  80% 

Magnesite,  Calcined  

Magnesium  Chloride  

Sulphate 

Methylated  Spirit  64°  Industrial     per  gal. 

Phosphoric  Acid  per  lb. 

Potassium  Bichromate   

Carbonate  per  ton 

Chlorate  per  lb. 

Chloride  80%      per  ton 

Hydrate  (Caustic)  90% 

Nitrate 

Permanganate    per  lb 

Prussiate,  Yellow 

Sulphate,  90%   per  ton 

Sodium  Metal  per  lb. 

Acetate per  ton 

Arsenate  45  % 

Bicarbonate   

Bichromate    per  lb. 

Carbonate  (Soda  Ash)...     per  ton 

(Crystals) 

Chlorate per  lb. 

Hydrate,  76%   per  ton 

Hyposulphite , 

Nitrate,  95^ 

Phosphate 

,,        Prussiate per  lb. 

Silicate    per  ton 

Sulphate  (Salt-cake) 

(Glauber's  Salts) 

Sulphide 

Sulphur,  Roll 

,,  Flowers 

Sulphuric  Acid,  Non-Arsenical... 
140°T. 

90% 

96% 

Superphosphate  of  Lime,  18%. .. 

Tartaric  Acid per  lb. 

Zinc  Chloride per  ton 

Zinc  Sulphate 


17 
17 

33 

47 

4 

60 

110 

19 

60 
12 
55 
15 
39 
43 


95 


160 

60 


30 

52 

60 

9 

12 

4 

24 
16 
21 

J  6 

12 
3 
3 

19 
21 
23 

5 
7 
9 
5 

23 


0     0 

0  0 

1  10 
0     0 

0     0 
0     0 


0  0 

0  0 

0  0 

0  0 

0  0 
10 
7 

16  0 

0  0* 

0  0 

0  0 

0  0 

0  0 

0  0 

0  0 

0  0 


1  1 

0  0 

0  0 

0  0 
3  3 

1  9 

0  0 

1  3 
0  0 
0  0 

10  0 
11 

10  0 

5  0 

7 

0  0 

10  0 

0  0 

10  0 
7j 

0  0 

0  0 

10  0 

0  0 

0  0 

0  0 


12     0     0 


176 


THE    MINING     MAGAZINE 


SHARE  QUOTATIONS 

Shares  are  £l  par  value  except  where  otherwise  noted. 


GOLD,    SILVER, 
DIAMONDS  : 
Rand  : 

Brakpan 

Central  Mining  (£8)    

City  &  Suburban  (£4) 

City  Deep 

Consolidated  Gold  Fields 

Consolidated  Langlaagte 

Consolidated  Main  Reef 

Consolidated  Mines  Selection  (10s). 

Crown  Mines  (10s  )  

Daggafontein 

Durban  Roodepoort  Deep 

East  Rand  Proprietary 

Ferreira  Deep 

Geduld 

Geldenhnis  Deep 

Gov't  Gold  Mining  Areas 

Heriot 

Johannesburg  Consolidated 

Jupiter  

Kleinfontein 

Knight  Central 

Knights  Deep  

Langlaagte  Kstate 

Meyer  &  Charlton 

Modderfontein  (£4) 

Modderfontein  U 

M odder  Deep 

Nourse 

Rand  Mines  (5s.) 

Rand  Selection  Corporation 

Randfontein  Central 

Robinson  (£5) 

Robinson  Deep  A  (Is.) 

Rose  Deep 

Simmer  &  Jack  

Simmer  Deep 

Springs 

Sub  Nigel 

1'nion  Corporation  (12s.  6d.)    

Van  Ryn  

Van  Ryn  Deep 

Village  Deep  

Village  Main  Reef 

Witwatersrand  (Knight's* 

Witwatersrand  Deep   

Wolh  liter 

Other  Transvaal  Gold  Minks  : 

Glynn's  Lydenburg 

Sheba  (5s.)  

Transvaal  Gold  Mining  Estates. ... 
Diamonds  in  South  Afrita  : 

De  Beers  Deferred  (£2  10s.) 

Jagersfontein  

Premier  Deferred  (2s.  6d.)  

Rhodf.sia  : 

Cam  &  Motor 

Chartered  British  South  Africa  .... 

Eldorado 

Falcon 

Gaika 

Giant 

Globe  &  Phoenix  (5s.) 

Lonely  Reef 

Rezende.. 

Sham  v  a 

Willoughby's  (10s.) 

West  Africa  ■ 

Abbontiakoon  (10s.)  

Abosso  

Ashanti  (4s.)    

Prestea  Block  A 

Taquah 

West  Australia  : 

Associated  Gold  Mines   

Associated  Northern  Blocks 

Bullfinch   

Golden  Horse-Shoe  (£5) 

Great  Boulder  Proprietary  (2s.) 

Great  Fineall  (10s) 

Ivanhoe  (£5)    

Kalgurli 

Lake  View  &  Oroya  (10s.)  

••CIH  of  Gnalia   

South  Kalgurli  (I0s> 


Sept.  6 

1918 
£    s.  d. 

4     0    0 

7  10    0 
17    0 

3  0  0 
1  18  9 
1     0    0 

15     0 

1  7    9 

2  7 
1     6 

10 
4 
15 
1  18 
13 

4  13 
I  0 
1     3 

4 
16 

4 

8 

15 

4   12 

25  17 

8  0 
8     1 

17 

3  2 

4  6 
13 
15 

1  5 
18 


3 

3   17 

1   12 

15 

19 

3  16 

18 

12 

1     6 

9 

5 


3    9 
9 

16     0 


16  10    0 
4  16     3 

7  12   6 


11 

16 

5 

1     1 

14 

8 
I  10 
1  17 
5  6 
1   18    0 

5     9 


Sept.  5 

1919 
£    s.   d. 


3  10 
9    5 


2  18 

1  18 

1     0 

13 

1  5 

2  12 

1  5 
7 
5 

12 

2  12 

10    0 
4  13     9 

11 
1   11 


12 

6 

8 

18 

4     8 

27     2 

8  16 

8     7 

14 

3     0 

3   13 

15 

II 

1  0 
16 

5 
2 

2  16 
1     5 

18 
1/ 

3  15 
15 
11 

1  1 
12 


18  9 

2  3 

13  9 

23  17  6 

6    2  6 

9     5  0 


5 
1     0 

4 
13 
15 

8 

1  2 

2  15 
5  5 
1   18 

6 


4 

3 

4     9 

8 

6 

12    0 

1     0 

6 

1      1     9 

4 

0 

5     9 

15 

9 

16     3 

3 

9 

3     6 

4 

6 

3     9 

1 

9 

2     6 

2     0 

0 

1     6    3 

11 

0 

9    3 

3 

6 

1     9 

1   16 

3 

1  18    9 

9 

0 

9    6 

13 

0 

1     3    0 

8 

0 

5    9 

5 

3 

5    6 

Gold,  Silver,  cont. 

Others  in  Australasia  : 

Blackwater.  New  Zealand  ■■  

ConsolidatedG.F.of  New  Zealand 

Mount  Boppy.  New  South  Wales 

Progress.  .New  Zealand  

Talisman,  New  Zealand 

Waihi.  New  Zealand    

Waihi  Grand  Junction.  New  Z'lnd 
America  : 

Buena  Tierra.  Mexico 

Camp  Bird,  Colorado 

El  Oro,  Mexico 

Esperanza,  Mexico  

Frontino  &  Bolivia,  Colombia 

Le  Roi  No.  2  (£5). British  Columbia 

Mexico  Mines  of  El  Oro,  Mexico  . 

Nechi  (Pref.  10s.).  Colombia 

Oroville  Dredging,  Colombia   

Plymouth  Consolidated.  California 

St.  John  delRey,  Brazil 

Santa  Gertrudis,  Mexico 

Tomboy,  Colorado 

Russia 

Lena  Goldfields 

Orsk  Priority  

India  : 

Balaghat  

Champion  Reef  (28.  6d  I 

Mysore  (10s.)  

North  Anantapur  

Nundydroog  (10s.) 

Ooregiun  (10s.)    

IPPER  : 

Arizona  Copper  (5s).  Arizona  

Cape  Copper  (£2),  Cape  Province.. 

I     peranza,  Spain 

Hampden  Cloncurry,  Queensland 

Kysbtim,  Russia 

Mason  ,\:  Barry,  Portugal  

Messina  (5s .),  Transvaal 

Mount  Elliott  (£5),  Queensland  ... 

Mount  Lyell,  Tasmania  

Mount  Morgan.  Queensland 

Mount  <  >xnle.  ■  )u<  ensland 

Namaqua  l£ii,  Cape  Province 

Rio  Tinto  (£5).  Spain   

Sissert,  Russia    

Spassky,  Russia 

Tanalyk,  Russia 

Tanganyika.  Congo  and  Rhodesia 

LEAD  ZINC : 
Hkokkn  Hill : 

Amalgamated  /mc   

British  Broken  Mill  

Broken  Hill  Propi  ietary  (8s.)  

Broken  Hill  Block  10  (£10) 

Broken  Hill  North 

Broken  Hill  South 

Suli  i  uion  U5s.)  

Zinc  Corporation  (10s.) 

Asia  : 

Burma  Corporation  

Irtysh  Corporation   

Russian  Mining 

Russo- Asiatic 


Sept.  6 

1918 
£   s.  d. 


8  9 

3  9 

6  3 

1  9 

!2  0 

2     2  6 

16  6 


12  6 

13  0 

6     5     0 


18 

1     2 

19 

n 

13 

1     7 
14 


5 

2  13 

5 

1  4 
19 

2  8 

2  10 


1     6 

1    10 

3     2 

5 

3  10 
1    11 

1  12 

8 

2  10 
70     0 

17 
I   in    o 
1   16    3 

4  3     0 


1  7 

2  14 

3  13 
1  18 
3  10 

14  0 

i  3 

1  11 


*  Share 


TIN  : 

Aramayo  Francke,  Bolivia 

Bisichi.  Nigeria 

Briseis,  Tasmania 

Dolcoath.  Cornwall    

East  Pool,  Cornwall 

Ex-Lands  Nigeria  (2s.).  Nigeria  ... 

Geevor  (10s  )  Cornwall  

Gopeng.  Malay  

Ipoh  Dredging,  Malay     

Kamunting,  Malaya  

Kinta,   Malaya...     

Malax  an  Tin  Dredging,  Malay 

Mongu  (10s. I.  Nigeria  

Naraguta.  Nigeria 

N.  N.  Bauchi,  Nigeria  (10s.)    

Pahang  Consolidated  (5s.).  Malay 

Rayrield,  N'iiu-ria    

Renong  Dredging,  Siam  

Ropp  (4s.).  Nigeria 

Siamese  Tin.  Siam  

South  Crofty  15s.),  Cornwall 

Tehidy  Minerals(l5s.  pd.)  Cornw'l 

Tekka.  Malav   

Tekka-Taiping.  Malay     

Tronoh.  Malay    

capital  expanded. 


■ 

1   15    0 


2  16 
15 
5 

10 

1   12 

2 

1  4 

2  0 
19 

1  12 

2  7 

2  5 
17 
18 

14 

15 

1  3 

3  5 

2  10 


4  5  1 
3  17  6 
2  10    0 


Sept    5 

1919 
£  s.   d. 


8    9 

2     7    6 

14     0 


17 
1  4 
1     0 

19 
B 

II 
7     5 

12 
1  11 
1     7 

19 
1   14 


1    10  0 

13  9 

4  3 
1    17  6 

5  0 

14  0 
16  6 


2    0 
2   12 

5 
17 


1  6 

2  3 
5  o 

3  15  0 
1  3  9 
1      5  6 

7  0 

I    12  6 

54   10  ri 

1     2  6 

1   10  0 

I   '?.  r> 

4  15  0 


1  6  6 

2  1  3 
2     5  o 

1  5  o 

2  12  6 
2  5  0' 
1     1  6 

I     1  9 

9     5  0 

1   15  0 

17  6 

4     6  3 

4     0  0 

13  9 


17    0 
8    0 


15 
15 

2  8 
1     I 

3  r, 

13 

1  z 

4  5     0 

5  7     6 

2  2     6 


THE   MINING  DIGEST 


A    RECORD     OF     PROGRESS     IN 


MINING,    METALLURGY,    AND    GEOLOGY 
In  this  section  we  give  abstracts  of  important  articles  and  papers  appearing  in  technical  journals  and 
Proceedings  of  societies,  together  with  brief  records  of  other  articles  and  papers  ;  also  reviews  of  new 
books,  and  abstracts  of  the  yearly  reports  of  mining  companies. 


REFRACTORIES  IN   ZINC  METALLURGY. 


In  December  last  we  quoted  a  paper  read  by  J.  A. 
Audley  before  the  Ceramic  Society  on  refractories  used 
in  connection  with  the  distillation  of  zinc.  Mr.  Audley 
has  presented  to  the  same  society  a  second  paper  ex- 
tending the  references  on  the  subject.  These  addition- 
al references  are  to  papers  not  readily  accessible  and 
most  of  them  not  in  English,  and  the  author  has  there- 
fore done  a  service  to  the  industry  in  collecting  them. 

The  author  does  not  deal  specially  with  the  furnace 
bricks,  for  the  consideration  of  them  is  not  essentially 
different  from  that  of  high-grade  refractories  in  gen- 
eral. It  is  in  reality  in  their  case  mainly  a  matter  of 
proper  selection  and  suitable  treatment  of  the  materials, 
due  regard  being  paid  to  the  proportioning  and  grad- 
ing of  the  grog.  In  a  passing  allusion  in  his  previous 
paper  to  furnace  bricks  made  from  St.  Louis  clay  there 
is  no  mention  of  the  fact  that  the  mixture  used  for 
making  these  bricks  consisted  of  40  clay  to  60  grog,  a 
much  larger  proportion  of  grog  than  is  commonly  em- 
ployed in  this  country.  Special  treatment  (washing, 
etc.)  of  the  clay  to  increase  its  plasticity,  or  substitu- 
tion (partly  or  wholly)  of  a  more  plastic  clay  than  that 
ordinarily  used,  in  order  to  permit  the  employment  of 
a  higher  proportion  of  grog,  deserves  serious  consid- 
eration in  this  connection,  particularly  as  the  best 
qualities  of  bricks  are  only  needed  at  places  where  they 
come  into  direct  contact  with  the  flames. 

The  following  are  further  analyses  of  St.  Louis  clay, 
all  from  the  same  mine,  given  by  Miihlhauser,  in  Zeit- 
schrift  Angewandte  Cliemie  for  1903  : 

A1203 

Top  of  mine |  34'95 

-I  33  80 
I  34  64 

Bottom   34'46 

Average  of  above.     Dried  at  120°  C     34-46 

i.  ..        Calcined  39'26 

Average  of  a  year's  production 
(a  few  years  later)  : 

a.  Dried  at  120°C.   3502 

b.  Calcined    39'26 

It  will  be  noticed  that  the  variations  in  composition  are 
comparatively  slight.  The  impurities  in  the  St  Louis 
clay — consisting  of  felspar,  carbonate  of  lime,  sphero- 
siderite,  limonite,  gypsum,  and  pyrite,  with  a  few 
quartz  grains,  and  no  more  than  traces  of  titanium — 
amount  to  only  157%  of  the  clay  ready  for  use.  after 
drying  at  120°C.  The  clay  itself,  passed  through  a 
sieve  with  5,000  meshes  per  sq.  cm.,  had  the  follow- 
ing composition,  and  melted  at  cone  30—31  : 

Si02  A1203  Fe203  CaO  MgO  K.O  Na30  Loss  on  ignition 
48'00.  34  59        3'83       0'50      0  48      002      013  12'59 

St.  Louis  clay  thus  comes  near  in  composition  to  two 
German  clays,  from  Girode  and  Hettenleidelheim. 


decanting  the  water,  and  finally  drying  on  a  water 
bath  the  mud  remaining  as  well  as  the  crumbly  resi- 
due on  the  sieve,  the  products  analysed  as  follows  : 


Si02 

St.  Louis  clay    5002 

Sieved  clay 5006 

Residue   50'60 


MgO 

St.  Louis  clay   0'46 

Sieved  clay 0'60 

Residue    o'40 


A1203 

Fe203 

CaO 

3502 

276 

070 

35'82 

2'28 

046 

34"20 

3'24 

0  58 
Loss  on 

K20 

Na20 

ignition 

0  06 

0'17 

1251 

0  05 

004 

12'49 

0"09 

0'16 

12'47 

The  melting  points  proved  to  be  the  same  for  all  three. 

The  fine  clay  was  found  to  be  highly  plastic,  whereas 
the  residue  was  only  slightly  plastic,  though  the  com- 
position was  nearly  the  same.  This  suggests  at  once 
that  considerable  increase  in  plasticity  might  be  pro- 
duced in  other  fireclays  if  a  suitable  washing  process 
could  be  devised.  In  trials  on  a  small  scale  it  was 
found  that  to  obtain  practically  all  the  clay  in  washed 
condition  wet  grinding  was  necessary,  as  boiling  or 
dry  grinding  gave  no  more  than  50  to  66%  of  the  clay 
in  washed  condition. 

Still  another  analysis  of  St.  Louis  clay,  but  after 
calcination,  gave  the  following  figures  : 

Si02  A1303  Fe203  CaO  MgO  K.O  Na20 
Calcined  St.  Louis  clay  5608    39'26    309    078    0'51    007    019 

In  the  former  paper  some  analyses  of  old  Belgian 
and  Silesian  retorts  were  given.  The  following  an- 
alyses by  Miihlhauser  (Z.  ang.  Chem.,  1902)  of  a  Rhen- 


Si02 

Fe203 

CaO 

MgO 

K20 

Na20 

49  00 

2'45 

0'80 

0'58 

— 

— 

1300 

50'00 

270 

0'40 

0"36 

— 

— 

12'80 

49'60 

1'96 

1  20 

0'66 

— 



12'90 

49'40 

2'94 

0'80 

0'87 

— 

— 

1275 

49'50 

2'39 

0'80 

0  62 



— 

12 '86 

56  39 

272 

091 

071 

— 

— 

000 

50'02 

2  76 

070 

0'46 

0'06 

0  17 

1-251 

56'08 

309 

078 

0'51 

006 

0'19 

O'OO 

Si02 

St.  Louis  Clay    48'00 

Girode  ciay  48'50 

Hettenleidelheim  clay...49'23 


Loss  on    Melting 
A1203  Fe2Os  ignition      point 
3459      383       12  59      Cone  30-31 
3510       1'80      13'06        „  34 

34-57      2'05      1215        „  33 


On  making  St.  Louis  clay  into  a  thin  slip,  and  wash- 
ing it  through  a  No.  100  brass  sieve  until  the  water 
runs  through  nearly  clear,  then  allowing  to  settle  and 


ish  muffle  and  two  American  retorts  are  instructive 
for  comparison  : 

Si02  A1203  Fe2Os  ZnO  CaO  MgO  K-O  Na«0 

Rhenish  zinc  muffle  68'84  20'38  2'52  6'42  0'60  0  12  —  — 
Illinois  zinc  retort...  44  68  32'52  3'60  1910  0  10  000  O'll  0-20 
Kansas  zinc  retort...  5206  28'34    2'40  16'88  0"06  0'42     —        — 

It  was  stated  that  Schulze  and  Stelzner  failed  to  es- 
tablish the  cause  of  the  blue  coloration  of  zinc  spinel 
in  zinc  muffle  or  retort  bodies,  and  categorically  stated 
that  it  was  not  due  to  titanium,  as  they  were  unable 
to  detect  any  titanium  in  the  isolated  blue  spinel. 
They,  however,  alluded  to  Kersten's  observation  [Ber- 
zelius  :  Jahresber.  iiber  d.  Fortsclir.  d.phys.  Wis- 
senschaft,  1840]  that  when  zinc  vapour  was  passed 
over  ignited  titanic  acid  (that  is,  titanium  dioxide)  the 
latter  became  blue,  and  also  that  when  a  solution  of 
titantic  acid  in  hydrogen  sodium  phosphate  was  igni- 
ted in  hydrogen  it  became  lavender  blue,  and  treatment 
with  water  left  a  blue  lower  oxide  of  titanium,  which 
became  white  on  heating  in  an  open  vessel.  Brand- 
horst  {Z .  ang.  Chem.,  L904)  definitely  states  that  the 


3—6 


177 


178 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


blue  coloration  in  zinc  muffles  or  retorts  is  due  to  re- 
duction of  titanium  dioxide,  but  gives  no  authority  or 
special  reason  for  his  statement.  Possibly  he  may 
have  had  the  above-mentioned  observation  of  Kersten 
in  his  mind,  and  assumed  that  the  titanium  compound 
must  be  present.  The  only  difficulty  in  connection 
with  this  explanation  is  that  Schulze  and  Stelzner 
failed  to  detect  the  presence  of  titanium  in  the  German 
material,  and  Muhlhauser  asserted  that  mere  traces  of 
titanium  are  present  in  St.  Louis  clay.  In  a  recent 
paper  Muhlhauser  (Z.ang.  Client.,  1919)  quotes  Brand- 
horst's  dictum,  apparently  with  full  acceptance,  so 
that  he  may  perhaps  have  found  indications  of  large 
quantities  of  titanium  later.  Verneuil  suggested  that 
the  tint  of  the  sapphire  is  due  to  the  same  substance 
(Chem.  Ztg.,  1910). 

The  brief  allusions  to  zinc  slags  may  be  supplemen- 
ted by  a  few  observations  from  a  recent  article  by 
Muhlhauser  (Metall  und  Erz.  1918).  Though  not 
formed  in  great  quantities,  these  slags  constitute  a 
troublesome  by-product  which  often  damages  the  body 
of  the  retort.  With  other  metals  the  production  of 
slag  is  deliberately  aimed  at,  but  in  the  case  of  zinc  it 
is  sought  to  avoid  or  limit  the  formation  of  slags,  or 
at  least  to  make  them  as  harmless  as  possible  so  far 
as  composition  is  concerned.  In  some  operations 
carried  out  with  a  small  trial  furnace  at  the  works  of 
the  Matthiessen  and  Hegeler  Zinc  Co.  in  La  Salle,  the 
roasted  mixture  of  Joplin  ore  and  Wisconsin  ore  used 
was  composed  of  86-96  ZnO,  036  CaO,  008  CuO, 
0  37  PbO,  128  Fe.203,  2  22  A1.203,  080  CaO,  0  07 
MgO,  7  00  SiOa,  119  S,  and  must  have  consisted  essen- 
tially of  zinc  oxide,  silica,  alumina,  iron  oxide  and  zinc 
ferrite,  gypsum,  zinc  sulphide,  and  iron  sulphide. 
After  reduction  of  the  roasted  blende  (50  lb.  ore  to  30 
lb.  anthracite)  in  the  trial  furnace,  the  residue  had  the 
averagecomposition  (for  19  operations)  given  in  Table  I. 

The  residue,  consisting  of  the  matrix  of  the  ore,  of 
partly  consumed  anthracite,  and  of  the  mineral  ingredi- 
ents of  the  latter,  is  probably  composed  of  the  follow- 
ing substances  :  the  metals  iron  and  copper,  zinc  oxide 
and  alumina,  iron  silicate,  AL03.Si02,  CaSiOa, 
Na2SiO:!,  and  K.,Si03,  sulphides  of  calcium,  iron, 
and  zinc,  silica,  and  zinc  spinel  (Al203.ZnO).  The 
components  of  the  glowing  ash  bed  are  partly  sintered, 
partly  melted,  and  partly  neither  sintered  nor  melted. 
During  the  reduction  process,  and  especially  at  the 
end  of  it,  some  of  the  silicates  in  the  ashes  become 
liquified  and  absorbed.  With  rise  of  temperature  in- 
side the  muffle  after  removal  of  the  zinc,  fluid  products 
will  always  be  formed  more  freely  because  of  the 
power  which  silicates  possess  of  dissolving  free  silica 
as  well  as  bases  (protoxides  and  sesquioxides)  andalu- 
minates.  A  softened  mass  is  thus  formed  adhering  to 
the  bottom  of  the  muffle  or  retort,  and  this  slag  resi- 


due accumulates  in  time.  In  the  case  in  question,  it 
was  carefully  removed  from  the  muffle  after  135  days, 
and  on  analysis  the  slag  was  found  to  be  composed  as 
given  in  Table  II. 

The  oxygen  in  bases  to  oxygen  in  silica  is  as  1 :  3.  It 
is  thus  a  trisilicate  slag  consisting  chiefly  of  silica, 
alumina,  ferrous  oxide,  and  lime,  with  also  a  little  zinc 
oxide. 

The  slags  from  the  regular  operation — charges  of 
54'8  lb.  ore  and  25  4  lb.  anthracite  per  muffle,  in  the 
large  reduction  furnace — were  found  to  have  quite  a 
similar  composition  as  shown  in  Table  III. 

The  oxygen  in  bases  to  oxygen  in  silica  is  as  1 :  2'8, 
the  slag  being  thus  similar  to  that  last  referred  to. 
Both  slags  were  typical  (as  regards  appearance,  be- 
haviour, etc.)  of  the  regular  operation  slags  at  that 
period.  The  slag  was  mostly  viscous  at  the  tempera- 
ture in  the  muffle,  and  formed  an  incrustation  lining 
the  inside  of  the  vessel,  more  especially  at  the  bottom. 
The  skin  of  slag  adhering  to  the  bottom,  or  more  or 
less  merged  in  it,  protects  the  underlying  bottom  from 
the  corroding  influence  of  other  slag  of  different  com- 
position, checks  diffusion,  prevents  or  retards  volatili- 
zation of  metal,  and  so  helps  to  increase  the  yield. 

Examination  of  damaged  vessels  removed  from  the 
zinc  furnaces  showed  that  the  accumulating  slag  had 
seldom  seriously  attacked  the  body  of  the  distillation 
vessel,  and  only  here  and  there  was  evidence  noted  of 
absorption  of  the  slag  by  the  wall  in  the  lower  half  of 
the  muffle.  Similar  action  probably  takes  place,  in 
the  early  period  of  use,  with  the  porous  bottom.  Fer- 
rous oxide,  which  is  by  far  the  most  important  of  the 
fluxing  materials  in  the  ashes,  forms  with  silica  first 
favalite,  Fe2Si04  ;  this,  on  being  absorbed  by  the 
muffle  body,  takes  up  from  the  latter  more  silica  to 
form  FeSiC).,,  the  melting  point  of  which  is  1,500°C, 
as  compared  with  1.155°  to  1,075°C.  for  fayalite. 
Alumina  is  also  dissolved,  and  such  other  bases  as  may 
be  at  hand,  the  product  becoming  more  and  more  vis- 
cous until  it  finally  solidifies.  The  material  so  formed 
is  different  in  its  properties  from  the  original  porous 
body,  and  is  more  liable  to  become  cracked.  It  is  also 
possible  that  ferrous  sulphide  (melting-point  1,194  C) 
present  in  the  charge  may  penetrate  the  muffle  body  in 
places,  to  be  converted  later  into  Fe.,03  and  then  into 
FeO  or  FeSi03. 

Good  slags  are  nearly  or  quite  neutral  towards  the 
muffle,  and  can  remain  in  contact  with  it  for  a  long 
time  without  injuring  it. 

The  formation  of  a  glaze  or  glassy  coating  on  the 
outside  of  muffles — from  the  action  of  dust  and  fumes — 
does  not  prevent  the  entrance  of  furnace  gases,  or  the 
exit  of  reducing  gases  or  zinc  vapour,  but  it  materially 
retards  such  movements,  and  therefore  diminishes  the 
formation  of  zinc  dust  while  helping  to  increase  the 


ZnO  CdO       CuO        PbO 

%  %  % 

Soluble  in  acid   ...518        traces         0'30        010 

Insoluble  in  acid    076 — — — 

Total       5'94        traces         0'30        O'lO 


Table  I. 
Fe203        Al2Oa 


CaO        MfiO 


8'40 
0'96 


160 
3'36 


0  J4 
0'02 


008 
002 


Si02 
% 


19'36 


K20 


NaaO 

% 


Fe203 
% 
763 
3'49 


Si02 
Jo 

Soluble  in  acid   0'52 

Insoluble  in  acid    66'42 

Total  66'94 

SK  >a 

o 

Soluble  in  acid 000 

Insoluble  in  acid fiS'12 

Total    65*12  16  b6  792 


Al203 
% 

5'^1 

13'66 


A1«03 


2' 72 
1414 


936  496 

Table  II. 
CaO 
°o 
1'94 
2'40 


0  30      2  88      58  82 


MgO 


019 
I'll 


K20 


Na20 
% 


CuO 


006 
0  10 


PbO 


ZnO 
% 
1'60 
1'82 


11*12 


Fe203 
% 
492 
3  00 


434  r: 

Table  III. 
CaO  MgO 


048 


016 


K20      N'a20 


1'08 
5'94 


0.00 
0'65 


CdO 
% 
006 

004 


PbO 


ZnO 

% 
1  32 
T32 


342 


702 


010 


—  264        0'98 


SEPTEMBER,    1919 


179 


yield.  (Muhlhauser,  Metall  und  Erz.  191S).  The  rate 
of  action  depends  on  the  extent  of  the  slagged  surface 
of  the  muffle,  on  the  thickness  of  the  glassy  layer,  and 
on  the  degree  of  viscosity  of  the  latter. 

The  rate  of  formation  of  the  glaze  depends  much  on 
the  position  of  the  muffle  in  the  furnace  and  on  the 
nature  of  the  dust,  and  may  be  assisted  by  the  white 
fumes  of  burning  zinc.  In  the  front  of  the  furnace 
(where  the  producer  gas  enters)  the  muffles  are  more 
quickly  covered  than  further  behind.  Dust  is  mostly 
deposited  continuously  on  the  rough  surfaces  of  new 
muffles,  and  of  those  already  covered  with  a  viscous 
layer.  Increase  of  the  glaze  is  to  some  extent  regu- 
lated by  a  trickling  down  when  it  softens  by  overheat- 
ing, and  the  excess  may  thus  drip  in  succession  from 
one  vessel  to  another  below  it,  and  finally  fall  on  the 
sand-covered  bottom  of  the  furnace. 

The  glaze  after  cooling  is  mostly  black  owing  to  the 
soot  present,  but  sometimes  it  has  a  greenish  or  brown- 
ish tinge  according  to  the  character  of  the  furnace  at- 
mosphere at  the  time  the  muffle  was  removed.  But 
wholly  brown  muffles  were  seldom  seen  at  La  Salle. 

The  following  analyses  show  the  composition  of  a 
dust  such  as  formed  a  glaze  on  the  body  of  a  muffle, 
(1)  before  and  (2)  after  its  entrance  into  the  zinc  fur- 
nace, (3)  the  composition  of  the  muffle  body  and  (4) 
the  composition  of  the  glaze  itself  (with  8'85%  FeO 
instead  of  Fe.iOj.)  : 


SiOaAl203  Fe203 
%       %  % 

1.  1199    301  516 

2.  1310     4'66  7'44 
44'68  32'52  3'60 


CaO  MgO  K20  Na2OZnOPbO  CandS 

o/       o/  o/       o/  o/        o/  o/ 

to       to  to      /o  /o        to  to 

0'46  0'06  0'34  0'44     —      —  rest 

0'24  002  0'48  0'52  30'04  078         rest 

O'lO  0  00  011  0'20  1910    —         1'29S 


4.     50'26  31'84  8'85  (FeO)   1'40  0'36     109  1'68     3'20  0'28       1'04C 

The  oxygen  ratio  of  acid  to  base  was  2  :  1,  so  that 
it  was  a  bisilicate.  The  formula  was  :  0'519  FeO, 
0106  CaO,  0039  MgO,  0049  K.,0,  0114  Na20,  0006 
PbO,  0-167  ZnO,  3  544  Si0.2,  lr321  Al2Os,  0366C. 

Another  glaze  gave  on  analysis  :  54'98  Si02,  32'78 
AI0O3,  5'47  FeO,  1'96  CaO,  0  64  MgO,  051  K20,  P81 
Na.,6,  0'04  PbO,  022  ZnO,  F59  C,  corresponding  to 
the  formula:  0461  FeO,  0213  CaO,  0098  MgO, 
0'034  K20,  0177  Na20,  0001  PbO,  0016  ZnO,5'570 
Si02,  1  954  Al2O3,0'805C.  The  oxygen  ratio  between 
acid  and  base  was  1'602  :   1,  indicating  a  sesquisilicate. 

The  analysis  of  a  glaze  which  had  formed  gradually 
about  the  centre  of  the  middle  wall  of  a  large  zinc  fur- 
nace may  be  of  interest : 

Si02  Al203Fe203CaO  MgO  K20  Na20  ZnO 

%  %  %  %  %  %  %  % 
St.  Louis  clay 

(calcined)  5608  3926  3'09  078  051  007  0'19  — 
Grog  (7  years  in  the 

fire)    55'96  39"49  2'02  0'97  0  39  0'06  0'05  107 

Glaze  (on  bricks)...  54'31  36'50  2'22  079  0'35  2'92  176  0'99 

The  2  22%  of  Fe203  in  the  glaze  represents  2  00% 
of  FeO.  The  oxygen  ratio  between  base  and  acid  was 
1  :  1'516,  indicating  a  sesquisilicate.  The  formula  of 
the  glaze  was:  0183  FeO,  0  122  CaO,  0078  MgO. 
0269  K20,  0244  Na20,  0104  ZnO,  7  869  Si02,  3-078 
Al20:t.  This  glaze  was  fusible  with  difficulty,  and  did 
not  penetrate  further  into  the  body,  but  just  like  the 
muffle  glazes  it  was  liable  to  become  mobile  and  flow 
away  when  the  temperature  of  the  furnace  was  acci- 
dentally raised. 

In  choosing  the  heating  arrangements  for  a  zinc  fur- 
nace, due  regard  should  be  paid  to  the  advantageous 
influence  on  the  yield  of  zinc,  of  the  glaze  coating  on 
the  outside  of  the  distillation  vessels.  When  firing 
with  coal  is  adopted,  and  a  coal  rich  in  iron  is  available, 
a  suitable  producer  should  be  placed  in  convenient 
proximity  to  the  zinc  furnace,  so  that  the  vessels  may 


be  exposed  to  sufficient  dusting  with  the  ash.  From 
this  point  of  view,  natural  gas  and  Mond  gas — in  spite 
of  advantages  due  to  homogeneous  composition  of  the 
gas  and  the  possibility  of  uniform  heating — are  by  no 
means  ideal  combustibles,  because  they  carry  no  dust 
with  them.  When  such  gases  are  employed  for  firing 
zinc  furnaces  it  is  desirable  to  remedy  the  deficiency 
by  special  glazing  of  the  muffles,  which,  though  not 
an  easy  problem,  should  not  be  impossible  of  solution. 

The  colour  of  the  glaze  of  a  zinc  muffle  is  in  the  back 
part  of  a  zinc  furnace  (where  the  gases  have  already 
become  mixed  uniformly)  black,  grey,  green,  or  brown. 
In  other  places  different  parts  of  the  surface  may  have 
the  different  colours,  as  grey,  green,  brown. 

The  glaze  covering  the  blue  body  is  green,  like  every 
muffle  influenced  by  a  reducing  flame.  When  much 
soot  is  present  in  the  flame  the  glaze  is  black  ;  when 
zinc  vapour,  escaping  through  a  crack  or  hole  in  a 
neighbouring  muffle,  burns  to  zinc  oxide,  a  green  or 
milk-white  glaze  is  formed  ;  when  the  green  surface  of 
the  muffle  was  exposed  to  a  transient  oxidizing  flame 
the  glaze  became  brownish,  or  wholly  brown  with 
longer  action  of  such  a  flame.  Very  rarely  the  glaze 
is  nearly  colourless  and  transparent,  and  appears  blue 
because  of  the  blue  body  which  itcovers.  (Muhlhauser, 
Z.  ang.  Chem.  1919). 

The  tempering  (preheating  or  annealing)  of  zinc 
muffles  before  introducing  them  into  the  zinc  furnace 
needs  careful  attention.  The  body  is  least  sensitive  to 
sudden  cooling  or  beating  when  the  constitutional 
water  of  the  clay  has  been  expelled,  but  without  melt- 
ing any  of  the  fluxing  material  present  in  the  body  of 
the  muffle.  This  is  because  the  components  of  the 
body  are  still  in  practically  the  same  unconstrained 
state  as  they  were  in  just  after  the  drying  contraction, 
and  the  binding  material  (of  the  St.  Louis  clay  in  this 
case)  has  not  yet  begun  to  shrink.  With  overheating, 
sintering  would  set  in,  and  the  whole  or  parts  of  the 
vessel  would  begin  to  shrink,  and  the  resulting  strains 
would  be  liable  to  cause  cracking  and  dislocation  when 
temperature  changes  occurred.  It  is  therefore  impor- 
tant to  avoid  both  total  and  local  overheating  as  far  as 
possible,  in  order  to  escape  serious  risks.  (Muhlhauser, 
Metall  und  Erz,  1918). 

The  tempering  furnace  is  set  while  still  very  hot 
(over  100°C),  and  after  being  closed  up  the  contained 
muffles  (or  retorts)  are  left  to  themselves  about  15  hours. 
Then  a  small  fire  is  kindled,  and  the  heat  is  increased 
very  gradually  so  that  in  24  hours  or  so  the  tempera- 
ture reaches  about  S00cC,  at  which  it  should  then  be 
maintained  until  the  muffles  are  taken  out.  The  actual 
time  of  tempering  is  about  24  hours,  the  muffles  being 
altogether  about  40  hours  in  the  furnace. 

The  gases  about  the  muffles  also  diffuse  into  the 
bodies  of  the  muffles,  and  reduction  or  oxidation  actions 
take  place  according  as  combustible  gases  (CO,  H, 
ammonia,  hydrocarbons)  or  oxvgen  are  in  excess 
Sulphur,  H.2S,  and  S02  may  in  some  circumstances 
exercise  a  sulphating  action.  Ferrous  oxide  in  the 
muffle  body  takes  up  oxygen  to  form  higher  oxidation 
products,  and  these  are  in  turn  converted  by  the  re- 
ducing gases  into  ferrous  oxide  or  may  even  be  reduced 
to  metallic  iron  temporarily.  The  prevailing  atmos- 
phere during  tempering  is  reducing,  but  oxidizing  con- 
ditions sometimes  arise. 

The  loss  of  constitutional  water  from  clay  takes  place 
mostly  between  375*  and  666 C,  and  finishes  at  about 
800°  (Muhlhauser,  Metall  11  ml  Erz,  1918). 

Pyrite  loses  gradually  more  and  more  sulphur  as  the 
temperature  rises,  from  200°C.  onwards,  the  maximum 
being  reached  at  700  C.  ;  ferrous  sulphide  (FeS)  or 
magnetic  pyrites  (FeTSs)  is  formed,  or  mixtures  of  FeS 


1, 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


with  FeS2  and  Fe.  The  decomposition  products  re- 
main solid,  since  their  melting  point  is  never  reached 
in  the  tempering  furnace  ;  the  decomposition  will  take 
place  thereat  a  somewhat  higher  temperature,  the  bulk 
of  the  pyrite  crystals  being  in  the  muffle  body.  Be- 
sides FeS  and  Fe,  the  decomposition  products  of  pyrite 
may  contain  FeO  and  Fe2Gv  Above  290°  and  up  to 
500°C.  oxidation  of  pyrites  slowly  produces  Fe20;s 
and  S02  only.  Beyond  500'C  the  oxidation  of  the 
FeS2  may  be  preceded  by  a  cracking.  Sulphur  is  first 
distilled  off  as  such,  and  combines  with  oxygen  to  form 
S02-  Then  the  FeS  is  completely  burned  or  roasted. 
But  this  will  not  be  normal  in  the  tempering  furnace. 

The  decomposition  of  substances  like  spathic  iron, 
limonite,  gypsum,  etc.,  takes  place  at  comparatively 
low  temperatures.  Quartz  in  the  muffle  body  is  sub- 
ject to  sudden  increase  of  volume  at  570CC,  and  the 
strains  produced  give  rise  to  cracks,  and  can  sometimes 
cause  complete  destruction.  But  generally  the  amount 
of  quartz  is  small,  and  its  effects  are  scarcely  noticeable. 
As  a  result  of  the  reaction  very  small  spaces  are  pro- 
duced between  the  grains. 

The  tempered  muffle  is  a  moderately  hard  stone 
body,  consisting  of  alumina  and  silica  with  small  quan- 
tities of  other  substances  which  later  partly  act  as  flux- 
ing materials,  and  then  increase  the  strength  of  the 
body.  It  is  remarkably  porous,  and  for  the  most  part 
very  small  cracks,  fissures,  cavities,  etc.,  form  a  con- 


necting system  of  spaces  spreading  through  the  muffle 
body  from  inside  to  outside.  This  system  of  spaces  is 
highly  permeable,  either  hot  or  cold,  for  gases,  and  to- 
wa'rds  thinly  fluid  fluxes  the  body  behaves  like  a  capil- 
lars- tube  system. 

The  body  is  homogeneous,  fairly  dense,  and  reason- 
ably strong,  and  endures  the  temperature  prevailing  in 
the  zinc  furnace  (maximum  1,300 C),  and  occasionally 
pointed  flames  (1,600  C),  as  well  as  abrupt  tempera- 
ture changes,  and  it  is  also  a  fairly  good  conductor  for 
heat. 

The  gradual  vitrification  of  parts  of  the  muffle  walls 
(especially  bottoms)  decreased  refractoriness  and  re- 
sistance tosudden  changesof  temperature,  but  increased 
the  strength,  elasticity,  and  extensibility,  so  that  the 
average  life  of  the  muffle  was  63  days.  (Miihlhauser, 
Metall  und  Krz,  1918). 

In  the  brief  reference  in  the  previous  paper  to  the 
possible  advantage  from  coating  the  distillation  vessels 
with  zirconia,  it  should  have  been  pointed  out  that  the 
very  small  contraction  of  zirconia  causes  practical  diffi- 
culties in  connection  with  such  applications.  These 
would  in  all  probability  be  overcome  if  it  were  practic- 
able to  apply  a  number  of  coatings  in  succession,  each 
with  a  larger  proportion  of  zirconia  than  its  immediate 
predecessor,  and  finishing  with  zirconia  alone.  The 
best  grades  of  natural  zirconia  should  be  good  enough 
for  such  purpose,  without  any  chemical  treatment. 


GLASS   SANDS   IN 

In  the  South  African  Journal  of  Industries  for 
May  and  June,  Dr.  Percy  A.  Wagner  writes  on  glass 
manufacture,  dealing  particularly  with  the  present  con- 
dition of  the  industry  in  South  Africa  and  its  prospects. 
We  extract  herewith  parts  referring  to  the  local  occur- 
rence of  glass  sands.  We  have  omitted  those  parts 
relating  to  sandstones  and  old  sand- tailing  dumps,  and 
to  the  resources  of  alkali,  lime,  fluor-spar,  manganese 
dioxide,  fire-clay,  and  refractories. 

No  systematic  work  has  hitherto  been  undertaken  on 
South  African  sands  suitable  for  glass-making,  and  the 
writer's  investigations  have  been  confined  to  such  oc- 
currences as  are  likely  to  be  drawn  upon  in  the  near 
future.  Enough,  however,  is  by  this  time  known  to 
warrant  the  assertion  that  there  is  in  the  Union  vast 
resources  of  sands  suitable  for  the  manufacture  of  all 
but  the  very  finest  grades  of  glassware,  the  production 
of  which  is  not  likely  to  be  undertaken  locally  for  many 
a  year  to  come. 

The  deposit  near  Pienaarspoort,  in  the  Magalies- 
berg,  Transvaal,  from  which  the  Hatherley  glass  fac- 
tory derives  its  supplies,  will  first  be  dealt  with,  as  this 
is  the  only  South  African  sand  that  has  so  far  been  suc- 
cessfully employed  on  a  large  scale  for  making  glass. 
It  is  situated  about  400  yards  to  the  north-east  of 
Pienaarspoort  Siding,  on  the  Pretoria  Delagoa  Bay 
railway,  by  which  it  is  traversed.  The  deposit  appears 
to  be  of  considerableextent,  and  bore-holes  haveproved 
the  sand  to  be  90  ft.  in  thickness.  Sections  exposed  in 
the  main  pit  show  from  1  ft.  to  2  ft.  of  dark-grey  sandy 
loam  overlying  the  bed  of  glass  sand,  the  maximum  ex- 
posed thickness  of  which  is  2  ft.  6  in.  In  some  parts  of 
the  pit  a  layer  of  impure,  brownish-grey  sand  inter- 
venes between  the  sandy  loam  and  the  glass-sand.  The 
latter  is  of  pale  yellowish  white  colour,  except  when 
traversed  by  plant  rootlets,  around  which  a  concentra- 
tion of  reddish-brown  ferruginous  matter  has  taken 
place.  It  appears  to  be  very  uniform  in  character, 
though  the  composition  probably  variessomewbat  from 
point  to  point.  The  following  analyses  may  be  taken 
to  represent  the  best  material : — 


SOUTH  AFRICA. 

Unwashed  Washed 

Sand.  Sand. 

SiOa 9898  99  46 

AlaOa  057  — 

Fe2Os 0  10  0'08 

CaO None  — 

I Trace  — 

Loss  on  Ignition 0  31  0'20 

The  results  prove  the  sand  to  be  fairly  pure,  the  iron 
content  being  well  within  the  limits  prescribed  for  even 
the  better  grades  of  white  glass. 

Under  the  microscope,  the  sand  is  seen  to  be  com- 
posed almost  entirely  of  grains  of  quartz  with  very  oc- 
casional turbid  grains  of  felspar.  Most  of  the  grains 
are  coated  wholly  or  in  part  with  thin  films  of  ferrugin- 
ous, clayey  matter,  which  can  be  partly  removed  by 
washing  the  sand  with  water,  and  completely  removed 
by  treating  it  with  hot  hydrochloric  acid.  As  regards 
the  shape  of  the  grains,  there  appears  to  be  a  close  re- 
lationship between  degree  of  rounding  and  diameter, 
the  very  fine  particles  being  almost  without  exception 
angular,  those  of  medium  grain  sub  angular,  and  the 
coarse  particles  fairly  well  rounded.  Treatment  of  a 
representative  sample  of  the  sand  with  a  solution  of 
methylene  iodide  (sp.  gr.  3'3)  shows  that  it  only  con- 
tains 006S",  of  heavy  minerals,  that  is,  minerals  of  sp. 
gr.  greater  than  3  3.  This  is  below  the  average  for 
ordinary  glass  sands.  Magnetic  particles  constitute 
28%  of  the  concentrate.  The  remainder  was  found  to 
be  made  up  of  a  very  interesting  assemblage  of  miner- 
als, including  zircon,  rutile,  ilmenite,  anatase,  cyanite, 
and  limonite.  The  ilmenite  shows  alteration  to  leucox- 
ene.  Zircon  occurs  in  well  formed  prismatic  crystals 
with  pyramidal  end  terminations ;  also  in  rounded 
grains.  With  the  exception  of  rutile,  none  of  the  other 
minerals  exhibit  idiomorphic  outlines. 

The  mechanical  analysis  of  this  and  the  other 
samples  of  sand  examined  was  carried  out  with  a  set  of 
standard  laboratory  screens,  kindly  placed  at  the  wri- 
ter's disposal  by  Professor  G.  H.  Stanley.  In  these 
screens  the  apertures,  unfortunately,  are  in  English 
units — 5,  12,  20,  etc.,  meshes  to  the  inch — and  a  com- 


SEPTEMBER,     1919 


181 


parison  with  the  metric  scale  adopted  by  Boswell  can- 
not, therefore,  be  made,  except  in  the  case  of  the  12, 
50,  and  120  screens,  which  have  apertures  of  approxi- 
mately 1,  0'25,  and  01  millimetres.  There  is  no  screen 
in  the  set  with  an  aperture  corresponding  even  approxi- 
mately with  0'5  mm.  The  mechanical  composition  of 
the  sand  was  found  to  be  as  follows  : 

Aperture  in 

Mesh  Millimetres  % 

+   5  +  2'54  O'Ol 

—  5   +   12  —  2'54     +   1056  0'02 

—  12  +  20  —1056  +  0'635  T60 

—  20  +  30  —  0'635   +  0'424  8'37 

—  30  +   50  —  0'424   +  0'254  4171 

—  50  +  60  —0'254  +  0  211  13'29 

—  60  +  80  —  0'2I1   +  0'157  9'00 

—  80  +120  —  0'157  +  0'107  16'91 

—120  —  0'107  1200 

It  will  be  seen  that  sand  grade,  that  is,  particles  falling 
within  the  limits  1056  mm.  and  0107mm.,  are87'97% 
of  the  whole.  (The  limits  adopted  by  Boswell  are  —  2 
and  +01  mm.).  The  results  of  the  analysis  show  that 
the  sand  is  rather  poorly  graded,  being  much  inferior 
in  this  respect  to  most  European  and  American  glass 
sands,  and  also  inferior  to  the  Zandfontein  sand,  to  be 
presently  referred  to.  The  most  striking  featurein  com- 
parison with  the  Zandfontein  sand  is  the  large  propor- 
tion of  superfine  sand  which  it  contains.  The  Pienaars- 
poort  sand  could  be  greatly  improved  by  coarse  screen- 
ing through  a  20  mesh  screen  to  remove  particles  less 
than  0  635  mm.  diameter,  followed  by  fine-screening 
through  a  60  mesh  screen  to  remove  particles  less  than 
0'211  mm.  diameter.  The  screened  and  washed  prod- 
uct would  be  well  suited  by  virtue  of  its  chemical  and 
mineralogical  composition  to  the  manufacture  of  the 
better  grades  of  white  glassware.  The  suitability  of  the 
sand  in  its  natural  condition  for  bottle-making  has  been 
amply  demonstrated.  The  deposit  is  accessible  and 
conditions  are  favourable  to  cheap  working.  The  un- 
screened sand  could  be  delivered  on  rail  at  Pienaars- 
poort  Station  at  3s.  per  ton,  and  the  screened  product 
at  about  6s.  6d.  per  ton. 

Thereare  extensivedeposits  of  sand  suitable  forglass- 
making  in  the  Moot  Valley,  the  wide,  flat-bottomed  de- 
pression between  the  Magaliesberg  and  Daspoort 
ranges,  north  of  Pretoria.  They  extend  along  the  south 
side  of  the  valley  from  the  neighbourhood  of  Silverton 
as  far  west,  at  least,  as  the  western  boundary  of  the 
farm  Zandfontein  No.  93,  and  probably  mark  the  posi- 
tion of  outliers  of  Karroo  sandstone.  The  most  im- 
portant deposits  are  on  the  farm  Zandfontein,  which  is 
traversed  from  east  to  west  by  a  sand  belt  some  hun- 
dreds of  yards  in  width,  and  at  least  two  miles  long. 
The  sand  is  dug  in  shallow  pits,  being  used  for  build- 
ing purposes,  and  by  the  Pretoria  Iron  Mines,  Limited, 
for  making  the  pig-beds  in  which  their  iron  is  cast. 
There  are  several  groups  of  sand-pits.  The  most  east- 
erly of  these  is  situated  2\  miles  to  the  west  of  the  Das- 
poort Cement  Factory,  and  about  500  yards  north  of 
the  Daspoort  range.  Sections  exposed  in  this  and  ad- 
jacent pits  show  a  variable  thickness  of  overburden, 
in  the  form  of  dark-grey  sandy  loam,  which  merges 
downward  into  greyish- white  sand  mottled  and  streaked 
with  iron  oxide  or  into  yellow  sand  overlying  a  persis- 
tent layer  of  pale,  greyish- white  sand.  The  following 
sections  may  be  taken  as  fairly  representative  : 

1.  2.      '  3. 

Dark-grey  sandy  loam 3  ft.  0  in.        2  ft.  6  in.        3  ft.  0  in. 

Greyish-white  sand  mottled 

and  streaked   with  iron 

oxide  1ft.  Oin.  —  1ft.  Oin. 

Yellow  sand —  3  ft.  6 in.  — 

Pale,  greyish-white  sand 2  ft.  6  in.        2  ft.  6  in.        4  ft.  Oin. 

(1)  Section  exposed  in  most  easterly  pit. 

(2)  Section  exposed  in  pit  about  300  yards  to  the  west. 

(3)  Section  exposed  in  most  westerly  of  eastern  group  of  pits. 


The  upper  limit  of  the  white  sand  was  found  in 
several  instances  to  coincide  approximately  with  the 
surface  of  the  underground  water-table.  Its  light 
colour  and  purity  may  thus  be  due  to  the  leaching  effect 
of  the  underground  water  percolating  slowly  toward 
the  centre  of  the  Moot  Valley.  In  the  deepest  of  the 
pits  the  white  sand  is  seen  to  merge  downward  into  a 
friable,  even-grained  white  sandstone,  and  similarsand- 
stone  is  said  to  have  been  struck  in  some  of  the  other 
pits.  The  white  sand  appears  to  vary  somewhat  in 
quality.  The  purest  material  is  that  exposed  in  the 
most  westerly  of  the  eastern  group  of  pits  (section  3), 
where  the  layer  is  4  ft.  in  thickness.  A  partial  chemi- 
cal analysis  of  a  representative  sample  of  pale,  greyish- 
white  sand  from  this  pit,  carried  out  by  Dr.  B.  de  C. 
Marchand,  showed:   Si02  9937%,  Fe.20:,  0  31%. 

The  microscopic  examination  of  the  sand  proves  it 
to  be  composed  almost  exclusively  of  grains  of  quartz. 
Many  of  these  are  completely  coated  with  films  of  fer- 
ruginous, clayey  matter,  and  few  are  quite  free  from 
iron  stains.  Sub  angular  grains  make  up  the  bulk  of 
the  sand,  but  many  of  the  larger  grains  are  exceedingly 
well  rounded.  ftIt  is  remarkably  free  from  heavy 
minerals,  only  containingO'081  %  of  particles  of  specific 
gravity  greater  than  3'3.  Magnetic  particles  make  up 
45%  of  the  concentrate,  and  small,  well-formed  zircon 
crystals  about  5%  of  the  non-magnetic  portion.  The 
latter  also  contains  small  grains  and  crystals  of  rutile 
and  irregular  grains  of  ilmenite,  leucoxene,  and  limo- 
nite. 

A  grading  analysis  of  the  sand  gave  the  following  re- 
sult: 


Aperture  in 

Mesh 

Millimetres 

% 

+     5 

+  2'54 

O'OO 

5   +   12 

—  2'54     +   ro56 

004 

12   +  20 

—  1  056  +  0'635 

0755 

20  +  30 

—  0'635   +   0'424 

1+11 

30  +  50 

—  0'424    +   0'254 

57'50 

50  +  60 

—  0  254    +   0'2U 

10  8 

50  +120 

—  0'254   +   0'107 

5'2 

—120 

—  0107 

4'50 

Sand  grade,  that  is,  particles  falling  within  the  limits 
1056  and  0107  mm.  diameter  =  951%.  The  result 
shows  the  sand  to  be  much  better  graded  than  the 
Pienaarspoort  sand,  71  '61  %  falling  within  the  limits 
0'635  and  0254  mm.,  and  8241%  within  the  limits 
0'635  and  0'211  mm.  It  is  in  this  respect,  however, 
still  much  inferior  to  the  best  European  and  American 
glass  sands,  and  could  be  greatly  improved  by  screen- 
ing. The  chemical,  mineralogical,  and  mechanical 
composition  of  the  sand  proves  it  to  be  admirably 
adapted  to  the  manufacture  of  white  bottles  and  better- 
grade  white  glassware.  With  washing  and  screening, 
it  would,  in  all  likelihood,  be  good  enough  for  plate 
glass.  The  sand  exposed  in  the  other  pits,  though  not 
quite  as  pure,  is  probably  equally  well  suited  to  the 
production  of  ordinary  glassware. 

The  available  reserves  of  sand  on  the  farm  Zandfon- 
tein must  be  enormous,  and  conditions  are  favourable 
to  cheap  exploitation.  The  sand  is  at  present  sold  for 
building  purposes  at  from  Is.  6d.  to  2s.  per  wagon  load 
of  three  tons.  It  could  easily  be  delivered  on  rail  at 
Hercules  Station  at  2s.  6d.  per  ton. 

About  a  mile  to  the  west  of  the  Silverton  Hotel,  sand 
for  building  purposes  has  for  many  years  been  dug  in 
shallow  pits.  The  sand  occurs  in  exactly  the  same 
position  relative  to  the  Daspoort  range  as  that  at  Zand- 
fontein, in  a  layer  from  2  to  4  ft.  in  thickness,  beneath 
a  thickness  of  from  2  ft.  to  2  ft.  6  in.  of  dark-grey  sandy 
loam.  It  is  of  grey  or  yellow  colour,  with  streaks  and 
patches  of  brownish-red  ferruginous  matter,  and  while 
not  nearly  so  pure  or  well-graded  as  the  Zandfontein 


182 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


sand,  is  quite  good  enough  for  the  manufacture  of  or- 
dinary bottle  glass. 

At  Kilnerton,  about  five  miles  to  the  east  of  Pretoria, 
and  again  in  the  same  position  relative  to  the  faulted 
continuation  of  the  Daspoort  range  as  the  Zandfontein 
sand,  there  is  a  fairly  extensive  deposit  of  pale-greyish 
sand,  streaked  with  iron  oxide.  The  sand  layer,  which 
has  a  maximum  exposed  thickness  of  about  3ft.,  is  over- 
lain by  1  to  2  ft.  of  grey  sandy  loam.  It  is  used  for 
building  purposes. 

There  are  extensive  deposits  of  greyish-white  sand  to 
the  north  and  north-west  of  Wonderboom  Poort,  near 
Pretoria,  that  appear  to  be  well  suited  for  glass-mak- 
ing. A  sample  of  washed  sand  from  this  locality  was 
analysed  in  the  laboratory  of  the  Geological  Survey, 
with  the  following  result :  Si0.2  99'5%.  Fe2Oa  009%, 
Loss  on  ignition  005%,  total  99  64 

There  is  a  fairly  extensive  deposit  of  sand,  suitable 
for  bottle  glass,  on  the  farm  Olifantsfontein,  near  Oli- 
fantsfontein  Station,  on  the  Pretoria-Johannesburg 
railway.  A  company,  called  the  Elephant  Glass  Works 
Co.,  Ltd.,  was  formed  some  years  ago  to  erect  a  glass 
factory  at  this  locality,  but  the  prqject  did  not  ma- 
terialize. 

There  are  great  accumulations  of  fairly  pure  sand  on 
the  Orange  Free  State  side  of  the  Vaal  River  at 
Vereeniging.  The  best  material,  forming  a  layer  1  ft. 
6  in.  in  thickness,  analyses  :  SiOo  980%,  Fe._,0:1  0 
Sand  of  somewhat  inferior  quality,  occurring  in  a  layer 
with  a  maximum  exposed  thickness  of  4  ft.,  analysed  : 
SiOa  95  5%,  Fe?08  155%. 

There  are  similar  deposits  of  sand  lower  down  the 
Vaal  Fiver  at  Viljoen's  Drift  and  other  localities. 

Sand  suitable  for  bottle-making  occurs  in  consider- 
able quantity  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Bronkhorst- 
spruit,  on  the  Pretoria-Delagoa  Bay  railway  It  is 
rather  variable  in  quality,  as  is  clearly  indicated  by  the 
following  analyses  of  samples  taken  from  four  different 
localities : 

1.  2.  3.  4. 

<y  o/  q 

SiO* 944  962  930  92'8 

Fe203 16  0'8  OS  1'3 

At  the  Tweefontein  Colliery,  near  Witbank,  a  belt  of 
sand,  80  yards  wide,  has  been  proved  over  a  distance 
of  about  a  mile.  Sections  exposed  in  a  sandpit  ad- 
joining the  colliery  show  : 

Sandy  soil  with  grass  roots 1  ft.  to  1  ft.  3  in. 

Yellow  sand  mixed  with  oxide  of  iron  Z  ft. 

Fine  white  sand    1ft.  Jin. 

Clayey  sand  with  oxide  of  iron 2  ft.  7  in. 

The  white  sand  was  examined  with  a  view  to  determin- 
ing its  suitability  for  glass-making.  It  is  of  almost 
pure  white  colour,  being  superior  in  this  respect  to  any 
other  South  African  sand  that  has  come  under  the 
writer's  observation.  On  strong  ignition  it  reddens 
slightly.  Under  the  microscope  the  sand,  which  is  very 
fine-grained,  is  seen  to  be  composed  for  the  most  part 
ofsub  angulargrainsof  quartz,  though  manyof  thefiner 
particles  are  quite  angular.  Most  of  the  grains  have 
a  thin  coating  of  ferruginous  clayey  matter.  Heavy 
minerals  of  specific  gravity  greater  than  3'3  make  up 
0  016%  of  the  whole.  Among  them  minute  crystals  of 
zircon  and  grains  of  magnetite  are  fairly  common.  A 
partial  chemical  analvsis  of  the  sand  by  Dr.  J.  Mc- 
Crae  showed:  Si02  99  26%,  Fe20„  023%,  A1,0;! 
0'28%,  CaO  and  MgO  traces,  loss  on  ignition  0  23%. 
It  is  thus  of  great  purity.  With  washing  it  would  prob- 
ably yield  a  product  containing  well  below  01  °c  of  iron 
oxide. 

The  mechanical  analysis  of  the  sand  gave  the  follow- 
ing result : 


Aperture  in 

Mesh 

Millimetres 

% 

+     5 

+    2'54 

TOO 

—     5   +   12 

—  2'54     +   1  056 

0'50 

—12+16 

—  1  056  +  0  795 

170 

—16+20 

—  0795  +  0'635 

230 

—20+30 

—  0'635   +  0'424 

900 

—30+50 

—  0'424   +   0'254 

23 '50 

—50+80 

—  0254   +   0157 

29'50 

—  80  + 120 

—  0157  +  0  107 

13  00 

—120  +200 

—  0  107  +  0063 

7  00 

—200 

+  0  063 

1200 

*  The  particles  belonging  to  this  grade  were  mostly  of  the 
nature  of  small  concessions. 

Sand  grade,  that  is,  particles  falling  within  the  limits 
1056  and  0107  mm.  =  79  50% .  The  results  prove  the 
sand  to  be  much  finer  grained  even  than  the  Pienaars- 
poort  sand.  The  comparatively  high  proportion  of 
superfine  material  would  militate  against  its  use  in  an 
unscreened  condition.  If  it  were  coarse-screened 
through  a  30  mesh  screen  to  remove  particles  greater 
than  0  424  mm.  diameter,  and  fine-screened  through 
an  80  mesh  screen  to  remove  particles  less  than  0  157 
mm.  diameter,  the  resulting  product  would  be  emi- 
nently suited  to  the  manufacture  of  the  better  grades 
of  white  glassware.  It  would  take  approximately  two 
tons  of  unscreened  sand  to  produce  one  ton  of  screened, 
but  as  conditions  are  favourable  to  cheap  working  the 
screened  product  could  probably  be  delivered  on  rail 
at  6s.  per  ton. 

The  Union  Glass  Company  proposes,  in  their  new- 
bottle  factory  to  be  erected  near  Dundee,  Natal,  to  use 
river  sand  occurring  in  the  form  of  low  terraces  and 
banks  in  the  bed  of  the  Sandspruit,  a  tributary  of  the 
Buffalo  River,  about  J  mile  south  east  of  the  Malon- 
jeni  Station,  on  the  Vryheid  railway.  The  company 
has  secured  rights  over  a  stretch  of  about  two  miles 
of  the  river-bed,  which  is  from  100  to  200  ft.  in  width. 
The  available  reserve  of  sand  within  this  stretch  is 
practically  inexhaustible,  as  it  is  replenished  each 
rainy  season.  The  sand  is  of  brownish-yellow  colour. 
It  contains  pebbles  of  sandstone,  shale,  and  dolerite, 
and  small  concretions  of  calcareous  and  ferruginous 
matter.  Another  feature  is  the  presence  of  numerous 
small  fragments  of  coal  derived  from  the  colliery 
dumps  within  the  basin  of  the  stream.  Apartial  chemi- 
cal analysis  of  a  representative  sample  of  the  sand, 
from  which  all  coarse  matter  had  been  removed  by 
putting  it  through  a  sieve  with  round  holes  of  2  mm. 
diameter,  gave  the  following  result:  Si02  93"'  1 
Fe20:i  142",.,  AlaOs  (including  small  amount''  of 
Ti02  and  P306)  2  20",.  Under  the  microscope  the 
sand  is  seen  to  be  made  up  mainlyof  sub-angular  grains 
of  quartz,  most  of  which  are  coated  or  stained  with 
iron  oxide.  As  might  be  expected  of  a  river  sand,  it 
is  comparatively  rich  in  heavy  minerals,  among  which 
grains  of  pink  garnet  predominate.  Actually,  the 
heavy  crop,  composed  of  particles  of  specific  gravity 
greater  than  3  3,  amounts  to  0'23%.  Magnetic  par- 
ticles make  up  17%  of  the  concentrate,  and  grains  of 
garnet  about  25%.  Other  minerals  identified  include 
zircon,  blood-red  rutile,  cyanite,  staurolite,  and  ilmen- 
ite.  The  mechanical  analysis  of  the  sand  was  as  fol- 
lows : 

Aperture  in 
Mesh  Millimetres  % 

+      5  +  254  0  1 

—  5    ■  —  2'5I     +    1056  20 

—  12+16  —  1056  -  0'792  TO 

—  16  +    20  —0792  +  0  635  211 

—  20+50  -  0  635  +  0  254  69  4 

—  50  +  120  —0'254  +  0107  50 

—  120  —  0107  0'8 

Sand  grade,  that  is,  grains  between  the  limits  1  056 
and  0  107  mm  diameter  =  97T%.  The  analysis 
proves  that,  while  the  sand  is  much  coarser  than  that 
from  the  neighbourhood  of  Pretoria,   it  is,   from  the 


SEPTEMBER,    1919 


183 


point  of  view  of  the  glassmaker,  better  graded  than 
either  the  Pienaarspoort  or  the  Zandfontein  sand.  If 
it  were  put  through  a  standard  20  mesh  screen,  and 
the  portion  remaining  on  the  screen  rejected,  there 
would  be  obtained  a  product  composed  to  the  extent 
of  992%  of  particles  ranging  from  0'635  toO'107  mm. 
diameter,  and  eminently  adapted,  both  as  regards 
chemical  and  mineralogical  composition,  to  the  pur- 
pose for  which  it  is  intended,  namely,  the  manufacture 
of  dark  bottle  glass.  Burning  to  remove  particles  of 
coal  and  organic  matter  would  still  further  improve  it. 
The  Union  Glass  Company  is  at  present  employing 
coarse  yellow  sand  found  on  the  slopes  of  Talana  Hill, 
Natal,  which  adjoins  the  factory  site.  The  sand  is 
derived  from  a  thick  bed  of  sandstone  cropping  out  on 
the  side  of  the  hill.  A  partial  chemical  analysis  of 
the  sand  showed:  Si0.2  955%,  Fe203  1"2%.  The 
sand  contains  a  good  deal  of  fine  coal  and  small  con- 
cretions of  iron  oxide.  To  eliminate  the  coal  it  is 
burned  in  a  small,  gas-fired  roasting  furnace.  Under 
the  microscope  it  is  found  to  be  composed  principally 
of  sub-angular  and  angular  grains  of  quartz,  almost 
without  exception  coated  with  films  of  ferruginous 
matter.  It  contains  0' 18%  of  particles  of  specific  grav- 
ity greater  than  3'3.  Magnetic  particles  make  up  19% 
of  the  concentrate.  The  non-magnetic  portion  is  fairly 
rich  in  crystals  and  grains  of  rutile.  Other  minerals 
present  include  zircon,  garnet,  ilmenite,  and  cyanite. 
The  mechanical  analysis  of  the  sand  was  as  follows : 


Aperture  in 

Mesh 

Millimetres 

% 

+      5 

+  2'54 

21 

5+12 

—  2'54     +   1'056 

80 

12   +     16 

—  T056   +  0792 

90 

16  +    20 

—  0792  +  0635 

iro 

20  +    50 

—  0  635   +  0'254 

460 

50  +  120 

—  0'254   +  0U07 

20  0 

—  120 

—  0'107 

3'5 

Sand  grade,  that  is,  particles  falling  within  the  limits 
1056  and  0107  mm.  diameter  =  86'4%.  The  results 
prove  that  the  sand  is]coarser  than  the  Malonjeni  sand, 
and  not  nearly  so  well  graded.  Like  the  Malonjeni 
sand,  it  could  be  greatly  improved,  as  regards  grade, 
by  putting  it  through  a  screen  with  20  holes  to  the  lin- 
ear inch. 

As  regards  other  occurrences  in  Natal,  pure  white 
sand  is  said  to  be  available  at  Sweetwaters,  near 
Maritzburg,  and  at  Gezubuso.  Sand  suitable  for 
bottle  glass  occurs  at  Jacobs,  just  outside  Durban. 

Quartz  sand,  well  adapted  to  the  manufacture  of 
glass,  occurs  in  the  south-western  districts  of  the  Cape 
Province  in  the  beds  of  many  of  the  rivers  rising  in  the 
long  southern  and  south-western  mountain  ranges. 

White  sand  of  greater  or  less  purity  occurs  in  vast 
quantity  at  many  localities  along  the  coast  of  the  Cape 
Province  and  Natal.  It  has  been  proved  at  Durban 
and  Glencairn  to  be  well  adapted  to  glass-making,  but 
in  most  instances  its  remoteness  from  coal  renders  it 
valueless  for  this  purpose. 


GOLD   DEPOSITS  AT   MATACHEWAN,   ONTARIO. 


In  our  issue  of  August  last  year  we  quoted  a  report 
by  A.  G.  Burrows,  of  the  Ontario  Geological  Survey, 
on  the  gold  discoveries  near  Fort  Matachewan,  on  the 
Montreal  River,  where  the  results  at  the  Otisse  and 
Davidson  claims  have  attracted  considerable  attention. 
Since  then,  H.  C.  Cooke,  of  the  Geological  Survey  of 
Canada,  has  made  a  geological  examination,  and  his 
report  is  printed  in  Economic  Geology  for  June.  We 
reproduce  a  large  part  of  the  report  here,  because  the 
district  promises  to  be  an  important  producer. 

The  gold  of  Matachewan  district  was  originally  part 
of  a  granite  or  quartz  syenite  porphyry  magma.  As 
the  magma  crystallized  the  gold  became  concentrated 
in  the  still  liquid  volatile  residue,  and  was  finally  de- 
posited from  it  along  with  pyrite.  Consequently  the 
gold  is  found  in  satellitic  intrusive  bodies  which  range 
from  dykes  of  granite  porphyry  through  pegmatites  of 
varying  degrees  of  silicification  to  veins  of  pure  quartz. 
It  is  also  found  in  the  country  rock  adjacent  to  the 
dykes  and  veins,  which  has  been  calcitized  and  pyri- 
tized  for  considerable  distances  from  their  walls. 

The  geology  of  the  district  is  similar  to  that  of  Tim- 
iskaming  district  in  general.  At  the  base  of  the  geo- 
logic column  lies  the  series  of  rhyolites,  andesites,  and 
basalts,  with  tuffsof  correspondingcompositions,  which 
have  commonly  been  referred  to  in  the  literature  as 
Keewatin.  The  rocks  are  in  most  cases  greatly  altered, 
and  the  original  constituents  more  or  less  completely 
converted  into  secondary  minerals  such  as  chlorite, 
hornblende,  kaolin,  sericite,  and  epidote  ;  in  places  also 
the  rocks  have  been  converted  into  schists.  These 
lavas  are  not  overlain  by  sediments  as  in  some  places 
in  Northern  Ontario.  After  the  deposition  of  the  sedi- 
ments an  intense  regional  folding  compressed  sediments 
and  lavas  into  close  folds,  and  converted  great  portions 
of  them  into  schists.  Following  the  folding  came  the 
intrusion  of  great  batholiths  oi  granite  and  syenite. 
The  syenite  porphyry  of  Matachewan  district  is  one  of 
these  intrusions  ;  its  magmatic  relationships  to  large 
bodies  of  quartz  syenite  lying  to  the  south  and  west  are 


shown  by  close  similarities  in  chemical  and  mineralogi- 
cal composition.  Both  the  syenite  and  the  porphyry 
are  cut  by  large  dykes  of  a  rather  fresh-looking  gabbro 
characterized  in  places  by  a  great  development  of  large 
plagioclases,  which  have  attained  diameters  of  several 
inches.  After  the  granitic  and  other  intrusions,  a  long 
period  of  erosion  occurred,  and  the  region  was  reduced 
to  a  peneplain  of  about  the  same  contour  as  at  present, 
on  the  surface  of  which  the  Cobalt  series  was  laid  down. 
This  series,  which  is  largely  of  sub-aerial  origin,  is  the 
probable  equivalent  of  the  Middle  Huronian  of  the 
south  shore  of  Lake  Superior.  Later,  probably  in 
Keweenawan  time,  great  intrusions  of  the  Nipissing 
diabase  took  place,  forming  sills  in  the  Huronian  and 
dykes  in  the  underlying  rocks.  These  intrusions  were 
the  source  of  the  silver  ores  of  Cobalt  and  Gowganda, 
and  the  copper-nickel  ores  of  the  Sudbury  district. 
Gentle  folding  movements  followed  the  intrusion  of 
the  Nipissing  diabase,  throwing  the  beds  into  open  folds 
with  dips  rarely  exceeding  25°.  The  shearing  and 
metamorphism  characteristic  of  the  olderrocks  is  rarely 
found  in  the  Cobalt  series  and  the  later  diabase,  which 
are  commonly  as  fresh  as  if  formed  during  the  Tertiary. 

The  township  of  Powell  is  roughly  divisible  into  two 
parts,  the  southern  underlain  by  the  Cobalt  series,  and 
the  northern  by  the  older  volcanics.  The  gold  de- 
posits lie  near  the  contact  of  the  two  series,  between 
the  east  and  west  branches  of  the  Montreal  river. 
Their  situation  with  respect  to  this  contact  is  purely 
fortuitous  and  without  significance  as  regards  their 
origin.  The  contact  is  in  a  shallow  valley  occupied  in 
part  by  a  small  stream  called  Davidson  creek.  The 
valley  was  the  temporary  channel,  after  the  recession 
of  the  glaciers,  of  a  much  larger,  rapid  stream,  the  west 
branch  of  the  Montreal  river,  which  has  left  its  traces 
in  the  form  of  large  pot  holes  at  two  or  three  places. 

The  old  volcanics  are  cut  by  a  series  of  intrusions  of 
granite  porphyry  of  varying  size,  and  these  are  ar- 
ranged along  a  fairly  definite  line  striking  N.  77°  E. 
This  direction  is  approximately  parallel  to  the  axes  of 


184 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


the  folding  of  the  older  rocks,  and  probably  represents 
some  zone  of  weakness  developed  during  folding.  It 
seems  also  probable  that  the  exposed  portions  of  the 
porphyry  may  be  only  projecting  knobs  of  a  much 
larger  body  beneath.  The  porphyries  and  older  rocks 
are  cut  by  many  large  dykes  of  the  basalt  of  the  pre- 
XDobalt  age,  some  of  which  are  indicated.  The  David- 
son discoveries  were  made  on  the  westernmost  body  of 
porphyry,  the  Otisse  discoveries  in  the  schist  adjacent 
to  the  largest  body  of  intrusive. 

On  the  Davidson  claims,  Nos.  5371,  5372,  5374,  5375, 
and  5383,  the  ancient  volcanics  are  greatly  contorted 
and  schistified,  but  have  not  been  mineralized.  Be- 
tween the  porphyry  mass  on  claim  5372  and  that  on 
claim  5379  the  schists  are  cut  by  many  small  dykes  of 
porphyry,  too  small  to  show  on  the  map,  which  indi- 


are  said  to  have  yielded  values  varying  from  §5  to  $25 
per  ton.  The  gold  appears  to  be  chiefly  present  as  the 
native  metal,  although  it  is  difficult  to  tell  whether  this 
was  its  original  form,  as  development  has  not  gone  be- 
low the  oxidized  zone.  However,  the  lack  of  limonite 
around  many  of  the  grains  of  gold  would  indicate  th*t 
it  is  not  residual  from  the  oxidation  of  pyrite.  Whether 
the  pyrite  also  is  auriferous  has  not  as  yet  been  estab- 
lished. The  gold  is  found  principally  in  the  narrow 
veins  of  quartz  that  intersect  the  porphyry,  but  grains 
of  gold  have  occasionally  been  found  within  the  por- 
phyry itself,  although  never  more  than  a  few  inches 
from  a  veinlet.  It  is  evident  therefore  that  the  gold 
was  introduced  by  the  solutions  which  also  deposited 
the  quartz 

On  the  Colorado-Ontario,  or  Otisse,  claims  the  por- 


ic^  •   >■•<••■ 


Tin:  Matachewan  Gold  Area. 


cate  the  unity  of  the  two  larger  masses.  On  the  Col- 
orado-Ontario or  Otisse,  claims,  Nos.  5379,  5380,  and 
5402,  the  volcanics,  though  closely  folded,  are  not 
greatly  contorted  and  but  locally  schistified.  In  the 
neighbourhood  of  the  mass  of  intrusive  porphyry  they 
are  cut  by  dykes  of  porphyry  and  pegmatite  and  en- 
riched by  solutions  depositing  auriferous  pyrite.  The 
porphyry  mass  on  these  claims  is  the  largest  yet  dis- 
covered in  the  district,  being  somewhat  over  one-half 
mile  in  length  and  500  to  600  ft.  in  width,  On  its  north 
side,  trenching  has  exposed  on  claim  5380  an  ancient 
schistose  conglomerate.  Claim  No.  5402  is  as  yet  un- 
developed, and  as  it  is  heavily  drift-covered. 

On  the  Davidson  claims  the  ore-body  is  a  portion  of 
the  porphyry  itself.  The  porphyry  is  cut  by  a  multi- 
tude of  veinlets  of  auriferous  quartz  mostly  less  than 
one  quarter  inch  in  thickness,  and  spaced  at  intervals 
of  approximately  a  foot.  The  porphyry  has  thus  the 
character  of  a  stockwork,  although  the  veins  in  the 
main  are  not  reticulating,  but  possess  a  sub-parallel 
arrangement  evidently  the  result  of  jointing  according 
to  a  definite  system.  Such  jointing  and  enrichment 
has  taken  place  mainly  in  the  coarser-grained,  more 
slowly  crystallized  phases,  located,  in  general,  toward 
the  centre  of  the  intrusive.  Where  the  grain  is  finer, 
jointing  and  enrichment  have  not  occurred.  Channel 
samples  taken  along  the  bottoms  of  trenches  in  the  en- 
riched areas  by  the  engineers  examining  the  property 


phyry  has  not  been  enriched  as  on  the  Davidson  claims, 
so  far  as  known  at  present,  but  a  heavy  cover  of  soil 
and  swamp  on  it  has  hindered  prospecting.  Those 
portions  which  have  been  uncovered  are  jointed  and 
veined  only  to  a  slight  extent.  The  ore-bodies  of  this 
property  are  found  in  the  schists  surrounding  the  in- 
trusive. Little  is  known  as  yet  about  the  nature  of  the 
ore-bodies  beyond  what  can  be  seen  on  the  surface. 

The  schist  ore-bodies  are  lenticular.  While  this  has 
been  proved  in  only  two  cases  by  the  removal  of  the 
drift  from  the  whole  outcrop  of  the  ore-body,  the 
fact  that  ore-bodies  crossed  by  a  trench  can  rarely 
be  picked  up  in  a  parallel  trench  50  or  100  ft.  distant, 
indicates  a  similar  shape  for  these  also.  Drilling 
is  at  present  being  conducted  with  the  object  of  test- 
ing the  hypothesis  that  the  lenticular  outcrops  are 
but  the  surface  expression  of  ore-shoots  which  may 
have  a  considerable  downward  extension.  The  size  of 
the  ore-bodies  varies  greatly  ;  small  bodies  a  few  inches 
or  feet  in  width  are  numerous,  while  the  largest  so  far 
found  is  about  75  ft.  in  width.  The  large  bodies  lie 
with  their  long  axes  approximately  parallel  to  the  bed- 
ding planes  of  the  tuffs,  and  may  eventually  prove  to 
have  some  relation  to  the  secondary  folding.  The 
position  of  the  smallest  bodies,  those  in  general  less 
than  a  foot  in  width,  does  not  seem  to  have  been  con- 
trolled by  the  bedding,  but  by  joint  cracks,  so  that  they 
lie  in  various  positions. 


SEPTEMBER,    1919 


185 


Close  examination  of  the  ore- bodies  appears  to  justify 
the  following  conclusions  :  (1)  The  ore-bodies  have 
been  formed  by  solutions  emanating  from  the  dyke  or 
vein  at  their  centres.  These  solutions  have  altered  and 
mineralized  the  country  rocks.  (2)  The  tuffs  may  have 
been  more  easily  altered  and  mineralized  than  the 
altered  basalts.  (3)  The  extent  of  the  mineralization 
and  alteration  are  related  to  the  size  and  the  composi- 
tion of  the  central  dyke  or  vein.  The  strongest  altera- 
tive and  pyritizing  effects  have  been  exercised  by  the 
pegmatites,  while  the  effects  of  the  end  members  of 
the  series,  the  porphyry  dykes  and  the  quartz  veins, 
have  been  slight.  The  pegmatites  containing  25 — 50% 
of  felspar  appear  to  have  produced  the  most  powerful 
mineralization  and  alteration.  Other  things  being 
equal,  the  extent  of  alteration  and  mineralization  is 
roughly  proportional  to  the  size  of  the  dyke  or  vein. 
(4)  The  gold  content  of  the  dyke  and  vein-forming  so- 
lutions was  also  dependent  on  their  composition.  The 
pyrite  deposited  by  the  dykes  of  red  porphyry  contains 
relatively  little  gold.  Grey  porphyry  dykes  carried 
more  gold,  sufficient  to  give  a  good  tenor  within  the 
dykes  themselves,  but  not,  apparently,  to  mineralize 
the  surrounding  rocks  to  any  great  extent.  Pegmatites 
appear  to  have  carried  the  maximum  of  gold,  which 
they  deposited  as  auriferous  pyrite  both  in  the  veins 
and  in  the  altered  wall-rocks  ;  while  the  solutions  form- 
ing the  pure  quartz  veins  carried  little  gold. 

The  only  primary  ore  mineral  present  appears  to  be 
auriferous  pyrite  ;  however,  a  detailed  study  of  the 
ores  by  the  aid  of  the  reflecting  microscope  has  not  as 
yet  been  made.  If  ore  minerals  other  than  pyrite  are 
present,  they  are  in  minor  amount.  The  gold  occurs 
only  in  the  pyrite,  in  what  form  is  not  known.  Native 
gold  is  not  found,  except  in  oxidized  surface  portions. 
In  general  a  high  pyrite  content  indicates  a  correspond- 
ingly high  gold  value,  although  in  one  or  two  places 
this  has  not  proved  true.  In  the  pegmatites  the  pyrite 
is  coarse-grained  in  crystals  and  aggregates  several 
mm.  in  diameter  ;  but  in  the  adjacent  schists  the  pyrite 
is  always  fine-grained,  0'3-0'f  mm.  in  diameter  of 
crystal.  Only  in  one  case  was  this  not  found  to  hold 
good.  In  this  instance  the  pyrite  is  very  coarse- 
grained. 

Mr.  Cooke's  summary  and  conclusions  are  as  fol- 
lows :  (1)  The  internal  structure  of  the  ore-bodies,  con- 
sisting of  a  pegmatite  vein  at  the  centre,  a  middle  zone 
of  mineralized  and  altered  rock,  on  each  side,  and  an 
outer  zone  of  altered  rock  without  mineralization, 
which  grades  into  unaltered  country  rock  with  irregu- 


lar and  embayed  contacts,  is  clear  evidence  that  the 
deposits  in  schist  have  been  formed  by  the  alteration 
and  mineralization  of  the  country  rock  by  solutions 
coming  up  along  the  central  vein.  The  partial  calcitiza- 
tion  of  the  felspar  of  the  pegmatite  indicates  a  change 
in  the  character  of  the  solutions  during  the  formation 
of  the  ore-bodies. 

(2)  The  serial  composition  of  the  various  veins  of 
pegmatite,  varying  from  veins  of  pure  quartz  up  through 
pegmatites  of  increasing  felspar  content,  to  dykes  of 
pure  porphyry,  indicates  an  igneous  origin  for  all. 

(3)  The  satellitic  arrangement  of  the  veins,  in  that 
with  few  exceptions  they  are  grouped  within  an  area 
bounded  by  a  line  drawn  about  1,000  ft.  from  the  edge 
of  the  porphyry  mass,  with  the  major  number  within 
500  ft.,  points  conclusively  to  their  genetic  connection 
with  the  porphyry  intrusive. 

(4)  Veins  or  dykes  approaching  the  porphyry  in  com- 
position, deposited  little  or  no  gold,  but  did  in  places 
deposit  pyrite.  They  had  no  strong  alterative  action 
on  the  wall-rocks.  Pegmatites  deposited  auriferous 
pyrite,  and  had  a  powerful  alterative  action  on  the  wall- 
rocks.  Quartz  veins  had  little  action  on  the  wall-rocks, 
and  deposited  little  or  no  pyrite.  Other  things  being 
equal  a  rough  proportion  exists  between  the  size  of  the 
vein  and  the  size  of  the  altered  zone  around  it. 

(5)  It  is  concluded,  therefore,  that  the  schist  ores  of 
the  Matachewan  district  were  deposited  by  juvenile 
solutions  originating  as  the  last  products  of  the  differ- 
entiation of  masses  of  intrusive  granite  porphyry.  The 
solutions  were  at  first  rich  in  silica,  soda,  and  alumina, 
which  crystallized  out  first  to  form  the  material  of 
pegmatite  veins.  The  separation  of  these  constituents 
left  the  solutions  relatively  enriched  in  lime,  carbon 
dioxide,  iron,  sulphur,  potash,  and  gold,  and  their  re- 
actions with  the  wall-rocks  caused  the  formation  of  re- 
placement deposits  whose  principal  minerals  are  cal- 
cite  and  auriferous  pyrite. 

(6)  There  is  little  direct  evidence  to  connect  the  gold 
of  the  Davidson  property  with  the  porphyry,  except 
the  fact  that  the  veins  are  confined  within  the  intrusive 
mass.  However,  the  proof  that  the  neighbouring 
stock,  which  is  petrographically  identical  with  the 
Davidson  porphyry,  carried  gold,  renders  the  conclu- 
sion inevitable  that  the  gold  of  the  Davidson  property 
was  also  a  magmatic  constituent.  The  differentiation 
has  here  continued  uninterrupted  to  the  stage  in  which 
the  mineral  constituents  of  the  magmatic  solutions  are 
silica  and  gold,  and  these  are  deposited  as  quartz  with 
native  gold. 


THE   BROKEN   HILL   EXTENSION. 


In  our  issue  of  June  last,  we  quoted  F.  Dan  vers 
Power's  account  of  the  theory  of  the  brothers  Marshall 
with  regard  to  the  continuance  of  the  Broken  Hill 
lodes  and  the  work  done,  or  to  be  done,  in  the  outlying 
parts  of  the  district.  The  Industrial  Australian  & 
Mining  Standard  for  May  29  reprints  an  article  which 
appeared  in  the  Adelaide  Register,  giving  further  in- 
formation.    This  we  reproduce  herewith. 

Twenty-five  years  ago,  the  Broken  Hill  mining  field 
became  depressed  when  the  carbonate  ore  gave  way  to 
sulphides.  But  the  sulphide  problem  was  solved. 
More  recently  the  mines  were  faced  with  a  zinc  prob- 
lem. That  difficulty  also  was  solved.  To-day  some 
of  the  mines  are  threatened  with  a  shortage  of  ore. 
These  are  promised  a  new  life  if  the  new  Marshall  geo- 
logical theory  is  proved  correct.  It  is  only  a  few  years 
back  that  pessimists  predicted  but  a  brief  life  for  the 
Broken  Hill  line  of  lode,  and  diminishing  ore-bodies 
were  spoken  of  gloomily,  yet  the  South,  North,  British, 


Central,  and  South  Blocks  have  opened  up  huge  bodies 
of  sulphides  at  depth,  and  are  still  developing  with  ex- 
cellent results.  The  field,  as  a  result  of  these  develop- 
ments, has  visibly  a  longer  life  directly  before  it  than 
at  any  stage  of  its  existence;  and  if  the  Marshall  theory 
be  correct  this  life  will  be  accentuated  many  times 
over.  Geologists  have  always,  in  dealing  with  the 
Broken  Hill  line  of  lode,  held  to  the  saddleback  theory, 
with  the  seat  of  the  saddle  at  Block  14  mine.  The 
ore-body,  they  have  argued,  has  pitched  therefore  N 
and  S,  deepening  the  farther  it  gets  awav  from  the  seat. 
The  Marshall  theory  is  that  the  main  lode  comprises 
a  series  of  ore-bodies  at  one  time  more  or  less  horizon- 
tal, which  have  been  lifted  to  the  surface,  possibly  by 
volcanic  or  igneous  action,  forming  synclinal  troughs, 
doming  at  various  points  with  intermediate  basins. 
Allowing  that  one  dome  is  at  Block  14,  the  theorists 
claim  that  another  is  at  Round  Hill,  a  third  at  1'iesse's 
Nob  to  the  N,  and  a  fourth  near  the  old  Rising  Sun 


186 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


to  the  S.  In  the  basins  the  ore-bodies,  it  is  asserted, 
even  though  possibly  broken  to  dip  E  and  W,  form 
parallel  lenses.  The  brothers  Alexander  and  Allen 
Marshall,  who,  with  Ernest  V.  Jones,  have  given  the 
ore  occurrences  of  Broken  Hill  many  years  of  study, 
have  great  faith  in  the  synclinal  theory,  and  have  ap- 
parently found  many  city  investors  and  speculators  to 
share  their  faith 

Long  stretches  of  ground  N  and  S  of  the  group  of 
mines  comprising  what  is  known  as  the  main  line  of 
lode  have  been  taken  up  on  lease,  and  to-day  there  is 
a  direct  run  of  mineral  propositions  extending  from  the 
Pinnacles  on  the  south  to  the  Piesse'sNobon  the  north. 
The  series  has  a  length  of  14  miles,  from  which  about 
three  miles  may  be  subtracted  for  the  main  line  of 
lode.  A  considerable  area  of  this  11  miles  of  country 
has  already  been  formed  into  working  and  developing 
companies,  while  the  other  companies  are  in  process  of 
formation.  Close  on  £300,000  capital  is  already  or  is 
about  to  be  involved  in  these  mineral  propositions. 
It  has  taken  the  Marshalls  and  those  associated  with 
them  close  on  two  years  to  put  their  scheme  on  its  pres- 
ent basis,  but  they  are  now  in  a  position  to  make  known 
what  has  been  done.  So  far,  of  course,  work  has  been 
con6ned  to  development,  extending  on  some  blocks 
what  was  done  in  the  past,  and  on  others  opening  up 
and  testing  virgin  ground.  Considerable  carbonate  and 
sulphide  ore  has  been  won  in  development  on  Mar- 
shall's Caledonian  Mine,  once  known  as  the  White 
Leads.  Some  of  this  ore  has  been  sold.  An  initial 
plant  to  treat  the  carbonates  and  prepare  them  to  the 
requisite  selling  grade  is  now  in  process  of  erection. 
Underground  it  has  been  blocked  out  to  the  300  level, 
but  the  Marshalls  do  not  expect  their  theory  to  be 
fully  tested  until  the  600  level  is  reached.  Marshall's 
Monarch,  at  the  Pinnacles,  is  also  producing  in  de- 
velopment. Diamond-drilling  will  be  adopted  here 
and  on  the  Village  Blocks  adjoining.  Active  work  is 
in  progress  on  the  Round  Hill,  which  property  com- 
prises ten  blocks  of  the  freehold  held  by  the  old  com- 
pany and  five  of  Marshall's  leases.  Here  the  main 
work  is  being  done  in  the  old  Chloride  shaft,  where  the 
lode  has  been  struck  in  two  places  between  the  100  and 
200  levels  going  west.  Those  interested  in  the  Round 
Hill  proposition  include  some  experienced  mining  and 
business  men,  such  as  William  Jamieson,  Colin  Tem- 
pleton,  L.  Mackinnon,  Alfred  D.  Hart,  and  others. 

The  companies  formed  and  forming  in  connection 
with  the  Marshall's  scheme  are  Marshall's  Caledo- 
nian, capital  £25,000,  Sydney;  Broken  Hill  Extended 
£5,000,  Sydney;  Rising  Sun~£25,000,  Sydney;  Young 
Australia  £25,000,  Sydney;  Block  10  (Marshall's) 
£50,000,  Melbourne;  group  adjoining  (unnamed) 
£25,000,  Sydney;  Imperial,  Cosgrove  and  Crescent 
group  (under  negotiation  with  Broken  Hill  Proprietary 
Co.);  Round  Hill  Silver  Mining  Co.  £13,000,  Mel- 
bourne; Broken  Hill  Consolidated  £25,000,  Sydney; 
Barnes  Freehold  £12,000,  Sydney;  Broken  Hill  Op- 
tions £20,000,  Sydney;  Broken  Hill  Extended  £5.000, 
Sydney;  Broken  Hill  Block  196,  £5,000,  Sydney; 
Broken  Hill  (Alma)  Extension  £5,000,  Sydney;  East- 
ern Pinnacles  £5,000,  Sydney  ;  Village  Blocks  £20,000, 
Sydney ;  Marshall's  Monarch  £5,000  Sydney.  Broken 
Hill  Options  is  in  one  respect  the  father  of  the  Mar- 
shall proposition.  It  is  an  exploratory-development 
concern.  It  is  not  a  producing  company,  though  its 
object  is  to  promote  mines  that  will  produce.  It  has, 
for  instance,  taken  up  most  of  the  Marshall  blocks, 
and  has  been  instrumental  in  forming  them  into  work- 
ing companies.  The  Caledonian  and  Round  Hill  are 
particular  instances.  Much  money  has  been  spent  on 
the  Caledonian  as  the  White  Leads,  but  the  leases  were 


lying  dormant.  So  with  many  other  blocks,  but  more 
particularly  with  Round  Hill  property.  Much  of  the 
success  or  failure  of  the  Marshall  theory  depends  on 
Round  Hill.  The  theorists  claim  that  the  ore  is  in  the 
hill,  but  has  not  been  searched  for  properly.  They 
assert  that  following  out  their  theory,  they  can  find  it. 
Upon  the  success  of  this  assertion  depends  more  or  less 
the  fate  of  leases  farther  north.  The  past  has  proved 
the  existence  of  ore  in  the  Consolidated  and  Globe, 
but  never  in  sufficiently  payable  quantities.  A  good  test 
of  the  Consolidated  was  made  by  voung  Mr.  Delprat, 
but  the  controlling  company  had  not  the  money  to  sink 
deep.  G.  D.  Delprat  always  professed  faith  in  the  pro- 
perty, but  expressed  the  opinion  that  the  payable  ore- 
body  would  not  be  met  with  above  1,200  ft.  The  Mar- 
shalls think  they  can  pick  it  up  much  higher.  The 
Globe,  a  freehold  property,  has  been  tried  once  since 
the  carbonate  days,  but  the  expenditure  on  it  was  not 
then  justified.  Since  the  company  ended  work,  tribu- 
ters  have  been  doing  fairly  well  on  veins  of  high  grade 
ore.  The  Marshalls  had  an  option  over  the  Globe, 
which  is  directly  in  their  run  of  property,  but  for  finan- 
cial reasons  have  relinquished  the  option  to  another 
Sydney  party. 

Broken  Hill  Options  has  at  present  fourteen  blocks 
along  the  northern  extension,  which  have  been  given 
under  working  option  to  four  companies,  each  of  which 
has  undertaken  to  form  one  or  more  working  com- 
panies of  not  less  than  £10,000  working  capital  each. 
In  each  of  the  companies  to  be  formed  Broken  Hill 
Options  will  receive  half  whatever  interest  the  pro- 
moting company  obtains.  These  companies  are  the 
Broken  Hill  Extended  Silver  and  Lead  Mines,  Broken 
Hill  Block  196,  Broken  Hill  (Alma)  Extension,  and 
Eastern  Pinnacles.  These  companies  had  blocks,  at 
the  south  end  of  the  field,  of  White  Leads  (Caledonian), 
but  transferred  their  interest  to  the  north  end,  north 
of  the  Globe.  Here  also  are  Sutton's  Blocks,  while 
nearer  Round  Hill  are  Barnes's,  in  all  of  which  Broken 
Hill  Options  is  concerned.  In  the  vicinity  also  are  the 
Cosgrove,  Imperial,  and  Silver  Crescent  properties. 
The  Broken  Hill  Proprietary  Co.  had  the  water  rights 
over  these  leases,  and  the  question  of  mining  rights 
has  been  before  the  mining  warden  for  decision.  An 
amicable  arrangement,  however,  hasnowbeen  reached, 
and  an  amalgamation  of  interests  will,  it  is  expected, 
materially  assist  the  flotation.  There  has  been  another 
amalgamation  at  the  south  end  of  the  field,  bet.veen 
Broken  Hill  South  Extended  and  the  Block  10  Com- 
pany. Here  several  blocks  held  by  Block  10  near  the 
Rising  Sun  have  been  pooled  with  others  taken  up  by 
the  Marshalls,  and  a  company  has  been  formed  in  Mel- 
bourne. Delay  in  commencing  work  has  been  caused 
by  the  Federal  Treasurer  objecting  to  the  capital  as  too 
large.  This,  however,  has  been  reduced,  and  the  com- 
pany is  about  to  be  registered.  The  blocks  will  be 
worked  under  Block  10  management.  An  amalgama- 
tion between  Marshall's  Monarch  and  the  Village 
Blocks,  at  the  Pinnacles,  has  also  been  suggested. 

The  Marshall  scheme,  taken  in  its  entirety,  is  a 
gigantic  one.  All  the  blocks  in  it  will  be  worked  more 
or  less  on  the  one  big  plan  to  test  the  new  geological 
theory.  This  naturally  will  not  be  done  in  a  day,  but 
will  take  much  development  to  achieve.  Meantime, 
employment  is  being  given  to  a  large  number  of  men. 
The  scheme  has  got  beyond  its  initial  stages,-  even 
though  still  in  its  preliminary  stage. 

[Further  reference  to  the  Marshall  theory  is  made 
in  this  issue,  in  the  News  Letters  and  in  the  editorial 
columns  respectively.  In  the  latter  case  the  remarks 
are  accompanied  by  an  outline  map  of  the  district. — 
Editor.] 


SEPTEMBER,    1919 


187 


Ventilation  Problems  at  City  Deep. — At  the  meet- 
ing of  the  Midland  Institute  of  Mining,  Civil,  and 
Mechanical  Engineers,  held  at  Sheffield  on  July  24,  a 
communication  was  read  from  E.  H.  Clifford,  con- 
sulting engineer  to  the  Rand  Mines,  Limited,  giving 
particulars  of  the  problem  at  City  Deep.  We  quote 
Mr.  Clifford's  notes  herewith. 

The  structure  of  the  City  Deep  mine  is  simple.    The 
area  is  roughly  rectangular,  about  12,000  ft.  long  on 
the  strike  and  8,000  ft.  on  the  dip.     The  reef  along  the 
northern  boundary,   which  is  the  shallowest,   lies  at 
a  depth  of  slightly  more  than  2,000  ft.,   and  at  the 
southern  boundary  the  depth  reaches  about  7,000  ft., 
the  dip  averaging  between  35°  and  40°.     The  width  of 
the  workings  in  the  stopes  is  about  5  ft.     The  mine  is 
operated   by  two  rectangular  timbered  shafts  about 
4.000  ft.  deep,  and  4,000ft.  apart.     There  is  also  near 
the  northern  boundary  a  ventilating  shaft,  20  ft.  di- 
ameter, and  equipped  with  a  Sirocco  double-inlet  fan 
of  400,000  cu.  ft.  per  minute  capacity.     The  two  rec- 
tangular shafts   are   downcast.     In  addition,  a  new 
shaft  is  now  being  sunk  near  the  southern  boundary, 
designed  to  reach  a  depth  of  7,000  ft.     It  is  20ft.  in 
diameter,  and  will   be  used  as  a  main  winding  and 
downcast  shaft.     At  the  present  time  the   workings, 
which  are  confined  to  the  uppermost  portion  of  the 
mine,  extend  over  an  area  of  approximately  10,000  ft. 
along  the  strike  by  3,500  ft.  on  the  dip,  and  the  great- 
est vertical  depth  at  present  is  4,500  ft.     On  the  Wit- 
watersrand  the  temperature  of  the  rocks  increases  at 
the  rate  of  4°  for  every  1,000  ft.  in  depth,  and  the  rock 
temperature  at  4,500  ft.  is  84°.     This  would  not  be  at 
all  serious  were  it  not  for  the  fact  that  the  air,  shortly 
after  leaving  the  main  intakes,  very  soon  became  satur- 
ated in  consequence  of  regulations  stipulating  that  all 
rock  surfaces  must  be  kept  wet  in  order  to  prevent  the 
dissemination  of  dust.     A  saturated  air  at  a  tempera- 
ture of  84°F.  is  scarcely  supportable  unless  the  air  is 
in  active  motion,  and  this  latter  condition  cannot  be 
maintained  at  every  point,  particularly  in  development 
ends.     In  this  connection  it  may  be  mentioned  that  the 
katathermometer,  designed  by  Dr.  Leonard  Hill,  has 
been  found  most  useful  in  translating  the  physiological 
temperature  state  of  an  atmosphere  into  a  single  nu- 
merical result,  as  this  instrument  not  only  takes  into 
consideration  the  temperature  and  humidity,  but  also 
the  cooling  effect  due  to  motion  of  the  air. 

The  limit  has  been  reached  on  the  City  Deep,  and 
there  is  yet  an  additional  2,500  ft.  to  go.  The  engi- 
neers are  faced  with  the  necessity  of  reducing  the  air 
temperature  from  between  95  and  100°F.,  which  it 
would  beat  7,000ft.,  to  about  75°F.  The  principle 
that  is  being  relied  upon  is  the  heat-absorbing  capac- 
ity of  the  ventilating  current  of  air  due  to  evaporation 
and  to  its  specific  heat.  Local  cooling  near  the  bot- 
tom of  downcast  shafts  is,  of  course,  taking  place 
everywhere,  but  it  generally  remains  local  cooling  only, 
and  in  any  case  can  have  little  or  no  effect  on  the  tem- 
perature of  distant  parts  of  the  mine,  unless  the  total 
heat  absorbed  by  the  air  current  as  a  whole  is  greater 
than  the  heat  supplied  from  all  sources.  In  the  City 
Deep  this  latter  condition  obtains  at  the  present  mo- 
ment,- and  there  is  not  the  slightest  difficulty  with  tem- 
peratures down  to  a  depth  of  4,500  ft.  ;  but  whether 
the  principle  will  be  equally  successful  at  7,000  ft.  re- 
mains to  be  seen.  However,  practical  observations 
and  careful  inquiry  into  the  physics  of  the  problem 
render  it  quite  probable  that  they  would  be  successful. 
The  air  becomes  warm  after  it  has  travelled  some  dis- 
tance from  the  main  intake,  but,  except  in  the  case  of 
long  dead-ends,  no  difficulty  has  been  found  in  keep- 
ing all  the  working  places  at  a  satisfactory  tempera- 


ture. Dead  ends  will  have  to  be  cooled  by  a  special 
ventilating  pipe  supplying  dry  air  to  the  face,  but  the 
necessity  for  this  has  not  yet  become  urgent,  as  the 
air  at  the  face,  where  nearly  all  the  work  is  done,  is 
effectively  cooled  by  the  exhaust  from  the  rock-drills. 
The  heat  of  the  air  in  the  mine  comes  from  the  fol- 
lowing sources  :  (1)  The  compression  of  the  air  in  its 
way  down  the  shaft.  This  is  considerable  ;  in  fact, 
the  temperature  rise  on  this  account  is  actually  greater 
than  the  temperature  rise  of  the  rock  due   to  depth. 

(2)  The  flow  of  heat  from  the  rock  mass  to  the  air  of 
the  workings.  This  depends  upon  a  great  many  fac- 
tors, among  them  being  (a)  the  conductivity  of  the 
rocks  and  the  temperature  difference  between  the  rock 
and  the  air  current  ;  (b)  the  relation  between  the  vol- 
ume of  the  workings  and  the  rock  surface  ;  and  (c) 
the  daily  increment  of  surface  resulting  from  mining 

(3)  Further  sources  of  heat  are  water,  the  men  work- 
ing in  the  mine,  the  combustion  of  illuminants,  ex- 
plosives, and  electric  power.  A  frequent  source  of 
heat  supply,  namely,  chemical  change  of  minerals,  is 
not,  in  the  case  of  the  Witwatersrand,  of  any  import- 
ance. 

To  absorb  this  heat  the  engineers  are  relying  upon  : 
(1)  The  specific  heat  of  the  air,  and  (2)  the  heat  absorb- 
ed by  its  evaporative  power.  It  is  fortunate  that  in  the 
Transvaal  the  air  during  the  greater  part  of  the  year 
is  dry,  the  percentage  of  humidity  ranging  between 
74%  during  the  rainy  season  and  about  36°o  during 
winter,  and  it  is  this  fact  that  renders  the  method  prac- 
ticable, and  might  possibly  afford  a  complete  solution 
of  the  difficulty.  The  capacity  of  the  fan  is,  as  previ- 
ously stated,  400,000  cu.  ft.  per  minute,  and  the  aver- 
age heat-absorbing  power  of  this  quantity  of  air  is 
1,700,000  calories  per  second.  Of  this  amount  one- 
fifth  is  due  to  the  specific  heat  of  the  air  and  four -fifths 
due  to  evaporation.  On  account  of  the  dynamic  heat- 
ing, there  is  lost,  in  the  deepest  part  of  the  mine,  prac- 
tically the  whole  of  the  heat-absorbing  capacity  re- 
sulting from  the  specific  heat,  but  as  the  air  rises  to 
the  shallower  parts  of  the  mine,  some  of  this  is  return- 
ed. In  the  calculations  the  abstraction  of  1,360,000 
calories  per  second  is  all  that  is  relied  upon.  The 
items  under  the  heading  (3)  amount  to  about  .185,000 
calories  per  second,  leaving  a  balance  of  roughly 
1,200,000  calories  per  second  available  for  absorbing 
the  heat  from  the  rocks.  Assuming  that  the  mine  is 
bounded  by  an  infinite  mass  of  rock,  and  assuming 
that  the  estimate  of  conductivity,  which  is  based  on 
experiments,  of  00093  is  correct,  this  quantity  of  heat 
is  greater  than  the  heat-flow  from  the  rocks  to  an  air 
current  of  a  temperature  of  75°F.  Under  the  present 
conditions,  therefore,  the  mine  would  tend  to  become 
cooler  as  a  whole,  but  the  continuous  increase  in  the 
extent  of  the  mine  is  having  the  opposite  tendency. 

The  process  is  self-regulating  to  a  considerable  ex- 
tent, because  the  heating  of  the  air  increases  its  evap- 
orative power,  and  there  is  abundant  moisture  every- 
where for  the  exercise  of  this  power,  and  also  in  con- 
sequence of  the  dynamic  cooling  as  the  air  travels 
from  the  lower  to  the  upper  parts  of  the  mine.  It  is 
important  to  keep  the  downcast  shafts  as  dry  as  pos- 
sible, in  order  to  preserve  as  much  evaporative  capac- 
ity as  possible  for  use  in  the  distant  parts  of  the  mine. 
In  practice,  this  leads  to  a  little  difficulty  in  control- 
ling the  temperature,  as  the  air  is  apt  to  become  too 
cold  just  after  it  leaves  the  main  intake  if  there  is  an 
abundant  supply  of  moisture,  and,  on  the  other  hand, 
it  becomes  too  hot  where  the  current  is  sluggish. 
Control  is  generally  effected  without  much  difficultv 
in  either  case  by  regulating  the  quantity  of  the  air  and 
restricting  the  supply  of  moisture.     The  dynamic  cool- 


188 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


ing  admits  of  a  very  simple  type  of  ventilating  scheme 
All  that  is  necessary,  so  far  as  the  temperature  is  con- 
cerned, is  to  keep  the  downcast  shafts  dry  and  bring 
the  main  supply  of  fresh  air  to  the  deepest  part  of  the 
mine.  If  its  condition  is  made  satisfactory  at  this 
point,  it  is  not  likely  to  become  unsatisfactory  higher 
up  in  the  mine.  A  further  effect  of  the  dynamic  fall 
in  temperature  is  to  bring  about  a  condensation  of 
moisture,  making  the  air  extremely  foggy  in  the  upper 
parts  of  the  mine,  and  it  has  the  incidental  and  unlook- 
ed-for advantage  that  the  air  becomes  completely 
cleared  of  dust  particles. 

The  New  Elmore  Process. —  Following  the  main  pa- 
tent covering  the  new  process  invented  by  F.  E.  El- 
more for  treating  lead  zinc  sulphides  quoted  in  the  Au- 
gust issue  of  the  Magazine,  a  further  patent  for  methods 
of  procedure  has  since  been  published.  This  is  num- 
bered 11,126  of  1918  (129,775).  We  give  the  follow- 
ing extracts  :  In  such  processes  there  is  formed  in  the 
brine,  as  a  result  of  the  operation,  a  certain  quantity 
of  sodium  sulphate,  consequently,  if  the  brine  be  used 
repeatedly  an  accumulation  of  sulphate  and  a  loss  of 
chloride  occur,  and  eventually  a  notable  falling  off  in 
the  efficiency  of  the  liquid  is  observed.  Further,  the 
lead  salts  produced  contain  lead  sulphate  and  chloride 
in  proportions  which  vary  with  the  concentration  and 
other  conditions,  and  a  product  of  this  composition  in 
some  cases  offers  disadvantages  from  the  metallurgi- 
cal standpoint.  One  object  of  the  present  invention 
is  to  effect,  in  such  processes,  a  removal  of  sodium  sul- 
phate from  the  used  brine,  whereby  its  efficiency  is 
substantially  restored.  Another  object  is  to  convert 
the  lead  salts  wholly  into  the  sulphate,  whereby  the 
lead  is  obtained  in  a  form  more  suitable  for  further 
metallurgical  treatment.  The  invention  may  be  car- 
ried out  either  before  or  after  removal  of  the  lead  salts 
from  the  brine.  In  the  latter  case  the  invention  broad- 
ly consists  in  (1)  eliminating  sodium  sulphate  from  the 
used  brine,  after  removal  of  the  lead  salts,  by  further 
cooling  the  liquid  to  about  0oC..  thus  causing  the  ex- 
cess of  sodium  sulphate  to  crystallize  out ;  (2)  separa- 
ting the  crystals  from  the  brine  and  dissolving  them  in 
hot  water  ;  and  (3)  with  this  solution,  preferably  boil- 
ing, treating  the  lead  salts  in  suitable  proportion, 
whereby  the  lead  chloride  which  they  contain  is  con- 
verted into  sulphate,  which  is  then  separated  from  the 
solution.  The  brine,  after  removal  of  the  crystals  of 
sodium  sulphate,  is  ready  for  re-use  and  may,  if  desired, 
be  strengthened  by  the  addition  of  a  further  quantity 
of  sodium  chloride,  for  instance,  sodium  chloride  re- 
covered as  hereinafter  described.  In  the  treatment  of 
the  lead  salts  for  conversion  of  the  chloride  into  sul- 
phate, the  proportions  to  be  used  and  other  details  de- 
pend upon  the  composition  of  the  lead  salts  and  sodium 
sulphate  solution,  and  other  conditions.  If  the  lead 
salts  and  crystals  of  sodium  sulphate  after  removal 
from  the  brine  have  both  been  washed  substantially 
free  from  sodium  chloride,  it  is  sufficient,  in  order  to 
obtain  lead  sulphate  technically  free  from  chloride,  to 
use  approximately  the  quantity  of  sulphate  solution 
theoretically  equivalent  to  the  lead  chloride  present  in 
the  salts.  If,  however,  the  lead  salts  and  sodium  sul- 
phate contain  sodium  chloride,  a  lead  sulphate  techni- 
cally free  from  lead  chloride  may  nevertheless  be  ob- 
tained if  the  sodium  sulphate  solution  be  added  in  suit- 
able excess.  The  lead  salts  may  be  in  a  dried  or  drain- 
ed condition,  orin  the  state  of  a  soft  mush,  when  treated 
with  the  hot  sulphate  solution,  and  the  materials 
should  be  agitated  or  otherwise  brought  into  sufficient 
contact  to  promote  the  reaction. 

The  inventor  prefers  to  carry  out  the  treatment  of 
the  lead  salts  by  steps,  so  that  the  conversion  takes 


place  progressively  instead  of  in  one  operation,  the  lead 
salts  and  sulphate  solution  being  passed  through  the 
plant  in  opposite  directions.  For  example,  a  series  of 
vessels  may  be  employed  for  the  treatment,  the  fresh 
sulphate  solution  being  supplied  to  the  first  of  these 
and  the  fresh  lead  salts  to  the  last.  This  method  en- 
sures that  the  lead  salts,  after  being  progressively  con- 
verted to  a  substantial  extent  in  the  last  and  intermedi- 
ate vessels,  receive  their  final  treatment  with  a  solution 
containing  the  maximum  of  sulphate  and  minimum  of 
chloride,  the  sodium  sulphate  being  largely  in  excess 
of  the  lead  chloride  still  to  be  converted  ;  while  on  the 
other  hand,  the  sodium  sulphate,  having  been  largely 
converted  into  chloride  in  the  first  and  intermediate 
vessels,  is  finally  treated  with  lead  salts  containing  the 
maximum  of  chloride  and  minimum  of  sulphate.  It 
is  thus  possible  to  obtain,  as  final  products,  even  from 
lead  salts  and  sodium  sulphate  crystals  containing  so- 
dium chloride,  on  the  one  hand  lead  sulphate  techni- 
cally free  from  lead  chloride  and  on  the  other  a  solu- 
tion of  sodium  chloride  suitable  for  addition,  either  di- 
rectly or  after  concentration,  to  the  purified  brine.  If 
the  invention  be  carried  out  before  removal  of  the  lead 
salts  from  the  brine,  the  process  is  modified  by  cooling 
the  brine  and  salts  to  about  0VC.,  whereby  there  is  ob- 
tained, on  the  one  hand,  purified  brine  ready  for  re- 
use as  already  described,  and,  on  the  other,  a  mixture 
of  crystals  of  lead  salts  and  sodium  sulphate.  The 
mixture,  after  removal  from  the  liquid,  is  treated  with 
hot,  preferably  boiling,  water,  whereby  conversion  of 
lead  chloride  into  the  sulphate  and  sodium  sulphate 
into  the  chloride  is  effected.  It  will  be  understood 
that  according  to  the  composition  of  the  mixture  some 
adjustment  of  the  proportions,  for  example  by  adding 
lead  salts  or  sodium  sulphate  from  other  sources,  may 
be  required. 

In  some  cases  the  lead  salts  contain  an  appreciable 
proportion  of  silver,  derived  from  the  ore,  and  a  fur- 
ther object  of  the  invention  is  to  provide  a  method  of 
concentrating  and  recovering  this  silver  if  desired  in  a 
form  better  fitted  for  metallurgical  treatment.  In 
carrying  out  this  modification  of  the  invention  the  lead 
salts,  after  separation  from  the  brine,  are  boiled  with 
sufficient  water  to  dissolve  substantially  the  whole  of 
the  lead  chloride  ;  there  are  thus  obtained  a  solution 
of  lead  chloride  and  a  comparatively  small,  undissolv- 
ed residue  of  lead  sulphate  containing  practically  the 
whole  of  the  silver.  The  lead  chloride,  after  separa- 
tion from  the  argentiferous  lead  sulphate,  is  then  treat- 
ed with  hot  sodium  sulphate  solution  for  conversion 
into  lead  sulphate. 

Tin  in  Tailing  Water. — It  is  often  supposed  that  tin 
losses  may  be  due  to  tin  passing  away  in  the  water 
from  dressing  plant,  either  in  solution  or  in  the  state  of 
colloid  suspension.  Two  brief  notes  on  this  subject 
are  published  in  the  August  Bulletin  of  the  Institution 
of  Mining  and  Metallurgy,  written  by  Dr.  J.  C.  Philip 
and  H.  R.  Beringer  respectively.  We  quote  Mr 
Beringer  :  A  sample  of  half  a  gallon  of  Red  Riser 
water,  taken  at  a  point  about  one-third  to  half  a  mile 
below  the  last  effluent  from  the  East  Pool  and  Agar 
dressing  floors,  and  presenting  the  usual  appearance  to 
the  naked  eye,  took  about  four  hours  to  settle  to  clear 
water.  Two  litres  of  this  clear  water,  after  passing  a 
filter,  were  evaporated  to  dryness.  The  dry  residue 
was  then  assayed  for  tin  by  the  zinc  vapour  (Beringer) 
method,  using  an  iodine  solution  capable  of  deleting 
the  presence  of  one  part  of  tin  in  8.000,000  pans  of 
water.  The  addition  to  the  residue  of  one  drop  of  this 
iodine  solution  gave  a  decided  blue  with  the  starch  in- 
dicator, thus  proving  the  absence  of  tin  from  solution 
in  the  Red  River  water.    An  accident  having  prevented 


SEPTEMBER,    1919 


189 


the  determination  of  the  tin  in  the  settled  sediment  from 
the  above  sample,  the  author  gives  the  previous  de- 
termination upon  similar  material  from  a  sample  taken 
lower  down  the  stream.  This  sediment  amounted  to 
2'827%  of  the  weight  of  the  water  and  it  assayed  15  36 
lb.  of  tin  per  ton.  At  this  rate  one  short  ton  of  water 
passing  down  the  river  would  carry  0'434  lb.  of  tin  in 
mechanical  suspension.  The  result  may  be  summar- 
ized as  follows  :  2,000,000  parts  of  water  contained 
in  suspension  434  parts  of  tin  (cassiterite)  and  in  solu- 
tion less  than  0'25  part  of  tin. 

Properties  of  Tin. — A  paper  is  contributed  to  the 
August  Bulletin  of  the  American  Institute  of  Mining 
and  Metallurgical  Engineers  by  E.  F.  Northrup  that 
gives  some  information  relating  to  the  properties  of  tin. 
The  author  writes  from  the  point  of  view  of  the  expert 
in  pyrometry  and  the  object  of  the  communication  is 
to  draw  attention  to  the  value  of  pure  tin  as  a  pyro- 
metric  substance. 

Tin  in  quantities  sufficient  for  pyrometric  purposes 
may  be  obtained  at  relatively  low  cost  and  in  a  state  of 
high  purity.  The  metal  melts  at  232°C.  and,  accord- 
ing to  determinations  made  by  Greenwood  in  1909, 
does  not  begin  to  boil  until  a  temperature  of  2,270°C 
is  reached.  The  writer  can  assert,  from  personal  ob- 
servations carefully  made,  that  tin  shows  no  tendency 
to  boil  at  a  temperature  of  1.680C  If  Greenwood's 
observations  are  correct  the  temperature  interval, 
2,038°C.,  in  which  tin  exists  as  a  liquid  under  atmos- 
pheric pressure,  exceeds  that  of  any  other  substance. 
It  has  never  been  observed,  as  far  as  the  writer  is  aware, 
that  tin  forms  any  chemical  union,  as  carbide,  with  car- 
bon at  the  highest  temperatures  at  which  it  can  exist 
as  a  liquid.  It  is  quite  certain  from  the  writer's  person- 
al observation  that  tin  heated  in  Acheson  graphite  to 
1,6801JC.  remains  chemically  uncontaminated.  Wires 
of  pure  tungsten  do  not  dissolve  in  molten  tin  at  tem- 
peratures at  least  as  high  as  1,680°C.  Tungsten  wires 
or  rods  may,  therefore,  be  used  as  electrodes  dipping 
into  molten  tin  when  required  for  measuring  the  resis- 
tance of  the  molten  metal  at  very  high  temperatures. 
When  tin  is  raised  to  a  high  temperature  in  a  covered 
graphite  container,  the  CO  atmosphere  that  exists 
above  its  surface  has  a  reducing  action,  which  main- 
tains this  surface  of  mirror  brightness.  Incidentally, 
tin  maintained  molten  in  a  crucible  of  Acheson  graphite 
makes  a  most  excellent  bath  into  which  may  be  inserted 
several  pyrometers  that  are  to  be  intercompared  at  the 
same  temperature. 

But  the  two  properties  of  tin  that,  in  its  molten  state, 
make  it  particularly  valuable  as  a  pyrometricsubstance, 
are  the  strictly  linear  character  of  the  increase  of  a 
given  volume  in  resistivity  with  increase  in  temperature 
and  the  decrease  of  a  given  volume  in  density  with  in- 
crease in  temperature.  The  increase  in  the  resistivity 
of  tin  in  the  molten  state  has  been  studied  by  the  writer 
with  very  great  care  and  he  can  assert  positively  that 
up  to  a  temperature  at  least  as  high  as  1,680QC.,  and 
very  probably  beyond  this  temperature,  the  resistivity 
of  the  metal  increases  linearly  with  increase  in  the 
temperature.  The  same  can  be  asserted  in  regard  to 
the  decrease  in  the  density  with  increase  in  tempera- 
ture. When  the  coefficients  have  once  been  accurately 
determined  then,  assuming  that  suitable  methods  are 
available  for  accurately  measuring  either  the  resistivity 
of  the  tin  or  the  expansion  of  a  given  volume  of  the  tin, 
one  can  in  the  former  case  deduce  the  absolute  tem- 
perature and  in  the  latter  case  the  change  in  the  abso- 
lute temperature. 

There  is  no  more  reason  why  one  should  go  back  to 
the  volume  expansion  or  increase  in  pressure  of  a  given 
quantity  of  gas  as  a  final  standard  of  temperature  than 


that  one  should  go  back  to  a  pure  element  like  tin  as  a 
final  standard,  provided  the  properties  of  thislattersub- 
stance  are  related  to  temperature  in  a  manner  as  simple 
as  the  former,  It  is  now,  at  least  in  the  writer's  mind, 
quite  as  certain  that  the  resistivity  of  a  given  volume 
of  molten  tin  is  related  by  a  straight-line  law  to  the  ab- 
solute temperature  as  is  the  pressure  of  a  given  volume 
of  gas.  Gas  thermometry,  for  practical  reasons,  ends 
at  the  melting  temperature  of  palladium,  1,550CC., 
while  there  are  no  practical  limitations  to  prevent  the 
accurate  determination  of  an  absolute  temperature  by- 
measuring  the  resistivity  of  a  definite  volume  of  tin 
when  the  temperature  is  at  least  as  high  as  1,6S0°C. 
and  probably  as  high  as  the  melting  point  of  platinum. 


SHORT    NOTICES 

Winding  Engine. — The  Colliery  Guardian  for  Au- 
gust 22  quotes  an  article  that  appeared  in  Annales  des 
Mines  de  Belgique  describing  a  bi-conical  winding 
drum  employed  at  a  Belgian  coal  mine. 

Shot-firing. — The  Iron  and  Coal  Trades  Review 
for  August  1  contains  a  report  of  a  paper  by  Professor 
George  Knox,  read  before  the  South  Wales  Institute  of 
Engineers,  describing  the  Harries  safety  shot-firing 
appliance. 

Shot-firing. — The  Colliery  Guardian  for  August 
15  contains  a  translation  of  a  paper  by  Taffanel,  Daut- 
riche,  Durr,  and  Perrin,  which  appeared  in  Annate 
des  Mines  describing  experiments  in  connection  with 
shot-firing  undertaken  with  a  view  of  studying  the 
causes  of  misfires. 

Disposal  of  Waste. — The  Colliery  Guardian  for 
August  8  describes  an  automatic  tipping  bucket  for 
use  in  disposal  of  waste  rock  or  tailing,  made  by  the 
Blantyre  Engineering  Co.,  Glasgow. 

Turbine  Pumps  in  Mines. — The  Iron  and  Coal 
Trades  Review  for  August  15  prints  a  paper  read  by 
L.  Hughes  before  the  Association  of  Mining  Electri- 
cal Engineers  describing  a  pumping  installation  at  the 
Nantgarw  colliery,  South  Wales,  where  water  from 
the  upper  parts  is  made  to  drive  the  turbine  pump  em- 
ployed in  draining   the  mine. 

Winding  Engines. — The  Iron  and  Coal  Trades 
Review  for  August  8  describes  a  new  method  of  at- 
taching ropes  to  winding  drums,  invented  by  J.  S. 
Sparks. 

Conveyor  for  Mines. — The  Colliery  Guardian  for 
August  8  describes  the  McDonald  conveyor  for  carry- 
ing coal  or  ore  from  the  working  face. 

Copper  Leaching. — In  the  Mining  and  Scientific 
Press  for  August  2,  Percy  R.  Middleton  continues  his 
account  of  the  electrolytic  recovery  of  copper  from 
solutions  derived  from  the  leaching  of  roasted  concen- 
trate. The  article  is  based  on  work  done  in  Australia, 
notably  at  Mount  Morgan. 

The  Horwood  Process. — In  the  Mining  and  Scien- 
tific Press  for  August  2,  A.  H.  Heller  describes  the 
flotation  plant  at  the  Afterthought  copper-zinc  mine, 
Shasta  County,  California.  The  Horwood  process  is 
employed  to  give  the  mixed  concentrate  a  roast,  which 
oxidizes  the  chalcopyrite  and  pyrite,  but  does  not  affect 
the  blende,  and  the  material  is  then  treated  in  flota- 
tion cells. 

Tin  Analysis. — The  Journal  of  Industrial  and 
Engineering  Chemistry  fur  August  contains  a  paper 
by  Archibald  Craig  discussing  the  conditions  of  great- 
est accuracy  of  the  analysis  of  tin  alloys  based  on  the 
nitric  acid  separation. 

Electrolytic  Zinc. — The  August  Bulletin  of  the 
American  Institute  of  Mining  and  Metallurgical  Engi- 
neers contains  a  paper  by  C.  A.  Hansen  describing  ex- 


190 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


perimental  work  at  Bully  Hill,  California,  in  connec- 
tion with  the  roasting  of  zinc  ores  before  treatment  by 
the  electrolytic  process. 

Volatilization  of  Silver. — In  the  Engineering  and 
Mining  Journal  for  July  19,  F.  P.  Dewey  points  out 
the  difference  between  true  volatilization  losses  and 
dust  losses. 

Platinum. — In  the  Engineering  and  Mining  Jour- 
nal for  July  26,  James  J.  Hill  reviews  the  platinum 
position,  giving  its  uses,  particulars  relating  to  output, 
'and  future  prospects. 

Reverberatory  Practice.  —  In  the  Mining  and 
Scientific  Press  for  July  19,  Walter  G.  Perkins  writes 
on  the  advantage  of  the  reverberatory  over  the  blast- 
furnace in  copper  smelting,  and  refers  to  his  type  of 
reverberatory  built  on  the  regenerative  principle. 

Reverberatory  Practice.  —  In  the  Mining  and  Scien- 
tific Press  for  July  19,  O.  E.  Jager  describes  the 
method  of  strengthening  the  roofs  of  reverberatory 
furnaces  adopted  at  Anaconda. 

Belgian  Congo. —  In  the  Engineering  and  Mining 
Journal  for  August  9,  S.  II.  Ball  and  M.  K.  Shaler 
give  particularsof  mining  activities  in  the  Belgian  Con- 
go during  the  years  1915  to  1918. 

Sydvaranger,  Norway. — The  Iron  &  Coal  Trades 
Review  for  August  22  describes  the  Sydvaranger  iron 
mines  in  the  north  of  Norway  and  the  method  of  con- 
centrating and  briquetting  the  magnetite. 

Pilares. — The  August  Bulletin  of  the  American  In- 
stitute of  Mining  and  Metallurgical  Engineers  contains 
a  paper  on  the  Pilares  copper  mine  at  Nacozari,  Son- 
ora,  by  W.  R.  Wade  and  A.  Wandtke.  The  mine  be- 
longs to  the  Moctezuma  Co.,  one  of  the  Phelps-Dodge 
group.  The  article  gives  an  account  of  the  geologv  of 
the  district  and  the  methods  of  mining  the  ore  de- 
posits. 

Wisconsin  Zinc. — The  August  Bu  lletin  of  the  Ameri- 
can Institute  of  Mining  and  Metallurgical  Engineers 
contains  a  paper  by  W.  F.  Boericke  and  T.  H.  Garnett 
on  the  Wisconsin  zinc  district. 

Matachewan,  Ontario. — In  the  Canadian  Mining 
Journal  for  July  19,  K.  E.  Hore  writes  on  the  Mata- 
chewan gold  ores,  and  in  Economic  Geology  for  June 
H.  C.  Cooke  writes  on  the  origin  of  the  gold  deposits. 

Placer  Mines  of  Cariboo,  British  Columbia. — By 
J.  B.  Tyrrell,  Economic  Geology  for  June. 

Shasta  County,  California. — In  the  Mining  and 
Scientific  Press  for  July  1-,  Herbert  Lang  continues 
his  account  of  a  metallurgical  journey  through  Shasta 
County,  and  deals  with  the  treatment  of  sulphide  ores, 
some  of  them  complex,  in  the  Kennett  district. 

Petroleum. — In  the  Journal  of  Geology  for  June, 
A.  \Y.  McCoy  discusses  the  principles  of  oil  accumu- 
lation in  rocks. 

Petroleum. — In  the  July  Bulletin  of  the  American 
Institute  of  Mining  Engineers,  S.  St.  Clair  describes 
the  Irvine  oil  district,  Kentuckv. 

Norfolk  Oil  Shales. — The  Financial  Times  for 
August  29  and  30  contains  an  account  of  the  Norfolk 
oil-shale  venture,  based  on  an  interview  with  Dr. 
Forbes- Leslie. 

Potash. —  In  the  Mining  and  Scientific  Press  for 
August  9,  H.  H.  Roe  describes  theCalifornian  potash 
deposits  and  the  method  of  working  them. 

Nelson  Cell. — Chemical  and  Metallurgical  Engi- 
neering for  August  1  describes  the  cell  for  electrolytic- 
ally  decomposing  brine,  invented  by  H.  R.  Nelson  and 
used  by  the  Warner  Chemical  Co.,  at  Carteret,  New 
Jersey. 

Mexican  Mining  Law. — The,  Engineering  and 
Mining  Journal  for  August  2  gives  the  new  Mexican 
mining  law. 


RECENT  PATENTS  PUBLISHED. 

•-^".4  copy  of  the  specification  of  any  of  the  patents  men* 
tioned  in  this  column  can  be  obtained  by  sending  6d.  to 
the  Patent  Office.  Southampton  Buildings.  Chancery 
Lane.  London,  W  C.2.  with  a  note  of  the  numbeiand  year 
of  the  patent. 

6,549of  1917(129,300).  E.  Camus,  R.  Duche- 
min,  and  G.  Criqle  Bceuf,  Paris.  Making  lead 
acetate  by  acting  with  lead  oxide  on  ethyl  acetate. 

15,672  of  1917  (129,349).  G.  F.  Forwood  and 
J.  G.  Taplay,  London.  Removing  sulphur  from  oils 
by  agitating  with  a  solution  of  a  sulphide  of  an  alkali 
or  alkaline  earth  metal. 

15,768  of  1917  (129,354).  G.  Jakova-Mer- 
Tt'Ki,  Paris.  A  regulated  gaseous  mixture  composed 
of  hydrogen  and  carbonic  oxide  for  reducing  iron  ores 
without  solid  fuel. 

17,031  of  1917  (129,667).  H  W.  C  Annabi.k 
and  Nickel  CONCENTRATION,  Ltd.,  London.  Pro- 
cess for  obtaining  a  water-soluble  nickel  salt  from  sul- 
phide ore  or  matte  ;  the  material  is  heated  with  com- 
mon salt,  with  or  without  a  sulphidizing  agent  such  as 
pvrites,  to  a  temperature  of  S00  to  1,000  C.  in  a  neu- 
tral atmosphere,  and  subsequently  the  mass  thus  ob- 
tained is  oxidized  at  a  temperature  high  enough  to  de- 
compose the  sulphates  of  copper  and  iron  but  not  high 
enough  to  decompose  the  nickel  sulphate. 

18,179  of  1917  (129,721).  \V  E  Gibbs  and 
R  J.  Gii.di  RSON,  Southampton,  and  H.  E.  F. 
GOOLD-ADAMS,  London.  Filtering  apparatus  for  the 
recovery  of  fume  in  metallurgical  works. 

703  of  1918  (130,069).  R.  C.  Parsons  and  H. 
<\  Jl  nkins,  London.  Manufacture  of  ammonia  by 
the  catalytic  process,  using  the  pure  hydrogen  obtain- 
ed in  the  Jenkins  cell  for  electrolysing  common  salt, 
as  described  in  an  article  in  this  Magazine  for  June. 

2.186  of  1918(130,381).  W.  A.  Naish,  London. 
A  strong  aluminium  alloy  that  does  not  require  subse- 
quent heat  treatment,  composed  of  90%  Al,  I  ',',,  Xn, 
1%  IV,  1  ".,  Si.  MgO'5%,  with  slight  variations  in  the 
range  of  each  constituent. 

6,065  of  1918  (129,392).  J.  Nelson  and  W.  C. 
WHITE,  Glasgow.  Method  of  producing  amorphous 
metallic  lead  powder  suitable  as  a  paint. 

11,198  of  1918(129,426).  Sir  K  A  HADFIELD, 
Sheffield  Method  of  producing  a  ferro- manganese 
low  in  carbon  in  an  electric  furnace. 

11,385  of  1918  (129,443).  R.  de  H.  St.  Step- 
hens, and  Climax  Rock  Drill  &  Engineering 
Works,  Ltd.,  Camborne.  Valve  mechanism  for 
hammer  drills  so  constructed  that  the  extent  of  the 
movement  of  the  valve  may  vary  considerably  owing 
to  wear  or  variation  of  manufacture  without  impairing 
the  efficiency  of  the  valve,  and  also  so  that  the  valve  may 
be  made  so  light  that  wear  and  tear  and  consequent 
cost  of  maintenance  are  reduced  to  a  minimum. 
Claims:  (1)  In  valve  gear  for  rock-drills  and  other  per- 
cussion tools  wherein  a  hollow  cylindrical  valve  trav- 
els between  two  ports  in  a  valve  box  in  a  direction  at 
right  angles  to  its  axis  and  closes  the  said  ports  by 
means  of  its  peripheral  surface,  constructing  the  said 
box  so  that  spaces  are  formed  between  the  valve  and 
the  ends  of  the  said  box  into  which  spaces  five  air  is 
admitted  to  move  the  said  valve,  substantially  as  de- 
scribed. (2)  In  valve  gear  of  the  kind  hereinbefore  re- 
ferred to  for  rock-drills  and  other  percussion  tools,  a 
valve  box  comprising  a  cylindrical  sleeve,  the  interior 
of  which  is  of  rectangular  section  closed  by  two  end 
plates  in  which  ports  are  formed,  the  spaces  between 
the  valve  and  the  said  end  plates  being  connected  to 
the  live  air  supply  passage,  substantially  as  de- 
scribed. 


SEPTEMBER,    1919 


191 


12,125  of  1918  (130,446),  Q.  Marino,  London. 
Method  of  electro-plating  iron  and  steel  with  copper. 

12,199  of  1918  (130,160).  R.  de  H.  St.  Step- 
hens and  Climax  Rock  Drill  &  Engineering 
Works  Ltd.,  Camborne.  Improved  method  of  in- 
troducing water  through  the  drill  steel  in  rock-drills. 

12,232  of  1918  (130,164).  R.  Welford,  Lon- 
don. Making  a  soluble  aluminium  salt  by  treating 
ordinary  clay  with  hydrochloric  acid,  and  catching  the 
escaping  vapours  and  treating  them  for  the  recovery 
of  chlorine  or  other  bleaching  product. 

12,811  of  1918  (129,485).  F.  H.  Brooke, 
Sheffield,  and  T.  Twynam,  Redcar.  Use  as  a  binding 
agent  for  high-grade  refractory  bricks  of  fine  dry  flue- 
dust  from  the  down-comers  of  blast-furnaces,  this  dust 
being  high  in  magnetic  oxide  of  iron. 

13,134  of  1918  (129,156).  W.  F.  Bennett, 
Carbis  Bay,  Cornwall.  Improved  igniting  device  for 
fuses. 

13,183  of  1918  (130,483).  Takekichi  Aramaki, 
Tokyo.     Apparatus  for  melting  zinc. 

13,932  of  1918  (130,494).  A.  J.  Henderson, 
London.  Removing  tin  from  tinplate  or  zinc  from 
galvanized  iron,  by  heating  the  scrap  to  a  temperature 
above  that  of  the  coating  metal  and  removing  the  coat- 
ing metal  bv  a  strong  blast  of  superheated  steam. 

14,238  of  1918  (119,229).  A.  and  M.  Hirsch, 
New  York.  Electrolytic  method  of  producing  metallic 
cerium  and  other  rare  earth  metals  and  their  alloys, 
these  metals  being  intended  for  use  in  ignition  devices. 

14,350  of  1918(129,166).  W.  E.  Poole,  Leeds. 
An  electro-magnetic  separator  which  holds  the  mag- 
netic material  on  the  outer  surface  of  a  cone,  and  in 
which  the  outlet  for  the  non-magnetic  material  is 
closed  automatically  when  the  current  is  cut  off  and 
the  magnetic  material  falls. 

14,694  of  1918  (130,198).  A.  Frankignoul, 
The  Hague.  Modifications  in  the  inventor's  blast- 
furnace in  which  the  reduction  of  iron  ores  is  effected 
by  gaseous  fuel  and  the  spongy  iron  produced  melted 
electrically. 

15,113  of  1918  (119,243)  A.  R.  Lindblad, 
Stockholm.  Improved  construction  of  electric  furnaces 
used  for  the  synthetic  production  of  cyanides  and  ni- 
trides. 

16,238  of  1918  (130,216).  A.  T.  Nutt  and  F. 
A.  Harvey,  Sheffield.  Improved  construction  of 
doors  of  metallurgical  furnaces. 

5,728  of  1919  (129,598).  J.  T.  Wade,  High 
Wycombe.  Construction  of  air  compressors  ;  one  ob- 
ject is  to  provide  an  apparatus  whereby  air  is  drawn  or 
sucked  into  the  cylinder  both  on  the  outward  and  on 
the  inward  stroke  of  the  piston.  A  further  feature 
consists  in  so  constructing  the  apparatus  that  the  suc- 
tion and  delivery  pipes  are  enclosed  by  a  waiter  jacket 
arranged  in  the  upper  part  of  the  cylinder,  in  such  a 
manner  that  any  number  of  cylinders  may  be  coupled 
together  side  by  side  to  be  served  by  common  delivery 
and  suction  pipes.  The  pipes  being  enclosed  in  the 
upper  part  of  the  cylinder  or  cylinders  dispenses  with 
the  unsightly  delivery,  suction  and  air  pipes,  while 
the  size  and  weight  of  the  compressor  for  a  given 
output  are  considerably  less  than  with  such  ap- 
paratus as  at  present  constructed.  The  crank  case 
is  provided  with  an  air  inlet  controlled  by  a  flexible 
valve  through  which  air  is  drawn  or  sucked  on  each 
outward  stroke,  the  air  being  delivered  or  transferred 
to  the  top  of  the  cylinder  above  the  piston  through 
ports  uncovered  by  the  piston  at  the  end  of  each  return 
stroke.  The  suction  and  delivery  pipes  extend  trans- 
versely at  right  angles  to  the  axis  of  the  cylinder  and 
are  enclosed  in  a  water  jacket.     The  ends  of  the  pipes 


terminate  in  vertical  flanges  by  means  of  which  any 
number  of  cylinders  may  be  coupled  together  side  by 
side,  the  suction  and  delivery  pipes  registering  with  one 
another  so  as  to  form  common  pipes  for  all  the  cylin- 
ders. The  crank  case  is  provided  on  each  side  with  a 
suitable  housing  for  bearings  forming  a  special  feature 
of  the  invention.  These  bearings  are  formed  in  two 
parts  registering  with  one  another  and  bolted  together 
in  any  suitable  manner.  The  chamber  forming  the 
housing  for  the  bearings  on  one  side  is  closed  in  an  air- 
tight manner  by  a  disc,  plate,  or  cover  secured  by  any 
convenient  means,  while  the  housing  on  the  opposite 
side  is  provided  with  two  or  more  diaphragms  arranged 
side  by  side  and  pressed  into  contact  with  an  annular 
flange  on  the  crank  shaft,  by  springs  mounted  at  the  end 
of  the  adjoining  bearing  so  as  to  form  an  air-tight  joint. 
The  diaphragms  are  secured  to  the  housing  by  a  cap 
or  the  like  fixed  by  bolts  or  set  screws. 

6,089  of  1919  (126,274).  P.  Comment,  Dijon, 
France.  Improvements  in  the  inventor's  method  of 
producing  anhydrous  sulphide  of  zinc. 

9,012  of  1919  (125,397).  Societa  Anomma 
Stabilimenti  Biak,  Turin.  A  zinc  alloy  that  can  be 
forged  and  turned,  containing  85  to  96%  Zn,  and  small 
portions  of  Cd,  Ni,  Fe,  Al,  Zr,  Mn,  and  Cu. 

10,314  of  1919  (130,302).  Q.  Marino  and  C. 
Bowen,  London.  Electrolytic  process  for  coating  iron 
and  steel  with  lead,  antimony,  or  lead-antimony  alloy. 

10,358  of  1919  (129,596).  W.  D.  Berry,  New 
Brighton,  Pennsylvania.  A  bearing  metal  containing 
no  tin,  and  consisting  of  79%  copper,  14%  lead,  6% 
antimony,  and  1%  phosphorus. 

10,490of  1919(126,296).  Electrolytic  Zinc 
Co.  of  Australasia,  Melbourne.  Improvements  in 
methods  of  eliminating  cobalt  from  solutions  to  be 
electrolysed  for  zinc. 

11,216  of  1919  (129,958).  F.  M.  Moonev, 
Montreal.  Method  of  producing  pure  chromium  sul- 
phate from  chromate  or  bichromate  of  sodium  or  pot- 
ash. 


NEW   BOOKS 

B^Xopies  of  the  books,  etc.,  mentioned  below  can  be  obtained 
through  the  Technical  Bookshop  of  The  Mining  Magazine. 
723,  Salisbury  House,  London  Wall.  E.C.2. 
Mineral  Deposits  of  South  America.  By  B.  L. 
Miller  and  J.  T.  Singewald,  Jr.  Cloth,  octavo,  600 
pages,  illustrated.  Price  25s.  net.  New  York  :  Mc- 
Graw-Hill Book  Co. ;  London  :  Hill  Publishing  Co., 
Ltd. 

A  first-hand  description  of  the  mineral  deposits  of  a 
continent  rich  in  minerals  of  every  description  widely 
distributed  would  have  been  a  tremendous  undertak- 
ing. Fortunately  data,  already  recorded  by  many 
authors,  was  available.  This  has  been  frankly  acknow- 
ledged by  the  authors  of  this  book,  but  they  have  se- 
lected and  made  the  best  use  of  it  after  careful  observa- 
tion and  study,  frequently  on  the  spot.  Owing  to  the 
vastness  of  the  subject,  the  descriptions  of  certain  coun- 
tries have  been  reduced  to  mere  synopses,  but  on 
the  whole  the  authors  have  succeeded  in  condensing 
in  one  compact  volume  a  fund  of  reliable  information 
which  will  be  of  assistance  and  value  to  engineers, 
geologists,  and  financial  men  interested  in  mining 
concerns  of  South  America.  The  mineralogical  and 
geological  diagnoses  are  excellent.  In  particular  the 
accounts  of  the  iron  deposits  of  Brazil,  the  tin  deposits 
of  Bolivia,  and  the  copper  and  nitrate  deposits  of  Chile 
and  Peru  are  instructive. 

Under  physiographic  divisions,  we  think  that  the  Bo- 
livian altiplanicie,  or  "  highland  "  as  the  word  indicates, 
should  have  been  classed  with  theother  highland  groups 


192 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


and  not  included  under  Cordillera.  From  the  time  of 
the  Spanish  conquest  this  portion  of  the  continent  has 
always  been  known  as  the  Bolivian  highland,  as  dis- 
tinct from  the  adjoining  mountain  chain  of  the  Cordil- 
lera or  Andes. 

The  suggestion  that  a  huge  flow  of  andesite  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  richest  tin  deposits  is  likely  to  have  cov- 
ered other  important  deposits  of  tin  is  an  interesting 
theory  inviting  investigation. 

It  may  be  said  that  the  book  in  general  treats  of  the 
mineral  deposits  too  exclusively  from  a  geologist's 
point  of  view.  A  detailed  description  of  the  actual 
workings  of  some  of  the  more  important  mines,  with 
small-scale  plans,  as  well  as  descriptions  of  their  re- 
duction works  and  the  outputs  of  mineral  or  metal 
would  have  enhanced  the  value  and  interest  of  thebook. 

Some  of  the  statements  regarding  the  copper  mines 
of  Argentina  are  out  of  date,  while  more  should  have 
been  made  of  the  mines  of  antimony,  silver-lead,  coal, 
and  the  deposits  of  petroleum.  Similarly  the  mineral 
deposits  of  Western  and  Southern  Brazil  have  been 
little  more  than  referred  to. 

Undoubtedly  preference  has  been  given,  and  rightly, 
to  the  mineral  deposits  of  Chile,  Peru,  and  Bolivia,  as 
they  constitute  three-fourths  of  the  mining  industry  of 
South  America,  but  we  look  for  increased  activity  in 
the  development  of  coal,  iron,  silver-lead,  and  pe- 
troleum in  Brazil,  Uruguay,  and  Argentina;  while  in 
Colombia  and  Venezuela  those  of  oil,  platinum,  silver, 
and  gold  seem  to  hold  out  considerable  hopes  of  ex- 
pansion. 

We  would  suggest  that  information  might  have  been 
given  regarding  the  mining  laws  regulating  the  grant- 
ing of  concessions  and  claims,  the  size  of  each  claim 
and  the  maximum  number  that  any  one  prospector  or 
company  is  entitled  to  have  allotted.  These  vary  in 
each  republic,  and  it  would  have  been  interesting  to 
know  to  what  extent. 

The  Governments  of  some  South  American  states 
might  be  approached  by  the  authors  with  a  view  to 
compiling  separate  volumes  dealing  in  detail  with  their 
mineral  deposits.  The  Argentine  Government,  for  in- 
stance, has  the  most  elaborate  and  accurate  geological 
plans  and  studies  made  by  eminent  geologists,  and  pos- 
sesses a  fine  museum  of  minerals  collected  in  the  coun- 
try, but  there  are  practically  no  working  mines.  An 
up-to-date  description  giving  the  real  reasons  why  so 
many  promising  mines  and  ventures  have  been  aban- 
doned, withsuggestionsastoscientificdevelopment  and 
suitable  ore  treatment,  would  attract  foreign  capital,  if 
indeed  it  would  not  induce  the  Government  itself  to  re- 
open and  work  them.' 

The  authors  use  Spanish  local  technical  terms  freely. 
This  is  confusing  to  those  unacquainted  with  the 
language,  while  to  those  who  are  conversant  it  is  super- 
fluous and  out  of  place,  especially  when  the  terms  are 
not  correctly  applied. 

The  authors  have  produced  an  excellent  work,  and 
one  which  will  prove  a  valuable  addition  to  the  techni- 
cal libraries  of  engineers,  institutes,  and  companies. 

Ralston  C.  Sharp. 

Jernmalm  og  Jernverk.  By  J.  H.  L.  Vogt.  Me- 
moir No.  85  of  the  Norwegian  Geological  Survey. 
This  publication  gives  particulars  of  the  iron  ore  de- 
posits of  Norway,  at  Arendal,  Kragero,  Nissedal,  Nord- 
more.Trondhjem  Fjord,  Tromso,  Sydvaranger,  Boge'h, 
and  Dunderland.  An  account  is  also  given  of  the  more 
celebrated  deposits  in  Sweden,  much  of  the  ore  from 
which  is  exported  through  Norwegian  ports.  The 
volume  contains  a  discussion  of  electric  means  of  smel- 
ting iron  ores  that  would  be  applicable  in  a  country 
such  as  Norway  with  water  resources  but  no  coal. 


Journal  of  the  Institute  of  Metals,  Vol.  XXI.  This 
volume  contains  a  report  of  the  meeting  held  in  March 
of  this  vear. 

Far  Eastern  Mines  of  the  Witwatersrand.  Edited 
by  A.  N.  Jackman.  Pamphlet,  72  pages,  with  map. 
Price  3s.  6d.  net.  London  :  The  Financial  Times. 
This  gives  particulars  of  all  the  gold-mining  compan- 
ies owning  properties  or  operating  in  the  Far  East 
Rand. 

Annual  Report  of  the  Ministry  of  Mines  of  British 
Columbia,  1918.  ByW.  Fleet  Robertson,  Provincial 
Mineralogist.  Quarto,  505  pages,  with  many  illustra- 
tions. 

COMPANY    REPORTS 

Forum  River  (Nigeria)  Tin. — This  company  was 
formed  in  1912  by  the  Northern  Nigeria  Trust  to  ac- 
quire tin  properties  on  the  Forum,  Du,  and  Bukeru 
rivers.  A.  W.  Hooke  is  manager.  The  report  for  the 
year  ended  March  3 1  shows  that  220  tons  of  tin  concen- 
trate was  produced  as  compared  with  325  tons  the  year 
before,  the  fall  being  due  partly  to  the  influenza  epi- 
demic and  partly  to  the  scarcity  of  labour  caused  by 
the  native  dislike  of  the  new  paper  currency.  The  net 
profit  was  £10,062.  as  compared  with  £28,203  the 
year  before.  The  shareholders  received  £10,875,  be- 
ing at  the  rate  of  15%.  Out  of  the  previous  year's 
profit,  £  12, 100  was  paid  as  excess  profits  duty  ;  no  such 
duty  is  payable  this  year.  The  company  has  acquired 
83  acres  of  additional  ground  under  mining  lease  during 
the  year,  making  the  total  held  under  lease  2,277  acres 
The  company  also  has  mining  rights  covering  six  miles 
of  streams.  It  owns  jointly  with  the  Bisichi  company 
exclusive  prospecting  licences  over  nine  square  miles, 
and  application  has  been  made  for  two  other  licences 
covering  three  square  miles. 

Leadhillt. — This  company  was  formed  in  1S76  to  ac- 
quire lead  mines  in  Lanark,  Scotland.  W.  B.  Skewis 
is  manager.  Some  particulars  of  the  district  were  given 
in  our  July  issue.  The  report  for  the  year  ended  June 
30  shows  that  1,841  tons  of  ore  and  concentrate  was 
produced,  and  2,006  tons  sold.  The  receipts  from  the 
sales  totalled  £41,668.  being  at  the  rate  of  £20.  15s.  5d. 
per  ton,  and  the  net  profit  was  £3,095.  of  which  £l,318 
was  interest  on  investments.  With  the  recent  fall  in 
the  price  of  lead  the  position  has  become  an  anxious 
one.  At  the  present  time  all  hands  are  employed  in 
raising  ore  and  developments  are  curtailed. 

Kampong  Kamunting  Tin  Dredging. — This  com- 
pany was  formed  in  Sydney  in  1913,  and  was  recon- 
structed in  1916  under  Federated  Malay  States  law. 
The  property  is  situated  at  Kamunting,  about  three 
miles  from  Taiping,  in  the  state  of  Perak.  The  first 
dredge  started  in  March,  1915,  and  a  second  in  Febru- 
ary, 1916.  Each  dredge  has  a  capacity  of  90,000  cu. 
yd.  per  month.  A  W.  Freeman  is  chairman  of  the 
company,  and  A.  J.  King  is  manager.  The  report  for 
the  half-year  ended  December  31,  191S,  shows  that  the 
two  dredges  treated  954,500  cu.  yd.  of  ground  for  a 
yield  of  444+  tons  of  tin  concentrate,  equal  to  a  yield 
of  104  1b.  per  yd.  The  income  was  £73,090,  and 
the  working  cost  £19,721,  leaving  a  working  profit  of 
£53,369.  Out  of  the  profit,  £3,495  was  allowed  for 
amortization  of  the  mine,  £2,433  was  written  off  for 
depreciation  of  plant,  £3,500  was  written  off  stores  ac- 
count, and  £1,323  was  spent  on  administration.  The 
dividends  absorbed  £42,000,  beint;  at  the  rate  of  6s. 
per  £l  share.  During  the  year  1918,  SO  acres  of  tin 
ground  were  purchased.  The  total  dredging  area  avail- 
able at  December  31  was  519  acres,  sufficient  to  occu- 
py the  dredges  for  12  or  13  years. 


The  Mining  Magazine 


W.   F.   WHITE,  Managing  Director. 


Edward  Walker,  M.Sc,  F.G.S.,  Editor. 


Published  on  the  15th  of  each  month  by  The  Mining  Publications,  Ltd., 
at  Salisbury  House,  London  Wall.  London,  E.C.2. 

Telephone:  London  Wall  8938.     Telegraphic  Address :  Olieoclase.     Codes:  McNeill,  both  Editions. 


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Vol.  XXI.    No.  4. 


LONDON,   OCTOBER,    1919. 


PRICE 
ONE   SHILLING 


CONTENTS. 


Editorial 
Notes 


The  British  Association   

Reference  is  made  to  papers  and  addresses  of  in- 
terest to  the  economic  geologist. 

Ventilation  of  Deep  Mines  

The  methods  of  cooling  and  drying  the  air  in  deep 
mines  are  now  attracting  a  large  share  of  the 
mining  engineer's  attention. 


Spitsbergen 


194 
194 

195 
195 

196 
198 


The  work  of  Norwegian  geologists  and  mining  en- 
gineers on  the  Spitsbergen  islands  is  described, 
and  credit  is  given  to  their  excellent  work. 

The  Hampton  Plains  Discovery  '.. 

The  discovery  of  gold  ore  to  the  south  of  Kalgoor- 
lie  is  the  result  of  a  new  system  of  scientific 
prospecting,  credit  for  which  is  largely  due  to 
Mr.  C.  M   Harris 

The  James  Watt  Centenary 

The  Editor  gives  a  brief  appreciation  of  the  work 
of  James  Watt,  and  recounts  how  inventors, 
even  in  those  days,  were  told  that  there  was 
nothing  new  under  the  sun. 

Review  of  Mining 199 

Articles 

The  Lead- Zinc  Deposits  at  the  Rho- 
desia Broken  Hill  Mine,  Northern 
Rhodesia S.J.  Speak  203 

These  deposits  consist  on  the  surface  of  oxidized 
ores  of  lead  and  zinc,  while  bore-holes  have 
proved  the  existence  of  sulphides  at  depth  At 
present  the  leady  portions  are  being  smelted,  and 
the  output  of  metallic  lead  is  about  1.4C0  tons 
per  month.  The  smelting  plant  is  being  exten- 
ded so  as  to  double  the  capacity. 

Journeys  in  Russia... Dr.  A.  L.  Simon  209 

The  author  continues  his  account  of  war  experi- 
ences in  Russia  and  tells  of  coal  mines  in  South 
Russia  and  near  lrkoutsk,  and  salt  mines  in 
Turkestan. 

Four  Years  as  a  Prisoner  of  War 

J.  C.  Farrant  213 

The  Author  concludes  his  account  of  the  treatment 
of  English  Prisoners  of  War  by  the  Germans. 

Present  Conditions  at  Porcupine,  On- 
tario  Frank  C.  Loring   216 

The  importance  of  Porcupine  as  a  gold  producer, 
and  the  opportunities  it  offers  for  future  explora- 
tion and  development,  are  not  fully  appreciated 
in  this  country. 


The  Minerals  of  Anatolia 

Norman  M.  Penzer,  B.A.,  F.G.S.  218 

The  author  gives  particulars  of  the  mineral  de- 
posits of  part  of  Asiatic  Turkey,  about  which 
little  is  known  in  this  country,  though  the  Ger- 
mans compiled  records  some  years  ago. 

Letters  to  the  Editor 

Spitsbergen Rolf  Marstrander  222 

News  Letters 

Melbourne    224 

Wolfram  in  Queensland. 

Toronto     225 

Cobalt  ;  Porcupine ;  Kirkland  Lake  ;  Larder  Lake ; 
Boston  Creek. 

Camborne     226 

Dolcoath  ;  Levant  ;  Rainfall  and  Pumping  Costs. 

North  of  England  227 

The  Government  Commission  ;  Zinc  ;  Lead  ;  The 
Mines ;    Royalties  and   Rates. 

Personal 229 

Trade  Paragraphs    „...  229 

Metal  Markets  232 

Statistics  of  Production 234 

Prices  of  Chemicals   237 

Share  Quotations 238 

The  Mining  Digest 

Handling  Dust- Allaying  Water  in  Rand  Mines 

James    Wlutehouse  239 

Magnesitein  West  Australia  F.R.Feldtniann  240 

Working  Conditions  in  Hot  and  Deep  Mines  243 

Ventilation  at  St.  John  del  Rey. ..£>z'c  Davis  246 

Geological  Problems Dr.  J.  XV.  Evans  247 

Utah  Copper's  Tailing H.  C.  Goodridge  248 

The  New  Elmore  Process  249 

Short  Notices  250 

Recent  Patents  Published 251 

New  Books 

Greene's  "Treatise  on  British   Mineral  Oil" 
E.  Law  son  Lomax     251 

Company  Reports  252 

Dolcoath;  Hampden  Cloncurry  Copper  Mines ;  Lake  View  & 
Oroya  Exploration  ;  Lucky  Chance  ;  Mount  Morgan  Gold  ;  South 
Kalgurli  Consolidated  ;  Tin  Fields  of  Northern  Nigeria. 


4—4 


EDITORIAL 


PULVERIZED  coal  is  to  be  used  in  the 
blast-furnaces  at  the  Cerro  de  Pasco  cop- 
per mines  in  Peru.  The  five  furnaces  now 
in  commission  will  be  modified  accordingly, 
and  new  furnaces  are  to  be  built  on  the  im- 
proved system. 

OLD  students  of  the  Camborne  School  of 
Mines  are  invited  to  send  their  present 
addresses  to  Mr.  Raymond  Prisk,  editor  of  the 
School  Magazine,  which  is  to  be  revived  dur- 
ing the  coming  term.  It  is  hoped  that  eventu- 
ally a  register  of  old  students  will  be  published, 
giving  their  records  both  in  the  profession  and 
at  the  war. 

WE  take  pleasure  in  drawing  the  attention 
of  our  readers  to  an  excellent  series  of 
articles  now  appearing  in  The  Financial  Times 
entitled"  Mines  and  the  Speculative  Investor." 
These  are  written  by  Mr.  J.  A.  L.  Gallard,  the 
mining  editor  of  our  morning  contemporary, 
and  a  journalist  qualified  by  acumen,  experi- 
ence, and  honour  to  act  as  a  sane  adviser  in 
connection  with  a  subject  extremely  difficult 
to  handle.  For  the  benefit  of  those  who  do 
not  see  the  newspaper  in  question,  we  may  add 
that  the  articles  are  to  be  republished  in  book 
form. 


AN  American  contemporary  recites  the 
ii  fable  of  the  dog  dropping  its  mouthful 
in  order  to  grasp  at  the  reflection,  in  connec- 
tion with  what  it  calls  the  greedy  policy  of 
Minerals  Separation,  Ltd.  We  should  not  be 
surprised  if  the  controllers  of  the  company 
brought  out  a  revised  version  of  the  fable  in 
reply,  recounting  how  the  dog  was  tired  of  the 
shadow,  which  in  this  case  stands  for  the  so- 
called  protection  afforded  by  the  patent  law, 
and  made  a  bold  dash  for  the  real  substance, 
namely,  the  dollars  due  to  the  inventors  of  a 
valuable  process. 

STATISTICS  of  gold  production  are  diffi- 
cult to  interpret  exactly  owing  to  the  vari- 
ous ways  of  reporting  the  output,  fine,  standard, 
and  bullion  ounces,  and  theoretical  and  realized 
value  being  adopted  according  to  the  predilec- 
tion of  manager  or  board.  The  question  arises 
at  present  whether  the  mines  will  report  their 
gold  output  at  realized  value  or  at  par  value, 
and  the  statistical  returns  will  obviously  have 
to  be  watched  closely  if  track  is  to  be  kept  of 
the  actual  amount  of  gold  obtained.     These 


new  conditions  point  to  the  troy  ounce  as  the 
best  unit  for  reports  of  gold  production.  As  we 
go  to  press  we  have  received  notice  that  the 
Transvaal  mines  will  use  par  value  in  the  month- 
ly returns  of  output  and  will  report  separately 
every  quarter  the  premiums  received. 


LIKE  many  other  mineral  deposits  in  Cen- 
j  tral  Africa,  the  Rhodesia  Broken  Hill 
lead-zinc  ores  have  presented  difficulties  in  de- 
velopment, not  merely  those  due  to  lack  of 
transport  and  fuel,  but  also  those  connected 
with  the  nature  of  the  ores  themselves.  The 
outcrop  contains  oxidized  compounds  of  both 
lead  and  zinc,  and  no  doubt  the  absence  of 
precious  metal  made  the  ores  unattractive  to 
earlier  civilizations.  The  wide  variation  in 
the  relative  proportions  of  the  base  metals  and 
the  uncertainty  as  to  the  nature  of  the  ore- 
bodies  in  depth  made  theirexploitation  far  from 
simple.  The  problem  has  been  solved  by  Mr. 
S.  J.  Speak,  of  the  firm  of  Messrs.  Hooper, 
Speak  &  Co.,  and  it  is  with  no  small  pleasure 
that  we  print  in  this  issue  his  account  of  the 
deposit  and  of  the  methods  of  mining  and  treat- 
ing the  ore.  This  description  will  enable  share- 
holders and  the  public  to  obtain  an  intelligent 
grasp  of  the  business  in  hand,  and  hereafter 
to  follow  the  progress  reports  as  they  are  pub- 
lished. We  take  this  opportunity  of  thanking 
Mr.  Edmund  Davis  and  the  other  directors  of 
the  Rhodesia  Broken  Hill  Company  for  ac- 
ceding to  our  suggestion  that  this  article  should 
be  written. 


AT  the  meeting  of  the  British  Association 
l  held  at  Bournemouth  last  month,  there 
were  one  or  two  papers  of  interest  to  mining 
engineers.  The  president,  Sir  Charles  A. 
Parsons,  made  brief  reference  to  the  heat  of 
the  interior  of  the  earth  as  a  possible  future 
source  of  power,  and  he  revived  his  proposal 
of  a  dozen  years  ago  to  sink  a  shaft  ten  or 
twelve  miles  deep  in  order  to  tap  this  heat. 
From  the  point  of  view  of  the  mining  engi- 
neer such  a  project  seems  out  of  the  range  of 
present  calculations.  Sir  Charles  also  drew 
attention  to  the  power  plant  erected  in  Italy 
to  utilize  volcanic  steam,  a  project  to  which 
we  referred  in  December,  1916.  Another 
paper  of  interest  was  that  by  Dr.  J.  W.  Evans, 
president  of  the  Geological  Section.  He  dealt 
with  a  number  of  subjects  relating  to  economic 
geology,  and  he  showed  how  the  geologist  and 
the  mining  engineer  could  be  mutually  helpful. 


194 


OCTOBER,    1919 


195 


In  particular  he  reminded  engineers  that  in- 
formation obtained  during  mining  operations 
with  regard  to  the  nature  of  rocks  and  ore  de- 
posits would  be  most  gratefully  received  by 
the  geologist,  who  as  a  rule  has  too  often  to 
depend  on  quarries,  railway  cuttings,  and  out- 
crops for  his  investigations.  The  results  of 
drilling  operations  would  also  give  him  many 
useful  hints,  and  we  pass  Dr.  Evans'  request 
on  to  our  readers  that  they  should  give  peno- 
logists the  opportunity  of  examining  cores. 
Boring  has  never  been  a  feature  of  work  of 
the  Geological  Survey,  and  it  would  be  too 
much  to  ask  the  Government  to  provide  funds 
for  such  an  innovation,  useful  as  it  would  be. 
From  the  point  of  view  of  the  geologist  and 
petrologist,  the  cable  or  percussive  prospecting 
drill  is  of  little  use,  for  only  the  drill  that  pre- 
serves a  core  is  of  help  in  examination  of  the 
material  raised.  We  endorse  Dr.  Evans'  sug- 
gestion that  mine  managers  should  afford  the 
geologists  every  opportunity  to  study  the  rocks 
and  minerals  disclosed  during  development. 
The  advantage  would  be  mutual.  "  Elsewhere 
in  this  issue  we  reproduce  some  of  Dr.  Evans' 
remarks  on  modern  theories  in  economic  geo- 
logy. 


THE  ventilation  of  deep  mines  is  a  sub- 
ject which  is  gradually  forcing  itself  on 
the  mining  profession,  and  in  the  future  it  will 
continue  to  demand  increasing  attention.  The 
Institution  of  Mining  Engineers  has  devoted  a 
considerable  amount  of  time  recently  to  the 
collection  of  information  on  which  to  found  a 
general  discussion,  and  it  has  been  responsible 
for  most  of  the  research  undertaken  by  a  com- 
mittee appointed  by  the  Department  of  Scien- 
tific and  Industrial  Research.  In  this  issue 
we  quote  the  preliminary  report  of  this  com- 
mittee, and  we  give  a  brief  abstract  of  remarks 
made  by  Mr.  Eric  Davis  relating  to  the  cooling 
plant  at  St.  John  del  Rey.  In  our  last  issue 
we  quoted  Mr.  E.  H.  Clifford's  remarks  on  the 
problem  at  City  Deep.  The  work  of  the  In- 
stitution of  Mining  Engineers  is  naturally  di- 
rected to  the  consideration  of  the  atmosphere 
of  coal  mines  in  this  country,  but  the  principle 
involved  is  the  same  as  in  metalliferous  mines. 
It  is  true  that  the  primary  object  of  ventilation 
in  coal  mines  in  earlier  times  was  to  prevent 
the  accumulation  of  poisonous  and  explosive 
gases,  but  nowadays  the  question  of  heat  and 
moisture  constitutes  the  basis  of  discussion. 
The  fundamental  point  is  the  lowering  of  the 
heat  and  the  reduction  of  the  moisture  content 
of  the  mine  air,  and  of  the  two  the  latter  is  of 
the  greater  importance.     In  a  coal  mine  and  in 


the  majority  of  metal  mines  it  is  possible  to 
keep  the  atmosphere  moderately  dry  by  de- 
livering air  which  has  been  cooled  and  dried  in 
a  refrigerating  plant  on  the  surface.  At  one 
time  it  would  not  have  been  considered  safe  to 
have  the  air  in  a  coal  mine  too  dry,  for  the  coal 
dust  in  the  roads  when  disturbed  would  have 
been  dangerous  as  leading  to  explosions.  The 
present  practice  is,  however,  to  rely  on  stone 
dusting  instead  of  water  spray  in  reducing  the 
inflammability  of  coal  dust,  so  that  it  is  now 
permissible  to  dry  the  air.  This  is  virtually  as 
far  as  the  committee's  report  takes  us,  and  no 
mention  is  made  of  the  metal  mines  where  the 
dust  is  harmful  to  the  lungs,  as  it  is  on  the 
Rand.  Here  it  is  necessary  to  allay  the  dust 
by  means  of  water.  It  is  clear  that  a  contra- 
diction of  conditions  here  exists,  and  that  there 
is  a  difficulty  in  keeping  the  air  sufficiently  dry 
and  at  the  same  time  preventing  the  formation 
of  clouds  of  dust.  The  decision  as  to  the  ad- 
visable compromise  in  this  case  depends  to  a 
large  extent  on  the  variation  of  the  normal 
moisture  content  according  to  temperature. 
At  each  temperature  there  is  a  moisture  con- 
tent which  gives  the  maximum  of  agreeable 
feeling  to  the  human  system,  and  too  low  a 
content  is  as  inimical  to  comfort  as  an  undue 
dampness.  Ventilating  engineers  who  warm 
the  outside  cold  air  and  deliver  it  direct  into 
the  interior  of  a  building  often  forget  this  fact ; 
and  most  people  do  not  know  exactly  why  they 
find  it  beneficial  to  place  a  vessel  of  water  on 
top  of  an  anthracite  stove.  No  doubt  all  these 
intricacies  of  the  moisture  laws  will  receive  full 
attention  and  discussion  as  the  consideration 
of  deep-mining  conditions  proceeds. 


Spitsbergen. 

Representatives  of  the  Northern  Explora- 
tion Company  have  returned  from  Spitsbergen, 
and  it  is  announced  that  another  trip  will  be 
made  before  the  present  season  closes.  No 
report  by  Mr.  W.  Selkirk,  the  company's  con- 
sulting engineer,  has  yet  been  issued  relating 
to  the  iron  deposits  at  Recherche  Bay,  nor 
have  the  views  of  the  company's  American 
commission,  which  included  Messrs.  Boyce, 
Thompson,  and  Higgins,  been  made  public. 
In  the  meantime,  Mr.  Rolf  Marstrander  re- 
turns to  the  attack  in  a  letter  published  else- 
where in  this  issue,  and  gives  a  mass  of  speci- 
fic detail,  some  of  it  asked  for  by  Mr.  Ernest 
Mansfield,  and  some  not. 

The  news  from  Paris  is  to  the  effect  that 
the  Allied  Council  have  granted  Norway's, 
claims  to  the  sovereignty  of  Spitsbergen. 
Though    Great     Britain    also    submitted    a. 


196 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


claim,  we  believe  that  the  decision  is  a  right 
one  and  will  be  accepted  with  good  grace  in 
this  country.  The  extent  to  which  Norway 
is  interested  in  Spitsbergen  minerals  is  not 
generally  known,  and  the  following  brief  notes 
on  the  subject  will  serve  to  enlighten  our  read- 
ers. The  most  important  Norwegian  company 
operating  in  Spitsbergen  is  the  Store  Norske 
Spitsbergen  Kulkompani,  of  Cbristiania. 
This  company  is  now  concentrating  its  opera- 
tions on  its  Coal  Tract  No.l,  situated  between 
Advent  Bay  and  Coles  Bay.  The  claims  cov- 
ering this  tract  were  originally  obtained  by 
Norwegians  in  1900,  who  sold  them  in  1905 
to  the  Arctic  Coal  Co.,  an  American  corpora- 
tion controlled  by  Messrs.  Longyear.  It  will 
be  remembered  that  Mr.  Scott  Turner  was 
manager  for  this  American  company  for  some 
years.  In  1916  the  Arctic  Coal  Co.  sold  its 
property  to  the  Store  Norske.  The  output  of 
coal  during  the  nine  years  1907  to  1915  inclu- 
sive totalled  150,000  tons,  and  during  the  four 
years  1916  to  date  it  has  been  135,000  tons. 
It  is  intended  later  to  increase  the  output  by 
developing  theseams  in  Green  Harbour.  Since 
the  Store  Norske  acquired  the  property  two 
million  kroner  has  been  spent  on  development, 
plant,  means  of  transport,  and  housing  accom- 
modation. Another  company  is  the  De  Nor- 
ske Kulfelter  Spitsbergen  A. S., having  its  head- 
quarters at  Bergen.  The  coal  lands  are  at 
Advent  Bay.  During  the  winter  of  1918-19, 
sixty  men  were  employed  in  development, 
erection  of  plant,  houses,  etc.,  and  regular  min- 
ing work  was  to  start  this  summer.  The  King's 
Bay  Coal  Co.,  with  headquarters  at  Aalesund, 
had  300  men  working  in  the  summer  of  1918 
and  146  in  the  winter  of  1918-19.  Up  to  the 
time  of  the  last  report,  35,000  tons  had  been 
shipped.  The  scale  of  operations  is  being  ex- 
panded this  summer.  The  Spitsbergen  Kul 
&  Mineral  A.S.,of  Christiania,  started  develop- 
ment at  Bell  Sound  in  1918,  and  this  year 
sold  the  property  to  an  English  company. 
The  Svalbard  Kulgruber  Spitsbergen  A.S., 
of  Christiania,  owns  property  south  of  Green 
Harbour,  and  is  raising  additional  capital  to 
resume  development.  The  Bjornoen  A.S.,  of 
Stavanger,  has  produced  15,000  tons  of  coal 
since  1917,  and  last  winter  had  80  men  on  the 
property.  The  Kulspids  A.S.,  of  Christiania,  is 
developing  an  asbestos  deposit  on  Bell  Sound. 
Last  year's  expedition  consisted  of  26  men, 
and  16  tons  of  asbestos  was  shipped.  Since 
1916  the  mineral  output  of  Norwegian  firms 
has  been  nearly  three  times  as  great  as  the 
output  of  any  other  nation  operating  in  Spits- 
bergen. 


The  Hampton  Plains  Discovery. 

The  London  share  market  has  had  a  mild 
sensation  in  the  way  of  a  miniature  gold-mining 
boom  this  month.  News  arrived  of  a  new  dis- 
covery of  lode-gold  in  Blocks  48  and  50  on 
Hampton  Plain,  about  35  miles  south  east  of 
Kalgoorlie.  Holders  of  shares  in  Hampton 
Properties,  Ltd.,  hunted  up  their  certificates 
and  rubbed  their  hands  gleefully  when  the 
shares  that  had  been  unsaleable  at  three-half- 
pence were  pushed  up  by  interested  stock- 
brokers to  over  £2.  The  shares  of  Hampton 
Uruguay  also  came  to  life  again.  The  whole 
affair  is,  of  course,  a  wild  speculation,  but 
there  is  a  basis  of  solid  scientific  fact  behind 
the  discovery,  though  stockbrokers  and  the 
public  do  not  know  it,  and  even  if  they 
knew  it  they  probably  would  not  care.  We 
can  safely  leave  the  sharemarket  to  look  after 
itself,  and  proceed  to  discuss  the  discovery  from 
the  technical  point  of  view. 

Twenty-five  years  ago  prospecting  through- 
out West  Australia,  particularly  in  the  Kal- 
goorlie district,  was  at  its  height.  Financiers 
and  prospectors  were  alike  keenly  searching  for 
gold  deposits.  Immediately  to  the  south  and  east 
of  Kalgoorlie  the  salt  lakes  and  alluvial  tracts 
prevented  any  systematic  tracing  of  the  Kal- 
goorlie line  of  lodes,  but  farther  to  the  south,  on 
country  such  as  in  Blocks  48  and  50,  it  was  pos- 
sible to  follow  the  outcrops.  In  many  places  in 
this  neighbourhood  the  alluvium  contained  gold, 
and  for  a  time  the  dry-blowers  did  fairly  well. 
Coarse  gold  was  found  freely,  and  a  number  of 
notable  nuggets  were  discovered,  of  which  Mr. 
St.  John  Winne's  "  butterfly  "  was  perhaps  the 
most  attractive.  The  attempts  to  discover  out- 
crops of  lodes  as  valuable  as  those  at  Kalgoor- 
lie were  not  attended  with  success.  The  veins 
that  were  worked  were  invariably  in  quartz  and 
did  not  yield  much  gold,  nor  did  they  continue 
in  depth.  Thus  for  a  long  time  now  little  has 
been  heard  in  the  mining  market  of  the  region 
south  of  Kalgoorlie,  but  the  geologists  and  the 
scientific  prospectors  have  not  been  idle.  The 
Geological  Survey  of  West  Australia  has  paid 
attention  to  the  district,  and,  in  particular,  valu- 
able reports  have  been  made  by  Mr.  Sydney 
Honman,  a  field  geologist  of  the  Survey.  His 
work  is  recorded  in  Bulletins  56  and  66,  which 
were  published  in  1914  and  1916  respectively. 
The  sketch  map  which  we  give  on  next  page 
has  been  prepared  from  the  maps  accompany- 
ing these  bulletins.  From  these  it  will  be  seen 
that  the  Kalgoorlie  geological  zone  continues 
in  a  south-easterly  direction,  and  that  the  pros- 
pector is  justified  in  hoping  to  find  something 


OCTOBER,    1919 


197 


P    -  Porphyry 

Di --  Greenstone  (O/oritel. 

5  -  Sedimenraries. 

CP-  Granile    Porphyry 

Mg  -  Serpentine 

A  -  Gabbro  md  Dolente 


\Kalgoorlie,  JjKlNx        \     Balla9undl  * 


Bulong 


Londonderry 


Lake 
Lefroy 


Map  of  the  District  to  the  South  of  Kalgoorlie. 


good  along  this  line.  The  West  Australian 
Government  has,  since  the  war,  supplemented 
the  Survey  service  by  instituting  a  course  of 
instruction  for  prospectors.  Early  last  year  a 
committee,  of  whicti  Mr.  C.  M.  Harris  was  the 
most  active  member,  was  appointed  to  organ- 
ize this  instruction  and  to  send  parties  out  with 
definite  objectives  in  view.  To  meet  the  ex- 
penses of  this  scheme  the  Federal  Government 
provided  ^5,000,  and  the  State  Mines  De- 
partment supplied  the  equipment.  Mr.  Tor- 
rington  Blatchford,  a  young  member  of  the 
Survey,  who  is  now  Assistant  State  Mining 
Engineer,  is  keenly  interested  in  these  pros- 
pecting schemes,  and  with  his  modern  ideas  of 
applied  geology  he  may  be  expected  to  organ- 
ize a  comprehensive  plan  for  examining  the 
whole  of  West  Australia.  The  main  feature 
of  the  new  system  of  prospecting  is  the  method 
called  "  loaming,"  devised  for  discovering 
buried  outcrops.  By  this  method  the  metallic 
content  of  the  superficial  covering  can  be 
traced  to  its  ultimate  source.  Mr.  Harris  is 
describing  the  system  in  a  paper  to  be  read  at 
the  Institution  of  Mining  and  Metallurgy  held 
on  October  16,  the  day  after  the  publication  of 
this  issue,  so  we  must  hold  over  the  full  account 
until  next  month. 


The  recent  discoveries  at  Blocks  48  and  50 
are  the  outcome  of  this  enterprise.  Hansen,  to 
whom  the  credit  of  the  discovery  is  due,  is  a 
type  of  the  modern  prospector,  acting  under 
the  advice  of  experienced  mining  engineers 
and  geologists.  In  this  case  the  lode  was  dis- 
covered under  the  overburden,  and  testing  by 
means  of  shallow  trenches  has  proved  the  lode 
to  be  20  ft.  wide  for  a  length  so  far  disclosed 
of  200  ft.  The  samples  have  assayed  up  to 
100s.  per  ton.  The  latest  reports  show  that 
a  shaft  has  been  sunk  on  the  lode  to  a  depth 
of  50  ft.  and  that  the  assay- value  of  the  ore  has 
been  maintained.  The  plan  will  be  to  sink  to 
100  ft.  and  then  to  drive  along  the  lode.  On 
Block  48,  Slavin  and  Eivers  have  proved 
the  lode  over  a  length  of  500  ft.  and  assaying 
1  to  \\  oz.  over  about  5  ft.  The  details  on 
which  a  judgment  as  to  the  eventual  im- 
portance of  these  discoveries  can  be  made 
have  not  yet  been  received  in  this  country, 
and  it  is  quite  possible  that  their  importance 
has  not  yet  been  fully  grasped  on  the  spot. 
Those  who  have  studied  the  Kalgoorliedeposits 
are  aware  that  the  nature  of  the  country  rock- 
serves  as  an  indication  of  the  value  of  the 
lodes.  What  we  want  to  know  is  whether  the 
newly  discovered  lode  is  in  quartz-dolerite.    If 


198 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


so  the  discovery  may  be  one  of  prime  import- 
ance. On  the  other  hand,  should  the  country 
rock  be  a  calc-schist,  the  importance  of  the 
find  will  not  be  so  great.  At  the  present  time 
our  efforts  to  obtain  this  specific  information 
have  not  been  attended  with  success.  It  is  a 
pity  that  the  West  Australian  Department  of 
Mines  is  not  able  to  cable  a  fully  descriptive 
statement,  for, as  we  have  said, a  lode  in  quartz- 
dolerite  correlates  the  discovery  with  the  lodes 
on  the  Golden  Mile,  whereas  if  in  calc-schist 
the  ore  deposits  are  likely  to  be  erratic,  al- 
though at  the  same  time  rich. 

The  James  Watt  Centenary. 

The  centenary  of  the  death  of  James  Watt 
was  commemorated  by  a  series  of  meetings 
held  at  Birmingham  last  month.  The  cele- 
bration was  organized  by  the  civic,  university, 
and  other  interests  in  that  city,  and  none  of 
the  scientific  and  engineering  societies  partici- 
pated. Thus  the  event  lacked  national  im- 
portance. The  meetings  also  suffered  to  some 
extent  from  the  fact  that  they  were  held  at  a 
time  when  the  societies  were  engaged  with 
their  own  particular  business.*  The  British 
Association  had  monopolized  the  whole  of  the 
previous  week,  and  the  days  following  were 
claimed  by  the  Iron  &  Steel  Institute  and  the 
Institute  of  Metals.  Under  these  conditions 
the  celebration  received  little  more  than  local 
attention,  and  its  chief  object,  the  raising  of  a 
fund  to  endow  a  chair  of  engineering  research 
at  Birmingham  University,  was  by  no  means 
attained.  It  can  hardly  be  doubted,  however, 
that  the  leaders  of  industry  in  the  great  city 
of  the  Midlands  will  eventually  ensure  the  suc- 
cess of  this  educational  enterprise  and  found 
a  professorial  chair  worthy  of  both  the  Uni- 
versity and  the  inventor. 

James  Watt's  perfection  of  the  steam  en- 
gine is  of  particular  interest  to  mining  engi- 
neers, for,  it  will  be  remembered,  steam  power 
as  adapted  by  Newcomen  was  utilized  chiefly 
for  pumping  at  mines,  and  the  first  engines 
designed  by  Watt  were  improved  Newcomen 
mine  pumps.  Much  of  his  work  of  applying 
steam  to  pumping  was  done  in  consultation 
with  Cornish  mining  engineers,  and  the  Cornish 
pump  of  to-day  is  virtually  the  Watt  invention. 
With  regard  to  the  services  rendered  by  Watt 
to  engineering  science,  it  may  be  said  briefly 
that  his  invention  consisted  in  the  use  of  a 
separate  condenser  for  the  exhaust  steam  and 
in  the  utilization  of  the  expansive  power  of 
steam.  Before  his  time  direct  steam  pressure 
had  been  used  to  push  a  piston  along  a  cylin- 
der, and  the  contained  steam  had  been  cooled 


and  condensed  within  the  same  cylinder.  By 
this  alternate  heating  and  cooling  of  the  cylin- 
der vast  amounts  of  energy  had  been  wasted. 
Watt  kept  the  cylinder  at  the  same  tempera- 
ture, and  pumped  the  exhaust  steam  into  a 
chamber  that  was  always  cool.  The  cutting- 
off  of  the  entering  steam  during  the  forward 
stroke  of  the  piston  was  another  important 
source  of  conservation  of  power. 

It  has  often  been  wrongly  supposed  that 
Watt  was  a  poor  inventor  struggling  against 
neglect.  This  legend  has  presumably  arisen 
from  the  fact  that  much  of  his  later  research 
work  was  done  in  a  garret.  This  garret, 
however,  was  part  of  his  comfortable  residence, 
Heathfield  Hall,  and  he  occupied  it  with  the 
express  object  of  defeating  the  host  of  sneak- 
thieves  who  proverbially  surround  a  successful 
inventor.  Watt's  biographies  show  him  to 
have  been  a  scientific  man  primarily.  He  was 
the  son  of  a  Scottish  philosophical  instrument 
maker,  and  he  plied  the  same  trade  under  the 
auspices  of  Glasgow  University.  He  also 
practised  as  a  surveyor  in  connection  with 
civil  engineering  projects.  His  attention  was 
turned  to  steam  by  having  been  asked  to  in- 
vestigate the  faults  of  a  Newcomen  engine. 
Thereupon  he  made  a  complete  study  of  the 
mechanical  and  physical  properties  of  gases, 
and  his  improvements  in  the  steam  engine 
were  the  result.  Offers  of  financial  assistance 
came  readily,  and  eventually  he  joined  forces 
with  Matthew  Boulton,aBirminghamengineer, 
and  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life  in  the  Midlands. 

There  is  one  feature  of  his  experience  that 
deserves  special  mention.  We  refer  to  the 
virulent  opposition  which  was  offered  to  his 
applications  for  patents.  Even  in  those  days 
the  inventor  of  a  method  which  revolutionized 
technical  practice  had  to  fight  fiercely  for  his 
rights  against  jealous  rivals.  It  was  alleged 
that  there  was  nothing  patentable  in  the  use 
of  a  separate  condensing  chamber.  Moreover, 
one  of  his  opponents  took  the  early  opportu- 
nity of  patenting  the  crank  and  connecting  rod 
as  a  means  of  converting  rectilinear  into  ro- 
tary motion,  thus  making  it  necessary  for  him 
to  adopt  the  weird  devices  that  strike  the  pres- 
ent-day visitor  to  the  Science  Museum  with 
untold  wonder.  In  later  days,  when  he  was  de- 
vising a  machine  for  copying  sculpture,  labour- 
ing secretly  in  the  Heathfield  garret,  he  was  in- 
formed that  another  inventor  in  the  neighbour- 
hood was  engaged  on  the  same  problem, and  he 
was  invited  to  join  forces.  Being  a  gentleman, 
he  did  not  say :  "  You  be  '  Fishered '" ;  he  mere- 
ly declined  the  invitation,  and  abandoned  that 
particular  line  of  research  with  calm  regret. 


REVIEW  OF  MINING 


Introduction. — Labour  questions  reached 
an  acute  stage  at  the  end  of  last  month  by  the 
action  of  the  National  Union  of  Railwaymen 
in  declaring  a  strike  and  paralysing  the  entire 
railway  system  of  this  country.  After  ten  days' 
idleness  the  railwaymen  were  induced  by  the 
leaders  of  other  trade  unions  to  accept  the 
Government's  promise  to  find  a  solution  of 
the  difficulty  and  in  the  meantime  to  go  back 
to  work.  In  the  iron  trade  strikes  are  also 
prevalent.  Altogether  the  business  of  the 
country  has  been  seriously  crippled.  In  the 
mining  market,  the  publication  of  brief  details 
of  the  objects  of  the  new  Mexican  Corpora- 
tion, a  big  boom  in  oil  shares,  the  continued 
rise  in  the  price  of  silver,  the  rejection  of 
nationalization  of  mines  by  the  Government, 
and  the  gold  discoveries  south  of  Kalgoorlie 
have  been  the  leading  features  of  interest. 

Transvaal.  —  The  market  in  Far  East 
Rand  shares  has  been  booming  in  Johannes- 
burg during  the  last  month,  owing  to  the  in- 
flux of  buying  orders  from  London  following 
the  relaxation  of  Treasury  restrictions.  Mod- 
der  East,  West  Springs,  and  New  State  Areas 
have  received  particular  attention,  and  the 
shares  have  advanced  considerably  in  price. 
These  shares  may  be  expected  to  give  substan- 
tial returns  to  early  investors,  during  the  first 
years  by  appreciation  of  capital  value,  and 
then  by  the  distribution  of  steady  dividends. 

The  directors  of  New  Modderfontein  have 
decided  to  split  the  £\  shares  into  eight  of  10s. 
each.  The  cabled  report  states  that  on  June  30 
the  ore  reserve  was  estimated  at  8,854,300 
tons  averaging  8*5  dwt,  as  against  9,000,000 
tons  averaging  8*6  dwt.  on  June  30,  1918. 

The  new  vertical  North  Shaft  at  Randfon- 
tein  Central  intersected  the  reef  at  a  depth  of 
3,210  ft.,  at  a  point  over  1,000  ft.  below  the 
present  deepest  workings.  The  reef  dips  at 
60°.  Drives  along  the  reef  show  an  average 
assay-value  of  11  dwt.  per  ton  over  48  in.  sto- 
ping  width.  This  is  a  distinctly  favourable  fea- 
ture for  the  future  prosperity  of  the  mine. 

The  Grootvlei  company  is  offering  250,000 
shares  at  21s.  each,  carrying  the  right  to  sub- 
scribe to  a  similar  amount  at  25s.  within  two 
years.  This  company  belongs  to  the  Lewis 
&  Marks  group,  and  holds  the  mineral  rights, 
excepting  for  coal,  over  the  whole  of  Farm 
Grootvlei  in  the  Far  East  Rand,  east  of  Ge- 
duld  and  north  of  Daggafontein.  Bore-holes 
sunk  some  years  ago  proved  the  presence  of 
the  gold-bearing  reef,  and  two  shafts   were 


commenced,  but  work  was  suspended  owing  to 
water  troubles.  The  mynpacht  originally 
chosen  was  at  the  northern  end  of  the  farm, 
and  the  shafts  were  sunk  there  accordingly. 
Present  plans,  however,  show  that  the  original 
mynpacht  has  been  abandoned,  and  the  part 
of  the  farm  now  claimed  is  the  south-western, 
nearer  to  Daggafontein,  Springs,  and  New 
State  Areas.  It  is  also  intended  to  apply  to 
the  Government  for  additional  ground  under 
lease. 

The  Sheba  group  of  mines  is  to  be  re- 
opened, the  time  having  come  when,  in  the 
opinion  of  the  board,  development  can  be  done 
sufficiently  cheaply.  The  company  is  to  be 
reconstructed  with  a  liability  of  Is.  on  the 
1,084,954  shares  of  5s.  each. 

Cable  advices  give  a  brief  outline  of  the  in- 
terim report  of  the  Government  Commission 
on  Low-Grade  Mines.     The  report  states  that 
whereas  there  were  fourteen  Witwatersrand 
mines  at  the  end  of  1917  working  at  a  loss,  or 
at  a  profit  of  2s.  or  less  per  ton,  three  of  these 
mines  have  since  closed  down,  and  the  num- 
ber of  such  mines  has  increased  to  twenty-one, 
representing  roughly  half  of  the  Witwaters- 
rand industry  as  regards  employment  and  ex- 
penditure.    Other  factors  rendering  the  posi- 
tion more  serious  are  the  greatly  increased  as- 
sessments under  the  new  Miners'  Phthisis  Act 
and  the  fact  that  the  mines  are  working  an  un- 
duly   large  proportion  of  their    better  grade 
ores.     The  Commission  makes  three  recom- 
mendations which  it  urges  should  be  carried 
out  as  soon  as  possible.     Firstly,  greater  co- 
operation between  the  mine  managements  and 
the  employeesshouldbe  secured  by  works  com- 
mittees and  jointcommitteesfoUowingthelines 
laid  down  by  the  British  Ministry  of  Labour; 
secondly,  the  rearrangement  of  underground 
work  in  order  to  increase  the  effective  work- 
ing period  of  natives  without  lengthening  the 
time  spent  underground;  thirdly,  the  experi- 
mental temporary  employment  of  5,000 natives 
from  the  north   of  22°  south  latitude.     The 
Commission  is  satisfied  that  the  present  sources 
of  native  labour  are  inadequate,  especially  in 
the  event  of  industrial  expansion,  and  is  also 
satisfied  that  the  use  of  Dr.  Lister's  pneumo- 
coccal vaccine  and  a  general  improvement  in 
the  hygiene  of  the  mines   have  removed  the 
reason  for  the  present  prohibition  of   the  im- 
portation of  these  natives,  namely,  the   high 
mortality  previously  experienced.    The  report 
makes  no  recommendation  in  reference  to  the 


199 


200 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


question  of  retaining  or  abolishing  the  colour 
bar  in  the  higher  grades  of  labour,  the  Com- 
mission being  of  opinion  that  the  total  of  na- 
tives employed  will  not  be  affected,  whatever 
course  is  followed.  The  report  further  recom- 
mends the  Government  to  require  three 
months'  notice  of  the  intention  to  close  down 
a  mine,  whereby  the  Government  would  be 
able  to  conduct  an  independent  investigation 
into  the  matter. 

A  company  called  the  South  African  Car- 
bide &  By-Products  Co.,  Ltd.,  has  been  form- 
ed for  the  purpose  of  distilling  coal  and  manu- 
facturing carbide  at  the  Ballengeich  collieries, 
Natal.  The  process  adopted  provides  for  the 
coking  of  coal  at  a  temperature  which  will  en- 
sure a  yield  of  motor  spirit,  tar  oil,  and  heat- 
ing gas,  together  with  a  certain  amount  of  am- 
monia. Some  of  the  coke  produced  will  be 
treated  for  gas  manufacture  and  ammonia,  and 
the  remainder  will  be  used  in  the  manufacture 
of  carbide.  The  amount  of  coal  to  be  treated 
is  1,000  tons  per  week,  and  it  will  all  be  small 
and  fine  that  is  not  suitable  for  steam-raising 
purposes.  The  company  has  a  strong  board 
and  capable  engineers,  and  a  prominent  under- 
writer of  the  issue  of  shares  is  the  Johannes- 
burg Consolidated. 

Rhodesia. — The  output  of  gold  during 
August  is  reported  at  ,£"207,339,  as  compared 
with  ,£"214,919  in  July  and  £257,096  in  Au- 
gust, 1918.  Other  outputs  in  Southern  Rho- 
desia were  :  Silver  17,651  oz.,coal  41,124  tons, 
copper  255  tons,  asbestos  1,041  tons,  arsenic 
25  tons,  and  diamonds  46  carats. 

Owing  to  the  unfavourable  results  of  opera- 
tions during  the  last  few  months,  the  Antelope 
is  to  be  closed  down  at  an  early  date,  as  was 
intimated  might  be  the  case  by  the  company 
recently.  Notices  to  terminate  the  agreements 
with  employees  at  the  end  of  September  were 
handed  in  at  the  end  of  August. 

Nigeria. — The  capital  of  the  Rayfield  (Ni- 
geria) Tin  Fields  is  to  be  increased  by  the  issue 
of  100.000  10%  preference  shares  of  £\  each, 
bringing  the  capital  up  to  ,£"500,007.  The  pur- 
pose of  the  issue  is  to  provide  the  necessary 
funds  for  the  acquisition  and  development  of 
new  properties,  and  the  extinction  of  deben- 
tures and  income  participation  certificates. 
During  1918,  the  output  of  tin  concentrate  was 
678  tons,  a  figure  identical  with  that  for  1917. 
The  various  properties  contributed  to  this  total 
as  follows:  Top  190  tons,  Shen  174  tons,  Old 
Shen  and  Lower  Shen  93  tons,  Delimi  97  tons, 
and  Delimi  No.  2  124  tons.  Mr.  J.  M.  lies' 
report  on  the  new  properties  acquired  from  the 
liquidator  of  West  African  Mines,  Ltd.,  is  ex- 


ceedingly favourable.  The  company's  profit 
during  1918  was  ^"36,917,  and  ^60,001  was 
distributed  as  dividends,  partly  out  of  the  bal- 
ance of  profit  brought  forward  from  1917. 

The  Toro  company,  one  of  the  Keffi  group, 
has  recently  acquired  new  properties  adjoining 
those  of  the  Lafon.  The  results  so  far  are 
promising,  and  the  directors  are  intending  to 
issue  new  shares  to  provide  working  capital 
for  development  and  plant.  If  the  consent  of 
the  Treasury  is  obtained,  80,000  new  shares  of 
5s.  each  will  be  created  and  offered  for  sub- 
scription to  present  shareholders. 

Australasia. — The  strike  at  Broken  Hill 
continues.  The  miners  are  now  asking  Mr. 
W.  M.  Hughes  to  appoint  a  Federal  Royal 
Commission  to  inquire  into  the  Broken  Hill 
mining  industry. 

The  discovery  of  gold-ore  deposits  south  of 
Kalgoorlie  has    attracted   wide-spread  atten 
tion  in  both  England  and  Australia.     Details 
are  given  in  an  editorial  article  elsewhere  in 
this  issue. 

The  Associated  Gold  Mines,  at  Kalgoorlie, 
was  not  able  to  make  a  profit  for  the  year  end- 
ed March  31,  for  while  the  yield  per  ton  rose 
to  28s.  4d.  as  compared  with  25s.  5d.  the  year 
before,  the  costs  also  advanced  from  24s.  7d. 
to  27s.  4d.  These  costs  did  not  include  de- 
velopment, London  expenses,  or  losses  on 
realization  of  investments,  so  that  the  apparent 
profit  is  turned  into  a  loss  of  ,£"9,991.  The 
amount  of  ore  treated  was  71,603  tons,  and  the 
yield  ,£"101,510.  Very  little  development  was 
done  during  the  year,  but  the  prospects  are  re- 
ported to  be  as  good  as  they  were  a  year  ago. 
No  estimate  of  reserves  has  been  given  for  a 
number  of  years. 

It  is  gratifying  to  be  able  to  record  a  con- 
tinuance of  favourable  developments  at  South 
Kalgurli  Consolidated.  The  recently  dis- 
covered No.  3  East  lode  is  doing  well  on  four 
levels,  and  largeamountsof  comparatively  high- 
gradeore  have  been  added  to  the  reserve.  Dur- 
ing the  year  ended  March  31,  126,828  tons  of 
ore  has  been  blocked  out,  and  as  a  substantial 
proportion  runs  10  dwt.  per  ton,  the  output  and 
profits  have  been  materially  increased.  The 
profit  for  the  year  was  £'10,205,  obtained  from 
the  treatmentof  96,239  tons  yielding  ,£"128,556, 
and  ,£"9,375  has  been  distributed  as  dividend, 
being  at  the  rate  of  1\%. 

India.  —  In  the  June  issue  it  was  announ- 
ced that  the  Balaghat  was  to  resume  develop- 
ment. The  directors  have  now  formulated  a 
plan  for  providing  the  necessary  funds.  A  new 
company  is  to  be  formed  with  the  same  num- 
ber of  preference  and  ordinary  shares  as  at 


OCTOBER,     1919 


201 


present,  but  with  the  denomination  10s.  instead 
of  £\.  The  holders  of  the  95,400  preference 
shares  will  be  given  a  similar  number  of  new 
shares,  and  the  212,600  ordinary  shares  will 
be  issued  creditedat  6s.  paid.  I  f  all  the  shares 
are  taken,  the  company  will  have  ^"42,520  as 
working  capital.  The  funds  are  required  not 
only  for  actual  development  work  but  also  to 
provide  additional  plant  for  conducting  opera- 
tions at  depth. 

Malaya. — The  Chenderiang  company  re- 
ports for  the  year  ended  March  31  last  an  out- 
put of  169  tons  of  tin  concentrate,  obtained  by 
dredging  890,000  cu.  yd.  of  ground,  and  81 
tons  from  the  hydraulic-elevating  section  and 
from  tributers'  work.  The  yield  on  the  dredge 
was  0'44  lb.  per  yard.  The  profit  for  the  year 
was  £906.  This  disappointing  result  is  due 
to  a  decrease  in  the  yield  per  yard  and  sub- 
stantial increases  in  working  costs. 

During  the  eighteen  months  ended  Decem- 
ber, 1918,  the  Kinta  Tin  Mines  produced  742 
tons  of  tin  concentrate  and  made  a  profit  of 
^85,738,  out  of  which  ^36,000  was  distributed 
as  dividend,  being  at  the  rate  of  30%  free  of 
income  tax.  A  large  sum  had  to  be  paid  as 
excess  profits  duty.  It  is  proposed  to  split 
the  £\  shares  into  four  of  5s.  each.  The  com- 
pany has  largely  participated  in  the  reopening 
of  the  Tyndrum  lead-zinc  mines  in  Perth, Scot- 
land, where  production  is  now  proceeding. 

Cornwall. — The  Jumbil  Company,  which, 
under  Mr.  Albert  F.  Calvert's  control,  is  opera- 
ting at  Trevascus  and  other  properties  in  the 
Gwinear  district,  made  its  first  appearance  at 
the  Redruth  tin  ticketings  on  September  22. 
Two  lots  of  2\  tons  each  were  offered,  realiz- 
ing £\2\.  5s.  and  ,£"109.  15s.  per  ton  respec- 
tively. As  the  average  price  of  the  135i  tons 
offered  at  the  ticketing  was  £\\\.  6s.  9d.,  it  is 
clear  that  the  Jumbil  concentrate  is  not  of  first- 
class  grade.  This  is  no  doubt  due  to  the  fact 
that  the  material  treated  comes  from  old  dress- 
ing floors  and  dumps.  It  would  be  useful,  as 
a  guide  to  the  value.of  this  enterprise,  to  know 
how  much  material  was  treated  in  order  to  pro- 
ducethis  5  tons.  As  regards  lode-mining, noth- 
ing has  yet  been  done,  the  work  in  connection 
with  the  reopening  of  the  workings  being  con- 
fined to  making  a  clearance  and  sampling. 

British  Oil.— The  bore  at  West  Calder, 
Midlothian,  sunk  by  Messrs.  S.  Pearson  &  Son, 
has  reached  sandstone  containing  free  oil. 
There  is  not  much  flow  so  far.  The  Anglo- 
Persian's  venture  in  connection  with  the  con- 
solidation of  the  Scottish  oil-shale  companies 
has  been  a  success  as  far  as  the  consent  of  the 
shareholders  of  the  various  companies  is  con- 


cerned, but  labour  troubles  have  arisen  and  the 
industry  is  idle.  At  one  of  the  bores  in  Nor- 
folk, sunk  by  the  English  Oil  fields,  Ltd.,  torban- 
ite  has  been  discovered  in  the  middle  of  oil- 
shales.  Torbanite  is  a  variety  of  cannel  coal 
and  is  richer  in  oil  products  than  the  shales. 

Canada. — On  another  page  Mr.  Frank  C. 
Loiing  gives  a  brief  review  of  the  present  posi- 
tion at  Porcupine.  It  is  a  remarkable  circum- 
stance that  the  Ontario  ore  deposits  receive 
little  or  no  attention  in  this  country.  The  earlv 
attempts  to  interest  English  investors  in  Por- 
cupine were  failures, owing  chiefly  to  thebreak- 
down  of  negotiations  between  local  owners  and 
London  financial  houses.  Cobalt  also  has  been 
almost entirelyneglectedin London.  The  Kirk- 
land  Lake  speculations  have  not  been  widely 
popular  here,  while  such  names  as  Matache- 
wan,  Boston  Creek,  West  Shining  Tree,  and 
Gowganda  are  virtually  unknown  on  the  Lon- 
don market.  We  hope  Mr.  Loring's  article 
will  stir  up  some  interest  in  Porcupine,  and  in 
Ontario  deposits  generally.  Porcupine  is  an 
important  gold  camp  presenting  many  oppor- 
tunities, and  the  Hollmger  is  one  of  the  great 
gold  mines  of  the  world. 

The  Mining  Corporation  of  Canada  an- 
nounces that  it  has  taken  a  four  years'  lease  of 
the  Foster  property  on  Glen  Lake,  in  the 
southern  part  of  theCobaltarea.  This  property 
has  been  worked  for  some  years,  but  additional 
rich  ore  is  occasionally  found,  and  there  is  a 
large  reserve  of  low-grade  ore. 

Mexico. — The  prospectus  of  the  Sonora 
Mexican  Silver  Mines,  Ltd.,  has  been  adver- 
tised this  month.  The  company  has  been 
formed  by  Mr.  T.  VV.  Brown  to  acquire  mines 
near  the  town  of  Minas  Nuevas,  in  the  dis- 
trict of  Alamos,  Sonora,  that  were  worked  be- 
fore the  Mexican  revolution  by  Mr.  Amos  Yae- 
ger.  The  Quintera,  Zambona,  and  Purisima 
mines  were  reported  on  by  Mr.  W.  Moulton 
Clarke,  of  Los  Angeles,  but  the  technical  and 
political  information  contained  in  the  pros- 
pectus is  vague. 

As  mentioned  last  month,  the  Esperanza 
company  has  exercised  its  option  on  the  prop- 
erties of  the  Union  en  Cuale  company's  mines, 
in  the  State  of  Jalisco,  Mexico.  These  mines 
have  hitherto  been  worked  for  silver,  but  there 
is  now  the  opportunity  for  dealing  with  the 
immense  amount  of  complex  sulphides,  both 
rejected  and  still  to  be  developed.  Zinc  pre- 
dominates in  the  ore,  and  both  lead  and  iron 
sulphides  are  associated,  together  with  sub- 
stantial amounts  of  silver  and  gold.  In  fact, 
the  ore  is  characteristic  of  many  Mexican 
mines.     In  the  past  only  the  richer  ores  could 


202 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


be  treated,  and  the  metallurgical  difficulties 
were  considerable.  But  with  new  methods  of 
water-concentration  and  flotation,  hydro-elec- 
trolytic processes,  and  chemical  treatment,  the 
problem  should  not  be  insurmountable. 

It  is  stated  that  the  Mexico  Mines  of  El  Oro, 
Ltd.,  has  acquired  the  Lupita  concession  in 
the  state  of  Jalisco. 

Particulars  are  now  available  of  the  Mexi- 
can Corporation,  recently  formed  by  Mr.  F. 
W.  Baker  to  extend  his  many  successful 
operations  in  North  and  South  America. 
Other  mining  groups  are  associated  with  him 
in  this  new  enterprise,  and  the  board  of  direc- 
tors includes  Mr.  R.  T.  Bayliss,  chairman  of 
the  Exploration  Co.,  Mr.  Walter  McDermott, 
chairman  of  Consolidated  Mines  Selection, 
and  Mr.  F.  A.  Govett,  chairman  of  Lake  View 
&  Oroya  Exploration.  Substantial  interests 
have  been  acquired  in  the  Teziutlan  Copper 
Co.,  which  works  complex  sulphide  ore  in 
Pueblo,  and  in  the  Fresnillo  Mining  Co.,  which 
owns  silver  mines  in  Zacatecas.  Part  of  the 
capital  of  the  Mexican  Corporation  has  been 
subscribed  by  the  Camp  Bird  and  Santa  Ger- 
trudis  companies,  and  also  by  individual  share- 
holders in  these  two  companies. 

The  directors  of  the  San  Francisco  Mines 
of  Mexico  announce  that  the  option  on  the 
property  given  to  an  American  group,  as  men- 
tioned in  our  last  issue,  has  not  been  exercised. 

Bolivia. — The  Porco  Tin  Mines  company 
is  considering  the  advisability  of  instituting  a 
campaign  of  exploration  at  depth  by  means  of 
the  diamond-drill,  and  additional  funds  will 
have  to  be  provided  for  the  purpose.  The  com- 
pany has  not  been  a  success  so  far,  on  account 
of  the  difficulty  of  maintaining  a  sufficiently 
great  output,  and  the  reserves  are  being  de- 
pleted. During  the  last  year  or  two,  the  mill 
has  undertaken  custom  work,  and  efforts  will 
be  made  to  extend  this  side  of  the  business. 
During  1918  the  company  treated  17,320  tons 
of  its  own  ores,  for  a  yield  of  274  tons  of  con- 
centrate averaging  61'8%  metallic  tin.  The 
assay-value  of  the  ore  was  1*67%,  and  the  per- 
centage of  recovery  was  58'5.  The  reserve  at 
the  end  of  1918  was  estimated  at  31,500  tons 
averaging  1'84%  tin.  The  accounts  for  1918 
show  a  credit  balance  of  £171 ,  but  the  in- 
debtedness to  Messrs.  Avelino  Aramayo  &  Co. 
was  increased  by  £"7,813,  making  the  total  debt 
owing  to  this  firm  £"57,202.  The  firm  has 
exercised  its  right  of  conversion  of  the  debt  in- 
to debentures  to  the  extent  of  £"30,000.  As 
regards  the  mill,  with  which  some  difficulty  had 
been  experienced,  it  is  announced  that  the 
Marcy  mill  recently  installed  is  giving  excel- 


lent results.  The  question  of  the  possibility 
of  discovering  ore  at  depth  has  been  studied 
with  exemplary  care.  Mr.  H.  A.  Lewis,  lately 
the  manager,  evolved  a  theory  of  the  geology 
of  the  district,  and  Professor  C.  Gilbert  Cullis, 
of  the  Royal  School  of  Mines,  was  asked  to  re- 
port on  thepetrological  and  geological  evidence. 
Mr.  Malcolm  Roberts,  manager  of  the  Ara- 
mayo-Francke  Mines,  was  also  called  in,  and 
it  must  also  be  remembered  that  Mr.  Edward 
Hooper  is  chairman  of  the  company,  while  Mr. 
A.  B.  Reece  is  the  present  manager,  so  there 
has  been  no  lack  of  sound  technical  advice. 

Colombia.  On  several  occasions  we  have 
referred  to  the  new  lode-gold  property,  known 
as  the  Constancia,  acquired  by  the  Oroville 
Dredging  Co.  A  company  called  the  Colom- 
bian Corporation  has  been  formed,  with  a  capi- 
tal of  £"500,000,  to  acquire  and  develop  this 
property.  Half  of  the  shares  will  be  ordinary 
and  will  be  allotted  to  Oroville  Dredging  as 
purchase  price,  and  the  other  half  will  be  pref- 
erence, entitling  holders  to  half  the  profits  un- 
til 100%  dividend  has  been  paid,  and  thereafter 
entitling  holders  to  a  \2\%  dividend.  The 
preference  shares  will  be  offered  for  subscrip- 
tion to  shareholders  in  the  Oroville  and  Nechi 
companies.  The  corporation  will  undertake 
other  mining  business  in  Colombia  in  addition 
to  working  the  Constancia  mine. 

Spitsbergen. — Particulars  are  now  avail- 
able of  the  business  of  the  Scottish  Spitsber- 
gen Syndicate,  which  was  formed  recently  in 
Edinburgh  to  acquire  estates  in  different 
parts  of  Spitsbergen,  located  by  a  series  of  ex- 
peditions from  1895  to  1909,  conducted  by  Dr. 
William  Spiers  Bruce,  the  Arctic  explorer. 
We  cull  the  following  from  the  statement  cir- 
culated by  the  syndicate.  These  estates  com- 
prise about  1,650  square  miles,  or  approxi- 
mately one  twelfth  of  the  whole  Spitsbergen 
Archipelago.  The  expeditions  located  a  large 
coalfield  which  extends  over  more  than  a  100 
square  miles  between  Klaas  Billen  Bay  and 
Sassen  Bay.  Other  minerals  existing  on  the 
estates  are  gypsum,  in  large  quantity,  oil  shale, 
and  iron  ore,  the  last-named  being  referred  to 
by  the  syndicate  as  "  possibly  valuable."  In 
July  of  this  year  an  expedition,  under  the  lead- 
ership of  Dr.  Bruce,  with  Dr.  Rudmose  Brown 
as  second  in  command,  was  despatched  to 
Spitsbergen.  In  the  meantime  Dr.  Bruce  has 
reported  an  important  discovery  of  coal  crop- 
ping out  above  sea  level  at  Klaas  Billen  Bay. 
The  seam  contains  over  6  ft.  of  coal,  and  with- 
in one  square  mile  it  is  estimated  by  the  geo- 
logical specialists  that  there  are  5,000,000 
tons  easily  accessible. 


THE  LEAD-ZINC  DEPOSITS 

AT 

THE  RHODESIA  BROKEN  HILL  MINE,  NORTHERN  RHODESIA. 

By   S.   J.  SPEAK,   A.R.S.M.,   M.Inst.M.M. 

These  deposits  consist  on  the  surface  of  oxidized  ores  of  lead  and  zinc,  while  bore- 
holes have  proved  the  existence  of  sulphides  at  depth.      At  present  the  leady  portions 
are  being  smelted  and  the  output  of  metallic  lead  is  about  1 ,200  tons  per  month.     The 
smelting  plant  is  being  extended  so  as  to  double  the  capacity. 


History.— -After  a  dozen  or  more  years  of 
difficulties  caused  by  high  cost  of  transport  and 
fuel  and  by  the  nature  of  the  metallurgical 
problem,  the  lead-zinc  ore  deposits  at  Broken 
Hill  in  Northern  Rhodesia  are  now  being 
worked  successfully  on  a  commercial  scale. 
The  deposits  were  discovered  in  1902,  and  the 
Rhodesian  railway  reached  the  district  in  1906. 
During  the  latter  year  a  considerable  amount 
of  rich  zinc  ore  was  shipped  and  the  two  chief 
outcrops  were  developed  down  to  water-level. 
Nothing  came  of  this  pioneer  work,  and  from 
1907  to  1913  inclusive,  the  mines  were  idle. 
In  1914  a  small  plant  was  erected  with  the  ob- 
ject of  producing  a  rich  lead  concentrate  by 
means  of  the  Murex  magnetic  process  and 
smelting  this  concentrate  in  a  blast-furnace. 


Many  engineers  had  previously  visited  the 
property  and  had  agreed  that  it  was  impossible 
to  smelt  the  ore  direct  in  a  blast-furnace.  In 
1915  I  discovered  that  the  deposit  at  No.  1 
kopje  outcrop  could  be  mined  in  such  a  way  as 
to  give  two  classes  of  ore,  one  of  them  rich 
enough  in  lead  and  low  enough  in  zinc  for 
smelting,  and  the  other  too  high  in  zinc.  At 
the  time  the  Murex  process  became  impossible 
owing  to  the  high  war  price  of  oil.  Smelting 
of  the  rich  lead  ore  was  commenced  in  1915  in 
a  small  circular  blast-furnace,  and  this  was 
continued  during  1916  and  the  early  part  of 
1917.  In  June,  1917,  two  new  furnaces,  each 
44  in.  by  190  in.,  were  put  into  operation, and  in 
1919  plans  were  laid  for  building  two  more 
furnaces  of  the  same  type. 


Map  of  Rhodesia  showing  position  of  Broken  Hill 
203 


204 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


Railway   Station 


IN°7  Outcrop. 

N?6  Outerop.S? 
fi?5  Outcrop. 


Plan  of  the  Rhodesia  Broken  Hill  Company's  Property 

The  following  table  gives  the  monthly  statis- 
tics of  the  output  of  lead  since  the  start  : 


1915 
Tons 

January  — 

February    — 

March — 

April    — 

May — 

June 31 

July-; 80 

August    81 

September 37 

October  34 

November 106 

December 109 


1916 
Tons 

72 
137 

77 
139 
122 
121 

57 

80 
110 
132 
108 

S9 


1917 
Tons 
80 
100 
108 
141 
104 
117 
412 
478 
520 
588 
648 
525 


1918 

Tons 

949 

812 

666 

10»4 

1085 

1078 

10*5 

801 

962 

729 

nil 

nil 


1919 
Tons 
587 
8  6 
1085 
1202 
1221 
1346 
1219 
10b9 
1028 


The  Country. — Broken  Hill  is  situated  at 
a  height  of  3,879  ft.  above  sea  level.  The 
country  is  very  slightly  rolling.  In  the  low 
parts  there  is  grass,  and  often  vleis,  while  the 
other  parts,  constituting  about  two  thirds  to 
three  quarters  of  the  whole,  are  lightly  tim- 
bered with  trees  mostly  under  12 in.  diameter. 
As  already  mentioned,  the  cost  of  transport  de- 
layed development.  Broken  Hill  is  1,330  miles 
from  Beira,  443  miles  from  the  Wankie  Col- 
liery, and  2,013  miles  from  Cape  Town.  The 
route  to  Beira  is  roundabout,  and  a  line  already 
surveyed,  from  the  railway  south  of  Broken 


Hill  to  the  westerly  spur  from  Salis- 
bury, would  reduce  the  distance  to 
815  miles. 

The  rainfall  at  Broken  H  ill  varies 
from  25  to  45  in.  per  year,  and  the 
rainy  season  is  from  November  to 
March  inclusive.  A  troublesome 
feature  is  the  presence  of  the  tsetse 
fly,  which  in  recent  years  has  en- 
tered the  district,  making  it  impos- 
sible to  employ  draught  animals. 

The  Deposits. — The  rocks  of 
this  part  of  Rhodesia  are  classed  by 
Mr.  A.J.  C.  Molyneux.of  the  Rho- 
desian  Geological  Survey,  as  Arch- 
ean,  and  for  miles  round  Broken 
Hill  they  consist  of  dolomite  and 
dolomitic  schists,  which  trend  NE 
—  SW.    There  are  numerous  out- 
crops,the  two  most  important  being 
Nos.  1  and  2  kopjes.    No.  1  kopje  is 
apparently  in  dolomite,  and  No. 2  is 
in  dolomiteonthesouthandin  schist 
on  the  north.     There  is  much  evi- 
dencethat  this  band  of  schist  ceases 
abruptly  in  the  direction  of  No.  1 
kopje,  but  extends  some  miles  east- 
ward.   The  extent  and  dimensions 
of  the  ore-bodies  can  be  judged  by 
examining  the  plans,  cross-seciion, 
and  photographs  accompanying 
this   article.     As  regards  the   ore 
minerals,  the  lead  occurs  as  carbon- 
ate and  rarely  as  sulphate,  while  the  zinc  occurs 
as  silicate  and  rarely  as  carbonate.     Gold  is  ab- 
sent, and  silver  rarely  exceeds  lioz.  per  ton. 
Phosphates,  vanadates,  and,  in  a  minor  degree, 
arsenates  also  occur,  there  being  about  \%  of 
V205  in  the  ore.    The  bore  holes  below  water- 
level  prove  tne  presence  of  sulphides  in  depth. 
A  tentative  hypothesis  of  the  origin  of  the  ores 
is  as  follows  :  There  are  two  systems  of  Assur- 
ing, having  the  directions  E — W  and  N\V — 
SE  respectively.    Where  these  cross  large  ore- 
bodies  have  been  formed.    No  igneous  rock  is 
found  within   miles.     The  solutions  evidently 
contained  only  zinc,  lead,  sulphur,  silica,  iron, 
phosphorus,  vanadium,  and  a  little  arsenic. 

The  surface  soil  and  detritus  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  ore-bodies  usually  extend  to  water-level. 
The  outcrop  of  the  ore  bodies,  as  already  men- 
tioned, exist  as  kopjes,  and  are  so  much  leached 
and  collapsed  that  their  true  nature  is  obliter- 
ated. No  doubt  the  ore  was  originally  sulphide. 
The  effect  of  water  on  it  was  to  leach  out  zinc 
preferably  to  lead,  and  the  zinc  sulphateformed 
attacked  the  surrounding  dolomite. 

The  following  table  gives  the  averages  of 


2  Kopje 


OCTOBER,    1919 


205 


Portion  of  No.  1  Kopje. 


View  of  Open-Cut  looking  Northward. 

Practically  the  whole  of  the  bottom  of  the  quarry  is  in  ore  suitable  for  direct  smeltinfi  for  lead  ;  the  walls  are  too 
zinciferous  for  such  method  of  treatment. 


206 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


analyses  of  the  ore  at  Nos.  1  and  2  kopjes. 
These  are  averages,  and  the  figures  vary  with- 
in wide  limits,  as  will  be  seen  later  when  de- 
scribing the  boring  campaign.  Also  it  must 
be  remembered  that  the  figures  do  not  relate 
to  the  ore  now  being  smelted  : 

No.  1.  Kopje.  No.  2  Kopje. 

%  % 

Si02 13"63  1530 

PbO 3015  240 

ZnO 24  63  3116 

CuO     010  006 

FeaO.i 15'27  41'96 

FeO 139  0'85 

MnO    trace  trace 

AI2O3 303  424 

CaO trace  trace 

MgO    013  0'25 

P2O5    207  1'04 

S  0  20  O'lO 

As203 trace  trace 

C02     5'97  trace 

H20     344  2  76 

100'06  100-12 

Mining  Problems. — When  regular  min- 
ing was  started  at  No.  1  kopje,  an  attempt 
was  made  to  sink  a  shaft  in  order  to  reach  the 
unweathered  ore.  The  water  immediately 
caused  trouble.  The  water-level  is  15  to  18  ft. 
below  the  surface,  according  to  the  season. 
The  shaft  at  a  depth  of  29  ft.  made  water  at 
the  rate  of  1 00,000  gallons  per  hour.  The  shaft 
had  not  reached  the  solid  dolomite,  but  the  last 
few  feet  contained  some  boulders  of  dolomite. 
It  was  then  decided  to  suspend  sinking  until 
the  ground  surrounding  the  shaft  had  been  im- 
pregnated with  cement,  which  work  is  now  in 
hand.  Meanwhile  all  the  ore  for  the  smelter 
is  obtained  by  open-cut.  A  depth  of  34  ft.  be- 
low ground  level  has  now  been  reached  in  the 
quarry,  and  pumping  is  going  on  at  the  rate  of 
100,000  to  180,000  gallons  per  hour.  This 
pumping  is  having  the  effect  of  reducing  the 
water-level  in  the  surrounding  country.  It  is 
not  yet  possible  to  estimate  how  much  water 
will  have  to  be  pumped  after  the  surrounding 
country  is  once  drained.  In  my  opinion,  the 
fact  that  the  water-level  is  nearly  constantafter 
a  dry  season  of  seven  or  eight  months  of  the 
year  indicates  the  difficulty  the  water  experi- 


ences in  sinking  into  the  solid  dolomite.  With- 
in thirty  miles  there  is  an  escarpment  with  over 
1,000  ft.  drop,  and  if  the  main  body  of  the 
dolomite  were  full  of  channels  the  water  would 
soak  away  and  not  remain  steady  as  it  does. 
Any  lake  must  have  a  good  bottom  if  it  will 
hold  water  steadily.  Hence  there  are  expec- 
tations that  below  a  depth  of  100  ft.,  where  the 
corrosive  effects  of  surface  waters  will  prob- 
ably cease,  the  ground  will  not  be  watery. 

Exploration. — In  order  to  explore  in 
depth,  a  systematic  boring  campaign  was  in- 
augurated in  1918.  At  No.  1  kopje  seven 
bores  have  been  put  in,  the  positions  being 
marked  on  the  plan,  while  another  bore  was 
made  at  No.  3  kopje.  Owing  to  the  friable 
and  vughy  nature  of  the  ground,  it  had  been 
found  previously  that  very  small  amounts  of 
core  were  obtained  by  diamond-drill,  so  shot- 
drills  giving  6  in.  cores  were  adopted.  Even 
with  these  drills  little  core  is  obtained  in  the 
oxidized  ground,  and  reliance  has  to  be  placed 
largely  on  the  sludges.  No  doubt  in  the  earlier 
work  much  ore  was  passed  through  without 
the  operators  knowing.  The  failure  of  a  drill- 
hole to  disclose  ore  cannot  be  accepted  as  evi- 
dence of  non-occurrence  of  an  ore-body  ;  all  it 
candois  toindicatethattheore-body  isnotlarge. 

At  No.  1  kopje,  three  bores,  A,  Al,  and 
A2,  were  started  at  a  point  in  the  south-east, 
but  at  different  inclinations,  dipping  at  7l£°, 
55°,  and  vertically  respectively.  The  follow- 
ing tables  give  the  results  : 


Depth 
Ft.  Ft 
Oto  48 
48,.    61 


BORE-HOLE  A. 
Dipping  at  7l£°. 


Dolomite. 

Zinc  carbonate,  42%  Zn. 
61  ,.    75     Ferruginous  quartzite  with  small  quantity  of  lead  car- 
bonate, galena,  and  blende  ;  11  4%  Pb.  31%  Zn. 
75  „  103     Mostly  zinc  silicate,  with  some  sulphide,  and  a  small 

quantity  of  lead  carbonate  ;  10%  Pb.  30%  Zn. 
108  H  126    Quartzite  with  some  zinc  silicate;  9%  Pb,  13%  Zn. 
126  ,.  189     Sulphides  ;  30%  Pb,  24%  Zn 
189  ,.  228    Oxidized  zinc  ore ;  4%  Pb,  30%  Zn. 
228  ii  36*     Dolomite  ;  stopped  boring  at  364  ft. 
Total  oxidized  zinc  ore=117ft   averaging  28l     Zn. 
Total  sulphides  =  63ft.  averaging  30%  Pb  and  24%  Zn. 


IVuJ-rr  Uvrl 


Mainly  rich  Lead  Carbonate  ore 
of  friable  nature. 
Diagrammatic  Vertical  Section  of  No.  l  Kopje. 


OCTOBER,     1919 


207 


CD 


.gycl   'OP J' 

*o*R~. — ------ 

BOUt HO l  f  A  4  - . 
'ovSys 


Plan  showing  position  of  Bore-Holes. 


BORE-HOLE    Al. 
Same  Vertical  Plane  as  A,  but  Dipping  at  55°. 
Depth 


Ft. 
0  to 
40  „ 
48,. 
62  „ 
85  „ 


Ft. 
40 
48 

62 
S5 
110 


110,,  139 
139  „  140 

140,,  155 
155  „  163 
163  „  179 
170,,  201 


Dolomite. 

Zinc  carbonate  ;  47%  Zn. 

Zinc  quartzite  ;  9%  Pb.  24%  Zn. 

Lead  carbonate,  zinc  silicate  ;  22%  Pb,  11%  Zn. 

No  core  ;  sludges  ran  31%  Pb.  3%  Zn. 

Lead  carbonate  sludges  ;  59%  Pb,  1%  Zn. 

Lead  sulphide,  lead  carbonate,  zinc  silicate  ;  34%  Pb, 

16%  Zn. 
Silicious  zinc  ore  ;  11%  Pb,  7%  Zn. 
Zinc  silioate  ore;  9%  Pb,  26%  Zn. 
Patches  of  zinc  carbonate  in  dolomite. 
Dolomite  ;  stopped  boring  at  201  ft. 


Ft. 

Ft. 

0  to  54 

54  , 

78 

78, 

106 

106, 

116 

116, 

125 

125  , 

,  135 

135  , 

140 

140, 

314 

BORE-HOLE    A2. 
In  same  Vertical  Plane  as  A  and  Al,  but  Vertical. 
Depth 

Dolomite- 
Zinc  silicate;  7%  Pb,  33%  Zn. 
Zinc  silicate  and  lead  sulphide  ;  21%  Pb,  25%  Zn. 
Lead  and  zinc  sulphides  ;   i0%  Pb.  42%  Zn. 
Lead  sulphide;  58%  Pb,  15%  Zn. 
Lead  and  zinc  sulphides  ;  32%  Pb.  38%  Zn. 
Zinc  carbonate  ;  52%  Zn. 
Dolomite  ;  stopped  boring  at  314  ft. 

BORE-HOLE    A3. 
Outside  the  Kopje  at  the  North-East  Corner. 
Passed  through  ferruginous  rock  for  79  ft.  and  then  entered  dolo- 
mite, revealing  no  ore. 

BORE-HOLE    A4. 
Driven  South  from  the  Mid-North  of  Kopje, 
Dipping  55°. 
Depth 
Ft.    Ft. 
1  to  13     Ferruginous  ore;   14*6%  1'bO,  10*5%  Zn. 
13  „    38    Chiefly  zinc  carbonate  ;   t4%  PbO.  56  1  ZnO. 


Depth 
Ft.     Ft. 
38  „    41 
41  „    57 
57  „    67 
67  „    82 
82  „    97 
97  ..  112 
112  ,,  116 
116,,  128 
128  „  158 
158,,  162 
162  „  182 
182  „  204 
204  „  209* 
209i.221i 
22l£„232 
232  „  243§ 
243*,.  264 


Continued. 


Ferruginous  lead  carbonate  ;  24*6%  PbO,  77%  ZnO. 
Sludges  only;  53"5%  PbO,  4*3%  ZnO. 
58%  PbO,  1*3%  ZnO. 
63*2%  PbO,  1*4%  ZnO. 
53"3%  PbO,  1%  ZnO. 
611%  PbO,  19%  ZnO. 
627%  PbO.  2'2%  ZnO. 
64  8%  Pb.  11%  Zn. 
37%  Pb,  266%  Zn. 
35'4%  Pb.  232%  Zn. 
Sulphides  ;  46%  Pb.  26  6%  Zn. 
31%  Pb,  33'2?6  Zn. 
14*9%  Pb.  41  7%  Zn. 
Silicious  ore  ;  i%  Pb,  15'5%  Zn. 

2'4%  Pb.  158%  Zn. 
Zinc  carbonate  50  5%  Zn. 
Dolomite. 


BORE-HOLE    A5. 
Driven  from  the  West  of  No.  1  Kopje,  Dipping  55' 

to  the  East. 
Depth 
Ft.    Ft. 

0  to  40     Ferruginous  zinkv  material. 
40,.    62     Ferruginous  zinkv  material  with  small  quartz  veins : 

19%  Pb,  18%  Zn. 
62  ,,    91     Lead  carbonate  sludges  ;  52  8%  Pb,  67%  Zn. 
91  „  138     Mixed  oxidized  ores  ;  26'8%  Pb.  25  6%  Zn. 
138  ,,161     Sulphide  ore;  43%  Pb,  13 %  Zn. 
161  ,.  198     Mixed  oxidized  ores  ;  20  6%  Pb.  20%  Zn. 
198  „  264    Sulphide  ore  ;  42%  Pb,  24"5%  Zn. 
264  ,,  276  ,.  with  some  zinc  silicate  ;  257%  Pb, 

32  5%  Zn. 
276  „  286     Hematite,  with  zinc  silicate  ;  10"6%  Pb,  20  5%  Zn. 
286  ,,315    Zinc  silicate,  with  lead  carbonate  and  galena  ;  21  4% 

Pb.  39%  Zn. 
3!5  „  385     Zinc  silicate  ;  4  4%  Pb,  45%  Zn. 
385  „  403    Sulphides,  with  some  oxidized  ore;  28%Pb.31  B 
405  .,415     Zinc  silicate;  8%  Pb,  38%  Zn. 

Survey  of  hole:  At  100ft.,  5.:' :  160ft..  4<v  .  240ft.,  33  :  320ft., 
24°;  400ft.,  16°.  This  makes  the  400ft.  point  250  fi.  vertically  be- 
low the  point  of  starting  and  300ft.  horizontally  away. 


208 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


BORE-HOLE    A6. 
At  a  Point  100  ft.  East  of  A3,  and  Dipping  60°  NW. 
Depth 
Ft.     Ft. 

274  to  40    5  3%  PbO,  39'6%  ZnO. 
40    „    56?  87%  PbO.  48  8%  ZnO. 
56s  „    72    30'2%  PbO.  35'7%  ZnO. 
72    „    87    8%  PbO,  481%  ZnO. 
87    ..  105    4%  PbO,  30  2%  ZnO. 
105    ■•  126    Dolomite. 

BORE-HOLE   A7. 
Still  Farther  to  the  East,  Dipping  60"  N. 
Depth 

Chiefly  dolomite  ;  12%  PbO,  161%  ZnO. 

145%  PbO.  51*3%  ZnO. 

Cavity. 

Clay. 

Loose  ground  cemented  ;  3'2%  PbO.  29'4%  ZnO. 

Lead  and  zinc  carbonate  and  vanadate  ;  24'4%  PbO, 

31%  ZnO. 
Lead  and  zinc  carbonate  and  vanadate;  Z6'9%  PbO, 
30  4%  ZnO. 
147*  Sulphides;  25%  PbO.  47"7%  ZnO. 
1504  Fractured  dolomite;  06%  PbO.  15'4%  ZnO. 
Zinc  carbonate  ;  0'7%  PbO,  58  4%  ZnO. 
153  onward  Dolomite. 

The  above  information  relates  to  the  bore- 
holes on  No.  1  kopje,  which  contains  the  de- 


Ft 

Ft. 

90  to  95 

95  . 

,  103 

10!  . 

106 

106  , 

,  116 

116  , 

,  125 

125  . 

,  140 

140 

,  146 

146  , 

,  147J 

1474 

,  i.-joJ 

1504 

,  153 

posits  now  being  worked.  In  the  following 
paragraphs  and  tables  the  results  of  develop- 
ment at  other  outcrops  are  given. 

At  No.  2  kopje,  cross  cuts  and  drives  at 
surface  level  show :  Length  proved  400  ft., 
maximum  width  80  ft.,  average  contents  32% 
Zn  and  2%  PbO. 

At  No.  3  kopje,  the  zinc  contents  again  pre- 
dominate. The  cross-cut  south  from  the  main 
shaft  at  a  depth  of  25  ft.,  near  the  middle  of 
the  kopje,  gave  the  following  assay -values, 
at   intervals  of   5  ft.    from   0  to  70  ft.  :    32% 


Zn; 
Zn; 
Pb; 
Zn, 


20%    Zn;     31%    Zn ;    36%    Zn ;    47% 


Depth 

Ft. 

Vt. 

25  to  53 

53  . 

74 

74  . 

98 

9«. 

101 

101  . 

116 

116. 

137 

137, 

149 

149  , 

.  153 

153, 

165 

View  of  Drain  at  N.W.  corner  of  Open-Cut. 

The  wall  in  the  distance  consists  of  replaced  dolomite  which  is  too  zinciferous 
for  present  treatment. 


31%  Zn,  10%  Pb;  28%  Zn,  10%  Pb  ;  9% 
24%  Zn,  9%  Pb ;  35%  Zn,  9%  Pb ;  28% 
17%  Pb;  35%  Zn,  5%  Pb;  28%  Zn,  8% 
Pb  ;  24%  Zn,  6-5%  Pb. 

The  east  adit,  0  to  65  ft.,  averaged  30'5% 
Zn,  and  the  west  adit,  0  to  55  ft.,  averaged 
22%  Zn. 

A  borehole  from  the  south 
side  of  the  kopje  opposite  the 
shaft  was  sunk  with  a  dip  of  55° 
and  gave  the  following  results  : 


Dolomite. 

Bands  of  zinc  silicate  and  iron 

oxide. 
Zinc    silicate,    lead    carbonate. 
with  streaks  of  sulphides 
Pb.  27°-.,  Zn 

Zinc  silicate;  12%  Pb.  40%  Zn 
No  core;  23%  Pb.  27 
Dolomite. 

Zinc  silicate;  7%  Pb,  34%  Zn. 
l      Pb,       ..Zn. 
Dolomite. 

On  No.  4  kopje,  a  trench 
gave  3  to  4%  Pb  and  5  to  28% 
Zn  across  40  ft. 

On  the  No.  5  kopje,  a  trench 
gave  2  to  31%  Zn  and  traces  of 
Pb  across  45  ft. 

In  the  north-west  corner  of 
the  concession  an  outcrop  of 
gossan  is  visible  over  a  small 
area;  a  shallow  trench  has 
disclosed  nothing  definite,  but 
evidently  a  mineralized  zone 
occurs. 

Metallurgy. — Asalready 
mentioned,  the  blast-furnaces 
treat  picked  ore  high  in  lead. 
The  slags  average  about  19% 
Si02, 45%  FeO,  and  18  to  20% 
ZnO,  and  they  are  liquid  even 
with  25%  ZnO.  The  chief 
points  of  the  success  in  treating 
a  charge  so  high  in  zinc  are 
the  low  blast  pressure  (about  8 
oz.)  and  the  slow  rate  of  smelt- 
ing (about  130  tons  of  charge 


OCTOBER,     1919 


209 


per  day  per  furnace).  The  blast  is  supplied 
by  fan  blowers.  The  depth  from  the  charging 
floor  to  the  base  of  the  crucible  is  19  ft.  A 
special  top  takes  the  smoke  from  the  centre 
and  feeds  down  the  sides  of  the  furnace.  The 
slag  runs  continuously.  Fine  ore  is  sintered 
on  hand- operated  grates.  Nothing  worthy  of 
the  name  of  an  ore-bedding  system  has  as  yet 
been  inaugurated,  nor  any  system  for  slag- 
handling,  owing  to  difficulties  arising  from  the 
war,  but  these  questions  are  now  being  taken 
in  hand.  Fluxes  are  obtained  within  a  mile 
of  the  furnaces.  Ironstone  comes  from  an 
ore-body  which  shows  signs  of  passing  into 
pyrites  in  depth.  Local  dolomite  is  used  to  a 
slight  extent.  The  coke  comes  from  the  Wan- 
kie  Colliery. 

The  problem  of  extracting  the  zinc  from  the 


oxidized  ores  remains  to  be  settled.  Altogether 
there  exists  probably  over  a  million  tons  of 
oxidized  ores  containing  about  35%  of  zinc 
cum  lead,  which  owing  to  local  conditions 
will  require  special  processes  of  treatment. 
Probably  more  than  one  method  will  have  to 
be  adopted.  It  is  hoped  to  produce  a  certain 
amount  of  zinc  oxide  for  sale  as  a  pigment. 
It  seems  probable  that  the  electrolytic  method 
will  be  preferable  to  distilling,  for  water  power 
is  available  for  the  generation  of  current,  and 
the  necessary  acid  can  be  made  from  sulphides. 
The  specimens  of  sulphide  ore  obtained  by 
drilling  show  a  coarse  crystallization,  and  pos- 
sibly the  galena  and  blende  therein  can  be  ef- 
fectively separated  by  water  -  concentration 
alone  ;  no  special  difficulties  are  therefore  ex- 
pected with  them.    • 


JOURNEYS  IN  RUSSIA. 

By   Dr.   A.    L.   SIMON. 

The  author  continues  his  account  of  war  experiences  in  Russia  and  tells  of  coal  mines  in 
South  Russia  and  near  Irkoutsk,  and  salt  mines  in  Turkestan. 


IN  the  April  issue  of  the  Magazine  I  gaVe 
an  account  of  conditions  in  the  coal  mining 
district  of  South  Russia  during  the  early 
days  of  the  war. 

In  December,  1915,  I  returned  from  the 
Donetz  coal  district  to  Petrograd.  Here  I 
found  speculation  in  shares,  properties,  and 
goods  at  fever  pitch.  All  kinds  of  properties 
were  being  offered  for  sale,  with  fantastic  tales 
as  to  their  merits.  From  January,  1916,  until 
the  days  of  the  revolution  in  March,  1917,  I 
visited  and  reported  on  numerous  mining  ven- 
tures, which,  in  the  majority  of  cases,  proved 
to  be  valueless.  Some  of  these  are  mentioned 
in  this  article,  in  order  that  colleagues  may  pos- 
sibly be  saved  the  trouble  of  visiting  them  in 
days  to  come.  Others  are  mentioned  in  order 
toexposeabsurd  claims.  But  some  of  the  prop- 
erties I  saw  are  valuableand  will  doubtless  play 
an  important  part  in  the  future  industrial  de- 
velopment of  Russia. 

Travelling  conditions,  which  had  gone  from 
bad  to  worse,  were  typical  of  the  general  dis- 
organization. All  trains  were  over-crowded, 
and  seats  were  obtainable  at  short  notice  only 
by  judicious  tipping.  The  tip  eventually  found 
its  way  to  the  booking  clerk,  but  the  difficulty 
consisted  in  finding  the  confidential  interme- 
diary for  a  transaction  which  had  to  be  suf- 
ficiently complicated  to  obliterate  any  trace  of 
bribery.  The  confidential  intermediary  could 
generally  be  discovered  through  the  chief  rail- 

4—5 


way  porter  or  a  hotel  clerk.  When  everything 
else  failed,  the  tendering  of  a  gold  coin  in  part 
payment  of  the  ticket  was  an  infallible  means 
of  securing  accommodation  at  the  shortest  no- 
tice. Shortly  after  the  revolution,  travelling 
conditions  became  worse  still,  the  throng  of 
passengers  being  augmented  by  soldiers  of  all 
grades,  mostly  deserters  wanting  to  get  home 
at  any  price.  This  type  of  soldier  was  the 
fore-runner  of  Bolshevism,  and  all  attempts  to 
cope  with  such  an  unruly  element  proved  in- 
adequate and  fruitless.  They  sought  accom- 
modation anywhere,  in  the  compartments  of 
other  passengers,  in  the  passages,  the  lavatories, 
and  even  on  buffers  were  they  to  be  found 
travelling.  Ononeoccasion,justoutside  Petro- 
grad, eighteen  soldiers  who  had  selected  the 
roof  of  the  railway  carriage  were  brushed  off 
by  a  low  bridge  and  killed.  On  another  oc- 
casion, the  train  was  not  travelling  fast  enough 
for  their  taste,  and,  after  arguing  at  a  stopping 
place  with  the  engine  driver  and  fireman,  they 
pushed  the  latter  alive  into  the  fire-box  so  that 
he  might  in  that  way  assist  the  train  to  acceler- 
ate speed.  Numerous  deeds  committed  by 
these  runaways  are  so  ghastly  and  terrible  as 
to  be  hardly  believable. 

The  first  property  I  visited  in  1916 — a  col- 
liery in  the  Donetz  basin,  with  an  area  of  some 
8,000  acres — had  four  proved  coal  seams  of 
good  quality.  The  owners,  in  anticipation  of 
property  confiscation  and  "  soviet"  rule,  were 


210 


THE     MINING    MAGAZINE 


anxious  to  sell  to  a  non-  Russian,  as  it  was  sur- 
mised that  foreign  ownership  would  be  respect- 
ed. The  property  was  acquired  by  a  foreign 
syndicate,  but  its  ultimate  fate  is  not  yet 
known. 

The  next  properties  visited  were  situated 
in  Russian  Turkestan,  about  60  miles  to  the 
east  of  Krasnovodsk  on  the  east  side  of  the 
Caspian  Sea,  opposite  Baku,  one  a  hypotheti- 
cal coal  mine,  the  other  a  salt  deposit.  The 
coal  mine  was  of  the  opera-bouffe  type.  It 
had  been  much  talked  about  in  Petrograd.  It 
was  stated  that  the  coal  was  being  sold  locally 
at  £6  a  ton,  that  it  yielded  a  magnificent  coke, 
and,  being  close  to  the  Caspian  Sea,  could 
readily  be  shipped  to  Tsaritsin  on  the  Volga, 
150  miles  from  Astrakan,  so  that  with  mag- 
netite from  the  Urals  the  elements  for  a  large 
new  iron  industry  were  at  hand.  A  capital  of 
two  million  pounds  was  considered  sufficient 
fora  start,  and  it  was  being  debated  whether  the 
coal  should  be  transported  to  Tsaritsin  in 
steamers  or  in  barges.  My  inspection  of  the 
coal  mine  showed  it  to  contain  a  seam  of  brown 
coal  22  in.  thick,  with  at  the  most  60,000  tons 
of  reserves.  The  seam  occurs  in  flat-topped 
foot-hills  of  a  most  interesting  mountain,  the 
Bolshoi  Balkan.  These  foothills  are  cut  into 
by  numerous  ravines,  which  also  intersect  the 
coal  seam  and  gave  the  means  of  arriving  at 
an  estimate  of  reserves. 

The    Bolshoi    Balkan   is  a  table   mountain 


which  rises  from  the  flat  desert  to  the  east  of 
the  Caspian  and  constitutes  a  real  mountain 
oasis  in  that  desert.  The  approaches  are  rag- 
ged, rocky,  and  barren  ;  the  interior,  however, 
is  wooded,  with  animal  life.  I  saw  the  skins 
of  large  leopards  and  foxes,  which  the  natives, 
the  Tourkomans,  bring  to  Djebel  as  results  of 
their  hunting  expeditions.  The  western  slope 
of  the  mountain  is  well  watered,  and  was  form- 
erly used  by  the  natives  for  agricultural  pur- 
suits. Since  the  building  of  the  Trans-Cas- 
pian Railway,  most  of  these  natives  had  to 
leave,  as  their  water  supply  was  requisitioned 
by  the  railway  administration.  A  pipe- line 
some  twenty  miles  long  delivers  the  water  from 
the  catchment  areas  to  the  railway  station  of 
Djebel,  from  where  it  is  sent  in  wooden  tubs 
by  rail  both  to  Krasnovodsk,  sixty  miles  to  the 
west,  and  for  a  similar  distance  to  the  east. 
The  pipe  line  is  guarded  by  a  detachment  of 
Russian  soldiers  ;  nevertheless,  it  is  constantly 
tampered  with  by  the  old  natives,  who  only 
see  in  it  an  interference  with  their  natural 
rights. 

The  salt  deposit  of  Mulla  Kara  is  situated 
about  three  miles  to  the  south  of  Djebel,  with 
which  it  is  connected  by  rail.  Molla  Kara  is 
named  after  a  small  salt  lake  deriving  its  water 
from  a  hot  spring  of  some  160  F.  situated  in 
the  central  part  of  the  lake.  The  salt  water  is 
extremely  dense,  the  human  body  cannot  sink- 
in  it,  and  it  is  said  to  be  possessed  of  unequal - 


Karkoff' 


ASIA 


MINOR 


AFGHANISIAM 


Map  ok  the  Caspian  Spa   Region 


OCTOBER,     1919 


211 


Village  of  Golovinskaia,  Siberia. 


led  curative  powers.  The  lake  and  spring  are 
owned  by  the  Trans- Caspian  railv/ay  adminis- 
tration and  are  being  used  as  a  sanatorium  for 
their  employees.  Extensive  buildings  surround 
the  lake  ;  they  are  of  the  military  hospital  type, 
with  wards,  cubicles,  mess-rooms,  entertain- 
ment-hall, band-stand,  and  doctors',  nurses',  and 
attendants'  quarters.  During  the  summer 
season,  from  April  to  October,  every  available 
space  in  the  establishment  is  filled  by  patients 
suffering  from  skin,  rheumatic,  and  other  di- 
seases, and  the  cures  said  to  have  been  effected 
are  well-nigh  incredible.  The  treatment  con- 
sists of  mud  packs,  mud  baths,  and  hot  salt 
water  baths,  all  of  which  are  followed  by  tepid 
fresh  watershowers  and,  intherheumaticcases, 
by  massage.  In  the  mud-pack  treatment,  the 
patient  is  placed  on  a  low,  wheeled,  wooden 
platform,  and  covered  all  over  with  a  thick  layer 
of  freshly  dug  black  mud.  His  face  and  head 
emerging  from  the  clay-like  coating  of  thebody 
give  him  the  appearance  of  a  mummy,  only  a 
live  one.  The  platform  is  then  wheeled  on  to 
a  boarded  floor  space  and  exposed  to  the  sun, 
the  head  and  face  being  screened.  The  time 
of  exposure  to  the  sun's  rays  varies  from  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  to  an  hour  or  more  ;  the 
baking  operation  is  followed  by  a  plunge  bath 
and  shower.  It  is  stated  that  the  great  heal- 
ing properties  of  these  waters  are  due  to  the 
presence  of  radium,  particularly  in  the  black 
mud.  The  lake  is  bordered  on  the  east  by 
loose  sand  banks,  or  dunes ;  it  changes  into 
reed-covered  mud  flats  on  the  south  and  south- 
west, whileto  the  west  and  north-west  itmerges 
into  a  reddish  sand  plain  many  square  miles  in 
extent  and  bordered  in  the  distance  by  low 
loose  sand-hills.  The  sand  plain  proper,  be- 
low a  thin  layer  of  loose  sand,  consists  of  a 
caked  reddish  material  8  to  10  in.  thick,  below 


which  a  layer  of  from  3  to  4  ft.  of  perfectly 
white  salt  is  to  be  found  in  a  dense  brine.  Dur- 
ing the  winter  months,  December  to  March, 
the  water  rises,  covering  the  plain  in  patches 
and  rendering  it  inaccessible  for  exploitation 
purposes.  From  May  onwards  the  water  re- 
cedes to  below  the  caked  surface  layer,  and 
duringthesemonths  exploitation  isinfullswing. 
All  the  work  is  carried  out  by  small  contract- 
ing parties,  generally  Khirgize,  and  consists  in 
first  clearing  a  patch  of  salt  by  removing  the 
caked  surface  layer  and  stacking  it  on  one  side 
of  the  clearing.  They  then  make  a  hole  in  the 
salt  layer,  using  crow-bars  and  dippers  for  that 
purpose  ;  this  hole,  measuring  about  3  by  4  ft., 
always  remains  partly  filled  with  brine.  When 
of  sufficient  size  to  admit  of  a  special  dipper, 
the  salt  layer  is  broken  down  with  crow-bars 
into  the  hole,  and  this  loose  material  is  dragged 
to  the  clean  surface  with  the  special  dipper,  it 
being  handled  like  a  drag  bucket.  The  large 
lumps  thus  raised  are  broken  up  with  mallets, 
and  the  crushed  material  is  pushed  back  into 
the  brine  for  rinsing  purposes.  When  suffi- 
ciently fine-grained,  it  is  heaped  for  a  short 
period  on  the  salt  crust,  and  is  then  transported 
in  wheel -barrows  or  trucks  to  a  sandy  patch  on 
the  lake  shore  where  it  is  stacked  for  curing. 

The  salt  as  raised  from  the  brine  well  con- 
tains varying  amounts  of  sodium  sulphate  and 
magnesium  chloride,  which  must  both  be 
eliminated  before  it  is  fit  for  household  or  pre- 
serving purposes.  Sulphate  of  soda  is  a  strong 
aperient,  while  magnesium  chloride,  besides 
being  bitter,  is  hygroscopic,  and  causes  fish 
preserves  to  turn  black.  The  elimination 
of  the  deleterious  salts  is  effected  by  the  action 
of  rain  on  the  salt  stacks.  Rain,  however,  is 
scarce  in  Trans-Caspia,  and  salt  stacks  may 
have  to  remain  exposed  to  atmospheric  treat- 


212 


THE    MINING   MAGAZINE 


ment  for  three,  four,  or  more  years.  When 
sufficiently  purified  for  market  purposes,  a 
shrinkage  of  10%  of  the  originally  stacked  heap 
has  taken  place.  The  uncertainty  as  to  the 
length  of  the  purifying  period  is  a  serious  draw- 
back to  this  salt  industry,  and  has  been  the 
cause  of  many  financial  failures.  The  purify- 
ing of  the  salt  stacks  represents  cash  outlay  for 
wages  and  government  dues,  and  if  they  be- 
come marketable  a  year  or  more  later  than  an- 
ticipated the  enterprise  necessarily  becomes 
insolvent  unless  backed  by  a  reserve  fund  two 
or  three  times  as  large  as  the  annual  turnover. 


Ice  in  a  Sibekian  Coal  Minc. 

When  the  salt  in  the  heap  is  considered  suffi- 
ciently purified  it  is  broken  into  and  the  caked 
salt  sent  to  a  mill,  where  it  is  ground  in  differ- 
ent kinds  of  pulverizers  or  grinders  and  graded 
in  either  revolving  or  shaking  screens.  The 
finished  product  is  despatched,  either  in  bulk  or 
in  casks,  sacks,  or  paper  packings. 

The  Molla  Kara  salt  mill  has  been  built  at 
Djebel  railway  station,  the  cured  coarse  salt 
lumps  being  brought  from  the  lake  shore  to  the 
mill  on  camel  back. 

All  salt  produced  in  Russia  is  subject  to  a 
government  tax.     This  is  levied  on  90%  of  the 


raw  salt  heap,  10%  being  allowed  for  shrinkage, 
and  must  be  paid  before  the  salt  can  be  sent  to 
the  grinding  mill.  The  control  exercised  by 
the  State  over  salt  production  was  very  strict, 
and  each  salt  mine,  besides  a  district  controller, 
was  saddled  with  a  local  controller,  who,  bein^ 
insufficiently  paid  by  the  State  but  invested 
with  terrifying  powers,  had  to  be  kept  good- 
tempered  by  judicious  monetary  subsidies. 

A  much  larger  salt  deposit  with  similar  fea- 
tures to  the  one  described  was  visited  on  my 
return  journey.  It  is  situated  at  Kuli,  on  the 
shores  of  the  Caspian  Sea,  some  six  miles 
north  of  Krasnovodsk,  and  was  suffering  at  the 
time  of  my  visit  from  an  accumulation  of 
stocks  insufficiently  cured  with  resulting  defi- 
ciency in  ready  cash 

This  journey  was  succeeded  by  an  extensive 
journey  east,  the  first  objective  being  a  coal 
mine  situated  near  the  railway  station  of  Golo- 
vinskaya  on  the  Trans  Siberian,  some  ten  miles 
west  of  Irkoutsk.  On  my  arrival  there  to- 
ward the  end  of  March,  1^16,  the  country  was 
still  under  snow  and  ice.  The  mine,  which  has 
been  extensively  opened  up,  boasts  of  a  coal 
seam  15  ft.  thick, consisting  of  alternating  layers 
of  workable  brown  coal  and  slate.  The  former 
workings  were  accessible  through  an  adit.  The 
upper  part  of  the  old  timbers,  as  well  as  the 
roof  of  the  drives,  were  all  thickly  covered  with 
ice  crystals  and  gave  this  mine  much  more  the 
appearance  of  Aladdin's  cave  as  Dore  would 
have  pictured  it  than  of  a  coal  mine.  There 
are,  however,  in  the  neighbourhood  much  better 
coal  mines  that  can  produce  coal  cheaper,  and 
there  being  only  one  serious  consumer,  the 
railway,  prices  had  to  be  on  the  level  of  the 
cheapest  producer,  so  that  the  mine  referred  to 
had  to  shut  down. 

The  railway  line  from  Golovinskaya  to  Ir- 
koutsk passes  through  the  chief  coal-produc- 
ing centre  of  Central  Siberia  at  Cheremkovo. 
Coal  mining  in  that  locality  is  very  active,  and 
supplies  the  fuel  to  the  Krasnojarsk  Irkoutsk 
section  of  the  Trans-Siberian  railway,  and  also 
to  a  small  porcelain  factory  and  an  iron  foundry. 

On  arrival  at  Irkoutsk  railway  station  on 
April  13,  1916,  it  was  found  that  the  river  An- 
gara, which  flowsbetween  the  railway  line,  fol- 
lowing its  left  bank,  and  the  town  of  Irkoutsk, 
situated  on  the  right  bank  thereof,  was  about  to 
break  up.  It  was  stated  that  a  horse  and  cart 
had  broken  through  the  ice  the  day  before,  in 
consequence  of  which  the  police  were  guard- 
ing the  river  approaches  and  prohibiting  all 
traffic  across  the  ice.  After  much  trouble 
sleeping  accommodation  was  secured  near  the 
railway  station  in  an  establishment  letting  fur- 


OCTOBER,     1919 


213 


nished  rooms.  They  were  certainly  record 
rooms  as  far  as  dirt  is  concerned,  and  they 
were  well  furnished  with  a  particularly  large 
variety  of  Siberian  bed-bugs,  blood-thirsty 
animals,  which  were,  however,  checked  by  the 
camp  bed.  This  it  is  always  advisable  to 
carry,  in  order  to  ward  off  creeping  insects. 
1  ts  legs  should  stand  on  small  squares  of  parch- 
ment paper  strewn  with  insect  powder,  and  to 
guard  against  the  winged  variety  as  well  it 
should  be  provided  with  a  mosquito  net  hung 
between  four  sticks,  the  lower  end  of  the  net 
being  well  tucked  in  under  ihe  bedding.  After 
two  days'  waiting  the  ice  broke,  and  com- 
munication with  the  town  shore  was  establish- 
ed by  small  steamers. 

Irkoutsk  has  a  population  of  some  60,000. 
It  is  the  residence  of  the  Governor  General  of 
Siberia.  It  has  a  fine  cathedral,  numerous 
other  churches,  a  large  opera  house,  and  Gov- 
ernment buildings  for  the  Trans- Baikal  Rail- 
way Administration,  the  Post  and  Telegraphs, 
the  Military  Police,  Revenue,  and  other  Ad- 
ministrations. Nevertheless  there  is  no  bridge 
across  the  Angara,  and  thereby  hangs  a  tale. 

While  the  river  is  free  from  ice  a  pontoon 
bridge  establishes  the  communication  from 
bank  to  bank  ;  when  frozen,  the  ice  carries  the 
traffic.  A  fortnight  or  three  weeks  before  ice 
sets  in,  the  pontoon  bridge  is  removed  to  safe 
winter  quarters,  and  after  the  ice  is  gone  it 
takes  from  three  to  four  weeks  to  put  the  pon- 
toon bridge  again  into  position.  The  bridge  is 
the  property  of  the  town  of  Irkoutsk,  but  its 


removal  and  re-establishment  are  in  the  hands 
of  a  contractor  who  receives  in  payment  all  the 
toll-takings  for  wheeled  traffic  over  the  bridge, 
out  of  which  takings  he  has  to  pay  to  the  town 
of  Irkoutsk  an  annual  sum  of  100,000  roubles. 
Foot  passengers  cross  the  bridge  free  of  charge. 
During  the  two  interim  periods,  in  the  autumn 
and  spring,  when  there  is  neither  bridge  nor 
ice,  communication  for  passengers  is  effected 
by  two  small  steamers  against  payment  of  od. 
per  head.  The  contractor's  takings  during 
those  two  periods  are  sufficient  to  pay  for  all 
his  expenses,  including  the  100,000  roubles  to 
the  town,  so  that  all  the  toll-takings  for  wheeled 
traffic  over  the  bridge  are  clear  profit,  large 
enough  to  enable  him  to  give  to  the  influential 
town  councillors  substantial  yearly  cash  pres- 
ents. Why  therefore  should  they  vote  for  a 
permanent  bridge  ?  The  railway  administra- 
tion several  years  ago  informed  the  town  coun- 
cil that  unless  a  permanent  bridge  were  built 
within  a  specified  time  all  Government  offices 
would  be  moved  to  the  left  bank  of  the  Angara. 
Thereupon  things  began  to  hum.  Plans  were 
prepared  and  approved  of  by  the  Administra- 
tion of  Roads  and  Bridges.  The  contractor  in 
the  meantime  paid  a  visit  to  St.  Petersburg,  as 
a  result  of  which  the  War  Ministry  decided 
that  the  bridge,  as  contemplated,  was  unfit  for 
military  purposes  and  condemned  the  design. 
New  tenders  had  to  be  called  for,  while  a  fresh 
lease  of  life  had  been  given  to  the  pontoon 
bridge,  and,  thus,  to  the  private  income  of  cer- 
tain town  councillors. 


FOUR    YEARS    AS    A   PRISONER    OF  WAR 

By   J.   C.    FARRANT. 

/Concluded  from  the  September  issue,  page  159). 


October.  The  news  from  the  west  front 
continued  to  improve,  and  maps  were  brought 
out  from  hiding  places,  and  the  advancing  line 
was  marked  daily. 

November  8.  Delegates  crossed  the  line 
for  conditions  of  Armistice  from  Foch.  Demo- 
crats and  socialists  delivered  ultimatum  that 
the  Kaiser  and  his  son  must  go.  Boys  flog- 
ging spare  gear. 

November  9.  A  day  which  will  ever  be  re- 
membered in  German  history.  Peaceful 
revolution.  At  Chemnitz,  as  in  other  towns, 
the  pointed  German  helmet  was  discarded  and 
soft  field  caps  were  donned.  German  officers 
and  men  coming  into  the  lager  on  this  day 
were  held  up  at  the  gate.  They  were  disarm- 
ed.    The  epaulettes,  in  the  case  of  officers, 


were  cut  off,  and  the  buttons  on  their  caps  were 
also  removed.  They  were  then  allowed  to 
pass  in.  No  salutes  were  given.  This  took 
place  in  full  view  of  the  prisoners  of  war. 

A  soldiers'  council  was  formed  in  each  dis- 
trict, and  these  men  were  the  masters  of  the 
situation. 

We  were  not  interfered  with,  but  machine 
guns  were  placed  outside  the  wires  and  train- 
ed on  the  camp  in  case  of  trouble.  Field  guns 
were  trained  on  the  road  leading  to  the  lager. 

The    thoroughness    and    organization   with 
which  the  revolution  was  carried  out  was  re 
hiarkable. 

German  officers  coming  into  the  lager  to 
carry  on  their  duties  were  not  saluted  by  the 
German  sentries.     In  one  case  I  distinctly  saw 


214 


THE    MINING     MAGAZINE 


a  German  sentry  wait  until  the  officer  was 
within  three  paces  of  him,  and  then  deliber- 
ately turn  about  so  that  his  back  was  toward 
the  officer.  As  soon  as  he  had  passed  he  turn- 
ed round  to  his  former  position.  The  iron  dis- 
cipline had  snapped. 

The  mass  meeting  was  held  in  Chemnitz  at 
which  representatives  of  prisoners  of  war  at- 
tended. 

November  10.  Kaiser  abdicated.  Armis- 
tice terms  were  received  at  headquarters. 
Saxony  declared  itself  a  republic.  Most  of 
the  German  officers  had  retired  into  civil  life 
by  now. 

November  11.  Everything  quiet  in  camp. 
We  were  asked  to  hang  out  red  handkerchiefs 
as  a  sign  that  we  sympathized  with  the  revo- 
lution. The  interpreter  who  made  the  request 
"  got  the  bird."  He  followed  this  up  with  the' 
request  that  the  men  should  remove  their  regi- 
mental cap-badges,  and  then  he  did  get  the 
bird  in  good  style,  several  of  the  boys  telling 
him  to  come  and  cut  them  off.  This  inter- 
preter was  one  of  those  who  had  cut  off  Ger- 
man officers'  epaulettes.  Needless  to  state  he 
didn't  take  advantage  of  the  offer. 

We  were  informed  that  addresses  in  various 
languages  would  be  made  to  the  prisoners  of 
war,  explaining  the  revolution.  Addresses 
were  delivered  in  Russian  and  also,  I  believe, 
in  Italian,  but  they  were  stopped.  Repeated 
requests  were  made  that  our  band  should  lead 
a  party  through  Chemnitz,  protection  being 
guaranteed.  This  bait  was  politely  but  firmly 
turned  down. 

November  13.  Discipline  greatly  relaxed. 
Had  to  attend  hospital  to  have  my  arm  lanced, 
as  the  result  of  a  spill  at  football.  Being  in 
naval  rig,  and  wearing  my  arm  in  a  sling,  I 
went  by  the  name  of  "  Nelson."  Several 
facetious  members  offered  to  close  up  one  of 
my  eyes  in  order  to  make  the  picture  complete. 

November  14.  A  few  men  taken  out  in 
town  by  sentries. 

November  15.  From  now  on  passes  were 
issued  and  men  were  allowed  out  in  town  with- 
out a  guard  for  a  few  hours.  It  was  a  curious 
sensation,  after  four  years  of  armed  escort. 
The  time  on  the  pass  was  from  4  to  8  p.m. 
Some  of  the  men  didn't  come  back  until  the 
next  day,  so  they  threatened  to  stop  all  passes. 

November  17.  All  passes  stopped,  due  to 
absenteeism. 

November  19.  Passes  issued  at  the  rate  of 
75  per  day.  Those  on  the  staff"  who  were 
working  all  day  received  permanent  passes. 
There  were  over  1,000  men  in  camp  now,  and 
a  large  number  of  men   got  out   each   night, 


more  than  half  with  bogus  passes.  It  was  a 
point  of  honour  to  go  into  the  town  looking  as 
smart  as  possible.  The  attitude  of  the  civilians 
changed  considerably.  Most  of  them  were 
only  too  glad  that  the  war  was  over. 

We  went  everywhere;  cafes,  theatres,  kin- 
emas,  all  kinds  were  sampled  from  the  best  to 
the  worst.  The  behaviour  of  the  men  in  the 
streets  was  excellent.  In  some  of  the  more 
rowdy  cafes,  things  became  a  little  lively,  and, 
on  occasions,  men  were  arrested  for  being  in 
cafes  after  10  o'clock,  but  they  were  let  out 
the  next  morning. 

The  German  troops  were  returning  daily  to 
Chemnitz  from  the  west  front,  and  although 
we  were  not  molested,  they  objected  to  pris- 
oners of  war  '  running  the  town,"  and  walking 
up  and  down  the  streets  with  members  of  the 
lair  sex  on  their  arms.  Consequently,  an  order 
was  ^iven  out  on  parade  that  any  Britisher 
seen  walking  with  a  German  girl  would  bear- 
rested.  So  many  ot  the  boys  booked  seats  at 
the  cinemas  and  met  their  acquaintances  there. 
Others  donned  civvies,  and  so  evaded  arrest. 
Beer  of  a  sort  was  sold,  and  wine  and  schnapps. 
Coffee,  as  supplied  at  the  most  expensive  cafes, 
was  made  from  acorns;  there  was  no  real  coffee 
in  Chemnitz. 

One  night  a  small  party  of  us  went  to  the 
opera  to  see  Fidelio.  Under  such  conditions 
one  sees  the  German  at  his  best.  The  rapt 
attention,  the  absence  of  whispering,  and  the 
air  of  placid  enjoyment  were  most  marked. 
Between  the  acts  we  mixed  with  the  crowd 
and  promenaded  round  the  gangways.  While 
we  certainly  attracted  attention,  it  was  by  no 
means  hostile.  Well-dressed  people  calmlyate 
their  black  -  bread  sandwiches  which  they 
had  brought  with  them  while  they  strolled 
about. 

We  had  to  have  special  passes  for  the 
theatre  at  first,  and  the  "  soldiers'  council  " 
officials  made  themselves  rather  objectionable 
by  coming  into  the  theatres  and  demanding  to 
see  the  passes  while  the  play  was  proceeding. 

After  about  two  weeks,  the  soldiers  who 
were  on  duty  in  the  town  started  to  make 
things  warm  if  any  prisoners  of  war  were 
caught  out  after  10  p.m.  Revolvers  were  pro- 
duced on  sexeral  occasions  by  the  soldier  police, 
but  no  firing  took  place. 

Things  were  not  going  quite  so  smoothly 
now  as  they  had  at  first.  German  soldiers  re- 
turning from  the  west  front  on  some  occasions 
refused  to  give  up  their  arms,  and  fights  took 
place  between  the  council  men  and  the  return- 
ed soldiers.  Machine  guns  were  used  on  sev- 
eral occasions. 


OCTOBER,     1919 


215 


Life  in  the  lager  was  most  unwholesome. 
Discipline  had  gone  by  the  board.  Fires  were 
lighted  for  drumming-up  all  over  the  barracks, 
and  the  place  became  thick  with  smoke  as  there 
was  no  outlet.  No  notice  was  taken  of  the 
new  guards'  orders.  The  working  parties  who 
were  responsible  for  cleaning  the  lager  and 
latrines  struck  work,  with  the  result  that  the 
place, over-crowded  as  it  was,  presented  a  filthy 
and  unhealthy  appearance. 

Men  were  becoming  very  fed  up  and  parcels 
were  giving  out.  Many  were  taking  French 
leave  and  going  out  to  small  kommandos. 
The  men  on  kommandos  struck  work,  and  al- 
though threatened  with  all  kinds  of  punishment, 
refused  to  carry  on.  The  soldiers'  council  then 
issued  an  appeal  to  all  prisoners  of  war  to 
carry  on  working,  as  otherwise  the  whole  com- 
munity would  become  disorganized.  This  ap- 
peal had  no  effect,  as  the  men  wanted  to  be 
sent  home. 

I  was  having  a  bad  time  with  my  arm, 
which  was  lanced  two  or  three  times  a  week, 
and  abscesses  were  breaking  out  on  my  legs 
as  well.  I  was  dressed  daily  by  a  French 
sanitat.  The  hospital  was  full  up,  and  sick 
men  were  arriving  daily. 

A  great  state  of  restlessness  pervaded  the 
whole  camp.  Nearly  a  month  had  passed 
since  the  armistice  was  signed  and  no  sign  of 
a  move.  We  were  over  300  miles  from  the 
Dutch  border,  food  was  getting  scarce,  and  we 
were  not  allowed  to  travel  without  a  pass.  So 
things  didn't  look  too  cheerful. 

December  5.  Three  British  officers  arriv- 
ed to  arrange  for  our  departure. 

December  9.  First  party  warned  off  for 
Blighty. 

December  10.  Felt  unwell,  went  to  the 
sanitat,  had  another  abscess  lanced,  and  ask- 
ed him  to  fix  me  up  so  that  I  could  travel,  as 
I  was  in  the  first  batch.  Left  the  lager  1.25 
for  Chemnitz  railway  station.  Some  of  the 
band  wanted  to  play  us  to  the  station,  but  this 
was  not  allowed,  and  strict  orders  were  given 
that  there  should  be  no  singing  or  demonstra- 
tions. 

We  waited  some  time  for  the  train  ;  and  as 
it  drew  in,  a  group  of  German  officers  who  had 
returned  from  the  west  front  came  on  to  the 
opposite  platform,  and  scowled  at  us.  So,  as 
soon  as  we  were  on  board,  we  all  sang  "  Good- 
by-ee-e  "  to  them.     They  did  look  savage. 

It  was  a  most  uncomfortable  journey  of  two 
nights  and  a  day.  We  had  no  lights  and  the 
only  water  obtainable  came  from  the  engine. 

December  12.  Boarded  Danish  Red  Cross 
steamer  at  Warnemiinde.     We  breakfasted  on 


cooked  fresh  meat, practically  the  first  fresh  meat 
for  several  years.  There  was  a  choppy  sea  run- 
ning and  nearly  every  one  was  sick.  We  reached 
Copenhagen  at  3  p.m.  During  the  passage  I 
received  medical  attention,  which  I  sorely 
needed.  We  marched  5  miles  to  a  Danish 
lager. 

December  13.  Every  man  Jack  of  us  was 
suffering  from  acute  diarrhoea,  due  to  the  fresh 
meat  we  had  eaten.  The  Danes  treated  us 
well  and  fed  us  well. 

December  14.  Parades,  and  some  men 
were  rekitted.    I  reported  sick,  and  gotdressed. 

December  15.  Left  Danish  quarters  and 
got  on  board  H.  M.S.  Plassy  at  2  p.m.  Pushed 
off  at  4  p.m.  We  were  escorted  by  a  cruiser 
which  sunk  two  or  three  mines  on  the  way  over. 
Every  one  wore  a  lifebelt  day  and  night. 

December  17.  Sighted  lightship  on  Scottish 
coast  at  6.30  p.m. 

December  18.  Landed  at  Leith,  where  we 
had  a  top  hole  reception.  Entrained  at  4.30 
p.m.  Arrived  at  Ripon  11  p.m.  We  filled 
out  papers  and  gave  in  the  names  of  Germans 
who  had  been  guilty  of  brutal  treatment  to 
prisoners. 

December  20.  Medical  inspection,  rekitted, 
money  changed,  and  each  man  received  rail 
warrant  and  money. 

December  21.  Entrained  11  p.m.,  reached 
London  8  p.m.,  and  home  at  10  p.m.  The  ex- 
citement kept  me  going  the  first  night,  but  on 
the  next  I  was  delirious,  and  was  kept  in  bed 
for  a  week  or  two  as  the  result  of  blood  poison- 
ing. 

In  conclusion  I  should  like  to  record  the 
deep  appreciation  felt  by  British  prisoners  of 
war  toward  those  responsible  for  sending  out 
food  parcels.  It  is  no  exaggeration  to  state 
that  many  of  them  who  are  now  home  would 
be  under  German  soil  but  for  the  parcels. 
The  Russians  received  no  parcels,  except  in 
isolated  cases,  and  the  number  of  deaths  among 
them  was  appalling,  due  to  various  causes  but 
primarily  to  insufficient  nourishment.  The 
Germans  treated  them  like  dogs. 

It  is  a  significant  fact  that  the  attitude  of 
the  Germans  became  more  brutal  to  British 
prisoners  of  war  during  those  periods  when 
we  were  short  of  food,  and  were  consequently 
weak  from  hunger. 

We  are  now  at  peace  wfth  Germany,  but 
one  does  not  readily  forget  the  murder  of 
Matthews  of  the  R.N.D.,  Skitt  of  the  Life 
Guards,  and  Russell  of  the  Rifle  Brigade,  or 
the  deaths  through  starvation  of  Rootham  and 
Ireland  of  the  R.N.D.  ;  and  these  are  only  a 
few  examples  of  German  "  kultur." 


PRESENT  CONDITIONS   AT  PORCUPINE,  ONTARIO. 


By   FRANK   C.    LORING. 

The  importance  of  Porcupine  as  a  gold  producer,  and  the  opportunies  it  offers  for  future 
exploration  and  development,  are  not  fully  appreciated  in  this  country. 


THE  Porcupine  gold  area  is  situated  about 
450  miles  north  of  Toronto  on  a  branch 
of  the  Temiskaming  &  Northern  Ontario 
railroad.  Active  mining  operations  began  in 
1908.  Owing  to  transport  difficulties  a  com- 
paratively small  amount  of  development  work- 
was  done  until  the  construction  of  the  railroad 


Map  showing  position  of  Porcupine. 

in  1910.  Since  that  time  the  district  has  in- 
creased in  importance  and  extent  of  gold  pro- 
duction, until  to-day  it  is  the  greatest  gold  pro- 
ducer in  Canada. 

The  ore-bodies  are  usually  found  in  shear 
/.ones  on  the  sides  of  porphyry  intrusions. 
These  shear  zones  sometimes  have  a  width  of 
300  to  400  ft.  The  course  of  the  long  axes  of 
the  porphyry  dykes  and  also  of  the  schisted 
shear  zones  adjoining  is  usually  about  N70°E. 
These  ore- bodies  usually  consist  of  lenses  of 
quartz  or  of  basalt,  or  other  of  the  Keewatin 


rocks,  altered  by  the  deposition  of  quartz,  py- 
rite,  and  calcite.  Ore  sometimes  occurs  in  the 
porphyry  on  or  near  to  the  contacts  of  the 
older  Keewatin  rock  with  the  porphyry. 

In  the  Hollinger,  Mclntyre,  Dome,  David 
son,  and  other  important  mines  in  the  district, 
the  mineable  area  often  has  a  width  of  200  or 
300  ft.  This  naturally  necessitates  extensive 
operations  and  mining  and  milling  plants  of 
comparatively  large  capacity.  The  daily  ca- 
pacity of  the  Hollinger  mine  is  3,500  tons  of 
ore,  and  those  of  the  Dome  and  Mclntyre,  al- 
though less,  are  large.  The  Davidson  Con- 
solidated Gold  Mines  has,  so  far,  only  an  ex- 
cellent prospecting  plant,  but  it  is  preparing  to 
sink  a  1,000  ft.  shaft  and  to  erect  a  mill  of  500 
tons  daily  capacity  as  a  first  unit. 

The  developed  district  has  an  easterly-wes- 
terly extent  of  about  10  miles  and  a  northerly- 
southerly  extent  of  about  9  miles.  The  ore- 
bearing  area  is,  however,  much  more  extensive. 
Besides  the  mines  mentioned,  there  are  a  num 
ber  of  others  in  active  operation,  notably  the 
lpine  Crown,  Dome  Lake,  Vipond,  and 
Schumacher. 

The  Hollinger  mine  is  at  present  the  pre- 
mier mine  of  the  district  so  far  as  extent  of 
development  and  quantity  of  gold  produced  is 
concerned.  Other  mines  in  the  district  with 
the  same  stage  of  development  may  be  rivals 
of  this  great  property.  From  the  years  191 1 
to  1918  inclusive,  the  Hollinger  mine,  now 
the  Hollinger  Consolidated  Gold  Mines,  pro- 
duced roughly  J, 500, 000  tons  of  ore  of  a  gross 
value  recovered  "of  S25, 4S0.000  gold,  while 
^9, 424,000  was  paid  in  dividends.  The  com- 
pany hasbeena  large  investor  in  Victory  Bonds, 
and  possesses  a  mining  and  milling  plant  cost- 
ing possibly  $5,000,000.  The  grade  of  the 
ore  as  at  present  mined  is  between  39  ant!  - 
gold  per  ton.  The  total  present  mining,  mill- 
ing, and  other  costs  are  between  $4  and  $5 
per  ton,  and  the  total  net  profit  is  slightly  less 
than  $5  per  ton.  Were  the  mine  and  mill  run 
to  full  capacity  of  3,500  tons  daily,  the  total 
net  annual  profits  should  be  above  .$5,000,000, 
which  would  be  of  20%  on  the  capital, 
S25,000,000.  Ore  reserves,  as  shown  by  the 
company's  annual  report  for  1918,  are  between 
four  and  five  million  tons  of  ore  of  a  gross 
value  of  about  $45,000,000.      Practically   all 


J16 


OCTOBER,    1919 


217 


of  this  ore  is  above  the  600  ft.  level.  The 
mine  has  been  explored  by  diamond-drill  and 
otherwise  to  a  vein  depth  of  1,500  ft.,  and  the 
same  conditions  as  to  geology,  the  number  of 
veins  and  grade  of  ore,  exist  to  that  depth.  It 
is  evident  that  these  facts  show  the  Hollinger 
mine  to  be  one  of  the  great  gold  mines  of  the 
world. 

Since  the  foregoing  paragraph  was  written, 
the  Hollinger  company  has  issued  its  report 
for  the  first  half  of  1919.  During  this  time 
316,386  tons  of  ore  yield  gold  worth  $3,166,625 
at  a  cost  of  $1,519,756,  the  yield  and  cost  per 
ton  being  $9'93  and  $4'94  respectively.  Divi- 
dends   absorbing    $738,000    were    paid,    and 


On  the  same  shear  zone  as  the  Hollinger 
and  Mclntyre  and  three  miles  north-easterly, 
is  situated  the  property  of  the  Davidson  Con- 
solidated Gold  Mines.  This  company  owns 
360  acres  of  territory  and  controls  additional 
ground.  The  mining  plant  is  not  sufficiently 
large  for  extensive  operations,  as  the  present 
mill  capacity  of  10  stamps  is  only  from  30  to 
40  tons  per  day.  The  mine  has  been  developed 
to  a  vein  depth  of  650  ft.  The  deepest  level 
shows  a  width  of  23  ft.  of  ore,  carrying  $19  to 
$21  gold  per  ton.  With  adequate  plant  and  mill, 
this  property  should  also  be  a  big  producer. 

The  Dome  mine  is  situated  about  two  miles 
south  of  the  Hollinger  ore  zone.     This  mine, 


PORCUPINE   GOLD  MINES. 


Scale    of   Miles 


Davidson 


$781,756  was  added  to  the  surplus. 

The  Mclntyre  mine,  adjoining  the  Hollin- 
ger, is  the  second  mine  of  the  district  so  far  as 
extent  of  development  and  amount  of  produc- 
tion are  concerned.  The  grade  of  ore  milled 
is  above  S10  per  ton,  and  the  annual  produc- 
tion with  present  mill  capacity  is  about  2  mil- 
lion dollars  gross.  Development  has  been  con- 
tinued to  below  1,400  ft.,  and  the  ore  reserves 
are  upward  of  5  million  dollars  gross.  The 
Mclntyre  company  has  acquired  considerable 
adjoining  territory  with  ore-producing  poten- 
tialities, including  the  Plenaurum.  With  in- 
creased mill  capacity  and  further  development 
on  the  extensive  territory  now  owned  by  this 
company,  gold  production  should  largely  in- 
crease in  the  future. 


as  its  name  indicates,  consists  of  an  extensive 
body  or  chimney  of  ore,  estimated  to  contain 
about  two  million  tons  of  $5  ore  in  reserve. 
The  ore-body  has  been  explored  to  a  depth  of 
about  800  ft.,  and  it  is  reported  to  maintain  its 
width  and  length  at  this  depth. 

The  Porcupine  Crown,  Vipond,  Schumacher, 
Dome  Lake,  and  some  other  properties  have 
been  explored  to  400  to  900  ft.  in  depth. 

There  is  no  evidence  in  any  of  the  mines 
mentioned  that  the  limit  of  the  ore-bearing 
horizon  has  been  reached. 

It  is  evident  from  the  foregoing  that  the  Por- 
cupine  district  will  continue  and  increase  as  a 
gold  producer  for  a  long  period,  and  that  the 
amount  of  gold  produced  will  be  of  consider- 
able importance. 


THE    MINERALS    OF    ANATOLIA 

By   NORMAN    M.   PENZER,  B.A..  F.G.S. 

The  author  gives  particulars  of  the  mineral  deposits  of  part  of  Asiatic  Turkey,  about  which 
litt.e  is  known  in  this  country,  though  the  Germans  compiled  records  some  years  ago. 

(Continued  from   September  issue,  pugc   1:16  ) 


Antimony. — There  is  very  little  geological 
information  about  the  antimony  mines  of  Ana- 
tolia. Antimony  occurs  in  the  form  of  stibnite 
in  irregular  veins,  usually  interstratified  with 
argillaceous  schists,  metamorphosed  schists, 
micaceous  schists,  and  gneisses.  Mercury  is 
closely  associated  with  the  antimony,  and  in 
this  respect  resembles  the  deposits  of  North 
Africa.  The  only  two  vilayets  where  antimony 
is  found  in  any  quantity  are  Brusa  and  Aidin. 

The  chief  mine  in  Brusa  is  that  of  Gomek- 
chiftlik-Antimonmaden, situated  in  the  sandjak 
of  Kutaya,  15  miles  east  of  Gedis.  The  stib- 
nite occurs  in  an  amphibole  gneiss  passing  in- 
to a  granular  limestone.  The  deposit  is  most 
irregular  and  the  veins  constantly  change  in 
direction  and  thickness.  The  annual  produc- 
tion about  ten  years  ago  was  500  tons. 

Two  further  deposits  are  situated  in  the 
sandjak  of  Balikesri.  The  first  lies  between 
the  slopes  of  the  Geukje  Dagh  and  the  Dagh 
Ardi,  four  miles  south-west  of  Bali  and  60 
miles  south  of  Brusa.  The  other  deposit  of 
this  sandjak  is  4  miles  north-east  of  Ivrindi, 
and  29  miles  due  east  of  Edremid.  Appar- 
ently neither  has  been  much  worked,  and  no 
figures  are  obtainable. 

In  the  sandjak  of  Brusa  quartz  flakes  with 
stibnite  embedded  in  argillaceous  schists  were 
formerly  foundat  Demir-Kapou,  5  miles  south- 
west of  Sultan-Chair,  and  52  miles  south-west 
of  Brusa.  In  the  sandjak  of  Bilejik  antimony 
has  been  found  in  small  quantities  at  Seuluklu, 
on  the  eastern  slope  of  the  Heshich  Dagh 
(Olympus),  between  Ainegeul  and  Bilejik. 

In  the  vilayet  of  Aidin  and  sandjak  of 
Smyrna  (caza  of  Odemish)  is  the  mine  of 
Chinlikaya  (sometimes  spelt  Djinlikaya).  It 
is  situated  on  the  north-western  slopes  of  the 
Baliamboli  Dagh.  The  mine  has  been  worked 
energetically  during  the  war,  and  is  said  to  con- 
tain stibnite  yielding  65%  of  antimony.  The 
veins  occur  in  crystalline  schists.  The  annual 
output,  which  in  1901  was  only  400  tons,  is 
about  double  that  amount,  but  it  is  estimated 
that  with  the  aid  of  larger  capital  over  1,000 
tons  could  be  produced.  About  1902,  work 
was  commenced  at  the  antimony  mines  at  Kor- 
delio  on  the  north  side  of  the  port  of  Smyrna. 
At  first  only  100  tons  per  annum  were  pro- 


duced, but  a  considerably  increased  output  has 
since  been  obtained.  Antimony  has  been  also 
found  on  the  south-west  slope  of  Kizil  Dagh, 
16  miles  south  west  of  Smyrna.  The  workings 
are  shallowopen-cut.  Practically  allshipments 
are  made  by  way  of  Smyrna.  The  total  an 
nual  production  of  stibnite  in  Anatolia  is  esti- 
mated at  2,500  tons. 

MERCURY.  -Most  of  the  occurrences  of 
cinnabar  are  in  the  vilayet  of  Aidin,  although 
there  is  one  in  Konia  and  another  in  Brusa. 

In  the  north  east  of  the  Kara  Burun  penin- 
sula, sandjak  of  Smyrna,  at  Aklurli,  Sahib,  and 
Tepejikatthefootof  the  Bozl  >agh(  not  to  be  con- 
fused with  the  Boz  Dagh  near  Eskishehr),  are 
several  cinnabar  deposits.  They  have  been  de 
scribed  by  D'Achiardi,  who  says  that  a  highly 
metamorphic  dark  schist  is  traversed  in  a  north 
and  south  direction  by  a  quartzose  brecciated 
rock,  26  ft.  in  thickness,  carrying  2  to  2h%  mer- 
cury. The  west  wall  of  the  schist  contains  0'3 "•> 
mercury,  while  the  east  wall  is  a  breccia  flanked 
by  10  ft.  of  yellow  and  red  ochreous  deposits, 
which,  although  poor  in  cinnabar,  are  rich  in 
nodules  of  pyrites.  The  schist  has  been  proved 
300  ft.  to  the  east,  and  abuts  against  a  Cre- 
taceous limestone.  To  the  west  it  is  inter 
rupted  by  basalts.  Cinnabar-bearing  quartz 
cross-veins  occur  in  the  schist  near  the  lime- 
stone. The  deposits  are  worked  by  the  Kara 
Burun  Mercury  Syndicate,  Ltd.  The  yearly 
production  is  about  3,000  flasks  (a  flask ~ 764 
lb.).  M  ining  is  all  done  in  open  cuts,  and  the 
ores  worked  contain  sometimes  as  little  as 
025%  Hg.  The  cinnabar  appears  to  be  in  the 
fines,  and  the  ore  is  concentrated  by  screening. 
The  plant  at  the  mines  consists  of  two  double 
Spirek  furnaces  for  broken  ore  and  a  Cermak- 
Spirek  furnace  for  fine.  The  capacity  of  this 
installation  is  thirty  tons  per  day. 

Other  occurrences  of  cinnabar  in  the  sand- 
jak of  Smyrna  are  near  Odemish,  and  about 
10  miles  south-west  of  Tire.  That  near  Ode- 
mish is  just  outside  the  village  of  Halikeui,  at 
the  foot  of  Baliamboli,  not  far  from  the  anti- 
mony mine  of  Chinlikaya,  already  described. 
The  mercury  is  only  found  in  traces  which  oc- 
cur in  veins  of  pyrites  in  the  mica-schists. 
They  have  been  very  little  worked,  if  at  all. 

The  mines  south-west  of  Tire  are  situated 


218 


OCTOBER,    1919 


219 


at  Ebibler,  Karakilisse,  and  Chamkeui.  They 
were  worked  very  little  before  the  war.  The 
precentageof  mercury  obtained  varies fromone 
to  twenty.  N  umerous  ancient  levels  have  been 
found  in  the  Chamkeui  mine,  and  are  supposed 
to  be  those  referred  to  by  Pliny.  The  cinna- 
bar occurs  in  argillaceous  schists,  and  is  associ- 
ated with  iron  oxide. 

In  the  vilayet  and  sandjak  of  Konia,  at  Sis- 
ma,  near  the  town  of  Konia,  cinnabar  occurs  in 
veinlets,  nodules,  and  small  particles  in  a  crys- 
tallinelimestonein  closeproximity  withschists. 
The  mineral  is  present  wherever  the  limestone 
has  become  silicified.  Stibnite  has  been  found 
associated  with  the  cinnabar.  The  output  was 
good  in  1913,  but  no  figures  are  to  hand. 

A  deposit  of  cinnabar  has  lately  been  dis- 
covered near  Oshak,  sandjak  of  Kutaya,  vila- 
yet of  Brusa. 

It  was  reported  in  the  foreign  press  that  dur- 
ing the  war  the  Deutsche-Turkische  Mon- 
tangesellschaft  of  Munich  either  rented  or 
bought  all  the  mercury  mines  of  Anatolia  that 
were  in  working  order  or  could  be  easily  started 
again.  Arrangements  were  also  made  for  the 
Kriegemetall-Aktiengesellschaft  to  purchase 
as  much  of  the  output  as  possible. 

The  total  production  of  mercury  per  year  in 
Anatolia  is  estimated  at  between  4.000  and 
5,000  flasks. 

Emery  (Corundum).— Practically  the  en- 
tire output  of  the  emery  of  the  world  used  to 
come  from  the  island  of  Naxos,  one  of  the 
Cyclades  in  the  Archipelago.  The  Naxos 
emery  has  been  exploited  from  very  early  times 
and  was  known  by  the  name  of  Naxium  to 
Pliny  and  other  Roman  writers.  It  has  been 
fully  described  by  Professor  G.  Tschermak 
and  is  not  included  in  our  survey.  For  long 
the  island  of  Naxos  was  the  only  producer  of 
emery  in  this  part  of  the  world,  but  in  1849 
Dr.  Lawrence  Smith,  when  investigating 
Turkish  mineral  resources,  discovered  deposits 
on  the  mainland  south  of  Smyrna,  which  he 
described  in  a  paper  published  the  next  year. 
The  deposits  were  further  developed  by  Jack- 
son, Charnand,  Abbott,  and  others,  and  were 
described  fairly  fully  in  1898  by  Thomae,  while 
among  the  most  recent  accounts  may  be  men- 
tioned that  of  De  Launay. 

The  most  important  deposits  are  situated  (l) 
on  the  Gumush  Dagh,  immediatelynorth  of  So- 
kia,  48  miles  SSE  of  Symrna,  and  (2)  seven 
miles  NE  of  Tire.  The  chief  localities  are 
Alaman,  which  lies  to  the  south  of  Alaman 
Dagh,  just  north  of  the  Gumush  Dagh  ;  Ala- 
jali ;  Kozbunar;  Hassan  Chaulsar;  Yenikeui ; 
Kurshak.     Many  of  the  deposits  are  now  ex- 


hausted, while  others  have  hardlv  been  work- 
ed at  all. 

Two  different  kinds  of  deposits  are  distin- 
guished: (l)  the  mineral  in  situ,  known  as 
rock-emery;  (2)emerydetritus,due  to  weather- 
ing. The  rock-emery  is  found  in  irregular 
pockets  in  the  limestone.  Their  width  varies 
from  a  few  feet  up  to  two  hundred,  their  length 
to  three  hundred,  and  their  depth  from  ten  to 
fifty  feet.  It  is  possible  to  sink  far  deeper 
shafts,  but  owing  to  the  output  from  surface 
deposits  being  sufficient,  coupled  with  the  ex- 
tra expense,  deeply-worked  mines  hardlv  exist 
at  all. 

The  walls  of  the  deposits  are  most  irregular. 
Thomae  describes  the  limestone  as  intruding 
and  receding  most  unexpectedly  ;  the  demarca- 
tion between  it  and  the  deposit  is  beyond  the 
range  of  decomposition  ;  all  is  distinct  with  no 
gradual  merging  of  the  one  into  the  other, 
though  the  limestone,  being  in  juxtaposition, 
is  often  stained  and  veined  with  brown  seams. 
The  detrital  deposits  are  chiefly  found  on 
the  surface,  and  therefore  are  far  more  easy  to 
work,  although  they  are  not  nearly  so  extensive 
as  the  rock-emery  already  described.  They 
consist  of  fragments  of  various  sizes,  which  are 
embedded  in  a  compact  clay,  usually  coloured 
red  by  iron  oxide.  They  also  occur  in  close 
association  with  deposits  of  rock-emery  and 
are  obviously  due  to  weathering.  In  other 
cases  the  rock-emery  has  weathered  entirely 
away  and  only  the  detrital  deposit  is  left. 

The  ore  is  mixed  with  various  silicate 
minerals,  including  margarite,  biotite,  chlorite, 
and  chloritoid.  The  quality  of  the  emery  is 
dependent  upon  the  quantity  of  these  minerals 
that  is  present  in  the  ore.  They  sometimes, 
however,  occur  in  distinct  veins.  Emery  is 
found  in  a  reddish  soil  and  is  sometimes  asso- 
ciated with  mica-schist,  gneiss,  and  granite. 
The  proportion  of  the  corundum  varies  from 
37  to  57%. 

Owing  to  the  perfect  cleavage  and  cross- 
cleavage,  the  ore  can  often  be  mined  without 
the  use  of  explosives.  The  emery  caves  some- 
what resemble  the  stalactite  caves  of  England, 
as  the  entrances  are  small,  opening  into  big 
caves,  the  roofs  of  which  are  supported  by 
natural  pillars.  The  emery  is  broken  up  and 
carefully  picked  over  by  hand,  and  taken  on 
camels,  carrying  about  4  to  5  cwt.  each,  to  the 
nearest  port  or  station.  It  has  then  to  beground 
or  stampedand  separated  intogrades  by  screens. 
The  higher  grades  are  prepared  mainly  by 
elutriation,  the  finest  quality  being  known  as 
flower  of  emery."  The  fine  powder  which 
is  collected  in  the  stamping  room  is  used  by 


220 


THE    MINING     MAGAZINE 


lapidaries  and  plate-glass  manufacturers. 

The  following  are  some  of  the  most  recent 
concessions  granted  for  the  working  of  emery 
mines  in  the  vilayet  of  Aidin  : 

(1)  A  Turkish  financial  group  has  obtained  a 

concession  for  the  working  of  deposits  at 
Torbali  for  60  years. 

(2)  Concession  granted  for  60  years  for  emery 

mine  containing  iron,  situated  in  the  vil- 
lage of  Haissardjik  in  the  caza  of  Milas. 
(3J  A  similar  deposit  in  the  village  of  Sou-dere, 

also  in  the  caza  of  Milas. 
(4)  A  similar  deposit  in  the  village  of  Kara- 
oglou,  in  the  caza  of  Milas. 
As  regards  the  output,  of  late  years  America 
has  put  on  the  market  artificial  products  for 
grinding  and  polishing  purposes,  which  have 
been  somewhat  detrimental  to  emery.  In 
spite  of  this  fact  the  export  figures  at  Smyrna 
are  large.  The  following  table  compares  them 
with  those  of  the  other  two  chief  emery  export- 
ers of  the  world  : 


Years 

1905 

1907 
1508 

190'1 


Turkey 

( .reece 

Tons 

13.182 

17.565 

7,565 

-]8.559 

10.589 

J0.304 

7,471 

18,215 

8.193 

U.S.A 

Tons 

1.929 

I.05J 

970 

607 


Accordingto  other  statistics,  the  world'scon- 
sumption  of  emery  is  given  at  25,000  tons  per 
annum,  of  which  Asia  Minor  supplies  some 
18,000  tons,  valued  at  ^53,000,  Canada  388 
tons,  valued  at  /~10,1'14,  and  Naxos  6,328  tens, 
valued  at  .{"26,830. 

The  only  other  vilayet  m  Anatolia  in  which 
emery  occurs  is  Adana,  where  a  deposit  has 
recently  been  recorded  at  A  lava. 

IRON.— A  large  amount  of  iron  exists  in 
Anatolia  in  different  localities,  but  is  usually 
found  in  association  with  other  minerals  such 
as  emery,  copper,  etc.  It  has  hardly  been 
worked  at  all  owing,  in  the  first  place,  to  lack 
of  fuel,  and,  secondly,  to  lack  of  transport. 
The  most  important  mines  are  in  the  vilayet  of. 
Aidin,  at  Beche-Parmak  ;  the  deposits  here 
show  a  mixture  of  hematite  and  magnetite  in 
micaceous  schists.  The  only  other  occurrence 
in  Aidin  is  that  at  Kurubel  near  Denizli.  \t 
Eski-shehi,  in  the  village  of  Brusa,  iron  ore  is 
found  containing  70%  of  iron  compounds  and 
30%  of  manganese  compounds.  The  only  other 
iron  mines  of  any  importance  in  this  vilayet 
are  those  at  the  villages  of  Altoun  Tache  and 
Bourgas, situated  in  the  caza  of  Mudania.  The 
right  to  work  these  has  been  granted  to  an  Ot- 
toman subject  for  99  years,  dating  from  2  or  3 
years  back.  In  the  village  of  Adana  there  are 
iron  mines  on  the  south-east  side  of  the  Bel 
Dagh,  at  Baghchejik,  21  miles  NN  E  of  Adana. 


The  emery  and  iron  mine  at  Alaya  has  already 
been  referred  to. 

Manganese. — Theoccurrencesof  mangan- 
ese are  few  and  unimportant.  They  are  for 
the  most  part  associated  with  other  minerals 
such  as  iron  and  emery.  In  the  sandjak  of 
Ismid  there  is  a  mine  about  seven  miles  from 
Ak  Hissar,  but  no  details  as  to  output  are  ob- 
tainable. In  the  vilayet  of  Brusa  a  little  man- 
ganese is  found  near  the  silver-lead  mines  of 
Balia-Maden.  It  occurs  where  the  augitic 
andesite  joins  the  limestone,  and  is  in  the  form 
of  pyrolusite,  which  is  partly  mixed  with  the 
decomposed  limestone.  This  weathering  has 
caused  cavities  in  the  joints  of  the  limestone, 
which  at  places  reach  considerable  size.  There 
are  also  deposits  near  Hereclea.  In  the  sand- 
jak of  Bigha  there  are  five  occurrences  of 
manganese  in  association  with  other  minerals, 
but  they  are  so  slight  as  to  hardly  warrant 
mention.  Traces  of  manganese  occur  in  Konia 
and  Trebizonde.  There  are  also  some  mines 
which  have  lately  been  worked  in  the  vilayet 
of  Trebizonde,  but  they  come  outside  our  area. 
Small  beds  occur  at  Ayasmand,  north  of 
Smyrna. 

Since  the  war  a  number  of  concessions  have 
been  granted  in  the  vilayet  of  Aidin  to  Turks 
and  Germans,  among  which  are  the  following  : 
( 1 )  To  a  Turk  for  99  years,  village  of  Kutchuk, 
caza  of  Pethie.  (2)  To  a  Turk  at  Kapali 
Kapou/  Dere,  caza  of  Kendjeghuz.  (3)  To  a 
German,  village  of  Inlondja,  caza  of  Eethie. 
The  annual  production  averages  in  normal 
times  12,000  tons. 

CHR<  >mii  m. — The  chief  chromite  mines  are 
found  in  the  vilayets  of  Brusa  and  Aidin.  The 
chromite  district  in  Brusa  covers  an  area 
stretching  about  15  miles  east  and  west  and  8 
miles  north  and  south.  It  is  situated  in  the 
nahiye  of  Dagh  Ardi  and  caza  of  Simav.  The 
chief  town  in  the  neighbourhood  is  Harmanjik 
(Chardi)  which  is  52  miles  ESE  of  Sultan- 
Chair  on  the  Soma-Panderma  Railway.  The 
chromite  is  soft  and  quite  easily  worked.  The 
output  of  the  Dagh  Ardi  mines  alone  averages 
from  between  12,000  and  15,000  tons  per  year. 
The  mineral  is  taken  to  the  port  of  Derinje  on 
the  Gulf  of  Ismid.  The  total  cost  of  mining 
and  transporting  a  ton  of  ore  to  Derinje  includ- 
ing all  expenses  is  about  £l.  A  mine  known 
by  the  name  of  Mirankoi  yields  3,000  tons  and 
that  of  Kosluja  1,250  tons  per  year.  There 
are  also  mines  near  Artiranlar  and  Alabarda. 
Theentiredistrictyieldsabout  16,000tons.  The 
Cnited  Kingdom  imports  nearly  two-thirds  of 
these  ores,  and  the  remainder  is  divided  be- 
tween Germany  and  the  United  States. 


OCTOBER,     1919 


221 


The  Aidin  mines  are  situated 
in  the  extreme  southern  corner 
of  the  vilayet  near  Makri,  oppo- 
site the  Island  of  Rhodes.  The 
chromic  acid  contenjts  vary  from 
a  trace  to  as  much  as  58%.  If 
the  percentage  is  much  under 
47%  it  is  not  considered  good 
enough  for  export.  Some  years 
before  the  war  a  50%  ore  would 
fetch  £l.  12s.  per  ton  f.o.b.  on 
the  coast,  52%  £3.  14s.,  and  so 
on,  in  proportion.  The  richest 
ores  appear  to  be  those  nearest 
the  surface.  The  output  is  only 
quite  small,  though  at  one  time 
it  was  very  considerable.  Other 
occurrences  in  Aidin  are  near 
Denizli.  The  ore  is  in  irregular 
pockets  and  veins  in  the  serpen- 
tine.but  the  output  is  only  small. 
These  mines  have  been  profit- 
ably worked  during  the  war. 

Apart  from  the  vilayets  of 
Brusa  and  Aidin,  chromite  is 
mined  near  the  Gulf  of  Adalia, 
in  the  vilayet  of  Konia.  The 
ores  yielded  as  much  as  55'5% 
of  the  oxide,  but  owing  to  the  drop  in  prices 
most  of  the  mines  closed  down.  In  the  vilayet 
of  Adana  three  mines  were  worked  near  Mer- 
sina,  quite  close  to  the  coast.  The  methods  of 
working  were  most  primitive,  but  about  2,000 
tons  per  year  was  produced.  The  only  other 
deposits  worth  mentioning  are  in  Bigha. 

The  low  prices  which  ruled  for  chrome  ores 
for  some  years  previous  to  the  war  have  been 
the  chief  cause  for  the  reduction  in  the  Turk- 
ish output.  However,  during  the  war  the  at- 
tention of  the  Germans  was  drawn  to  the 
mines  of  Aidin  and  were  properly  surveyed. 
Krupps  acquired  the  concessions  of  two  or 
three  mines.  A  report  from  the  foreign  press 
in  1917  dealing  with  deliveries  indicates  that 
the  output  during  the  war  was  considerable. 
As  soon  as  communications  are  improved  the 
production  of  chromite  should  be  important. 
Sixty  concessions  have  already  been  granted 
for  working  the  chromite  mines  in  Anatolia. 
The  present  annual  output  may  be  estimated 
at  about  18,000  tons. 

Copper. — By  far  the  most  important  cop- 
per mines  in  Anatolia  are  those  of  Arghana 
Maden  in  the  vilayet  of  Diarbekir,  but  they 
fall  just  outside  the  area  under  consideration, 
and  so  will  not  be  described.  There  are  cop- 
per mines  in  most  of  the  other  vilayets,  but 
they  are  all  small  and  often  unworked. 


Map  of  the  Brusa  Chromite  District. 

In  the  vilayet  of  Sivas,  copper  occurs  just 
outside  the  capital,  at  Yildiz,  Zara,  and  Tokat. 
Copper  is  imported  at  Tokat  from  Arghana 
Maden,  and  it  receives  there  its  final  refining 
before  going  on  to  Samsoun.  Although  several 
concessions  have   been   granted   in  Sivas  no 
workings  were  commenced  up  to  the  outbreak 
of  war.     There  might  be  a  big  future  for  cop- 
per mining  in  Sivas,  but  owing  to  the  enor- 
mous difficulties  of  transport  and  the  bad  state 
of  the  so-called  roads  in  winter,  prospects  do 
not  look  very  bright.    There  are  about  a  dozen 
localities  in  Trebizonde  where  copper  is  found 
in  small  quantities,  but  they  all  fall  just  east 
of  our  boundary  line.    In  the  vilayet  of  Adana, 
copper  is  found  near  Selefke,  10  miles  from 
the  coast.      In  Castamuni,  about  60  miles  due 
north  of  the  capital  and  15  miles  from  Ineboli, 
on  the  Black  Sea,  are  the  old  copper  mines  of 
Kureh,  but  the  present  output  is  hardly  worth 
mentioning.     Copper  has  also  been  reported 
from  Aidin,  Btusa,  and  Ismid,  but  the  occur- 
rences are  only  small  and  in  association  with 
other  minerals. 

No  figures  are  obtainable  showing  the  out- 
put of  the  Anatolian  mines,  other  than  Arghana 
Maden,  but  the  total  would  probably  not  be 
more  than  100  tons  per  year. 

(  To  be  continued  ), 


)22 


THE     MINING    MAGAZINE 


LETTERS  to  the  EDITOR 

Spitsbergen. 

The  Editor : 

Sir — I  was  really  astonished  to  see  the 
lengthy  article  of  Mr.  Mansfield  in  the  August 
issue  of  the  Magazine.  In  fact,  the  Northern 
Exploration  Company  could  have  found  no 
worse  defendant  for  their  bad  cause  than  the 
said  gentleman.  Instead  of  a  refutation  based 
on  the  facts  of  my  charges  against  the  North- 
ern Exploration  Company  of  imposing  upon 
the  English  Government  and  public,  Mr. 
Mansfield  hides  behind  a  smoke-screen  of 
cheap  arguments,  characteristic  of  the  adven- 
turous prospector,  and  behind  talks  of  politics 
and  indecent  insinuations.  I  will,  however, 
treat  him  seriously  and  give  a  large  amount  of 
additional  information,  some  of  which  he  has 
called  for. 

Three  iron  experts  examined  the  Recherche 
Bay  iron  deposits.  One  of  these  was  Mr.  11. 
Morch-Olsen,  of  Kristiania,  a  mining  engineer 
graduated  from  the  University  of  Kristiania, 
with  experience  in  Norwegian  and  Minnesota 
iron  mines.  He  examined  the  deposit  in  Re- 
cherche Bay  in  1912  for  the  Stavanger-Spits- 
bergenske  Kulkompani.  As  a  result  of  his 
report,  the  deposit  was  dropped.  Two  other 
engineers  examined  the  propeity  for  Swedish 
and  Dutch  parties  respectively,  with  the  same 
result.  [Mr.  Marstrander  is  not  at  liberty  to 
mention  these  names  publicly,  but  he  has  given 
the  particulars  to  us  privately,  and  we  can  as- 
sure readers  that  the  names  are  quite  good  ami 
above  suspicion. — EDITOR]  .  I  can  also  in- 
form you  that  I  received  news,  some  days  ago, 
from  my  friend  Mr.  Adolf  Hoel,  State  Geolo- 
gist, now  at  Spitsbergen,  that  he  had  visited 
the  deposit  and  found  it  even  more  insignifi- 
cant than  he  had  imagined. 

Mir.  Mar.sfield  tells  us  that  he  protested 
against  the  trespasses  of  the  Swedes  in  1911, 
and  warned  them  against  the  possible  conse- 
quences thereof.  The  Swedish  company  has 
a  share  capital  of  several  million  crowns,  and 
gave  to  the  Northern  Exploration  Company 
free  shares  to  the  amount  of  50,000  crowns,  in 
order  to  get  rid  of  them.  It  is  the  buildings, 
piers,  and  works  of  the  Swedish  company  in 
Braganza  Bay  that  the  Northern  Exploration 
Co.  reproduces  and  represents  as  its  own  works, 
in  its  propagandapamphlet  "Spitsbergen  :  The 
Gate  to  the  Northern  Markets  of  Europe." 

On  pages  14-15  of  this  pamphlet,  the  com- 
pany reproduces  a  two-page  picture  of  what  is 
called  "Coal  Strata,  Spitsbergen."  The  pic- 
ture  is   taken   from    Braganza   Bay,  and   the 


strata  seen  represent  barren  slates,  so  charac- 
teristic of  the  sedimentary  table-lands  of  Spits- 
bergen. In  the  pamphlet,  the  Northern  Ex- 
ploration Co.  also  tells  its  shareholders  that 
several  hundred  thousands  of  tons  of  coal  have 
been  shipped  from  Spitsbergen,  leading  read- 
ers to  believe  that  this  has  been  shipped  by 
them.  It  is  a  fact,  however,  that  since  1905, 
the  year  when  the  Northern  Exploration  Co. 
started  its  activities  in  Spitsbergen,  the  com- 
pany has  not  shipped  a  single  ship-load,  either 
of  coal  or  other  minerals,  except  insignificant 
amounts. 

Mr.  Mansfield,  in  his  article,  says  that  the 
main  work  done  by  Norwegians  in  Spitsber- 
gen from  1905  to  1910,  was  whaling.  1  wish 
to  inform  you,  very  briefly,  of  the  actual  work 
done  in  Spitsbergen  from  1905  to  1919  by 
Norwegians. 

In  1906-7  there  was  Captain  Isachsen's 
and  the  Rrince  of  Monaco's  expedition,  con- 
sisting of  three  topographers,  one  geologist, 
one  botanist,  and  three  assistants.  They  made 
a  survey  and  study  of  the  geological  formations 
of  north-western  Spitsbergen.  The  area  map- 
ped covered  1,500  square  miles,  and  they  pre- 
pared a  map  with  a  scale  of  1  :  100,000,  with 
contour  lines  at  50  metres. 

In  1908  Hoel's  expedition  comprised  two 
geologists  and  one  botanist. 

In  1909-10  Isachsen's  party  went  out,  con- 
sisting of  4  topographers,  4  geologists,  2  hydro- 
graphers,  8  assistants,  etc.,  total  37  men.  The 
area  mapped  was  about  2,000  sq.  miles  with  a 
scale  of  1  :  100,000. 

Staxrud  &  Hoel's  expeditions  wer  in  1911 
-16.  There  were  3  topographers,  1  hydro- 
grapher,  3  geologists,  3  mining  engineers,  and 
5  assistants,  the  number  varying  from  one 
year  to  the  other.  During  these  expeditions, 
most  of  the  stratigraphy  of  the  coalfields  of 
Western  Spitsbergen  was  thoroughly  studied, 
from  a  scientific  and  economic  viewpoint,  and 
a  most  important  foundation  was  laid  for  fu- 
ture economic  and  scientific  work  in  the  coal- 
fields of  Spitsbergen.  Maps  as  large  as 
1  :  50,000,  covering  the  land  between  Icefjord 
and  Bell  Sound  eastward  to  Advent  Valley, 
750  sq.  miles,  were  made,  on  account  of  the 
great  economic  importance  of  this  district. 

Hoel's  and  Rovig's  expedition  in  1917 
consisted  of  from  1  to  4  topographers,  1  hydro- 
grapher,  2  geologists,  1  mining  engineer,  and 
8  assistants,  in  addition  to  the  crew.  They 
explored  and  mapped  the  neighbourhoods  of 
Horn  Sound  and  the  regions  northward  ;  the 
total  area  mapped  was  1,000  square  miles. 

In    1919   Hoel's   expedition  continued   the 


OCTOBER,     1919 


223 


work  from  1918,  mapping  and  exploring  the 
regions  from  Horn  Sound  to  South  Cape.  The 
work  is  to  be  finished  1922. 

The  results  of  these  expeditions  are  that 
the  entire  western  part  of  Spitsbergen,  from 
Wijde  Bay,  on  the  north  coast,  to  South  Cape, 
and  up  to  56  miles  inland,  covering  about 
7,000  square  miles  (about  one-fourth  of  the 
entire  area  of  Spitsbergen)  has  been  mapped, 
on  scales  of  from  1  :  50,000  to  1  :  200,000,  with 
contour  lines  at  50  metres.  These  maps  are 
founded  upon  exact  base  measurements,  astro- 
nomical observations,  and  triangulations,  a  net 
of  triangles  extending  from  the  north  coast  to 
South  Cape,  over  a  distance  of  212  miles.  As 
to  the  exactness  of  the  survey,  it  may  be  sta- 
ted that  a  side  of  a  triangle  calculated  from  a 
base  at  Cales  Bay  (Icefjord)  to  be  15,295*7 
metres  long,  was  found  to  be  15,293'5  metres, 
by  starting  the  calculation  from  a  base  meas- 
ured on  the  southern  shore  of  Horn  Sound. 
The  difference  is  only  2'2  metres,  while  the 
distance  between  the  bases  is  130  kilometres, 
or  81  miles.  These  maps  are  without  a  paral- 
lel from  any  arctic  or  antarctic  land.  The 
following  harbours  have  been  sounded  and 
surveyed:  Vulkan  Harbour,  Hamburger  Bay, 
Cross  Bay,  Signe  Harbour,  Ebeltoft  Harbour, 
King's  Bay,  Foreland  Sound,  Farm  Harbour, 
Ferrier  Harbour,  Hecla  Harbour,  Green 
Harbour,  Advent  Bay,  parts  of  Icefjord,  the 
entire  coast  from  north  of  Icefjord  to  Bell 
Sound  and  Horn  Sound,  and  finally  the  Nor- 
wegian harbour  of  Bear  Island.  Some  7,000 
photos  have  been  taken,  most  of  which  are 
levelled  and  orientated  from  fixed  trigonome- 
trical points.  The  geological  data  are  being 
gathered  to  form  a  continuous  geological  map 
from  north  to  south,  and  in  1922,  it  is  calcula- 
ted, a  Norwegian  topographical  and  geological 
atlas  of  the  entire  western  part  of  Spitsbergen 
will  be  in  existence.  [Mr.  Marstrander  has 
sent  us  copies  of  a  number  of  these  maps  ; 
they  reflect  great  credit  on  the  producers. — 
Editor]. 

Beside  these  more  important  expeditions, 
there  have  been,  since  1905,  forty  other  Nor- 
wegian expeditions  to  Spitsbergen,  having  for 
their  object  the  examination  of  the  mineral 
wealth  of  the  islands.  If  you  should  want  to 
know  the  names,  places  to  where  they  went, 
and  the  kind  of  deposits  examined,  I  am  pre- 
pared to  give  you  such  information. 

It  is  on  the  basis  of  the  results  of  all  these 
Norwegianexpeditions  that  I  said  that, except- 
ing coal,  Spitsbergen  is  poorly  supplied  with 
mineral  wealth,  and  that  no  one  knows  the 
islands  better  than  Norwegians  do.     We  do 


not  claim  vast  territories,  proclaiming  to  our 
shareholders  their  enormous  contents  of  riches 
in  almost  every  ore  existing,  neither  do  we 
waste  our  money  in  mining  coaly  slate  for 
coal,  rubble  for  building  material,  and  quartz- 
ite  for  iron  ore. 

Mr.  Mansfield  says  that  the  Norwegian  wire- 
less station  was  built  by  Germans.  No  more 
was  it  built  by  Germans  than  our  Transatlan- 
tic station  at  Stavanger  was  built  by  English- 
men. For  the  one,  we  bought  the  machinery 
in  Germany,  in  1911;  for  the  other,  we  bought 
it  in  England,  in  1913.  Both  stations,  how- 
ever, were  built  exclusively  by  Norwegian 
engineers,  as  a  help  to  the  Norwegian  sealers 
and  whalers  up  there,  and  to  the  ever  increas- 
ing Norwegian  settlements  at  the  mines.  The 
great  economic  interests  involved  in  these  in- 
dustries, and  in  the  consideration  of  the  ice- 
conditions  with  respect  to  shipping,  made  it 
imperative  to  connect  Spitsbergen  with  the  rest 
of  the  world. 

With  regard  to  what  Mr.  Mansfield  calls  the 

fine  sounding  outfit,"  who  examined  the  so- 
called  guano  deposits  around  Horn  Sound,  I 
can  give  him  information  as  to  the  members  of 
the  expeditions.  In  1917,  the  geologists  were 
Adolf  Hoel  and  W.  Werenskiold,  both  State 
Geologists  and  teachers  in  the  University  of 
Christiania,  and  A.  K.  Orvin  was  the  mining 
engineer.  In  1918,  the  geologists  were  again 
Messrs.  Hoel  and  Werenskiold  ;  J.  Braadstad 
was  mining  engineer  ;  and  A.  Koller,  \Y. 
Solheim,  and  H.  Hoist  were  the  topographers. 
In  both  years  these  parties  had  Horn  Sound 
as  their  headquarters. 

As  to  my  own  visits  to  Spitsbergen,  these 
took  place  in  1909  and  1911.  On  the  first  oc- 
casion, I  was  a  member  of  the  geological  staff 
of  the  Isachsen  expedition.  On  the  second, 
I  was  sent  out  by  a  syndicate  in  Kristiania  to 
examine  coal  and  mineral  deposits.  As  to  the 
insinuation  of  my  having  any  connection  with 
German  interests  in  Spitsbergen,  this  argu- 
ment, under  the  present  circumstances,  s  gni- 
fies  an  accusation  which  I  challenge  Mr. 
Mansfield,  or  any  others,  to  prove. 

Rolf  Marstrander. 

Kulhuset,  Telemarken, 
Norway,  September  12. 

[Mr.  Marstrander's  first  communication  on 
the  subject  of  Spitsbergen  appeared  in  the  June 
issue,  and  Mr.  Mansfield's  reply  was  published 
in  the  August  issue.  Further  information  re- 
lating to  Spitsbergen  enterprises  is  given  in 
this  issue  under  the  heading  Editorial  and  Re- 
view of  Mining.— Editor  . 


224 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


NEWS   LETTERS 

MELBOURNE. 

July  18. 

Wolfram  in  Queensland, — Details  are 
now  available  of  the  work  done  by  Thermo 
Electric  Ltd.  in  North  Queensland  in  the  de- 
velopment of  wolfram  deposits.  The  prop- 
erties were  sold  recently  to  the  Burma  Queens- 
landCorporation.  Thisinformation  isgiven  by 
Mr.  F.  C.  Cann,  the  manager.  The  township 
of  Wolfram  lies  about  86  miles  west  of  Cairns, 
the  seaport  for  the  mining  and  agricultural  dis- 
tricts of  the  Cairns  hinterland,  and  15  miles 
north -west  of  Dimbulah,  a  rail  way  station  on  the 
Chillagoe  railway,  and  approximately  1,000  ft. 
above  sea  level.  The  district,  for  the  most 
part,  is  composed  of  granite  and  quartz-felspar 
porphyry  rocks,  consisting  of  undulating  to 
rough  country,  broken  by  a  series  of  hills  ex- 
tending in  an  east  and  west  direction.  The 
areas  of  deep  soil  are  fairly  thickly  timbered 
with  ironbark,  bloodwood,  and  gum,  which  are 
used  for  firewood  and  general  mining  pur- 
poses ;  while  on  the  sides  of  some  high  granite 
ranges  cypress  pine  grows  sparsely.  The 
flats  are  principally  grass  country,  but  on  the 
hills  the  general  vegetation  consists  of  stunted 
scrub.  Bulluburrah  Creek  is  the  main  water 
channel.  It  heads  about  4  miles  north  of  the 
town  and  joins  the  Walsh  river  9  miles  south- 
west of  the  town.  The  means  of  access  from 
Dimbulah  to  Wolfram  is  by  bush  roads.  The 
transport  of  materials  is  done  by  teamsters, 
and  the  conveyance  of  passengers  and  mails 
by  coaches. 

The  mining  district  is  situated  both  east  and 
west  of  the  town,  and  is  over  14  miles  in  length 
and  1  h milesinbreadth.  Thefirstmineraldiscov- 
eries  were  made  about  1897,  but  owing  to  the 
isolation  of  the  district  very  little  work  was 
done  until  1905,  when  the  district  began  to 
attract  attention.  A  large  number  of  miners 
then  commenced  to  work  the  rich  alluvial  wol- 
fram in  the  creek  beds,  and  also  the  lode  out- 
crops and  the  surface  accumulations  on  the 
slopes  of  the  hills  derived  from  the  lode  out- 
crops. From  the  latter  it  was  not  uncommon 
to  find  lumps  of  wolfram  weighing  5  cwt,  and 
some  lumps  have  been  found  weighing  over 
one  ton,  while  some  pieces  of  metallic  bismuth 
have  been  found  weighing  up  to  801b.  The 
principal  minerals  mined  at  present  are  wol- 
fram, bismuth,  and  molybdenite,  and  the  dis- 
trict may  be  considered  the  premier  producer 
in  Australia  of  those  minerals.  There  are 
also  deposits  of  tin,  silver-lead,  and  copper, 
which  have  been  worked  by  trenches  and  shal- 


low shafts,  but  are  now  abandoned  owing  to 
the  high  cost  of  transporting  the  minerals  by 
pack  teams  to  suitable  treatment  works. 

The  country  rock  in  which  the  present  dis- 
coveries have  been  made  is  a  portion  ot  the 
great  granite  massif  which  stretches  from 
Wolfram  south-west  to  Bam  ford  and  is  more 
or  less  continuous  to  the  west  with  the  granites 
of  the  Koorboora  district.  The  slates  and 
schistose  conglomerates  strike  N  65  W  and 
dip  north-easterly  at  angles  of  40  to  85". 
The  beds  alternate  rapidly  from  slate  to  con- 
glomerateand  are  intensely  folded  and  strongly 
metamorphosed  and  interbedded  with  bands  of 
shattered  porphyritic  igneous  rock.  The  gran- 
ite in  its  least  altered  variety  is  a  pink  gran- 
itite:  the  felspars  are  mostly  orthoclase  with 
intergrowths  of  albite.  The  mica  is  dirty-green 
and  light  brown,  and  occasionally  has  a  little 
fluorite  associated  with  it. 

The  seat  of  deposition  of  the  wolfram,  bis- 
muth, and  molybdenite  is  chiefly  near  the  con- 
tact zone.  Here  the  granite  has  marked  mar- 
ginal development  of  greisenization,  and  it  is 
traversed  by  veins  and  bands  of  pegmatite, 
with  intersections  of  intrusive  quartz- felspar 
porphyry. 

The  great  majority  of  the  important  depos- 
ltsof  wolfram,  bismuth, and  molybdenite  being 
worked  consist  of  pipes  of  many  shapes,  but 
typically  they  have  the  appearance  of  cylin- 
drical masses,  very  irregular  and  tortuous,  with 
no  general  direction  in  their  underlie,  though, 
in  many  cases,  their  dip  is  toward  the  contact 
of  slate  and  granite.  The  three  metals  are 
usually  companions  in  the  same  lode,  with  the 
richer  patches  of  bismuth  on  the  foot  side. 
The  lodes  have  no  walls,  but  represent  the  fill- 
ing of  cavities  with  massive  crystalline  quartz, 
merging  into  a  tough  and  granular  quartzite  to- 
ward the  altered  granite  periphery. 

The  mining  properties  are  granted  under 
lease  from  the  (Queensland  State  Government, 
subject  to  the  mining  regulations  prevailing 
in  the  State.  The  chief  condition,  in  addition 
to  the  rental  of  ten  shillings  per  acre  per  an- 
num, is  the  labour  convenant,  which  provides 
that  at  least  one  man  shall  be  continuously 
employed  for  every  ten  acres  under  lease,  pro- 
vided that  a  smaller  lease  shall  be  manned  by 
one  man.  Due  provision  is  made  for  obtain- 
ing total  or  partial  exemption  as  circumstances 
arise. 

There  areabout  thirty  mines,  of  which  twen- 
ty are  owned  by  the  Burma  Queensland  Cor- 
poration, Limited  (formerly  the  Thermo  Elec- 
tric Ore  Reduction  Corporation,  Limited). 
The  principal  work  of  the  corporation  during 


OCTOBER,    1919 


225 


the  past  two  years  has  been  mine  develop- 
ment and  equipment,  installation  of  electric 
power  plant,  and  the  construction  of  tramway 
haulages,  aerial  ropeway,  and  reduction  plant. 

In  the  past  the  mining  was  chiefly  open-cut 
and  the  ore  was  hauled  to  surface  by  windlass. 
The  method  of  treatment  consisted  of  hand- 
picking  and  dollying  the  ore,  followed  by  hand- 
jigging  the  pulp  ;  consequently  only  the  rich 
ore  was  mined,  and  only  to  a  depth  of  about 
150  ft. 

Regarding  the  central  group  of  mines  own- 
ed by  the  corporation,  namely,  Leisner,  Mur- 
phy &  Geaney,  Larkin,  Hillside,  Forget-me- 
not,  Hughes,  Tully,  and  Mulligan,  these  have 
all  been  developed  by  drives  and  rises,  while 
shafts  have  been  sunk  to  a  depth  of  500  ft.  in 
ore.  The  majority  of  the  ore- bodies  are  very 
large,  ranging  from  20  to  60  ft.  diameter.  The 
evidence  shows  good  prospects  of  extension  in 
depth,  as  the  metal  values  persist  unaltered  to 
the  bottom,  and  the  ore-bodies  maintain  their 
size. 

TORONTO. 

September  13. 

Cobalt. — The  miners'  strike,  which  began 
on  July  23,  affecting  about  2,300  men,  was 
settled  on  September  8,  the  men  agreeing  to 
accept  the  terms  offered  by  the  employers. 
The  latter  remained  firm  in  their  determination 
to  refuse  recognition  of  the  Union,  but  admit- 
ted the  principle  of  collective  bargaining  with 
committees  tobe  appointed  by  theiremployees, 
independent  of  the  Union.  They  also  agreed 
to  increase  the  base  wage  by  50  cents  per  day, 
the  bonus  based  on  the  price  of  silver  to  be 
fixed  on  the  excess  over  80c.  per  oz.,  instead  of 
60c.  as  formerly.  This  ensures  greater  stabil- 
ity in  wages  in  case  of  a  considerable  decrease 
in  the  price  of  the  metal.  Operations  are  be- 
ing rapidly  resumed  by  the  leading  mines, 
most  of  which  are  in  good  shape,  though  in 
some  cases  the  lower  levels  are  flooded.  The 
Coniagas  and  Trethewey  are  operating  at  full 
capacity,  and  the  Kerr  Lake,  Crown  Reserve, 
McKinley-Darragh,  and  Adanac  are  working 
on  the  upper  levels.  There  is  some  difficulty 
in  securing  labour,  owing  to  so  many  of  the 
strikers  having  left  the  district,  but  most  of 
them  are  returning,  and  it  is  expected  that  nor- 
mal conditions  will  be  restored  by  the  end  of 
the  month.  The  high  price  of  silver  is  stimu- 
lating production,  and  owners  of  many  old 
properties  which  have  been  closed  for  years 
are  planning  to  resume  operations. 

Porcupine.  — Porcupine  has  benefited  to 
some  extent  by  the  strikes  elsewhere,  which 

4—6 


have  caused  an  influx  of  labour,  but  there  is 
still  a  demand  for  more  men.  The  Hollinger 
Consolidated  has  issued  a  report  covering  the 
period  from  January  1  to  June  26,  showing  a 
total  income  of  §3,166,626,  and  operating  costs 
amounting  to  $1,646,868,  leaving  net  profits 
of  $1,519,756,  of  which  $738,000  was  paid  in 
dividends  and  $781,756  added  to  the  surplus. 
The  mill  treated  316,386  tons  of  ore  of  the 
average  value  of  $9"93  per  ton,  and  the  costs 
per  ton  were  $4'94.  There  were  1,311  men 
on  the  pay-roll,  and  an  effort  is  being  made  to 
increasethe  force  by  500  men.  If  these  could  be 
obtained  the  company  is  in  a  position  to  largely 
increase  its  output.  The  Dome  Mines  during 
August  treated  25,000  tons  of  ore,  the  mill- 
heads  showing  about  $9"80  per  ton.  Profits 
are  estimated  at  about  50%.  The  directorate 
considers  it  inadvisable  at  present  to  issue  offi- 
cial monthly  statements  in  view  of  the  uncer- 
tainty of  conditions  and  the  fact  that  the  mill 
has  latterly  been  treating  ore  of  much  higher 
grade  than  the  average  of  the  reserves,  which 
is  estimated  at  $5*10  per  ton,  so  that  a  favour- 
able statement  for  a  brief  period  might  be  mis- 
leading. It  is  understood  that  the  mill-heads 
will  be  gradually  reduced  as  the  milling  capac- 
ity is  increased.  The  Dome  is  actively  push- 
ing development  on  the  adjacent  Dome  Exten- 
sion, on  which  it  holds  an  option.  It  is  com- 
pleting its  fourth  crosscut  into  the  Dome  Ex- 
tension ore-body  on  the  600  ft.  level.  The 
cross-cuts  are  75  ft.  apart,  and  in  the  one 
thought  to  be  at  the  widest  part  of  the  deposit 
99  ft.  was  cut.  Stoping  is  under  way.  The 
nature  of  the  work  undertaken  leads  to  the 
general  belief  that  the  Dome  management  in- 
tends to  exercise  the  option.  At  the  Mclntyre 
800  ft.  of  No.  5  vein  opened  up  on  the  1,100 
ft.  level  shows  higher  gold  content  than  on  the 
upper  levels.  Values  are  reported  to  run  $11 
to  the  ton  over  a  width  of  30  ft.  A  change  in 
the  formation  occurs  at  this  depth,  quartz  be- 
ing displaced  by  sulphides,  necessitating  finer 
grinding,  and  a  tube-mill  is  being  installed. 
About  40  tons  of  ore  per  day  is  being  taken 
from  the  upper  levels  of  the  Plenaurum,  but 
a  heavy  flow  of  water  has  been  encountered  at 
the  1,000  ft.  level  of  this  property,  rendering 
deep  mining  difficult.  The  shareholders  of 
the  Dome  Lake  have  ratified  a  by-law  pro- 
viding for  the  issue  of  bonds  for  $100,000  to 
raise  funds  for  development.  L.  G.  Harris, 
general  manager  of  North  Davidson,  has  gone 
to  London  to  interest  British  financiers  in  the 
property,  the  company's  plans  requiring  an 
outlay  of  $200,000.  The  Keora  is  planning 
the  sinking  of  a  shaft   to  open  up  a   body  of 


226 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


high-grade  ore  discovered  by  diamond-drilling. 
The  Porcupine  Crown,  which  was  closed  for 
some  time,  has  been  unwatered  and  work  re- 
sumed. At  the  Clifton  Porcupine  a  substan- 
tial tonnage  of  ore  has  been  placed  in  sight  on 
the  first  level  of  the  Boulder  vein.  An  elec- 
trical equipment  is  in  process  of  installation. 

Kirkland  Lake. — The  expectation  that 
the  strike  of  miners  at  Kirkland  Lake  would 
terminate  simultaneously  with  theCobaltstrike 
was  not  realized.  The  miners  at  last  accounts 
were  still  out,  though  negotiations  for  a  settle- 
ment were  on  foot,  and  it  is  expected  that  an 
understanding  will  very  shortly  be  reached. 
In  the  meantime  work  has  been  at  a  standstill 
except  at  a  few  new  mines  and  prospects  on 
the  outskirts  of  the  camp.  Exploration  work 
is  in  progress  at  the  Granby-Kirkland,  about 
a  mile  northeast  from  the  Tough  Oakes,  where 
trenching  has  disclosed  three  promising  veins, 
varying  in  width  from  3  to  5  ft.  The  Lake 
Shore  is  planning  the  installation  of  additional 
mill  equipment.  The  Kirkland  Porphyry, 
which  has  only  a  few  shareholders  and  no 
creditors,  has  gone  into  voluntary  liquidation. 

Larder  Lake. — The  Larder  Lake  camp, 
which  for  several  years  has  attracted  little  at- 
tention, is  again  coming  into  prominence. 
Shortly  after  the  first  discoveries  it  was  un- 
scrupulously boomed  by  wild-cat  promoters 
causing  widespreadlossestoinvestors,  following 
which  many  thousand  claims  staked  in  theearly 
days  were  allowed  to  lapse.  Operations,  how- 
ever, have  been  steadily  carried  on  by  the 
Associated  Goldfields,  who  are  working  several 
properties  on  an  extensive  scale,  opening  up 
large  bodies  of  low-grade  ore.  In  cross-cutting 
recently  on  the  Dr.  Reddick  property  at  the 
100  ft.  level  a  strike  was  made  of  a  low  grade 
deposit  which  proved  to  be  a  continuation  of 
a  300  ft.  wide  ore-body  on  the  Kerr-Addison 
property  adjoining,  which  lengthens  it  to  a  total 
of  about  2,000  ft.  Many  prospectors  have 
come  into  the  area  this  season  re-staking  the 
abandoned  claims,  and  it  is  estimated  that  there 
are  now  about  500  men  at  work  in  addition  to 
the  large  force  employed  by  the  Associated 
Goldfields.  The  Crown  Reserve  of  Cobalt  has 
bought  two  claims  at  a  price  stated  to  be  high. 

Boston  Creek. — The  area  of  the  Boston 
Creek  goldfield  is  being  broadened  out  by 
numerous  additional  finds,  and  work  is  being 
carried  on  at  many  points  outside  its  original 
limits.  The  Miller  Independence  is  installing 
a  new  mining  and  milling  plant  and  has  con- 
tracted for  electric  power.  Diamond-drilling 
is  being  actively  carried  on  at  the  Allied  Gold 
Mines   properties,   and  a    vein  has  been  cut 


which  is  believed  to  be  a  continuation  of  the 
Miller  Independence  vein.  The  Peerless  is 
putting  down  a  shaft  200  ft.  At  the  Campbell- 
Duncan  claim  some  remarkably  rich  ore  has 
been  taken  out  of  a  test  pit. 

CAMBORNE. 

DOLCOATH. — The  report  for  the  six  months 
ended  June  30,  1919,  makes  the  reverse  of 
cheerful  reading;  a  loss  of  ^19,510  for  that 
period  is  enough  to  damp  the  spirits  of  even 
the  most  optimistic  shareholder.  As  will  be 
seen  from  the  appended  figures,  the  quantity 
of  ore  raised  shows  a  slight  increase,  but  the 
recovery  is  down  by  1'4  lb.  per  ton,  while  the 
average  price  realized  for  the  tin  concentrate 
shows  a  fall  of  over  £1Q>  per  ton.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  operating  cost  shows  a  reduction  of 
Is.  per  ton  milled,  while  the  loss  per  ton  milled 
figures  at  no  less  than  13s.  6d. 

Six  months  ended 

June  30,  Dec.  31,  June  30, 

1918  1918  1919 

Tons  ore  milled 52  28.715  28,877 

Black  tin  sold,  tons  4J4  403  387 

Recovery  per  ton  milled. lb.          28  97  3145  30  05 
Average  price   per  ton  of 

black  tin    £189  £189  £118 

Black  tin  sales,  value   £79.917  £76.104  £45.876 

Total  receipts  '  per  ton  of      50s.  lid.  57s.  lOd.  33s.  3d. 

Working  cost  i  ore  milled      41s.  lid.*  47s.    9d.  46s.  9d. 

Pro6t.  per  ton 9s.  10s.  id.  — 

Loss,  per  ton —  —  13s.  fid 

Includes  Is.  C'd.  for  royalties:  company  now  owns  the  freehold. 

The  development  footage  is  again  deplor- 
ably small,  the  total  for  the  six  months  being 
only  460  ft.,  and  while  it  is  true  that  there 
have  been  difficulties  to  surmount,  one  can- 
not refrain  from  remarking  that  enterprise 
in  this  direction  has  been  sadly  lacking.  The 
early  promise  of  the  exploratory  work  at 
the  352  fm.  level,  west  of  Stray  Park  shaft, 
has  not  been  maintained.  For  six  fathoms 
the  lode  averaged  601b.  per  ton,  but  it  then 
reached  disordered  ground  and  became  split  up, 
and  this  too  was  found  to  be  the  state  of  affairs 
in  the  crosscut  put  out  to  intersect  the  lode  at 
the  lower  level  of  375  fm.  A  rise  is  now  being 
put  up  from  the  352  to  communicate  with  the 
338  fm.  level,  as  soon  as  this  latter  is  extended 
sufficiently  ;  thisrise  will  both  test  the  lode  and 
facilitate  stoping  if  the  values  so  warrant. 
Other  promising  exploratory  work  is  being  car- 
ried out  in  this  western  section  of  the  mine,  and 
with  regard  to  this,  Mr.  R.  Arthur  Thomas 
said  at  the  shareholders'  meeting  that  "  the 
prospects  for  the  discovery  of  a  profitable  lode 
in  this  district  of  the  mine  seem  to  be  assured." 
The  language  is  somewhat  ambiguous,  but 
presumably  it  was  intended  to  indicate  his  con- 
fidence in  the  result  of  these  western  explora- 
tions. Outside  of  this  section,  and  excluding 
development  of  the  main  lode  in  depth,  there 


OCTOBER,    1919 


227 


are  no  other  points  of  attack  likely  to  open  up 
any  considerable  tonnage  of  payable  ore.  No 
headway  appears  to  have  been  made  with  the 
plans  for  exploring  the  Roskear  setts  to  the 
north  ;  presumably  the  scheme  will  be  sub- 
mitted in  due  course  to  the  Non-Ferrous  Min- 
ing Committee  of  Inquiry  with  a  view  to  se- 
curing Government  financial  support. 

Levant. — As  briefly  referred  to  in  the  last 
issue,  the  report  for  the  four  months  ended 
August  23  last  showed  a  loss  of  ^2,976,  and 
a  call  was  made  on  the  shareholders  of  £\  per 
share,  producing  ^2,500.  In  addition,  ^2,300 
was  spent  on  work  of  a  capital  nature,  and 
presumably  this  will  be  taken  into  account  if 
and  when  a  new  company  is  formed  to  acquire 
the  property  and  plant.  It  may,  at  any  rate, 
be  regarded  as  an  indication  of  the  confidence 
of  those  controlling  the  undertaking  that  fresh 
capital  will  be  forthcoming  in  the  near  future, 
and  we  understand  the  mine  is  now  being  ex- 
amined and  reported  on  for  this  purpose.  It 
is  proposed  to  sink  a  new  vertical  shaft,  and 
already  a  winding  engine — previously  located 
at  Basset — has  been  purchased.  The  tin  re- 
covery for  the  period  under  review  was  46  lb. 
per  ton  of  ore  milled,  and  if  Captain  Nicholas 
can  increase  his  tonnage  for  the  present  quar- 
ter, as  he  anticipates,  by  2,000  without  seri- 
ously lowering  the  grade,  and  the  price  of  tin 
does  not  go  back,  then  the  mine  ought  to  be 
operated  without  loss.  The  operating  cost  for 
the  past  quarter  was  approximately  77s.  per 
ton,  and  with  tin  metal  at  £21§  as  at  present, 
ore  of  the  grade  mentioned  is  worth  about  the 
same  figure.  This  high  operating  cost — prac- 
tically 100%  higher  than  at  some  of  the  Cam- 
borne mines — is  the  bugbear  of  Levant,  and 
there  can  be  little  doubt,  that,  given  modern 
plant,  this  can  be  materially  reduced.  It 
would  be  interesting  to  know  the  assay  of 
the  tailings  from  the  dressing  plant ;  we  ven- 
ture to  think  the  recoverable  loss  in  this  direc- 
tion is  considerable. 

Rainfall  and  Pumping  Costs. — A  use- 
ful paper  was  recently  read  by  Mr.  A.  Pearse 
Jenkin, before  the  Royal  Cornwall  Polytechnic 
Society  on  "  The  Relation  between  Rainfall 
and  Cornish  Mine  Pumping."  One  of  the  out- 
standing facts  disclosed  was  that  variations  in 
the  summer  rainfall  had  little  or  no  effect  on 
the  water  to  be  pumped.  The  author  appears 
to  have  come  to  the  conclusion  from  the  data 
at  his  disposal  that  apart  from  special  condi- 
tions, such  as  cross-courses,  the  country  from 
the  surface  to  a  considerable  depth  acted  as  a 
kind  of  sponge,  which  was  drained  by  the 
shafts.      During  the  summer,  these  strata  were 


being  drained  below  the  saturation  point,  and 
while  the  '  country  "  was  in  that  condition,  no 
increase  of  rainfall  affected  the  pumping,  but 
as  winter  approached,  the  increased  rainfall 
brought  the  "  country  "  up  to  saturation  point, 
after  which  the  effect  of  the  rainfall  became 
quickly  apparent.  The  condition  might,  in- 
deed, be  compared  to  a  funnel  fitted  with  a 
spongy  material  (the  "  country  ")  with  a  hole 
in  the  bottom  (the  shaft).  While  the  sponge 
was  unsaturated,  the  attraction  of  the  material 
prevented  much  water  finding  its  way  down 
the  hole  at  the  bottom,  and  moderate  amounts 
of  water  poured  in  merely  damped  the  sponge, 
but  when  once  the  sponge  was  saturated,  the 
water  found  its  way  to  the  hole  at  the  bottom. 

NORTH   OF   ENGLAND. 

The  Government  Commission. — Dr.  F. 
H.  Hatch,  the  new  Controller,  accompanied  by 
his  son,  and  Mr.  Betterton,  chairman  of  the 
Commission,  with  whom  was  Mrs.  Betterton, 
paid  their  visit  to  the  Lake  Country  mines,  and 
to  the  mines  in  the  Durham  area,  last  month. 
They  arrived  in  the  Lake  District  on  the  11th 
and  left  on  the  18th,  and  Were  shown  round  the 
district  by  Mr.  Anthony  Wilson,  of  the  Thorn- 
thwaitelead  mines.  They  visited Thornthwaite, 
Force  Crag,  Threlkeld,  Carrock,  Greenside, 
Nenthead,  Allendale,  and  Weardale.  Dr. 
Hatch  and  Mr.  Betterton  discussed  the  situa- 
tion with  the  lead  and  zinc  mine  managers. 
Mr.  Betterton  took  the  greatest  pains  to  master 
the  position  ;  and  I  think  we  shall  find  that  the 
Government  made  a  very  good  choice  in  ap- 
pointing him  Chairman  of  the  Commission. 
Mr.  Betterton  appeared  to  realize  that  the  diffi- 
culties created  by  the  Government  are  very 
serious,  and  I  am  sure  that  he  will  do  his  best 
to  rectify  the  injustice  which  we  are  suffering. 
Dr.  Hatch  seemed  to  be  very  much  pleased  by 
his  reception  and  treatment  during  his  tour  of 
the  district.  Both  the  Controller  and  theChair- 
man  were  exceedingly  interested  in  the  flota- 
tion plant  at  Force  Crag  mine. 

ZlNC. — I  have  obtained  some  further  in- 
formation with  respect  to  licences  for  the  pur- 
chase of  zinc  concentrates.  It  appears  that 
while  the  smelters  are  free  to  purchase  zinc 
concentrates  in  any  direction,  the  bonus  on  the 
production  of  spelter  is  only  paid  on  the  metal 
recovered  from  ores  the  purchase  of  which 
has  been  authorized  by  the  Government  Ore 
Purchasing  Committee.  The  Board  of  Trade 
are  not  issuing  these  licences  with  any  free- 
dom, which  seems  to  me  a  polite  way  of  re- 
stricting purchases  to  the  stocks  bought  by  the 
Government  from  Australia.     This  arrange- 


228 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


ment  with  the  smelters  terminates  on  Novem- 
ber 5,  and  after  that  date  the  smelters  will  have 
to  sell  their  metal  without  any  Government 
bonus.  It  is  impossible  to  forecast  what  will 
happen,  but  it  is  quite  possible  that  the  Gov- 
ernmentmay  meet  the  difficulty  by  selling  their 
concentrates  at  a  low  or  normal  price.  The 
Government  should  in  fairness  to  the  home  in- 
dustry disclose  the  whole  position,  as  the  pres- 
ent uncertainty  prevents  any  possibility  of 
business.  At  one  mine  they  are  stocking  zinc 
concentrate,  and  at  another  the  company  has 
over  1,000  tons  dumped  in  a  quarry  adjacent 
to  the  railway  station  with  very  little  if  any 
chance  of  getting  rid  of  it. 

The  conclusion  is  almost  irresistible  that  this 
is  a  dying  industry.  There  is  stagnation  in 
every  direction.  Why  cannot  the  Govern- 
ment give  us  support  until  the  Commission 
issue  their  report  ? 

Lead. — There  is  apparently  a  fairly  active 
demand  for  lead  concentrates  if  of  good  quality, 
but  the  returning  charge  on  contracts  of  £5 
per  ton  is  the  lowest  that  I  think  will  apply 
during  the  coming  year.  With  pre-war  con- 
tracts and  pig  lead  at  ,£"20  per  ton  the  value  of 
lead  concentrates  was  £\2.  19s.  f.o.r.  To  ob- 
tain ^12.  19s.  under  the  new  basis  pig  lead 
must  be  £2\.  5s.  per  ton.  This  takes  no  ac- 
count of  the  increased  price  of  silver  which 
modifies  the  position  to  some  extent.  The 
major  part  of  the  production  in  this  country  is, 
however,  of  ores  containing  about  -foz.of  silver. 
The  Mines. — There  is  not  much  news  this 
month  concerning  the  activities  of  the  mines 
in  this  district.  Thornthwaite  is  turning  out 
about  14  tonstol5  tons  per  week, and  Threlkeld 
something  like  seven  tons  per  week.  Force 
Crag  has  very  little  output  at  the  present  time, 
and  Greenside  is  distinctly  below  the  average. 
The  Vielle  Montagne  at  Nenthead  has  now 
practically  suspended  all  its  underground  work 
and  is  clearing  up  the  mine  preparatory  to  a 
permanent  stoppage.  The  Allendale  minesare 
not  working  on  a  very  large  scale,  but  the  stop- 
ing  ground  developed  during  the  past  year  is 
very  rich.  All  the  output  is  obtained  by  hand- 
picking.  At  Weardale  the  output  is  distinctly 
smaller  than  that  secured  during  the  past  four 
or  five  years,  but  development  is  being  very 
actively  prosecuted,  and  there  are  a  number 
of  most  encouraging  features  underground. 
Perhaps  the  most  formidable  difficulty  the 
Durham  mines  have  to  contend  with  is  that 
of  labour.  The  minimum  scale  of  wages  has 
resulted  in  a  reduction  of  output  per  man. 
That,  however,  is  an  experience  shared  by  ali 
mines. 


Royalties  and  Rates. — I  hope  that  the 
Lead  and  Zinc  Mine-Owners'  Association  will 
bring  to  thenoticeof  the  Government  the  heavy 
burden  under  which  the  industry  labours  on 
account  of  theridiculously  highratesof  royalty. 
One  of  the  largest  lead  mines  pays  10%  of  its 
total  revenue  to  the  royalty  owners.  This  is 
based  on  the  price  of  pig  lead.  During  the 
war  the  company  were  actually  paying  £3  per 
ton  on  their  output.  I  scarcely  think  that  it 
is  generally  realized  that  high  royalty  rates  in- 
volve heavy  local  rates.  The  basis  on  which 
the  rates  are  assessed  is  the  amount  of  royalty 
paid  in  the  previous  year.  A  royalty  of  £3 
per  ton  necessitates  a  payment  of  rates  to  the 
extent  of  16s.  or  17s.  per  ton.  At  Thornth- 
waite in  1912  the  royalty  amounted  to  4s.  9d., 
and  the  rates  to  4d.  The  new  method  of  as- 
sessment has  been  put  into  operation,  and  now 
the  royalty  is  13s.  4d.  per  ton  and  the  rates  3s. 
lOd.  That  is  a  total  of  16s.  5d.  per  ton  on  con- 
centrates sold.  And  the  rates  are  commencing 
to  rise  by  leaps  and  bounds.  In  country  places 
the  rates  range  about  5s.  in  the  £.  Soon  they 
will  reach  a  substantially  increased  figure.  It 
can  be  seen  that  the  rating  question  will  be- 
come a  very  serious  matter.  Every  injustice 
will  be  multiplied.  I  quite  anticipate  that  the 
local  rates  will  soar  from  5s.  to  8s.  The 
royalty  rents  were  one  of  the  things,  I  hear, 
which  were  discussed  by  Mr.  Betterton.and  I 
understand  that  the  Chairman  of  the  Commis- 
sion intends  when  Parliament  re  assembles  to 
ask  whether  the  Government  intend  to  nation- 
alize royalties.  I  append  a  copy  of  an  average 
Cumberland  lead  and  zinc  mining  royalty  : 

Lead. —  1  50th  part  of  the  price  of  all  lead 
ore  when  the  selling  price  thereof  is  £9  or  un- 
der ;  1  45th  part  of  the  price  of  all  lead  ore 
when  the  selling  price  is  above  £9  and  up  to 
^10  per  ton;  1  40th  part  of  the  price  of  all  lead 
ore  when  the  selling  price  is  above  ^10  and 
up  to  £\  1  per  ton  ;  l/35th  part  of  the  price  of 
all  lead  ore  when  the  selling  price  is  above  £\  1. 

Blende.  —  1  80th  part  of  the  price  of  all 
blende  when  the  selling  price  thereof  is  £3  per 
ton  or  under;  l/70th  part  of  the  price  of  all 
blende  when  the  selling  price  is  above  £3  and 
up  to  £\  per  ton  ;  l/60th  part  of  the  price  of 
all  blende  when  the  selling  price  is  above  £\ 
and  up  to  £5  per  ton  ;  1  50th  part  of  the  price 
of  all  blende  when  the  selling  price  is  above 
£5  and  up  to  £6  per  ton  ;  1  45th  part  of  the 
price  of  all  blende  when  the  selling  price  is 
above  £6  per  ton. 

Copper  and  Other  Minerals. —  1  30th  part 
of  the  price  of  all  copper  ore  or  other  minerals 
except  lead  ore  and  blende. 


OCTOBER,    1919 


229 


PERSONAL 

Dr.  J.  O.  Arnold  has  resigned  the  professorship  of 
metallurgy  in  the  University  of  Sheffield  owing  to  ill- 
health.  He  has  been  a  noted  teacher  and  investigator 
at  Sheffield  for  thirty  years. 

Jehu  Berry  has  resigned  as  general  manager  of  the 
Wantage  Engineering  Co.,  Ltd. 

H.  C.  Boydell  has  gone  to  Boston  to  prosecute 
some  special  geological  studies  at  the  Massachusetts 
Institute  of  Technology 

A.  O.  Brown,  manager  of  MinaSantaRosa,  Huelva, 
is  recovering  from  an  attack  of  typhoid  fever. 

Gilmour  E.  Brown  has  come  to  London  from 
Shanghai  by  way  of  the  United  States. 

M.  A.  Bruce  is  home  from  Nigeria. 

Charles  Butters  has  retired  from  the  firm  of 
Chas.  Butters  &  Co.,  Limited. 

A.  R.  Canning  has  returned  from  Nigeria. 

Thomas  P.  Carr  has  gone  to  Spain. 

J.  E.  Clennell  is  now  staying  at  Coombe  Martin, 
North  Devon. 

W.  R.  Degenhardt  has  left  for  the  United  States. 

Clement  Dixon,  J. P.,  has  been  elected  deputy 
mayor  of  Bulawayo. 

G.  W.  Foster  is  here  on  leave  from  the  Jos  Tin 
Area,  Nigeria. 

R.  G.  Hall  is  returning  to  Burma. 

Harold  and  Frederick  Hawkes  have  returned 
from  Nigeria. 

R.  E.  Hore  has  resigned  as  editor  of  the  Canadian 
Mining  Journal,  and  is  succeeded  by  F.  W.  Gray. 

D.  J.  Inskipp  is  expected  shortly  from  Burma. 

T.  G.  Ironside  has  been  appointed  acting  manager 
and  chemist  for  the  South  African  Nitrate  and  Potash 
Corporation,  and  is  now  at  Prieska,  Cape  Province. 

Lt.-Col.  H.  H.  Johnson  has  returned  from  Kirk- 
land  Lake,  Ontario. 

Frank  C.  Loring  is  here  from  Canada. 

Frank  M.  Lush  is  home  from  Nigeria. 

Dorsey  A.  Lyon  has  been  appointed  chief  metal- 
lurgist to  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Mines,  succeed- 
ing F.  C.  Cottrell. 

Dr.  T.  R.  Marshall  has  gone  to  Trinidad. 

Harvey  S.  Mudd  left  London  on  his  return  to  the 
United  States  on  September  19. 

S.  C.  Partridge  left  London  for  Rhodesia  on  Sep- 
tember 19. 

Alexander  Richardson,  who  has  been  serving 
with  the  Ministry  of  Munitions  and  the  Department  of 
Scientiflc  and  Industrial  Research  during  the  war,  has 
resumed  his  duties  on  the  staff  of  the  Royal  School  of 
Mines. 

W.  R.  Rumbold  is  home  from  Nigeria. 

Archibald  Stark  has  left  for  Spain. 

G.  Gordon  Thomas  has  been  appointed  manager 
for  the  Jos  Tin  Area  (Nigeria),  Ltd.,  and  assistant 
general  manager  for  the  Tin  Areas  mining  group  in  Ni- 
geria.    He  will  sail  as  soon  as  a  passage  is  available. 

V.  R.  Ting,  director  of  the  Geological  Survey  of 
China,  left  San  Francisco  for  home  at  the  end  of  last 
month. 

H.  A.  Titcomb  has  left  London  to  take  up  his 
residence  in  New  York. 

E.  M.  Weston  has  been  examining  copper  proper- 
ties in  Namaqualand  for  a  Johannesburg  syndicate. 

Charles  Will  Wright  has  returned  from  Ameri- 
ca, and  has  gone  to  Rome,  where  he  will  open  an  office 
as  consulting  mining  engineer. 


B.  W.   Hippisley,  manager  of  the  Jos  mine,  has 
been  killed  in  a  motor-cycle  accident  in  Nigeria. 


Kenneth  Austin  Mickle  died  at  Melbourne  on 
July  31.  Captain  Mickle  was  a  young  Australian 
metallurgist  of  great  promise.  He  conducted  many- 
investigations  in  connection  with  flotation  for  the  own- 
ers of  the  Potter  patents,  and  subsequently  undertook 
similar  work  for  the  Burma  Corporation.  He  served 
in  the  British  Army  in  France  and  became  command- 
ing officer  of  the  Heavy  Trench  Mortar  Brigade  of  the 
9th  Division.  He  received  theD.S.O.  and  was  mention- 
ed three  times  in  Sir  Douglas  Haig's  despatches. 

•TRADE  PARAGRAPHS 

Electro-Metals,  Ltd.,  of  56Kingsway,  London, 
W.C  2,  a  company  associated  with  Boving&Co.,  Ltd., 
are  makers  in  this  country  of  the  Ruggles  rotary  driers, 
which  are  suitable  for  drying  pulverized  coal. 

Tickle  Brothers,  Vulcan  Foundry,  Wigan.send 
us  their  catalogue  of  coal  and  ore-mining  machinery, 
including  hauling  and  windingengines,  pumps,  screens, 
conveyors,  tipples,  cages,  etc. 

The  Oliver  Continuous  Filter  Co.,  of  San 
Francisco,  send  us  a  new  pamphlet,  giving  details  of 
recent  developments  of  their  machines  and  particulars 
of  notable  installations. 

The  Worthington  Pump  &  Machinery  Cor- 
poration, of  115  Broadway,  New  York,  and  Queen's 
House,  Kingsway,  London,  W.C. 2,  send  us  a  pamph- 
let describing  the  direct-connected  motor-driven  Laid- 
law  feather-valve  air- compressors ;  also  an  index  to 
their  bulletins  and  products. 

N.  Guthridge,  Ltd  ,  of  Sydney,  N.S.W.,  are  put- 
ting on  the  market  a  new  concentrator  called  the 
"Curvilinear."  This  machine,  though  occupying  a 
floor  space  of  only  14  by  4  ft.,  has  a  capacity  stated  to 
be  twice  that  of  full-size  tables.  We  hope  to  give  par- 
ticulars of  its  construction  in  a  later  issue.  James 
Smith,  of  Camomile  House,  Camomile  Street,  London, 
E.C.,  is  agent  for  the  makers  in  this  country. 

The  Agricultural  and  General  Engineers, 
Ltd.,  has  been  formed  with  a  capital  of  £3,000,000  as 
an  amalgamation  of  the  following  firms  :  Aveling  & 
Porter,  Ltd.,  of  Rochester;  E.  H.  Bentall  &  Co.,  Ltd., 
of  Heybridge  ;  Blackstone  &  Co.,  Ltd.,  of  Stamford  : 
Richard  Garrett  &  Sons,  Ltd.,  of  Leiston  ;  and  James 
&  Frederick  Howard,  Ltd.,  of  Bedford.  The  head 
office  will  be  at  Central  House,  Kingsway,  London 
W.C. 

The  British  Westinghouse  Electric  &  Manu- 
facturing Co.,  Ltd.,  of  Trafford  Park,  Manchester, 
announces  a  change  of  name  to  the  Metropolitan- 
Vickers  Electrical  Co.,  Ltd.  From  its  inception 
in  1899  to  1917  the  company  was  controlled  by  Ameri- 
can shareholders.  In  the  latter  year  the  American 
holding  was  taken  over  by  the  Metropolitan  Carriage 
Wagon  &  Finance  Co.,  Ltd.,  which  was  later  amalga 
mated  with  the  Vickers  interests. 

Inarecent  issue  we  mentioned  the  Revergen  regener- 
ative gas  furnace,  put  on  the  market  by  the  DAVIS 
Furnace  Co.,  of  Luton.  The  company  send  particu- 
lars of  a  record  of  work  done  in  heating  and  maintain- 
ing the  temperature  in  connection  with  the  operation 
of  case-hardening.  The  requirements  in  the  test  were 
that  the  material  should  be  charged  into  a  cold  furnace, 
raised  to  900°C,  and  maintained  at  that  temperature 
for  eight  hours.  The  material  consisted  of  automobile 
gear-wheels,  packed  in  six  boxes,  and  having  a  total 
weight  of  713  lb.  The  required  temperature  was  ob- 
tained in  70  minutes  from  lighting  up.  The  gas  con- 
sumed in  obtaining  the  temperature  was  925  cu.  ft.,  or 
1  '29  ft.  per  lb  of  load,  and  the  average  consumption  in 
maintaining  the  temperature  was  312  ft.  per  hour,  equal 


230 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


to  0'43  ft.  per  lb.  The  total  gas  consumption  during 
the  whole  9  hr.  10  min.  was  only  4  8  ft.  per  lb.  of  load. 

The  Garred-Cavers  Corporation,  of  43  Ex- 
change Place,  New  York,  controls  the  Garred-Cavers 
patents  for  using  pulverized  coal  in  blast-furnaces.  As 
recorded  in  our  last  issue,  licences  for  these  patents 
have  been  issued  to  the  International  Nickel  Co.,  and 
the  Tennessee  Copper  Co.  More  recently  experiments 
have  been  carried  out  at  the  Cerro  de  Pasco  copper 
mines,  Peru,  with  satisfactory  results.  The  existing 
blast-furnaces  are  to  be  modified  accordingly,  and  new 
furnaces  are  to  be  erected.  » 

The  Merrill  Company,  of  121  Second  Street,  San 
Francisco,  have  put  on  the  market  the  Nordstrom  Lu- 
bricated Plug  Valve,  the  invention  of  S.  J.  Nordstrom 


t.UB/?/CAr/OH  sc/?£*v 
f/ASTlC  PACK/t 
/7/?£AS£  DUCT 


300eSfi££  STOP 


The  Nordstrom  Libricated  Plug  Vaxve. 

Mr.  Nordstrom,  when  engaged  in  the  design  and  opera- 
tion of  cyanide  plants,  was  impressed  with  the  defects 
of  the  usual  types  of  plug  cocks  and  gate  valves.  The 
principle  of  the  invention  is  the  combination  in  a  plug 
valve  of  lubricant  conduits  and  a  lubricant  chamber 
at  the  base  of  the  plug  so  placed  that  when  pressure 
is  applied  to  the  lubrication  screw,  this  pressure 
operates  to  lift  the  plug  from  its  seat  and  simultane- 
ously to  distribute  lubricant  over  the  bearing  surfaces. 
A  flexible  packing  is  provided  between  the  body  of  the 
valve  and  the  cover.  This  packing  also  rests  upon  an 
antifriction  washer  forming  the  '.hrust  bearing  of  the 
plug.  This  thrust  bearing  isgrooved  concentrically  to 
prevent  leakage.  The  flexible  packing  furnishes  the 
necessary  elasticity  to  allow  the  plug  to  be  forced  from 
its  seat  for  the  purposes  of  lubrication  and  to  force 
the  plug  back  into  its  seat  when  the  pressure  in  the 
lubricant  chamber  is  released.  The  positions  of  the 
lubricating  conduits  and  of  the  lubricant  chamber  are 
shown  in  the  illustration.  A  stop  is  cast  as  an  integral 
part  of  the  plug  and  cover  and  is  so  placed  that  the 
lubricant  conduits  can  never  be  exposed  to  the  fluid 
passing  through  the  valve.  From  the  construction  it 
will  be  evident  that,  no  matter  how  firmly  the  plug 
may  be  stuck  to  the  body  of  the  valve,  when  force  is 
applied  to  the  lubricating  screw  a  pressure  is  created 


in  the  grease  chamber  at  the  base  of  the  plug  and  that 
this  pressure  must  either  raise  the  plug  from  its  seat 
or  else  break  the  body  of  the  valve.  For  greater  con- 
venience in  assembling  the  valve,  the  cover  bolts  are 
provided  with  slotted  lugs  and  a  special  nut  is  used  to 
prevent  the  bolts  from  slipping  when  tightened. 
Suitable  lubricants  are  supplied  in  the  form  of  conveni 
ent  cartridges  which  fit  loosely  into  the  lubricant  con- 
duit when  the  screw  is  removed.  Several  grades  of 
lubricant  are  supplied  to  suit  the  special  conditions 
under  which  the  valves  may  be  used.  An  inspection 
of  the  various  makes  of  standard  plug  cocks,  now  on 
the  market,  will  reveal  the  fact  that  the  area  of  the 
opening  in  the  plug  is  frequently  no  more  than  60% 
of  the  area  of  the  pipe.  In  other  words,  in  many 
cases  the  effective  area  of  a  3  in.  plug  cock  will  only 
be  equal  to  the  nominal  area  of  a  2$  in.  pipe.  All 
types  of  the  Nordstrom  plug  valve  are  so  designed  as 
to  provide  a  full  100%  opening  in  the  plug. 

FULLERTON,   HODGAKT,  &  BARCLAY,   LIMITED,  of 

Paisley,  have  issued  a  description  of  their  latest  design 
of  vertical  high  speed  air  compressors.  The  lower 
crank  case,  upper  crank  case,  cross-head  guides,  and 
soleplate  are  constructed  from  the  point  of  view  of 
rigidity,  leading  to  the  elimination  of  vibration,  and 
the  preservation  of  the  alignment.  The  trunk  guides 
are  cast  in  one  piece  with  the  distance  piece,  the  top 
part  of  the  latter  forming  the  bottom  rover  for  the 
cylinder;  there  is  thus  perfect  alignment  throughout 
the  whole  working  parts.  The  distance  piece  is  so 
arranged  that  the  rod  in  contact  with  the  crank  cham- 
ber never  comes  into  contact  with  the  cylinder  gland, 
thus  eliminating  the  possibility  of  oil  being  carried  in- 
to the  cylinder  from  the  piston  rods.  Large  openings 
are  provided  to  enable  the  packing  glands,  etc..  to  be 
easily  accessible  A  \ertical  tubular  intercooler  is  fit- 
ted behind  the  compressor,  the  tubes  being  so  arranged 
that  in  the  event  of  damage  they  can  be  removed  in  a 
minimum  of  time  The  cylinders  are  water-jacketed, 
the  cooling  water  also  passing  through  the  end-cover 
jackets.  The  Fullerton  patent  valves  are  employed. 
These  are  of  the  strip-plate  type  and  rectangular  in 
form,  the  plates  being  made  of  a  special  tough  steel 
having  a  very  bigh  elastic  limit.  The  valve  is  such 
that  for  agiven  port  area  theabsolute  minimum  weight 
of  valve  po-sible  is  obtained,  there  being  no  metal  in 
the  valve  other  than  that  required  to  cover  the  port. 
As  each  valve  weighs  only  about  1  oz  ,  it  is  eminently 
suitable  for  high-speed  service,  and  has  been  the  means 
of  overcoming  one  of  the  serious  objections  often  rais- 
ed against  high-speed  air-compressors,  that  is,  break- 
ages of  the  valve  plates  through  crystallization  due  to 
the  weight  of  the  valve  employed.  With  this  particu- 
lar shape  of  valve  it  is  possible  to  obtain  the  maximum 
of  port  area  in  the  minimum  of  space,  which  allows  of 
the  valves  being  placed  against  the  cylinder  walls  and 
so  dispensing  with  large  valve  ports.  The  incoming 
and  outgoing  ports,  as  also  the  valves,  are  rectangular. 
The  makers  contend  that  this  non-disturbance  of  the 
air  throughout  its  passage  up  to  the  valves,  through 
them  into  the  cylinder,  and  out  again,  gives  a  mini- 
mum of  heating  during  the  period  of  admission  and 
ejection,  with  a  consequent  gain  in  efficiency.  A  fur- 
ther distinctive  feature  of  the  compressor  is  that  the 
inlet  valves  are  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  cylinder  to 
the  outlet  valves,  thus  obviating  the  incoming  air  hay- 
ing to  pass  through  'he  heated  walls  of  the  port  before 
admission  to  the  cylinder.  The  valve-chest  covers, 
giving  access  to  the  valves,  are  of  very  small  dimen- 
sions ;  in  fact,  on  the  largest  sizes  they  can  be  handled 
by  one  man.  As  evidence  of  this  facility,  it  may  be 
mentioned  that  a  valve  in  a  3,000  cu.  ft.  size  can   be 


OCTOBER,    1919 


231 


replaced  by  one  man  in  half  an  hour.  The  main  bear- 
ings, crank-pins,  cross-head  pins,  etc,,  are  supplied 
with  oil  under  pressure  by  a  valveless  pump.  Very 
little  lubricant  is  required  on  the  air  cylinders,  and  for 
this  duty  drop  sight  lubricators  are  fitted  to  the  high- 
pressure  and  low-pressure  cylinders,  which  in  practice 
have  been  found  to  meet  all  requirements. 


.     SHIPPING,    ENGINEERING.  AND 
MACHINERY  EXHIBITION. 

The  railway  strike,  now  fortunately  over,  deprived  a 
large  number  of  people,  especially  those  living  in  the 
provinces,  and  indeed  in  all  parts  of  the  United  King- 
dom, from  visiting  one  of  the  most  interesting  and  com- 
prehensive exhibitions  ever  held  in  London.  The  range 
of  exhibits  was  a  wide  one,  and  touched  engineering 
and  shipbuilding  in  every  branch.  The  educational 
side  was  not  overlooked,  as  a  reference  to  the  ponder- 
ous catalogue,  of  nearly  500  pages  and  weighing  over 
three  pounds,  will  show. 

It  is  many  years  since  an  exhibition  has  been  held  in 
London  devoted  to  the  shipping  and  engineering  in- 
dustries, and  the  idea  of  holding  such  an  exhibition 
was  conceived  at  a  time  when  war  was  scarcely  re- 
garded as  even  a  remote  possibility.  But  it  was  rudely 
interrupted  by  the  outbreak  of  war  within  a  few  weeks 
of  the  date  actually  fixed  for  the  opening  of  the  exhibi- 
tion. For  the  time  the  scheme  had  naturally  to  be 
abandoned.  Immediately  after  the  Armistice  was 
signed,  a  committee  took  the  matter  in  hand  again,  with 
the  result  that  a  display  has  been  secured  which  has 
taxed  to  the  utmost  the  resources  of  the  largest  exhibi- 
tion building  in  London.  One  thing  that  will  strike  the 
visitor,  as  perhaps  it  has  never  done  before,  will  be  how 
greatly  the  well-being  of  the  nation  is  dependent  upon 
the  efficient  maintenance  of  our  Mercantile  Marine. 

Although  the  exhibition  is  international  in  its  charac- 
ter (excluding,  of  course,  all  recent  enemy  countries), 
British  firms  to  the  number  of  about  350  predominate. 
Many  allied  and  neutral  countries  send  shows  of  a 
valuable  type.  The  Netherlands  Government,  for  the 
first  time  in  the  history  of  Holland,  has  made  a  deter- 
mined effort  to  bring  to  the  notice  of  the  business  world 
some  of  the  resources  of  that  country,  and  a  visit  to 
this  section  demonstrates  its  instructive  and  interesting 
character.  Among  the  exhibits  that  arrested  attention 
specially  were  models  of  the  ports  of  Amsterdam  and 
Rotterdam,  each  on  the  scale  of  1  :  1,000,  dredges  and 
dry  docks,  steamships,  elevators,  coal  transporters, 
marine  engines,  and  many  more.  One  exhibit  that 
draws  general  attention  shows  a  floating  ship's  safe,  as 
used  by  the  Netherlands  Government  for  the  convey- 
ance of  mails  and  valuables  to  their  colonies.  This 
automatically  disconnects  itself  from  a  sinkingship,  and 
while  floating  on  the  water  sends  up  a  rocket  every 
hour  for  12  hours  ;  in  addition,  a  sound  signal  is  given 
and  a  light  shown  for  three  months  from  the  moment 
it  leaves  the  wreck. 

In  order  to  bring  as  clearly  as  possible  to  the  mind 
of  the  ordinary  man  the  uses  of  some  of  the  exhibits, 
there  were  cinematograph  shows  and  demonstrations 
given  at  several  stands,  showing  the  methods  adopted 
for  the  purification  of  oils,  acetylene  welding,  the  use 
of  ships'  davits,  and  hoisting  and  pumping  appliances 
of  many  kinds.  Again,  the  visitor  had  brought  under 
his  notice  all  the  details  of  a  ship's  construction,  equip- 
ment, and  fittings  to  the  smallest  parts,  with  models 
of  warships  and  liners  shown  by  leading  shipbuilders 
and  shipping  companies,  to  say  nothing  of  the  Mar- 
coni apparatus  and  the  diving  tanks. 

It  was  observed  that  many  of  the  firms  whose  adver- 


tisements are  to  be  found  regularly  in  The  Mining 
Magazine  were  well  in  front  with  their  specialties. 
For  instance,  Messrs.  Hadfields,  Ltd.,  of  Sheffield 
(Stand  No.  39),  in  their  department  relating  to  dredges 
showed  a  complete  tumbler,  consisting  of  an  "  Era  " 
manganese  steel  body  shell  fitted  on  a  shaft  of  their 
forged  steel  ;  dredge  buckets  made  throughout  of 
their  manganese  steel,  for  harbour  work  and  gold 
dredging  ;  also  dredge  bucket  pins,  bushes,  links,  tum- 
bler corner  pieces,  ladder  rollers,  &c,  made  of  the 
same  material.  There  was  also  an  assortment  of  cast- 
ings in  manganese  steel  for  use  in  various  types  of 
crushing   machinery.      They    had    also   a   casting  of 

Era  "  steel  as  used  for  naval  purposes.  Its 
weight  is  12  tons  and  it  is  7  in.  in  thickness,  and  has 
successfully  withstood  attack  by  16  projectiles  from 
6  in.  to  9  2  in.  calibre,  of  various  types  of  velocities 
ranging  from  1,300  to  2,040ft.  per  second,  the  total 
impact  energy  of  the  projectiles  being  no  less  than  50,000 
ft. -tons.  There  was  alsoamodel  of  the  Fitzalan  Square 
Junction  layout,  Sheffield  Corporation  Tramways, 
built  and  put  down  in  1907  and  relaid  in  May  of 
this  year,  that  is,  after  12  years'  continuous  service  in 
the  centre  of  the  city  of  Sheffield,  and  after  no  fewer 
than  13,500,000  tramcars  had  passed  over  it,  equiva- 
lent approximately  to  an  aggregate  of  about  137.000,000 
tons  of  traffic,  a  sufficent  recommendation  for  the 
qualities  of  their  "Era"  manganese  steel. 

The  Metropolitan  Vickers  Electrical  Co., 
Ltd.  (until  recently  known  as  the  British  Westing- 
house  Electric  &  Manufacturing  Co.)  (Stand  No.  101), 
had  on  exhibition  a  high-pressure  marine  turbine  cylin- 
der, with  rotor  complete,  for  a  total  of  3,000  s.h.p., 
and  a  low-pressure  turbine  rotor  of  equal  capacity  ; 
also  steam  nozzle  boxes,  turbine  blades  of  all  sizes, 
showing  the  process  of  manufacture,  and  turbine 
diaphragms,  and  a  nozzle  box  for  20,000  h.p.  turbine. 

Messrs.  Holman  Bros.,  Ltd.,  of  Camborne 
(Stand  Nos.  246-7-8),  who  specialize  in  air-compres- 
sors, rock-drills,  pneumatic  tools,  and  steel  castings, 
have  one  specially  useful  tool  on  view,  among  several 
others.  This  is  their  chipping  and  caulking  hammer, 
equipped  with  a  chisel  or  caulking  tool,  blank,  one  end 
finished  to  fit  the  sleeve,  also  a  special  spanner  for  the 
handle  and  a  nipple  Jin.  gas  for  connecting  the  hose. 
They  have  four  kinds,  adapted  (1)  for  light  chipping 
and  medium  caulking  ;  (2)  for  medium  chipping  and 
caulking  ;  (3)  for  heavy  chipping  and  caulking  and  for 
heading  small  rivets,  hot  or  cold  ;  and  (4)  for  the  heavi- 
est type  of  chipping,  suitable  for  removing  cores  from 
larger  castings  and  for  light  riveting.  With  their  hammer 
and  sinker  drills  the  firm  broke  the  world's  record  in 
1918  and  1919  for  shaft  sinking,  and  in  the  world's 
contest  at  Johannesburg  in  1910,  among  20  competitors, 
they  divided  the  first  and  second  prizes  of  £5. 000. 

Messrs.  J.  &  E.  Wright,  Ltd.,  of  the  Universe 
Rope  Works,  Birmingham  (Stand  No.  164),  showed 
hemp  and  wire  rope  of  every  description  from  the  fin- 
est twine  to  wire  rope  for  giant  cranes  in  ordnance  and 
shipyards.  They  claim  to  have  a  greater  variety  of 
construction  in  wire  rope  than  probably  any  other 
manufacturer  could  produce.  A  very  useful  and  inex- 
pensive instrument  thev  are  bringing  into  prominence 
is  a  wire  grip  called  the  "  Handyman."  It  claims  to  be 
compact,  and  requires  no  skill  to  attach. 

Thermit,  Ltd.,  who  advise  prospective  clients  not 
to  wait  for  new  parts  as  they  are  prepared  to  weld  the 
old,  certainly  justify  theirclaims,  as  a  visit  to  their  stand 
will  show.  They  have  a  very  comprehensive  range  of 
exhibits,  and  many  that  will  arrest  attention. 

Messrs.  John  Kirkaldy,  Ltd.,  of  Burnt  Mill,  Har- 
low, and  101  Leadenhall  Street  (Stand  No.  127),  have 


232 


THE    MINING  MAGAZINE 


Daily  London  Metal  Prices  :   Official  Closing  Prices  on 

Copper.  Lead.  Zinc,  and  Tin  per  Long  Tons  ;  Silver 


Silver 

c 

OPPER 

Lead 

Standard  Cash 

Standard  (3  mos  ) 

Electrolytic 

Best  Selected 

Soft  Foreign 

Sept. 
11 
12 
15 
16 
17 

d 

£    s. 

100  0 

d. 

£ 

s. 

a 

£ 

s. 

d.  £   s. 

d.  £ 

s. 

d. 

£ 

s. 

s. 

d.   £ 

s. 

d. 

£    S. 

d.    1    s.  d. 

61* 

0  to 

100 

5 

0 

100 

10 

0  to  101  0 

0  109 

0 

0 

to 

120 

0 

0  108 

0 

0  to  109 

0 

0 

25  5 

0  to  25  15  0 

100  0 

0  to 

100 

5 

0 

100 

10 

0  to  100  15 

0  109 

0 

0 

to 

120 

0 

0  10s 

0 

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0 

0 

25  5 

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6ll 

101  0 

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0  110 

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0 

to 

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0 

0  108 

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25  5 

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614 

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0 

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0  110 

0 

0 

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123 

0 

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0 

Oto  110 

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25  7 

6  to  26  0  0 

61 J 

101  0 

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18 
19 
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26 
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an  attractive  show,  with  high  and  low-pressure  distil- 
lers, evaporators,  feed  heaters  and  filters,  of  the  coil, 
pressure,  and  suction  type,  petrol  or  paraffin  launch 
motors,  an  evaporating  and  distilling  plant  as  supplied 
to  the  Navy,  and  a  cold  chamber  with  a  £  ton  C0.2 
compressor,  condenser,  evaporator,  and  air-circulating 
fan,  and  a  small  ice-making  plant  with  $  ton  compres- 
sor and  cold  cupboard  complete. 

Want  of  space  precludes  us  from  making  further 
mention  of  other  exhibits  ;  these  will  be  dealt  with  in 
the  next  issue. 


METAL  MARKETS 

Copper. — The  Government  stocks  of  copper  in  this 
country  on  September  1  amounted  to  28,049  tons,  thus 
showing  a  decrease  on  the  month  of  9,181  tons.  This 
return,  which  was  very  satisfactory  as  illustrating  the 
quantities  of  copper  going  into  consumption  in  addition 
to  the  metal  which  had  been  imported,  had  no  ettect 
upon  the  market,  which  continues  to  be  largely  domin- 
ated by  conditions  prevailing  on  the  other  side  of  the 
Atlantic.  The  large  producers  in  America  still  have 
the  position  pretty  much  in  their  own  hands,  but  the 
situation  there  has  not  had  quite  so  strong  an  appear- 
ance lately.  This  seems  to  be  partly  due  to  the  ex- 
change situation  militating  against  any  important  ex- 
port movement  to  Europe,  while  the  strike  of  steel 
workers  in  America  has  also  somewhat  affected  the 
sentiment.  Obviously,  if  this  should  be  protracted, 
constructional  work  will  be  held  up,  with  a  consequent 
hindrance  to  the  expansion  of  the  demand  for  copper. 
With  these  factors  in  mind,  it  is  not  altogether  surpris- 
ing that  there  should  have  been  some  shading  seen  in 
the  prices  cabled  from  New  York.  This  has  been  at- 
tributed to  re-selling  by  speculators  and  dealers,  and 
to  realizing  by  smaller  producers,  who  were  perhaps 
less  able  than  the  larger  ones  to  finance  their  stocks  : 
but  whether  the  big  interests  are  cutting  their  figures 
is  still  a  matter  of  some  doubt.  On  this  side  dealers 
have  experienced  only  a  moderate  trade  with  consu- 
mers. Possibly  this  was  partly  due  to  there  being  im- 
portant quantities  of  scrap  in  the  market.  As  regards 
electrolytic  wirebars,  this  description  still  maintains  a 
considerable  premium  over  ingots,  and  owing  to  the 


margin  between  the  two,  the  London  Metal  Exchange 
started  the  practice  of  quoting  a  separate  official  price 
for  wirebars.  The  standard  market  has  only  been 
moderately  active,  there  having  been  little  to  induce 
fresh  enterprise  recently.  A  feature  toward  the  end 
of  September  was  the  establishment  of  a  premium  on 
near  metal,  whereas  a  contango  on  forward  delivery 
had  previously  ruled. 

Average  prices  of  cash  standard  copper :  September 
1919,  /100.  17s.  5d.  ;  September  1918,  £122.  5s.  ; 
August  1919.   £97.   lis.  5d.  ;  August  1918.   £\21.  5s. 

Tin. — This  metal  has  seen  a  very  considerable  amount 
of  activity  during  the  period  under  review,  and  an  im- 
portant business  has  been  moving  on  the  London  Metal 
Exchange.  The  inquiry  for  export  to  America  and  else- 
where created  a  good  demand  for  standard,  and  as  the 
buying  pressure  was  for  the  most  part  for  prompt  metal , 
cash  standard  ruled  at  a  considerable  premium,  in  spite 
of  the  fact  that  a  good  deal  of  speculative  buying  of 
forward  was  also  in  evidence.  The  light  state  of  stocks 
in  this  country  naturally  assisted  in  maintaining  the 
high  level  of  prices  for  near  positions.  The  renewed 
activity  in  the  South  Wales  tinplate  industry  also  stimu- 
lated business  with  home  consumers.  The  East  has 
done  a  fair  trade,  but  dealings  there  were  somewhat 
spasmodic,  sellers  often  showing  considerable  reserve, 
while  at  one  moment  business  was  interrupted  owing 
to  fears  in  that  quarter  that  there  might  be  some  altera- 
tion in  the  exchange  rates.  On  an  assurance  bv  the 
Straits  Government  that  there  was  no  such  intention, 
dealings  were  resumed.  Toward  the  latter  part  of 
September  the  outbreak  of  the  steel  strike  in  America 
caused  considerable  realizing  on  the  London  market 
and  prices  gave  way.  This  selling  was  believed  to  be 
liquidation  here  by  America  of  parcels  previously 
bought  for  shipment.  The  metal  coming  on  offer  was 
well  absorbed,  and  the  market  was  steadied  only  to 
become  weak  again  on  the  outbreak  of  the  railway  strike 
here.  Toward  the  end  of  the  month  a  feature  was  the 
contraction  in  the  backwardation  on  forward  metal. 
An  interesting  development  in  the  last  part  of  Septem- 
ber was  the  resumption  of  sales  of  Banca  tin  in  Hol- 
land by  the  Netherlands  Trading  Co.  About  5,400 
slabs  were  offered,  the  sale  being  by  tender.  Only  a 
small  portion  of  this  seems  to  have  been  sold,  but  at  a 


OCTOBER,     1919 


233 


the  London  Metal  Exchange. 

per  Standard  Ounce. 


Standard  Tin 

Zinc 
Spelter) 

( 

Cash 

3  mos. 

£ 

s. 

d.  £ 

s. 

d. 

£ 

s. 

d.  £ 

s. 

d. 

£ 

s. 

d.  £ 

s. 

d. 

40 

15 

0  to  41 

15 

0 

279 

0 

0  to  280 

0 

0 

272 

15 

0  to  273 

0 

0 

•10 

15 

0  to  41 

15 

0 

282 

10 

0  to  283 

10 

0 

274 

10 

0  to  275 

0 

0 

41 

10 

0  to  42 

10 

0 

285 

10 

0  to  286 

10 

0 

280 

0 

0  to  280 

10 

0 

41 

15 

0  to  42 

10 

0 

287 

0 

0  to  287 

10 

0 

279 

10 

0  to  279 

15 

0 

41 

15 

0  to  42 

10 

0 

289 

0 

0  to  289 

10 

0 

279 

5 

0  to  279 

10 

0 

41 

15 

0  to  42 

10 

0 

285 

10 

0  to  286 

0 

0 

278 

15 

0  to  279 

0 

0 

41 

10 

0  to  42 

5 

0 

280 

10 

0  to  281 

0 

0 

^75 

10 

0  to  276 

0 

0 

41 

10 

0  to  42 

0 

0 

278 

0 

0  to  278 

10 

0 

273 

10 

0  to  273 

15 

0 

40 

15 

0  to  41 

15 

0 

276 

0 

0  to  277 

0 

0 

273 

10 

0  to  273 

15 

0 

41 

10 

0  to  42 

5 

0 

277 

0 

0  to  277 

10 

0 

:?4 

15 

0  to  275 

0 

0 

41 

10 

0  to  42 

5 

0 

276 

10 

0  to  277 

0 

0 

J74 

10 

0  to  274 

15 

0 

41 

0 

0to41 

15 

0 

277 

5 

0  to  277 

10 

0 

275 

15 

0to2?6 

0 

0 

41 

0 

0  to  41 

15 

0 

272 

0 

0  to  272 

10 

0 

270 

0 

0  to  270 

10 

0 

40 

15 

0  to  41 

in 

0 

274 

5 

0  to  274 

15 

0 

272 

5 

0  to  272 

10 

0 

-to 

15 

0to41 

10 

0 

271 

10 

0  to  272 

0 

0 

270 

10 

0  to  271 

0 

0 

41 

0 

0  to  41 

15 

0 

277 

0 

0  to  277 

10 

0 

275 

5 

0  to  275 

15 

0 

41 

0 

0  to  41 

15 

0 

278 

0 

0  to  278 

10 

0 

276 

5 

0  to  276 

10 

0 

■U 

5 

0  to  42 

0 

0 

282 

15 

0  to  283 

0 

0 

282 

0 

0  to  282 

5 

0 

42 

0 

0  to  43 

0 

0 

282 

0 

0  to  282 

5 

0 

282 

10 

0  to  282 

15 

0 

41 

15 

0  to  42 

15 

0 

281 

0 

0  to  281 

5 

0 

281 

15 

0  to  282 

0 

0 

42 

10 

0  to  43 

10 

0 

281 

0 

0  to  281 

5 

0 

282 

0 

0  to  282 

5 

0 

42 

15 

0to43 

10 

0 

282 

15 

0  to  283 

0 

0 

284 

0 

0  to  284 

10 

0 

high  figure,  the  price  realized  being  about  the  equiva- 
lent of  £300  per  ton,  in  warehouse  Amsterdam. 

Average  prices  of  cash  standard  tin  :  September 
1919,  £280.  4s.  ;  September  1918,  £343.  19s.  Id.  ; 
August  1919,  £271.  8s.  ;  August  1918,  £380.  16s.  8d. 

Lead. — The  market  for  this  metal  on  'Change  saw 
a  fair  amount  of  activity  during  September.  While  to 
a  certain  extent  this  was  due  to  speculative  purchases 
of  forward  metal,  business  was  further  stimulated  by 
the  fact  that  the  Government  withdrew  from  the  mar- 
ket for  a  time,  and  demand  was  thus  diverted  to  the 
Metal  Exchange.  The  Government  stocks  are  stored 
at  some  points  which  are  difficult  of  access,  and  in  view 
of  the  large  sales  made  by  them,  operations  at  the 
stores  became  somewhat  congested  and  a  period  of  ab- 
stention from  selling  was  considered  advisable.  They 
have  since  re-entered  the  market,  but  as  they  were 
quoting  fairly  full  figures,  their  resumption  of  selling 
did  not  adversely  affect  values.  Business  with  con- 
sumers has  only  been  on  a  moderate  scale,  but  some 
further  inquiry  has  been  seen  from  Japan.  America 
continues  to  be  pretty  firm,  and  free  offerings  from 
that  quarter  seem  impossible  at  present,  while  there 
do  not  seem  to  be  any  other  supplies  likely  to  press  on 
the  market.  The  outlook  seems  therefore  fairly  sound. 
The  Government  stocks  of  soft  pig  lead  in  this  country 
on  September  1  amounted  to  84,057  tons,  thus  show- 
ing a  decrease  on  the  month  of  23,953  tons,  while 
some  of  the  existing  stocks  are  understood  to  be  al- 
ready sold  for  forward  delivery. 

Average  prices  of  soft  pig  lead  :  September  1919, 
£25.  12s.  7d.  ;  September  1918,  £29;  August  1919, 
£25.  Is.  7d.  ;   August  1918,  £29. 

Spelter. — Although  there  have  been  no  very  im- 
portant price  movements  in  this  market  recently,  the 
sentiment  in  regard  to  the  metal  has  varied  somewhat. 
At  one  time  some  selling  was  seen,  induced  by  the  fear 
of  German  spelter  coming  out  in  volume,  but  latterly 
this  apprehension  seems  to  have  been  largely  dispelled. 
It  is  understood  that  some  business  has  actually  been 
done  in  German  spelter,  but  it  appears  to  have  been 
mostly  done  with  neutral  countries,  to  which  Germany 
had  previously  either  sold  or  forwarded  the  metal  for 
safe  keeping.  More  of  this  spelter  may  possibly  still 
come  out,   but  general  opinion  does  not  favour  the 


probability  of  important  supplies,  such  as  would  affect 
the  market,  coming  direct  from  Germany  itself.  Pro- 
duction there  is  being  interfered  with  by  labour  troubles, 
as  well  as  in  some  quarters  the  difficulty  of  procuring 
the  necessary  ores,  and  the  belief  is  that  neither  the 
output  nor  stocks  are  such  as  to  warrant  the  expecta- 
tion of  any  big  export  movement  of  the  metal.  Ameri- 
ca has  been  somewhat  easier,  partly  owing  to  the  steel 
strike  there,  and  the  parity  is  now  near  that  of  the 
London  market.  The  home  Government  have  main- 
tained their  selling  prices,  which  are  above  those  rul- 
ing in  the  open  market,  and  in  view  of  the  somewhat 
precarious  state  of  the  smelting  industry  in  this  coun- 
try, the  outlook,  so  far  as  prices  go,  seems  to  depend 
on  America.  The  Government  stocksof  g.o.b.  spelter 
on  September  1  were  20,041  tons,  or  a  decrease  of 
3,127  tons  on  the  month,  while  those  of  refined  spelter 
on  September  1  were  10,963  tons,  or  a  decrease  of 
1,173  tons  since  August  1. 

Average  prices  of  spelter  :  September  1919,  £41 .  Ss. 
5d.  ;  September  1918,  £52;  August  1919,  £39.  16s. 
9d.  ;  August  1918,  £52. 

Zinc  Dust. — Spot  supplies  of  Australian  have  been 
scarce.  The  price  is  £68  to  £70  per  ton  c.i.f.  U.K. 
for  Australian  high-grade  88  to  92%  metallic  zinc. 

Antimony. — The  market  has  been  firm  with  a  fair 
business  moving,  partly  for  export,  and  the  price  of 
English  regulus  has  been  maintained  at  £45  per  ton. 
Meanwhile  the  spot  parcels  of  foreign  offering  at  less 
than  English  seem  to  have  been  cleared.  The  Gov- 
ernment stocks  of  regulus  on  Septem  ->er  1  were  3,386 
tons,  showing  a  decrease  on  the  month  of  1,025  tons. 

Arsenic. — The  market  has  been  quiet.  The  quo- 
tation for  white  is  about  £59  to  £60  delivered  London. 

Bismuth. — 12s.  6d.  nominal  per  lb. 

Cadmium. — 6s.  6d.  to  6s.  9d.  per  lb. 

Aluminium.— £150  per  ton  for  the  home  trade. 

Nickel. — £205  per  ton  for  the  home  trade,  and  £210 
for  export. 

Cobalt  Metal. — 12s.  6d.  to  13s.  per  lb. 

Cobalt  Oxide.— 7s.  9d.  to  8s.  9d.  per  lb. 

Platinum. — 450s.  nominal  per  oz. 

Palladium. — 500s.  nominal  per  oz. 

Quicksilver.— £21.  10s.  to  £22.  per  bottle. 

Selenium. — 12s.  to  15s.  per  lb. 

Tellurium. — 95s.  to  100s.  per  lb. 

SulphateofCopper. — £40  to  £42  per  ton. 

Manganese  Ore.— Business  quiet.  Prices  of 
Indian  are  firm  at  2s.  3d.  upward  per  unit  c  i.f.  U.K. 

Tungsten  Ores. —  Wolframite  65%  32s.  6d.  per 
unit,  and  scheelite  65%  32s.  6d.  per  unit. 

Chrome  Ores. — No  quotation. 

Molybdenite.- 85%,  75s.  per  unit. 

Silver. — The  market  has  been  very  strong,  chierlv 
owing  to  Chinese  buying,  coupled  with  short  supplies, 
and  at  the  end  of  September  the  price  of  standard  bars 
touched  a  new  high  record  at  64d.  per  oz. 

Corundum. — Nominal. 

Graphite.— 80%.  £35  to  £40  c.i.f.  U.K. 

Iron  &  Steel. — The  Cleveland  pig  iron  market  has 
not  been  particularly  active  and  the  outbreak  of  the 
ironfounders'  strike  seems  likely  to  accentuate  thequiet- 
ness.  Foundry  iron  has  continued  scarce,  but  the 
lessened  requirements  at  home  may  make  further  ex- 
port business  possible,  there  being  a  good  inquiry  for 
overseas  markets.  Prices  all  round  have  been  steady. 
In  steel,  and  manufactured  products  generally,  works 
were  well  employed,  but  what  the  effect  of  the  railway 
strike  may  be  is  impossible  to  forecast.  Meanwhile 
the  demand  has  been  mainly  for  shipbuilding  and  gen- 
eral constructional  work,  and  such  materials  as  plates 
have  been  very  difficult  to  procure. 


234 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


STATISTICS. 


Production  of  Gold  in  the  Transvaal 
Else- 
where 


July. 1918 

August  

September  .. 

October 

November    •• 
December 

Year  1918 

January,  1919 

February  

March 

April  

May    

June   

July    

August  


Rand 


Oz. 

716  010 
719.849 
6S6.963 
667.955 
640.797 
630.505 


S.197.059 


662.205 
621,188 

694.825 
676.702 
706.158 
6-42,603 
705.523 
6Sr,,7l7 


Total 


Oz. 

20.189 

20.361 

21,243 

1 1 .809 

17.904 

10,740 


221,734 


13.854 
15.510 
17.554 
18,242 
18.8<7 
19.776 
19,974 
19.952 


Oz. 

736.199 
740.210 
708.206 
679.76* 
65o,701 
641.245 


Value 

£ 

3,127.174 
3,144,211 
3.008.267 
2,887.455 
2,797.983 
2.723.336 


Transvaal  Gold  Outputs. 


8.419.693 


676.059 
636.728 
712.379 
694,944 
724,9^5 
70?. 379 
725.497 
706.669 


Natives  Employed  in  the  Transvaal  Mines. 


Gold 
mines 


July  31,  1918  

August  31    

September  30     • 

October  31  

November  30--- 
December  31  ... 
January  31.  1919 
February  28    .... 

March  31  

April  30    

May  31 

June  30 

July  31 

August  31    


178.412 
179.390 
179.399 
173  153 
160.275 
152.606 


16  1.599 
172.359 
175.620 
175  267 
173  376 
172.505 
173.613 
170.844 


Coal 
mines 


11.790 
11,950 
12,108 
11.824 
11,826 
11.851 


11.818 

11,168 
11,906 
12.232 
12.544 
12.453 
12.450 


Diamond 
mines 


Total 


5.011 
4,954 
4,889 
4.749 
4.016 
3.  ISO 


3.539 
♦.261 
5.080 
5.742 
5.939 
5  B31 
5.736 
5.655 


Cost  and  Profit  on  the  Rand. 
Compiled  from  official  statistics  published  by  the  Transvaal 
Chamber  of  Mines.     The  profit  available  for  dividends  is  about 
60%  of  the  working  profit. 


Tons 
milled 

Yield 
per  ton 

Work'g 

cost 
per  ton 

Work'g       Total 

profit      working 
per  ton         profit 

2.167.869 
2,158. 431 
2,060.635 
2.015.144 
1.8V9.925 
1.H55.-91 

s.    d. 

27  10 

28  1 
28    2 
28    0 
28    5 
28    7 

s.    d. 
21     2 

21  7 

22  0 

22  5 

23  1 
23     0 

s.  d.           £ 
6    6           702,360 
6    3           676.146 
5  10           600.330 
5      3              Ml  774 

December 

5     1 
5    6 

480.102 
507.860 

Year  1918    24.922.763 

27  11 

21     7 

6    0 

7,678.129 

January,  1919-.. 

1.942.329 
1,816.352 
2.082.469 
1.993,652 

2.099.450 
2  032.169 

2.134,668 

28    9 
28    9 
28     2 
28     7 
28    4 
28    4 
27  10 

23     0 
23     2 
22    6 
22     9 
22     3 
22     4 
21     9 

5     8 
5    6 
5     6 
5    9 
5  10 

5  10 

6  0 

547,793 
498.204 
573.582 
573.143 
608.715 
592.361 
611.118 

July  

Production  of  Gold  in  Rhodesia  and  West  Africa. 


Rhodesia. 

West  Africa. 

1918 

1919 

1918 

1919 

£ 
253,807 
232.023 
230.023 
239.916 
239.205 
225.447 
251.740 
257.096 
247.885 
136.780 
145.460 
192.870 

£ 
211,917     |       107.863 
220.885            112,865 
225,808     !        112,605 
213.160            117,520 
218.057            126.290 
214.215             120.273 
-214  919 

£ 
104.063 
112.616 
112,543 

109.570 

Mav 

100.827 

T 

106  612 

July     

120,526 
115,152 
61,461 
108.796 

112.621 

September  ... 

— 

November    ... 
December    ... 

— 

Total  

2.652.250 

1.726.300    1    1.333.553 

748.698 

Aurora  West   

Bantjes 

Barrett. 

Brakpan    

City  &  Suburban   

City  Deep 

Cons.  Langlaagte 

Cons.  Main  Reef  

Crown  Mines 

Durban  Roodepoort  Deep. 

East  Rand  P.M. 

Ferreira  Deep 

Geduld 

Geldenhuis  Deep  

Ginsberg  

Glynn's  Lydenburg 

Goch  

Government  G.M.  Areas    • 

Heriot    

Jupiter  

Kleinfontein    

Knights  Central 

Knights  Deep 

Langlaagte  Estate 

I.uipaard's  Vlei 

Meyer  &  Charlton....' , 

Modderfontein   

Modderfontein  B  

Moddeifontein  Deep   

New  I'nified    

Nourse  

Primrose  

Princess  Estate 

Randfontein  Central 

Robinson   

Robinson  D«ep 

Roodepoort  United  

Rose  Deep    

Simmer  &  Jack  

Simmer  Deep 

Springs 

Sub  Nigel 

Transvaal  G.M.  b'states-. 

Van  Ryn    

Van  Ryn  Deep   

Village  Deep  

Village  Main  Reef 

West  Rand  Consolidated 

Witwatersrand  (Knights) 

Witwatersrand  Deep  

Wolhuter 


August.  1919 


Treated 


Value 


Tons 
15.000 


£ 
16.364 


— 

720 

46.700 

87.805 

18.908 

26.718 

55.800 

102.109 

40.000 

53.839 

47.800 

74,351 

176.000 

237,195 

25.000 

32.448 

125,000 

151.623 

34,400 

50.952 

42.800 

65.254 

45.400 

56.168 

2.950 

5.596 

14.780 

11.107 

107.000 

197.627 

10.88C 

14,394 

25.000 

25.952 

47.800 

69.730 

22.400 

31.459 

91.600 

73,597 

40.060 

48.603 

21.100 

20,421 

15.000 

46.954 

70.000 

160.360 

53.500 

114.317 

41.300 

91.491 

11.300 

11.966 

38.450 

49.568 

18.000 

18.083 

20.000 

28.124 

146.200 

171,483 

39,600 

41.886 

53.500 

73.004 

23.000 

20.604 

51.700 

60.392 

56.900 

57.139 

43  600 

50.013 

37,350 

65.596 

10.100 

27,542 

15.880 

26,140 

29.200 

31,943 

47.150 

109.839 

42.800 

64.041 

17.900 

24.738 

31.150 

38.369 

30,701 

38.504 

29.700 

35.19* 

29.700 

3«,421 

West  African  Gold  Oi 


Abbontiakoon     

Abosso  

Ashanti  Goldfields 

Offin  Rivr  

Prestea  Block  A 

Taquah  

Wassau 


Tons 
7.393 
6.500 
8.441 

14.632 
4.742 


£ 

15.849 
12.050 
37.533 
332 
23.953 
12.068 


Rhodesian  Gold  Outputs. 


Antelope  

Cam  &  Motor 

Eldorado  Banket  

Falcon   

Gaika 

Globe  &  Phoenix 

Lonely  Reef '.... 

Rezende    

Rhodesia,  Ltd.  

Shamva     

Transvaal  &  Rhodesian 
Wanderer 


Augus 

.  1919 

Treated 

Value 

Tons 

£ 

3,260 

4.205 

806 

3.193 

15.339 

24.429* 

3.010 

5.615 

6.314 

7.016t 

4.700 

25  312 

5.500 

12,768 

128 

208 

54.518 

37.499 

1.800 

4,300 

*  Gold.  Silver  and  Copper  :  t  Ounces  Gold. 


OCTOBER,    1919 


235 


West  Australian  Gold  Statistics. 


August,  1918. 
September  .. 

October 

November  ■• 
December  .. 
January,  1919 

February  

March    

April  

May    

June  

July    

August  


Reported 
for  Export 


1,444 
2.739 

733 
nil 

33 

525 

1.050 

680 

835 


Delivered 

to  Mint 

oz. 


76,156 
74.057 
71.439 
70,711 
61,314 
69.954 
66,310 
66.158 
63.465 
68.655 
73,546 
68,028 
58.117 


72.155 
64.053 

67.043 
66.158 
63.498 
69,180 
74,596 
68,708 
58.952 


Production  of  Gold  in  India. 


Total 
value  £ 


306,494 

272,208 
* 

284,779 
281,120 
269,720 
293,856 
316  862 
292.852 
250,410 


*  By  direction  of  the  Federal  Government  the  export  figures 
from  July,  1916,  to  November,  1918,  were  not  published. 

Australian  Gold  Returns. 


January  . 
February 
March.... 
April    .... 

May 

June 

July   

August  .. 
September 
October  ... 
November 
December 

Total    ... 


Victoria. 

Queensland. 

New  South 

Wales 

1918 

1919 

1918 

1919 

1918     |    1919 

£ 

£ 

£ 

£ 

£ 

£ 

32.134 

36,238 

47,600 

37.100 

25,000 

18.000 

58,113 

46,955 

45,470 

43,330 

28,000 

24.000 

65,412 

40,267 

48.020 

48.000 

30.000 

16.000 

29.620 

63,818 

47.600 

61,200 

30.000 

24,000 

87,885 

37.456 

46.740 

38,200 

45,000 

16.000 

45,765 

41.465 

51,420 

44.600 

32,000 

17.000 

64,347 

37.395 

51,000 

42,060 

25,000 

22.000 

61.163 

— 

44,600 

49,  00 

21,000 

20.000 

65,751 

— 

45.900 

— 

32,000 

— 

54,400 

— 

40.000 



* 

— 

38,200 

— 

25,000 

— 

70,674 

— 

56,281  . 

— 

38,000 

— 

674.655 

304,292 

578.213 

364.190 

370,000 

157.000 

*  Figures  not  received. 
Australasian  Gold  Outputs. 


Associated   

Associated  Northern  J  Iron  Duke 

Blocks (  Victorious 

Black  water 

Bullfinch  

Golden  Horseshoe    

Great  Boulder  Prop 

Ivanhoe 

Kalgurli 

Lake  View  &  Star 

Mount  Boppy 

Oroya  Links    

Progress   

Sons  of  Gvvaha  

South  Kalgurli    

Talisman 

Waihi 

Waihi  Grand  Junction 


August,  1919 


Treated 


Tons 

5,401 


1,771 

2,595 

2,500 
1.364 
1,300 

13,716 

5,736 

310 

15,532 
3.190 


Value 


£ 

8.654 
1,287* 


12,551  + 
1.726 

19.032 
8,587 
1,305 

25  016: 
4,627t 


*  Surplus;  +  Total  receipts ;  t  Gold  and  Silver  to  September  6. 
. Miscellaneous  Gold  Output. 


Barramia  (Sudan) 

Esperanza  (Mexico) 

Frontino  &  Bolivia  (Colombia) 

Nechi  (Colombia)  

Ouro  Preto  (Brazil)  

Pato  (Colombia) 

Philippine  Dredges(Philippinelslands) 

Plymouth  Cons.  (California) 

St.  John  del  Rey  (Brazil)    

Santa  Gertrudis  (Mexico) 

Sudan  Gold  Field  (Sudan) 


2.318H 

9.076 
24.0201 
13.500 
61,435+ 
203  § 
12,260 
37,000 
32.9001  + 

2,539 


♦Cubic  yards.     +  Dollars.     §  Ounces,  fineness  not  stated 
+  T  Profit,  gold  and  silver. 


1916 

1917 

1918                1919 

£ 

192,150 
183.264 
186,475 
192,208 
193,604 
192,469 
191,404 
192.784 
192.330 
191,502 
192,298 
205,164 

£ 
190.047 
180.904 
189,618 
185.835 
184,874 
182,426 
179,660 
181,005 
183.630 
182.924 
182,388 
190,852 

£                     £ 
176.030            162,270 
173,343            153.775 
177.950           162.790 
176.486     1       162.550 
173.775            164.080 
174.375            162.996 
171.950            163,795 

July    

September   ... 

172.105            160,840 
170.360               — 
167.740               — 
157.176               — 
170,630               — 

November    ... 
December    ... 

Total 

2.305,652 

2,214,163 

2.061,920        1.195.096 

Indian  Gold 

Outputs. 

August,  1919 

Tons              Fine 

Treated         Ounces 

3,300 
11,850 

21,595 

800 

8.775 

12.900 

2,135 

6.904 

900 

13.010 
1,079 
6.458 
7.364 

Base  Metal  Outputs 


Arizona  Copper Short  tons  copper 

.  (  Tons  lead  concentrate 

British  Broken  Hill  ...  j  Tons  zinc  concentrate 

(  Tons  carbonate  ore 

Broken  Hill  Block  10    I  Jons   lead    concentrate... 

(  1  ons  zinc  concentrate 

Burma  Corp \  Jons  refined  lead 

I  Oz.  refined  silver 

Cordoba  Copper 

Fremantle  Trading  ...Long  tons  lead  !!!"""""!!-"! 
North  Broken  Hill    ...  -!  Tons  lead 

(  Oz.  silver 

Poderosa Tons  copper  ore    

Rhcdesian  Broken  Hill. ..Tons  lead  and  zinc 

Tanganyika Long  tons  copper 

Tolima Tons  silver-lead  concentrate 

Zinc  Corp J  Tons  zinc  concentrate 

'"  1  Tons  lead  concentrate 


August, 
1919 


1,421 
163,849 


116 

1 .0S9 

2,279 

60 


Imports  of  Ores  and  Metals  into  United  Kini 


Iron  Ore Tons 

Manganese  Ore  Tons 

Copper  and  Iron  Pyrites Tons  ... 

Copper  Ore   Tons  .. 

Copper  Precipitate Tons  .. 

Copper  Metal    Tons  ... 

Tin  Concentrate  Tons  ■■ 

Tin  Metal    Tons  .. 

Lead,  Pig  and  Sheet Tons  .. 

Zinc(Spelter)    Tons  ... 

Quicksilver Lb. 

Zinc  Oxide Cwt. 

Barytes    Cwt. 

Phosphate  Tons 

Brimstone  Cwt" 

Boracic  Compounds  Cwt. 

Nitrate  of  Potash Cwt. 

Petroleum  ■ 

Crude  Gallons 

Lamp  Oils Gallons 

Motor  Spirit  Gallons 

Lubricating  Oils Gallons 

Gas  Oil    Gallon' 

_     F,,el  °'l  Gallons 

Total  Petroleum Gallons 


Sept. 
1919 


Year 
1919 


266.385 

4,124  625 

11,263 

232,268 

26.581 

230,450 

84 

10.468 

235 

9.507 

9.736 

91.450 

1.701 

2,617 

14,684 

11.074 

184,317 

6.055 

449.928 

2,524.719 

4  902 

109.208 

33.426 

324.481 

22,423 

260.005 

986 

115.775 

34,576 

206.765 

2,000 

— 

15,313,922 

14, 770.911 

• 

6. 11  7. 480 

46.659,974 

a 

- 

[85,978,^37 

71.257,955 

534,006,002 

236 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


United  States  Metal  Exports  and  I 

Imports. 


Exports. 

June 

July 

Tons. 

Tons. 

Copper  Ingots 

10,826 

18,917 

Copper  Tubes 

2  48 

149 

Copper  Sheets 

195 

Copper  Wire.. 

2,127 

2,468 

Lead,  Pig 

7.492 

2.367 

10,730 
746 

8,842 
896 

Zinc  Sheets  ■•• 

Antimony 

Tin  Con 

Tin.., 

Manganese 

Ore 

TungstenCon 
Pvrites 


June 
Tons. 
722 


31,550 

338 

50.545 


July 
Tons. 
645 
1,975 
897 

15.585 

452 

63.088 


Outputs  of  Tin  Mining  Comi 
In  Tons  of  Concentrate. 


Nigeria  : 

Abu 

Anglo-Continental  

Associated  Nigerian  ...  

Benue  

Berrida  

Bisichi 

Bongwelli  

Dua  

Ex- Lands  

Filani  

Forum  River 

Gold  Coast  Consolidated 

Guru  in  River 

Jantar  

Jos    

Kaduna 

Kaduna  Prospectors 

Kano 

Kassa-Ropp  

Keffi 

Kuru    

Kuskie 

Kwall 

Lower  Bisichi  

Lucky  Chance 

Minna 

Mongu  

Naraguta    

Naraguta  Extended    

New  Lafon    

Nigerian  Tin 

Ninghi 

N.N.  Bauchi 

Offin  River  

Rayfield  

Ropp    

Rukuba  

South  Bukeru  

Sybu    

Tin  Areas  

Tin  Fields 

Toro 

Union  &  Rhodesian  Trust  

Federated  Malay  States  : 

Chenderiang 

Gopeng   

Idris  Hydraulic    

Ipoh 

Kamunting    

Kinta    

Kledang  

Lahat  

Malayan  Tin 

Pahang    

Rambutan 

Sungei  Besi  

Tekka 

Tekka-Taiping 

Tronoh    

Tronoh  South  

Cornwall : 

Cornwall  Tailings  

Dolcoath    

East  Pool  

Geevor    

South  Crofty    

Other  Countries  : 

Aramayo  Francke  (Bolivia) 

Briseis  (Tasmania) 

Deebook  (Siam)  

Mavvchi  (Burma) 

Porco  (Bolivia) 

Renong  (Siam) 

Rooiberg  Minerals  (Transvaal)  ... 

Siamese  Tin  (Siam)   

Tongkah  Harbour  (Siam)  

Zaaiplaats  (Transvaal) 


Year 

August 

1918 

1919 

Tons 

Tons 

33 

1* 

207 

— 

40 

146 

3 

275 

22 

17 

8 

60 

1451 

5 
\2 

37 
274 
30 
99 
141 
228 
178 

60 

133 

118 

12 

21 

108 

99 

27 

40 

476 

478 

280 

198 

87 

435 
120 
689 
836 
132 
94 
40 
96 
108 
17 


179 
979 
136 
245 
236 
478 
28 
399 
730 

1.877 
207 
408 
508 
400 

1,364 
133 

140 

787 

1,336 

392 

598 

1.816 
327 
398 
658 
227 
615 
335 
989 

1.528 
563 


JO 


6 
35 
4 

50 
103 
6 
3 
2 


51 
16 

17 

39 

44 
45 

184 
15 
46 
36 
30 

136 


144 
15 
30 
56 
24 
64 
10 

102 
9 


Year 

1919 
Tons 

15 

95 

40 

56 

1 

112 

37 

45 
240 

20 
110 

24 

73 

73 
148 
129 

41 
106 

84 

30 

193 

4 

7 

55 

21 

26 
357 
253 
169 
125 

25 

31 
240 

40 
447 
699 

29 

35 

22 

50 

114 

3 

6 

52 
557 
148 
107 

96 
291 

10 
286 
443 
1.442 
105 
256 
299 
216 
986 


494 
680 
186 

383 

1.397 
157 
190 
521 
186 
619 
196 
382 
774 
323 


Nigerian  Tin  Production. 
In  long  tons  of  concentrate  of  unspecified  content. 
Note      These  figures  are  taken  from  the  monthly  returns 
made  by  individual  companies  reporting  in  London,  and 
probably  represent  85%  of  the  actual  outputs. 


1914 

1915         1916    1     1917         1918 

1919 

January  

February    ... 

Tons 
485 
469 
502 
482 
480 
460 
432 
228 
2h9 
272 
283 
326 

Tons      Tons   1   Tons   j   Tons 

417  j       531           667           678 
358           528          646     j      668 

418  547     !      655     !       707 

Tons 
613 
623 
606 
546 
- 

484 
473 
565 
572 

May 

June     

July  

August 

September 
October  , 
November  ... 
December  ... 

357           536 
373           510 
455            506 
438           498 
442           535 
511            584 
467          679 
533           654 

509 
473 
479 
551 
538 
578 
621 
655 

525 
492 
545 
571 
520 
491 
472 
518 

Total    ... 

4,708 

5.213         6  5r<4 

6.927 

6,771 

♦.400 

Total  Sales  of  Tin  Concentrate  at  Redruth  Ticketings. 


July  1 

July  15  

July  29  

August  12 

August  26 

September  9 
September  24 
October  7...-. 
October  21    ... 
November  4... 
November  18 
December  2 
1  lecrmber  16 
December  30 


Total  and  Average, 
1918 


Lone  tons 

1704 

164 

146  J 

144 

142 

1424 

M5j 

136* 

150 

14li 

150 

166] 

1754 

152 


Value 


Average 


4.094 


£'192    0    0 


January  13.  1919- 

January  27    

February  10 

Februar\ 

March  10 

March  24 

April7 

April  22 

May  5 

May  19 

June  2 

June  16... 

June  30 

July  14  

July  28 

August  11 

August  25 

September  8   

September  22  .... 
October  6 


160 
1354 
153 
142 
1444 
1484 
1344 
134J 
129 
1264 
140 
139 
136 
145 
122 
12/4 
1304 
1154 
1354 
72 


<  1 10 

11 

0 

£125 

ID 

7 

£113 

19 

10 

£105 

14 

10 

£125 
£120 

8 

7 

5 
R 

till 

B 

10 

III  I 

Id 

1 

a  15 

n 

2 

£125 

S 

0 

ll2i 

1.1 

0 

£123 

LJ 

<) 

£123 

s 

0 

£125 

17 

3 

£7138 

16 

11 

G 

5 

£140 

4 

3 

£143 

12 

G 

£144 

fi 

1 

£150 

17 

t 

Detai 

Redruth  Tin  Tickkt 

September  8             September  22 

Tons 
Sold 

Realized 
per  ton 

Tons 
Sold 

Realized 
per  t<>n 

E.  Pool  &  Agar,  No.  1 
ii             ..      No.  la 
.,             ii      No.  lb 
.i             ■•      No.  lc 

10 
10 
10 

8 
8 
9 
34 

i4 
n 
n 

8 
8 
3 
6 
6 

14 

£    s.    d 

145     5     0 
143  15     0 
143  15    0 

155     0    0 
155  10    0 

155  10    0 
75  17    6 

133    0    0 

145  0    0 

146  0    0 
140  17    6 
140  17    6 

65  10    0 

156  10    0 

157  10    0 

146  10    0 

11 

11 
11 

8 

8 

9 

34 

14 
10 
11 

8 

7 

54 

6 
10 
10 

£    s.  d. 
145  12    6 
145     0    0 
145     5    0 

150    0    0 
150  15    0 
150  15    0 
77  15     0 
133  12    6 
145  10    0 
144    0    0 

141  7     6 

142  10    0 

152     0    0 
152    0    0 

150  15     0 

151  15    0 

No.  la  

No  lb  ...    . 

No.  2 

A 

South  Crofty.  No.  1 

No.  la 

Grenville  Utd.,  No.  1 

..      No.  la 

„      No.  2 

Tincroft  Mines.  No.  1 

..             m      No.  la 
Levant  Mines,  No.  1 

No.  la 
Wheal  Bellan 

24         121     5 
24          109  15 

2  

Total 

1154 

1354 

OCTOBER,    1919 


237 


Production  of  Tin  in  Federated  Malay  States. 

Estimated  at  70%  of  Concentrate  shipped  to  Smelters.     Long 
Tons.     *  Figures  not  published. 


January     ■•• 
February  ... 

March    

April  

May 

June   

July    

August  

September  . 
October...... 

November  . 
December  . 


1915 

1916 

1917 

1918 

Tons 

Tons 

Tons 

Tons 

4.395 

4,316 

3,558 

3,149 

3.780 

3.372 

2,755 

3.191 

3,653 

3.696 

3.286 

2,608 

3.619 

3,177 

3.251 

3,308 

3.823 

3.729 

3,413 

3,332 

4.048 

3,435 

3,489 

2,950 

3,544 

3,517 

3,253 

3,373 

4,046 

3,732 

3.413 

3.259 

3.932 

3.636 

3.154 

3,166 

3.797 

3,681 

3,436 

2,870 

4,059 

3.635 

3.300 

3,131 

4,071 

3,945 

3,525 
39.833 

3.023 

46.767 

43,871 

37,370 

1919 

Tons 

3,765 
2.673 
2.819 
2.855 
3.404 
2,873 
3,756 
2.955 
3,161 


28.261 


Stocks  of  Tin 
Reported  by  A.  Strauss  &  Co.     Long  Tons. 


Straits  and  Australian  Spot  

Ditto,  Landing  and  in  Transit  .. 

Other  Standard,  Spot  and  Landing  ... 

Straits,  Afloat 

Australian,  Afloat 

Banca,  in  Holland 

Ditto,  Afloat   

Billiton,  Spot  

Billiton,  Afloat   

Straits,  Spot  in  Holland  and  Hamburg 

Ditto,  Afloat  to  Continent 

Total  Afloat  for  United  States 

Stock  in  America 

Total 


18,157 


August  31, 

Sept.  30. 

1919 

1919 

Tons 

Tons 

573 

523 

1.010 

2.522 

433 

275 

4,664  ' 

3,585 

252 

225 

1.144 

1,370 

673 

2,293 

- 

70 

840 

2,071 

7,648 

8,542 

920 

1,515 

Shipments,  Imports,  Supply,  and  Consumption  of  Tin. 
Reported  by  A.  Strauss  &  Co.     Long  tons. 


August 
1919 


Tons 

Shipments  from: 

Straits  to  U.K 4.164 

Straits  to  America    I  3,825 

Straits  to  Continent 840 

Straits  to  Other  Places  J  1,363 

Australia  to  U.K !  100 

U.K.  to  America   1.720 

Imports  of  Bolivian  Tin  into  Europe-. •  839 

Supply: 

Straits  8,829 

Australian    100 

Billiton 82 

Banca    2,682 

Standard  1,129 

Consumption  : 

U  K,  Deliveries 1.333 

Dutch         60 

American   4,345 

.Straits,  Banca  &  Billiton,  Continen 

tal  Ports,  etc 875 


Straits  in  hands  of  Malay  Government 

■i      controlled  by  U.S.  Government 
n  French  and  Italian 


Governments. 


Banca  in  Trading  Company's  hands.. 


Sept. 
1919 


Tons 

1,500 

3,615 

350 

742 

350 

1.369 

29 


5.465 
350 


1,494 


1,142 

54 

4.825 


0 

0 

0 

3 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

10 

7 

16     0 

10     0 

0     0 

0     0 


PRICES   OF   CHEMICALS.    Oct.  3. 

£    s.  d. 

Alum  per  ton     17     0     0 

Alumina,  Sulphate  of ,,  17     0     0 

Ammonia,  Anhydrous per  lb.  1   10 

0'880  solution   per  ton     33     0     0 

,,  Carbonate per  lb.  6^ 

,,  Chloride  of,  grey per  ton     47     0     0 

,,         ,,    pure per  cwt.       4     0     0 

Nitrate  of  per  ton 

Phosphate  of .' , 

,,  Sulphate  of   

Antimony  Sulphide per  lb. 

Arsenic,  White per  ton 

Barium  Sulphate 

Bisulphide  of  Carbon 

Bleaching  Powder,  35%  CI 

Borax  

Copper,  Sulphate  of    

Cyanide  of  Sodium,  100% per  lb 

Hydrofluoric  Acid    , 

Iodine , 

Iron,  Sulphate  of per 

Lead,  Acetate  of,  white 

Nitrate  of 

,,      Oxide  of,  Litharge   

,,      White  

Lime,  Acetate,  brown , 

grey  80% 

Magnesite,  Calcined 

Magnesium  Chloride  

Sulphate 

Methylated  Spirit  64°  Industrial     per  gal 

Phosphoric  Acid  per  lb. 

Potassium  Bichromate   

Carbonate  per  ton 

,,         Chlorate  per  lb. 

,,         Chloride  80%     per  ton 

Hydrate  (Caustic)  90% 

,,         Nitrate 

,,         Permanganate    per  lb 

,,         Prussiate,  Yellow 

Sulphate,  90%   per  ton 

Sodium  Metal  per  lb. 

,,        Acetate per  ton 

Arsenate  45  % ,, 

Bicarbonate   

,,        Bichromate    per  lb. 

,,        Carbonate  (Soda  Ash)...    per  ton 

,,  ,,         (Crystals) 

Chlorate per  lb. 

Hydrate,  76%   per  ton 

,,         Hyposulphite , 

Nitrate,  95% 

Phosphate , 

,,        Prussiate per  lb. 

,,        Silicate    per  ton    12     0 

,,        Sulphate  (Salt-cake) ,,  3     0 

(Glauber's  Salts)     .,  4     0 

Sulphide 23     0 

Sulphur,  Roll 21     0 

,,  Flowers 21     0 

Sulphuric  Acid,  Non-Arsenical... 

140°T.       ,,  5     0 

90%        ,.  7     5 

9     7 

Superphosphate  of  Lime,  18%...       ,,  5     0 

Tartaric  Acid per  lb.  3 

Zinc  Chloride per  ton  23   10 

Zinc  Sulphate 22     0 


33 

47 

4 

60 

110 

19 

60 
12 
55 
15 
39 
41 


95 


160 
55 


1  0 
0  0 
0     0 


0  0 
0  0 
0     0 

11 

10     0 

2     6 

6 

0 

0 
0 


0 
10 

0 

0  0 
9 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 

0 
3 
6 

0 
2 

0 
0 


238 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


SHARE  QUOTATIONS 

Shares  are  £l  par  value  except  where  otherwise  noted. 


GOLD,    SILVER, 
DIAMONDS  : 


Oct.  7 

1918 

£    s.  d. 


Rand  : 

Brakpan 

Central  Mining  (£8)    

City  &  Suburban  (£4) 

City  Deep 

Consolidated  Gold  Fields 

Consolidated  Langlaagte 

Consolidated  Main  Reef 

Consolidated  Mines  Selection  (10s.) 

Crown  Mines  (10s  ) 

Daggafontein 

Durban  Roodepoort  Deep 

East  Rand  Proprietary 

Ferreira  Deep 

Geduld 

GeldenhuisDeep 

Gov't  Gold  Mining  Areas 

Heriot 

Johannesburg  Consolidated 

Jupiter  

Kleinfontein 

Knight  Central 

Knights  Deep   

Langlaagte  Estate 

Meyer  &  Charlton 

Modderfontein  (£4) 

Modderfontein  B 

Modder  Deep(5s  1 

Modder  East  

Nourse 

Rand  Mines  (5s.) 

Rand  Selection  Corporation 

Randfontein  Central 

Robinson  (£5) 

Robinson  Deep  A  (Is.) 

Rose  Deep 

Simmer  &  Jack  

Simmer  Deep 

Springs 

Sub  Nigel 

Union  Corporation  (12s.  6d.)    

Van  Ryn  

Van  Ryn  Deep 

Village  Deep  

Village  Main  Reef 

Witwatersrand  (Knight's) 

Witwatersrand  Deep  

Wolh  titer 

Other  Transvaal  Gold  Minks  : 

Glynn's  Lydenburg 

Sheba  (5s.)  

Transvaal  Gold  Mining  Estates. ... 
Diamonds  in  South  Africa: 

De  Beers  Deferred  (£2  10s.) 

Jagersfontein 

Premier  Deferred  (2s.  6d.) 

Rhodesia  : 

Cam  &  Motor 

Chartered  British  South  Africa  .... 

Eldorado  

Falcon 

Gaika 

Giant 

Globe  &  Phoenix  (5s.) 

Lonely  Reef 

Rezende.. 

Shamva 

Willoughby's  (10s.) 

West  Africa  : 

Abbontiakoon  (10s.) 

Abosso 

Ashanti  (4s.)    

Prestea  Block  A 

Taqtiah 


3  16    3 
8    5    0 

16  3 
2  16  3 
2  1  0 
1     0    3 

15     0 

1  7     0 

2  6     3 
1     7     0 

10  0 
4  9 
15 
1  17 
13 

4  12 
17 

1  2 
5 
16 


7 
17 
4  12 
26  12 
8  7 
7  17 

17 

3  1 

4  5 
13 
16 

1     3 

18 

5 

3 

3  18 

1   15 

16 

18 

3  13 

18 

12 

1     6 

9 

5 


West  Australia  : 

Associated  Gold  Mines  

Associated  Northern  Blocks — 

Bullfinch  

Golden  Horse-Shoe  (£5) 

Great  Boulder  Proprietary  (2s.)- 

Great  Fingall  (10s) 

Ivanhoe  (£5)    

Kalgurli 

Lake  View  &  Oroya  (10s.)  

Sons  of  Gwalia  

South  Kalgurli  (10s.) 


Oct.  6 

1919 

£    s.  d. 


3  11 

9     7 


3  1  3 
1  17  6 
1    0    0 


II 

1  5 

2  18 

1  4 
7 
5 

12 

2  17 
10 

4  15 
10 

1  9 
4 

12 

5 

8 

16 

4     7 

28     5 

8  10 

2  6 
1  13 

13 

3  2 

3  15 
16 
10 

1  1 
16 

5 
2 

2  17 
1  5 
1     1 

17 

4  1 
14 
10 
18 


3 
9 
9 
9 
6 
6 
0 
G 
0 
0 
0 
G 
0 
0 
G 
(i 
G 
6 
0 
0 
3' 
9 
9 
f. 
0 

9 
0 

3 
3 
9 
9 

6 
0 

0 

6 
3 
6 
3 
9 

10    0 
3    9 


1     3 

9 

17 

6 

1 

0 

2 

0 

15 

G 

17 

0 

16    6 

3 

24 

5 

0 

4  13 

'' 

6 

12 

G 

7  12 

6 

9 

10 

0 

11 

G 

5 

6 

18 

9 

1 

1 

9 

7 

0 

4 

3 

1     2 

6 

1  1 

0 

16 

9 

17 

G 

9 

0 

B 

0 

1   10 

0 

1 

0 

6 

1    14 

9 

2 

13 

0 

5     3 

9 

5 

2 

G 

1   17 

0 

1 

IS 

0 

6 

G 

G 

•i 

4 

6 

4 

9 

7 

9 

14 

0 

1    0 

9 

1 

3 

0 

4 

i) 

6 

3 

15 

G 

16 

ft 

3 

6 

3 

6 

3 

6 

5 

0 

1 

9 

2 

6 

2    0 

0 

1 

10 

ii 

11 

G 

11 

0 

3 

0 

1 

9 

1   15 

0 

2 

1 

3 

9 

n 

13 

0 

13 

3 

1 

4 

3 

8 

0 

6 

G 

5 

6 

6 

6 

Gold.  Silver,  cont. 

Others  in  Australasia  : 

Blackwater.  New  Zealand 

ConsolidatedG.F.of  New  Zealand 

Mount  Boppy,  New  South  Wales 

Progress,  New  Zealand 

Talisman,  New  Zealand 

Waihi,  New  Zealand   

Waihi  Grand  Junction,  New  Z'lnd 
America  : 

Buena  Tierra,  Mexico 

Camp  Bird,  Colorado 

El  Oro,  Mexico 

Esperanza,  Mexico  

Frontino  &  Bolivia,  Colombia 

Le  Roi  No.  2  (£5). British  Columbia 

Mexico  Mines  of  El  Oro,  Mexico  . 

Nechi  (Pref.  10s.  1,  Colombia 

Oroville  Dredging,  Colombia  

Plymouth  Consolidated.  California 

St.  John  del  Rey,  Brazil  

Santa  Gertr ud is,  Mexico 

Tomboy ,  Colorado 

Russia  : 

Lena  Goldfields 

Orsk  Priority  

India  : 

Bala  ghat  

Champion  Reef  (2s.  6d.) 

M\  sore  (10s.)  

North  Anantapur  

Nundydroog  (10s.) 

Ooregum  (10s.)    

COPPER : 

Arizona  Copper  (5s).  Arizona 

Cape  Copper  (£2),  Cape  Province.. 

in;  a,  Spain 

Hampden  Clonourry,  Queensland 

Kvshtim.  Russia 

Mason  ,v  Barry,  Portugal  

i  (5s. I,  Transvaal 

Mount  Elliott  (£5),  Queensland  ... 

Mount  I. yell,  Tasmania  

Mount  Morgan,  Uueensland 

Mount  Oxide.  Queensland    

|ua  ill).  Cape  Province 

Rio  Tinto  (£5),  Spain  

Sissert,  Russia   

Spassky,  Russia 

Tanalyk.  Russia 

Tanganyika,  Congo  and  Rhodesia 

LEAD  ZINC: 

Broken  Hill  i 

Amalgamated  Zinc    

British  Broken  Hill  

Broken  Hill  Proprietary  (8s.)  

Broken  Hill  Block  10  (£10) 

Broken  Hill  North 

Broken  Hill  South 

Sulphide  Corporation  (15s.)  

Zinc  Corporation  (10s.) 

Asia  : 

Burma  Corporation 

Irtysh  Corporation   

Russian  Mining 

Russo-  Asiatic 


Oct.  7 

1918 

£    s.   d. 


3 
5 

1 

12 

2     1 

16 

17 

15 

15 

10 

12 

10 

6    0 

II 

1     0 

I     5 

19 

14 

14 


Share 


TIN: 

Aramayo  Francke,  Bolivia 

Bisichi,  Nigeria 

Briseis,  Tasmania 

Dolcoath,  Cornwall  

East  Pool,  Cornwall 

Ex-Lands  Nigeria  (2s.),  Nigeria  •■• 

Geevor  (10s.)  Cornwall  

Gopeng,  Malay  .  

Ipoh  Dredging,  Malay     

Kamunting,  Malaya  

Kinta,  Malaya... 

Malayan  Tin  Dredging,  Malay 

Mongu  (10s. ).  Nigeria  .' 

Naraguta,  Nigeria 

N.  N.  Bauchi,  Nigeria  (10s.)    

Pahang  Consolidated  (5s.),  Malay. 

Rayfield,  Nigeria   

Renong  Dredging,  Siain 

Ropp  (4s.  1.  Nigeria 

Siamese  Tin,  Siam 

South  Crofty  (5s),  Cornwall 

Tehidy  Minerals!  15s.  pd.)  Cornw'l 

Tekka,  Malay    

Tekka-Taiping,  Malay    

Tronoh,  Malay   

capital  expanded. 


1  7  6 
15  0 

4  3 

5  9 

2  113 

7  0 

1  3  6 

19  0 


2  6 

2  10 
8 

1  5 

2  3 

2  13 

5 

3  5 
1  8 

1  12 

7 

2  7 
69  15 

1  5 

2  7 
2  7 

4  15 


1  5 

2  15 

3  5 
1  15 
3  5 

13  10 

1  8 

1  8 


3  5 
15 
5 
10 
1  9 
2 

1  6 

2  3 
18 

1  12 

2  6 
2  2 

15 
18 
7 
14 
14 

2  7 

1  1 

3  3 

2  1 


4  9  6 

2  1  3 

1  0  6 

4  17  6 


Oct  6 

1919 

£  s.  d. 


2  5 
13 

18 
1  3 

19 

16 
8 

11 
7  7 

12 
1  11 
1  6 

18 
1  15 

16 

1  17 
13 

4 
4 

1  16 

5 
14 
14 

2  0 
2  2 

5 
19 

1  7 

2  3 
5 

3  15 
1  4 
1  5 

9 

1  10 

53  0 

1  1 

1  10 

1  12 

4  II 


1  6 

2  0 
2  4 

1  3 

2  10 
2  2 
1  3 
1  0 


11  8  9 

1  13  9 

17  6 

4  6  3 


4  0 
13 
4 
8 
19 
3 
1  1 


4  5  0 
3  17  6 
2  3  9 


2  15 
2  5 

1  1 
17 

8 
15 
15 

2  10 
1  0 

3  5 
12 

1  2 

4  5 
6  2 

2  7 


THE   MINING  DIGEST 

A    RECORD     OF     PROGRESS     IN     MINING.   METALLURGY,    AND     GEOLOGY 

In  this  section  we  give  abstracts  of  important  articles  and  papers  appearing  in  technical  journals  and 

proceedings  of  societies,  together  with  brief  records  of  other  articles  and  papers ;  also  reviews  of  new 

books,  and  abstracts  of  the  yearly  reports  of  mining  companies. 


HANDLING   DUST-ALLAYING  WATER   IN    RAND   MINES. 


The  majority  of  mines  on  the  Rand  have  been  com- 
paratively dry,  and  it  is  only  in  the  near  east  Rand  and 
in  parts  of  the  far  east  Rand  that  pumping  has  been 
required  on  an  extensive  scale.  During  recent  years, 
however,  the  drier  mines  have  had  to  study  pumping 
problems,  owing  to  the  large  amount  of  water  now  em- 
ployed in  keeping  down  dust.  At  the  August  meeting 
of  the  South  African  Institution  of  Mining  Engineers, 
James  Whitehouse  gave  an  account  of  the  method  of 
dealing  with  this  class  of  water  at  Village  Deep.  The 
water  naturally  contains  an  unusually  large  amount  of 
suspended  matter,  and  the  nature  of  the  pumps  em- 
ployed and  the  means  for  settlement  are  the  important 
factors  of  the  problem. 

The  quantity  of  water  used  for  allaying  dust  at  Vil- 
lage Deep  amounts  to  256,000  gallons  per  day,  which 
is  equivalent  to  128  gallons  per  ton  of  ore  hoisted.  As 
it  was  decided  that  centrifugal  pumps  should  be  in- 
stalled, some  provision  for  the  settlement  of  the  water 
to  be  pumped  had  to  be  made,  in  order  to  prevent  the 
delicate  parts  of  the  pumps  from  being  damaged  by  the 
solids  in  suspension.  It  was  decided  at  the  same  time 
to  provide  sufficient  settlement  capacity  to  effect  the 
removal  of  solids  in  suspension  to  such  an  extent  that 
the  clear  water  could  be  used  for  the  prevention  of 
dust  in  rock-drilling.  As  the  position  of  these  sumps 
is  4,000  ft.  below  the  surface,  the  advantage  of  this  ar- 
rangement will  be  apparent.  As  the  new  settling 
sumps  had  of  necessity  to  be  situated  close  to  the  verti- 
cal shaft,  they  therefore  came  within  the  shaft  pillar  ; 
hence,  in  fixing  their  position,  and  in  deciding  on  their 
type,  the  possibility  of  the  utilization  of  old  workings 
did  not  enter  into  the  problem.  The  pump  chamber 
and  original  sump  join  the  vertical  shaft.  The  new 
sump  and  settlers  run  parallel  to  the  incline  shaft  and 
are  connected  to  the  old  sump  by  a  short  cross-cut. 
In  making  the  excavation,  it  was  decided  to  fix  the  floor 
level  at  a  somewhat  higher  elevation  than  the  level  of 
the  water  in  the  old  sump  when  full.  This  could  be 
conveniently  done  owing  to  the  rising  grade  of  thecross- 
cut  and  drive  from  which  the  work  was  started.  Two 
considerable  advantages  are  gained  by  this  arrange- 
ment, since  the  water  from  the  new  sump  can  be  run 
into  the  old  one  when  necessary,  and  at  the  same  time 
the  clarified  water  from  the  settling  sumps  can  be  run 
into  either.  The  water  is  conveniently  introduced  in- 
to the  settling  sumps  through  a  cross-cut  which  was 
driven  from  a  point  sufficiently  high  at  the  settling 
sumps  to  a  point  under  the  main  incline.  To  this 
point  the  water  from  the  upper  portion  of  the  mine  is 
delivered,  together  with  that  which  is  pumped  from 
the  lower  workings.  There  are  eight  settling  sumps 
arranged  in  two  lines  of  four,  and  between  the  lines 
there  is  a  passage  running  the  full  length  of  the  four 
sumps.  Situated  at  the  delivery  end  of  the  settling 
sumps  are  two  filter  beds,  between  which  the  passage 
continues,  and  beyond  these  is  the  main  capacity  sump. 
Each  of  the  settling  sumps  is  28  ft.  6  in.  long,  10ft.  6  in. 
wide,  and  11  ft.  6  in.  deep,  and  lias  a  capacity  of  21 ,800 
gallons.  Each  filter  sump  is  20  ft.  by  10  ft.  6  in.  by 
lift.  6 in.,  and  the  capacity  sump  is  156ft.  by  35ft. 


by  12  ft.  The  excavation  for  the  sumps  was  carried 
32ft.  wide  and  6ft.  6 in.  high  over  the  whole  length, 
the  floor  level  being  that  of  the  drive  from  which  the 
work  was  started.  The  hanging  was  afterwards 
stripped  to  a  height  of  16  ft.  for  the  settling  sumps 
and  12  ft.  for  the  capacity  area.  Finally  the  cen- 
tral channel  which  forms  the  drain  through  which 
the  sludge  is  run  off  was  cut  in  the  floor  of  the  cham- 
ber. On  the  completion  of  the  excavation,  division 
walls  were  built  in  brick.  Each  settling  sump  is 
provided  with  a  cast-iron  door  which  has  an  opening 
2  ft.  square,  and  also  with  two  smaller  9  in.  doors,  which 
were  built  in  the  walls  for  the  discharge  of  the  sludge 
into  the  central  passage.  The  filters  are  provided  with 
similar  doors,  and  one  was  also  put  in  at  the  end  of 
the  passage  for  discharging  from  the  main  capacity 
sump,  should  it  be  necessary  at  any  time  to  do  so.  The 
floors  of  the  settlers  have  a  grade  of  10%  toward  the 
doors,  and  the  central  passage  has  a  grade  of  3%  to 
the  sludge  sump.  The  floors  of  the  filter  beds  are 
graded  in  concrete  as  in  the  settling  sumps,  and  cocoa- 
nut  matting  is  laid  over  a  grating  and  covered  with 
about  three  feet  of  clinker. 

The  water  from  the  upper  part  of  the  mine  is  col- 
lected on  thelevel immediately  above  thesettling  sumps 
and  there  treated  with  lime.  When  crude  soda  was 
obtainable  in  large  quantities  from  local  deposits,  it 
was  used  for  the  purpose  of  neutralizing  the  acid  in  the 
water  flowing  to  the  settling  sumps.  It  was  dissolved 
in  tanks  on  the  surface  and  piped  down  the  vertical 
shaft  to  the  sumps.  When  it  became  impossible  to  ob- 
tain this  product,  lime  was  used  for  the  purpose,  but 
it  was  found  that  this  could  not  be  sent  from  the  sur- 
face in  pipes  owing  to  their  choking  up  after  being  a 
short  time  in  use.  It  was  therefore  decided  to  feed 
the  lime  into  the  water  mechanically  underground,  and 
this  is  conveniently  done  by  means  of  a  feeder  designed 
by  Mr.  Gray,  of  the  Crown  Mines.  This  feeder  is 
driven  by  a  small  motor,  and  the  design  is  such  that  a 
consistent  feed  is  assured.  The  neutralization  obtained 
by  this  method  reduces  the  acidity  to  about  0002,  so 
that,  after  settlement,  the  water  can  be  pumped  with- 
out any  damage  to  the  pumping  plant. 

The  operation  of  the  sumps  is  as  follows  :  From  the 
cross-cut  leading  from  the  incline  shaft  the  neutralized 
water  from  the  upper  levels,  mixed  with  the  water 
pumped  from  the  lower  levels,  is  laundered  to  the  dis- 
tributing box,  and  from  here  it  is  delivered  into  the 
settlingsun.ps,  each  sumphaving  twodelivery  launders 
leading  from  the  main  launder,  which  runs  the  whole 
length  of  the  settlers.  The  two  streams  of  water  going 
to  each  sump  are  delivered  through  box  launders  be- 
low the  surface  of  the  water  to  a  depth  of  7  ft.  6  in., 
and,  in  order  to  prevent  currents  being  set  up,  the  two 
down-launders  are  connected  by  a  perforated  horizon- 
tal launder,  which  distributes  the  flow  in  all  directions. 
The  outflow  water  is  drawn  off  through  V  lip  launders 
into  a  common  launder,  which  again  runs  the  entire 
length  of  the  settlers.  At  the  filter-bed  end  of  the 
sumps  this  water  can  be  distributed  as  desired,  the  pro- 
portion required  for  the  mine  water  service  being  di- 


239 


240 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


verted  to  the  filter  beds,  the  surplus  being  turned  into 
either  capacity  sump.  Should  the  proportion  turned 
into  the  filter  beds  be  too  large,  the  excess  overflows 
into  the  capacity  sump.  The  water  which  enters  the 
filter  beds  is  further  clarified  by  passing  through  the 
clinker,  and  is  drawn  off  from  under  the  cocoanut  mat- 
ting to  supply  the  mine.  As  it  enters  the  filter  bed  it 
is  treated  with  a  solution  of  soda,  which  neutralizes  any 
acidity  present,  and  so  protects  the  pipes  through  which 
it  is  distributed  to  the  workings.  Working  under  the 
conditions  as  described,  the  consumption  of  lime  and 
soda  per  day  is  2,400  lb.  and  3001b.  respectively,  cost- 
ing /4.  15s.,  which  is  equal  to  1  96  pence  per  1,000 
gallons  treated. 

When  sufficient  mud  has  been  collected  in  any  set- 
tling sump,  the  inflow  is  stopped  and  the  water  is  al- 
lowed to  finally  settle.  The  water  is  then  drawn  off 
through  a  pipe  which  passes  through  the  wall  at  adepth 
of  7  ft.  below  the  surface  of  the  water  by  a  small  centri- 
fugal pumpatthe  entrance  tothesettlers,  and  delivered 
into  the  distributing  box  once  more.  The  mud  is  re- 
leased by  opening  the  mud-doors,  and  flows  by  the 
central  passage  into  the  sludge  sump.  From  here  it 
gravitates  through  pipes  down  the  sludge  winze  into 
the  filter-presses  on  the  level  below,  or  it  can  be  piped 
direct  into  the  skips  and  pulled  to  the  surface.  The 
time  taken  to  clear  a  settling  sump  from  stopping  the 
flow  to  restarting  is  two  hours. 

It  has  been  found  convenient  to  discharge  all  the 
sumps  at  a  week  end,  one  after  the  other,  and  the  time 
taken  to  clear  them  all  and  hoist  the  mud  to  the  sur- 
face is  6'»  hours.  This  is  usually  done  once  a  fortnight, 
and  about  155  skip-loads  of  sludge  are  hoisted.     Dur- 


ing this  period  about  S,  189,000  gallons  of  water  are 
passed  through  the  sumps,  and  the  above  represents 
the  amount  extracted  from  this  quantity  of  water.  The 
average  percentage  of  solids  by  weight  settled  out  of 
the  inflowing  water  amounts  to  0  4372  per  cent,  or  one 
pound  of  solid  matter  for  22 '9  gallons  of  water  passing 
through  the  sumps.  There  are  no  large  feeders  of 
clean  water  emptying  into  the  mine,  and  hence  the  per- 
centage of  solids  is  greater  than  it  would  be  in  a  mine 
where  large  volumes  of  water  are  derived  from  this 
source. 

Apart  from  its  efficiency  as  a  settler,  the  type  of  sump 
described  above  has  certain  advantages  to  which  at- 
tention might  be  drawn.  The  excavation  is  rapid,  a 
point  often  of  considerable  importance,  because  the  re- 
moval of  the  ground  broken  is  effected  by  means  of 
tracks  carried  on  an  even  grade  from  the  level  into  the 
sump,  a  method  both  easy  and  inexpensive,  and  com- 
paring very  favourably  with  that  of  hoisting  the  broken 
ground  out  of  an  excavation  below  the  drive  level.  The 
water  used  in  drilling  finds  its  own  way  out  into  the 
drive,  and  no  water  from  the  drive  can  enter  the  ex- 
cavation, so  that  all  water  troubles  are  eliminated. 
Again,  should  there  be  a  large  increase  in  the  water  to 
be  settled,  or  a  rush  of  sand  from  sand  filling,  one  unit 
can  be  cut  out  as  often  as  desired,  and  the  mud  re- 
moved from  it  while  the  remaining  sumps  continue  in 
operation.  The  settlers  as  a  whole  need  never  become 
full  or  get  into  such  a  condition  that  the  mud  cannot 
be  removed  when  desired.  In  discharging  mud  only 
one-eighth  of  the  settl  ng  capacity  is  cut  out,  and  then 
only  for  two  hours  Further,  the  water  to  be  pumped 
is  above  the  level  of  the  pumps  and  gravitates  to  them. 


MAGNESITE   IN   WEST   AUSTRALIA. 


The  West  Australian  Geological  Survey  has  issued 
a  report  by  F.  K  Feldtmann  on  the  magnesite  de- 
posits at  Bulong,  about  20  miles  due  east  of  Kalgoorlie. 
The  deposits  have  been  known  since  1897,  and  in  1914 
trial  shipments  were  made.  They  have  been  worked  to 
a  limited  extent  by  the  Magnesia  Syndicate  and  its 
successor,  the  Permasite  Manufacturing  Co. 

Bulong  is  on  the  west  side  of  Lake  Yindarlgooda  and 
lies  in  a  complex  of  basic  and  ultrabasic  greenstones, 
the  most  prominent  members  of  which  are  serpentines 
and  amphibolized  gabbros.  In  the  gold-mining  area 
west  of  the  town,  many  of  the  rocks  are  talcose  and 
highly  carbonated.  The  greenstones  extend  eastward 
to  the  western  edge  of  the  lake,  and  northward  beyond 
Mt.  Taurus.  The  various  members  of  the  complex 
are  intimately  associated,  and,  as  at  Kalgoorlie,  to  the 
younger  greenstones  of  which  they  correspond,  appar- 
ently represent  local  differentiations  of  a  highly  basic 
magma,  intruded  as  one  mass.  The  eastern  part  of 
the  complex  is  more  highly  basic  than  that  west  of 
Bulong  and,  except  for  a  few  small  areas  of  gabbro  or 
amphibolized  gabbro,  consists  wholly  of  serpentine, 
with  which  the  magnesite  is  invariably  associated.  In- 
truding the  greenstones  west  of  the  magnesite  areas 
are  several  large  porphyrite  dykes — the  largest  being 
a  mile  in  length — striking  north  and  south.  A  few 
small  dykes  are  found  in  and  near  the  main  magnesite 
area.  Porphyrite  dykes,  apparently  of  considerable 
length,  also  occur  west  of  the  town,  intimately  asso- 
ciated with  gold  lodes.  A  number  of  small  porphyrite 
dykes,  almost  black  in  colour,  striking  east  and  west, 
intrude  the  greenstones  close  to  the  magnesite  areas. 
These  dykes  may  belong  to  a  different  period  of  intru- 
sion, but  more  probably  formed  part  of  the  same  mag- 
ma as  the  other  dykes  and  were  intruded  along  lines 
of  weakness  complementary  to  the  main  lines. 


Fast  of  the  main  greenstone  area  is  a  belt  of  highly 
sheared  rocks  of  clastic  origin,  containing  numerous 
ellipsoidal  pebbles  of  porphyrite — but,  so  far  as  could 
be  determined,  of  no  other  rock — as  well  as  smaller 
angular  and  sub  angular  fragments  of  the  same  rock. 
These  rocks  are  best  described  as  pebble  breccias. 
The  planes  of  shearing  strike  north  and  south,  and  dip 
wt-st  at  steep  but  varying  angles.  The  extreme  west- 
ern edge  of  theJake  approximates  to  the  boundary  be- 
tween these  rocks  and  the  greenstones.  North  of  the 
lake,  rocks  forming  part  of  the  same  series  extend  east- 
ward beyond  Mt.  Tabletop,  on  the  road  to  Kurnalpi. 
Immediately  south  of  the  westernmost  part  of  the  lake, 
the  pebble  breccia  belt — here  probably  only  a  branch 
of  the  main  belt,  which  is  some  miles  farther  east — is 
a  little  more  than  a  mile  wide.  Two  and  a  half  miles 
farther  south  it  is  only  three-eighths  of  a  mile  wide. 

Another  area  of  highly  schistose  rocks,  probably 
belonging  to  the  same  series,  underlies  the  alluvial  flat 
south  of  the  Government  Tank.  The  few  exposures 
of  these  rocks  are  too  weathered  for  accurate  determin- 
ation. No  pebbles  were  seen  in  the  rocks,  some  of 
which  are  of  slaty  appearance  ;  others  appeared  to  re- 
semble the  matrix  of  the  pebble  breccias.  Part  of  the 
western  boundary  of  these  schists  can  be  mapped  with 
some  degree  of  accuracy,  but  the  eastern  boundary  is 
entirely  obscured  and  the  full  extent  of  the  area  occu- 
pied by  them  cannot  be  ascertained  with  any  certainty. 

In  the  greenstones  north  and  north-west  of  the  town 
are  several  comparatively  small  areas  of  apparently 
clastic  rocks,  some  of  which  resemble  the  pebble  brec- 
cias, but  contain  no  pebbles  ;  others  the  slaty  rocks 
previously  mentioned.  These  smaller  areas  possibly 
represent  portions  of  the  main  belt  which  have  been 
nipped  in  during  periods  of  compression. 

Fast  of  the  pebble  breccias  south  of  the   lake,  and 


OCTOBER,    1919 


241 


forming  the  Yindarlgooda  range  of  hills,  is  a  second 
area  of  greenstones.  These  are,  on  the  whole,  less 
highly  basic  than  the  rocks  of  the  magnesite  area  and 
appear  to  consist  of  amphibolized  gabbro  and  com- 
paratively finegrained  epidiorite.  They  extend  to  the 
western  edge  of  the  lake,  east  of  the  Yindarlgooda 
range.  They  have  been  intruded  by  many  small  dykes 
of  porphyry  or  porphyrite,  the  direction  of  strike  of 
which  is  variable,  but  predominantly  ENE.  In  com- 
position these  dykes  appear  to  be  somewhat  more  acid 
than  those  intruding  the  main  greenstone  area. 

The  largest  area  of  magnesite-bearing  serpentine  oc- 
cupies a  basin  elongated  in  a  nearly  north  and  south 
direction,  parallel  to  the  lake  edge,  the  northern  end 
of  the  basin  being  nearly  2\  miles  due  east  of  Bulong. 
The  basin  lies  between  a  high,  steep  ridge  rather  more 
than  half  a  mile  west  of  the  lake,  and  a  lower  and  more 
broken  series  of  hills  fringing  the  lake  and  connected 
with  the  main  ridge  north  and  south  of  the  basin.  The 
magnesite  area  extends  for  about  |  mile  south  of  the 
basin,  its  total  length  being  nearly  2\  miles.  It  is  ir- 
regular in  width,  ranging  from  about  30  chains  at  its 
northern  end  to  about  5  chains  near  its  southern  end, 
averaging  about  IS  chains.  It  covers  about  350  acres. 
The  southern  half  of  this  area  is  largely  obscured  by 
superficial  deposits.      Several  smaller  areas  of  magne- 

4—7 


site-bearing  rock  occur,  one  south  and  three  north  of 
the  main  area,  the  northernmost,  about  f  mile  north 
of  the  main  deposit,  being  the  largest.  It  occupies  a 
basin  about  half  a  mile  long  and  more  than  30  chains 
wide  at  its  widest  point,  and  covers  an  area  of  about 
90  acres.  No  magnesite  deposits  were  seen  south 
of  those  mentioned,  other  than  occasional  small 
boulders,  nor  is  it  likely  that  deposits  of  any  size 
occur.  A  few  small  patches,  negligible  from  an  econo- 
mic point  of  view,  were  observed  to  the  north  of  those 
mapped,  and  it  is  possible  that  others  occur  in  the 
vicinity  of  Taurus.  Small  lenses  of  magnesite  were 
seen  in  two  places  in  the  pebble  breccias  near  the 
boundary  of  the  serpentine  ;  the  magnesite  here  has 
evidently  been  dissolved  out  of  the  serpentine  by  sur- 
face waters  and  redeposited  in  the  clastic  rock. 

The  ridge  west  of  the  main  magnesite  area  rises  to  a 
height  of  about  240  ft.  above  the  level  of  the  lake.  It 
forms  the  southerly  extension  of  a  wide  and  irregular 
hilly  area,  scored  by  deep  valleys,  which  stretches 
northward  to  the  west  of  the  Taurus  groupof  leases.  The 
ridge  runs  south  for  a  considerable  distance.  Oppo- 
site the  southern  end  of  the  basin,  three  miles  south- 
east of  the  town,  it  widens  out  to  a  complex  ol  hills  ; 
farther  south  it  gradually  becomes  less  defined  but 
rises  abruptly  at  Mt    Magnetic,  about  five  miles  south  - 


242 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


east  of  Bulong,  to  die  out  a  little  farther  south. 

The  hilly  area  north  of  the  ridge  is  joined  about  one 
and  a  half  miles  north  of  the  Government  Tank  by  an 
escarpment  running  in  a  south-south-west  direction, 
about  |  mile  east  of  the  town.  This  escarpment  faces 
east-south-east  and  the  flat  below  it  gradually  falls  to- 
ward the  lake.  South  of  the  Government  Tank  the 
flat  is  about  130  ft.  below  the  surface  level  at  the  Post 
Office,  and  about  CO  ft.  above  the  level  of  the  lake. 
It  is  drained  by  a  series  of  watercourses  mostly  ill- de- 
fined which,  toward  the  eastern  end  of  the  flat,  unite 
to  form  a  deeply  cut  creek  known  as  Magnesite  Creek. 
The  creek  runs  east  to  the  lake,  cutting  through  the 
previously  mentioned  ridge.  West  of  the  ridge  a 
second  creek  runs  into  the  first  one  from  the  north. 

The  road  from  Bulong  to  the  magnesite  quarries 
crosses  the  escarpment  west  of  Mt.  Stuart,  thence 
passes  to  the  north  of  the  mount  and  runs  eastward 
over  the  flat  to  follow  Magnesite  Creek  through  the 
gap  in  the  main  ridge  to  the  quarries  ;  thence  the  road 
runs  on  to  the  old  battery  site.  This  road  is  good,  on 
the  whole,  though  heavy  on  the  flat  in  wet  weather. 

The  magnesite  occurs,  for  the  most  part,  as  short 
irregular  veins  in  the  serpentine.  In  places  these 
veins  are  so  numerous  as  to  form  a  stock  work.  Being 
less  subject  to  weathering  than  the  surrounding  rock, 
and  of  a  dazzling  white  colour,  except  where  stained 
by  iron,  they  stand  out  conspicuously  above  the  sur- 
face of  the  ground.  The  veins  are  very  irregular  both 
in  strike  and  dip.  Some  of  the  larger  veins  strike  about 
N15°W,  and,  where  exposed,  dip  fairly  steeply  west- 
south-west  ;  others  are  almost  flat,  but  most  of  the 
veins  are  greatly  contorted.  Where  a  number  occur 
together  they  are  usually  roughly  parallel.  None  of 
the  veins  approach  those  of  the  Grecian  and  Californ- 
ian  deposits  in  size,  rarely  attaining  a  width  of  two  feet. 
Most  are  only  a  few  inches  in  width,  and  a  number 
are  mere  threads.  Where  the  serpentine  is  much  de- 
composed, as  at  the  main  workings,  the  veins  are  ex- 
ceedingly numerous,  in  places  occupying  a  greater  vol- 
ume than  the  enclosing  material.  In  such  places  the 
enclosing  rock  is  soft,  enabling  the  veins  to  be  quarried 
easily. 

In  a  few  places  the  magnesite  forms  a  surface  de- 
posit. The  largest  deposit  of  this  type  covers  a  large 
portion  of  an  area  of  about  15  acres,  immediately  south 
of  Magnesite  Creek.  The  two  larger  quarries  are  on 
the  northern  edge  of  this  deposit,  which  in  a  few 
places  is  over  a  foot  thick.  It  is  probably  due,  in  the 
first  place,  to  the  occurrence  of  large  flat  veins  of  mag- 
nesite, the  intervening  country  being  covered  by  ma- 
terial resulting  from  the  degradation  of  the  vein  out- 
crops, which  lias  been  recemented  through  the  agency 
of  surface  waters.  These  surface  deposits  are  usually 
more  discoloured  than  the  veins. 

As  shown  by  the  analyses,  the  proportion  of  impur- 

AnW.YSKS    OF    Bl'LONG    MAGNESITE, 

1  2  3 
No.  -  Quarry 

Magnesia.  Mfio  47:6  44  96  44  31 

Carbon  dioxide.  CO, 5169  49'33  47  76 

Combined  water,  H20  +    —  008  Nil 

Moisture,  HoO  — 015  0'97  117 

Silica.  SiOa 012  112  499* 

Alumina.  Al203       I          .  .  .^ 

Ferric  oxide,  Fe203 I 

Ferrous  oxide.  FeO —  —  — 

Lime,  CaO  Nil  1'06  Nil 

S. >iliiim  chloride.  NaCl 0  53  176  1'39 

Potassium  chloride,  KC1   001  009  0  08 

Magnesium   chloride.    MgCl2 0  08  Nil  011 

Sulphur  trioxide,  SO:. trace  013  015 

Total... lOO'lO        10006        100'38 

*  The  specimen  contained  small  vughs  lined  with  chalcedonic 
silica. 


ities  present  in  the  magnesite  varies  considerably.  The 
specimen  collected  by  the  writer  from  No.  2  quarry 
appeared  to  be  fairly  representative  of  the  larger  veins. 
The  exact  localities  of  the  other  specimens  analysed 
have  not  been  ascertained,  but  it  is  most  probable  that 
they  were  obtained  from  the  surface  deposit  near  No. 
2  quarry.  A  few  of  the  veins  at  the  southern  end  of 
the  main  area  are  of  a  creamy  colour  ;  in  others  small 
vughs,  thinly  lined  with  chalcedonic  silica,  are  pres- 
ent. On  the  small  hills  south  of  the  basin  the  magne- 
site at  the  surface  contains  much  opal.  The  specimens 
analysed  were  comparatively  free  from  lime,  and 
though  a  fair  amount  of  silica  is  shown  in  two  of  the 
analyses  (one  specimen  contained  small  vughs  lined 
with  chalcedony),  the  quantity  present  in  the  larger 
veins  probablv  averages  much  less.  The  quantity  of 
iron  and  alumina  present  is  not  great,  but  it  has  been 
found  that  there  is  sufficient  iron  present — some  in  the 
form  of  ferrous  carbonate — to  discolour  the  calcined 
material.  The  magnesite  can,  on  the  whole,  however, 
be  regarded  as  fairly  high  grade.  The  purer  material 
can  be  largely  separated  by  hand-picking 

Twomineral  claims,  of  iOOand  150acresrespectively, 
are  held  by  the  the  Permasite  Manufacturing  (  om- 
pany,  Limited.  One  covers  the  northern  half  of  the 
largest  magnesite  area,  and  includes  the  best  of  the 
deposits,  while  the  other  includes  two  small  areas  north 
of  the  main  area.  The  second  largest  deposit,  which 
is  not  so  accessible  as  the  main  area,  lies  immediately 
north  of  the  second  claim,  and  is  not  covered  by  any 
claim.  The  magnesite  in  this  deposit  is  largely  obscur- 
ed by  detrital  material,  and  the  writer  was  unable  to 
form  an  estimate  as  to  the  relative  proportion  of  veins 
therein. 

The  magnesite  mined  up  to  the  present  has  been  ob- 
tained from  three  quarries  in  No.  1  Claim.  No.  1 
quarry.  300  ft.  north  of  Magnesite  Creek  and  a  little 
east  of  a  large  watercourse  which  runs  into  the  creek 
from  the  north,  was,  at  the  time  of  the  writer's  second 
visit,  over  40  ft.  in  length  by  about  25  ft.  in  width  ;  it 
ranged  from  10  to  15  ft.  in  depth.  The  rock  in  this 
quarry,  though  containing  a  fair  number  of  magnesite 
veins,  was  not  so  thickly  veined  as  that  in  No.  3  quarry. 

The  other  two  quarries  are  from  about  80  to  220  ft. 
south  of  the  creek,  No.  3,  the  largest,  being  about  1 ,000 
ft.  south-west  of  the  north-east  corner  of  the  claim. 
This  quarry  was  140  ft.  long,  by  an  average  width  of 
26  ft.,  and  was  20  ft.  deep  at  the  southern  end,  where 
the  magnesite  veins  appeared  to  occupy  more  than 
half  the  total  area  of  the  rock.  No.  2  quarry,  about 
90  ft.  west  of  No.  3,  was  about  55  ft.  long  by  15  ft. 
wide,  on  the  average,  and  was  12  ft.  deep  at  the  south- 
ern end. 

In  addition,  a  number  of  trial  holes  have  been  sunk, 
to  depths  of  about  6  to  7  ft.  Veins  of  magnesite  were 
cut  in  each,  but  were  more  numerous  and,  on  the 
whole,  larger  in  the  northern  group  of  holes. 

The  deposits  were  not  being  regularly  worked  dur- 
ing the  writer's  second  visit,  but  parcels  were  being 
sent  away  from  time  to  time,  as  required.  According 
to  the  estimate  of  the  company's  manager  at  Bulong, 
the  magnesite  "at  grass  "  at  the  time  of  the  second 
visit  was  as  follows:  7  tons  of  "firsts"  bagged  and 
ready  for  carting,  496  tons  of  "  firsts  "  broken  and 
stacked  at  quarries,  and  70  tons  of  "  seconds"  broken 
and  stacked  at  quarries.  A  total  of  688£  tons  of  mag- 
nesite was  (married  and  exported  in  1915,  and  \0h  tons 
in  1916.  In  1917,  73  tons  left  Bulong,  of  which  about 
20  tons  was  treated  in  Western  Australia.  The  value 
of  the  mineral  is  estimated  at  £l  per  ton  on  the  ground, 
the  export  value  being  estimated  at  a  trifle  under  £4 
per  ton. 


OCTOBER,    1919 


243 


WORKING   CONDITIONS   IN    HOT   AND   DEEP   MINES. 


A.  committee  was  appointed  some  time  ago  by  the 
Department  of  Scientific  and  Industrial  Research,  on 
the  nomination  of  the  Institution  of  Mining  Engineers, 
to  investigate  the  effects  of  depth,  heat,  and  the  quality 
of  the  air  on  workers  in  mines,  and  to  suggest  means 
by  which  improvements  in  the  conditions  may  be  ob- 
tained. A  preliminary  report  was  submitted  at  the 
meeting  of  the  Institution  of  Mining  Engineers  held  at 
Birmingham  last  month,  indicating  the  lines  of  investi- 
gation and  the  detailed  points  on  which  information  is 
being  collected.  We  give  herewith  a  summary  of  this 
report. 

Although  the  body-temperature  is  extremely  steady 
at  about  98°  to  99°F.,  and  any  abnormality  in  it  causes 
symptoms  of  illness,  it  is  well  known  that  men  can  live 
in  perfect  health  at  air-temperatures  varying  from  con- 
siderably below  zero  to  120°  or  more. 

The  worker  is  able  to  regulate  his  condition  as  re- 
gards clothing  and  muscular  exertion,  so  that  as  long 
as  he  is  in  a  position  to  take  suitable  measures,  he  is 
in  little  danger  of  harm  from  cold  or  heat-.  In  metal- 
liferous mines  work  is  often  carried  on  in  places  where 
the  air  is  so  warm  and  moist  that  continuous  work 
would  be  quite  impossible.  The  men  simply  work  for 
only  short  periods,  and  come  out  as  soon  as  they  be- 
gin to  feel  uncomfortable.  In  this  way  the  work  is 
carried  on  without  the  smallest  risk  to  safety  or  health, 
but  is,  of  course,  very  expensive  on  account  of  loss  of 
time.  In  air  where  the  heat  is  not  so  great  as  to  pre- 
vent continuous  work,  it  may,  nevertheless,  be  impos- 
sible for  men  to  work  at  their  ordinary  rate  without  ab- 
normal rise  of  body-temperature,  so  that  the  work  they 
actually  do  is  below  the  limit  of  economic  productive- 
ness. It  is  this  fact,  and  not  any  question  of  health  or 
safety,  with  which  the  present  inquiry  is  concerned. 
Work  which  is  economically  unproductive  is  just  as 
much  excluded  in  mining  operations  as  work  which  en- 
dangers safety  or  health. 

The  body  regulates  its  internal  temperature  by 
several  means.  The  first  of  these  is  by  regulating  the 
blood -flow  through  the  skin.  If  the  temperature  of 
the  air  is  below  that  of  the  body,  heat  is  withdrawn 
from  the  body  by  both  conduction  (including  convec- 
tion) and  radiation.  The  loss  by  conduction  to  air 
tends  to  vary  with  the  rate  of  movement  and  tempera- 
ture of  the  air,  while  the  loss  by  radiation  tends  to  vary 
with  the  surrounding  temperature.  By  varying  the 
rate  at  which  blood  is  circulating  through  the  skin,  the 
body  regulates  this  loss  of  heat,  as  in  proportion  to  the 
cooling  of  the  skin  a  smaller  quantity  of  cooled  blood 
passes  inwards  from  it,  and  vice  versa.  It  is  evident, 
however,  that  this  means  of  regulation  must  fail  in  a 
sufficiently  warm  atmosphere. 

A  further  means  of  regulation  depends  on  the  fact 
that  in  a  cold  environment  the  production  of  heat  with- 
in the  body  tends  to  be  increased  by  increased  muscu- 
lar activity.  But  there  is  a  limit  to  the  amount  by 
which  the  heat  production  in  the  body  can  be  dimin- 
ished. Hence  this  means  of  regulation  must  also  fail 
in  a  sufficiently  warm  atmosphere. 

In  warm  atmospheres  there  is  a  third  means  of  regu- 
lation, and  this  is  the  most  important  one  in  relation 
to  deep  and  hot  mines.  As  soon  as  the  body  tempera- 
ture tends  to  rise  above  normal,  there  is  active  secre- 
tion of  sweat  by  the  skin,  and  the  disappearance  of 
heat  in  the  evaporation  of  this  sweat  keeps  the  skin 
cool  ;  so  that  even  when  the  air- temperature  is  far 
above  the  body-temperature,  the  latter  remains  normal 
if  the  sweat  can  evaporate  with  sufficient  freedom. 

So  far  as  mining  conditions  are  concerned,   the  ca- 


pacity of  the  body  for  sweating  to  the  requisite  extent 
is  practically  unlimited  ;  but  the  conditions  for  evapora- 
tion of  sweat  may  be  altogether  defective.  Conse- 
quently, everything  turns  on  these  conditions.  It  is 
clear  that  if  the  air  were  already  saturated  with  mois- 
tureatthebody-temperature,  therecouldbeno  evapora- 
tion from  the  skin,  so  that  no  heat  could  be  given  off. 
The  body  would  then  be  defenceless  against  heat,  and 
despite  profuse  sweating  the  body-temperature  would 
drift  upward.  If,  however,  the  air  were  only  saturated 
to  a  lower  temperature — that  is  to  say,  if  the  dew-point 
were  at  a  lower  temperature — evaporation  from  the 
skin  could  still  occur  ;  and  if  both  the  evaporation  and 
the  skin  circulation  were  fast  enough,  the  bodv  could 
get  rid  of  its  superfluous  heat.  Now  the  rate  of  evapora- 
tion is  practically  proportional  to  the  rate  at  which  air 
passes  over  the  moist  skin  or  clothes.  If  this  air  were 
completely  stagnant,  the  aqueous  vapour  could  only 
escape  outward  by  the  extremely  slow  process  of  gase- 
ous diffusion.  On  the  other  hand,  unsaturated  air  not 
only  tends  to  cool  down  a  moist  surface  toward  the 
dew-point,  but  also  tends  by  conduction  to  warm  up 
the  cooled  surface  toward  the  air-temperature  ;  and 
unless  the  air-current  is  very  considerable,  radiation 
will  also  contribute  appreciably  in  this  direction.  The 
result  is  that  when  there  is  a  sufficient  air-current  to 
swamp  the  influence  of  radiation  and  conduction 
through  still  air,  the  surface  assumes  a  definite  tem- 
perature between  the  air-temperature  and  the  dew- 
point  ;  and  when  no  other  source  of  heat  or  cold  is 
affecting  the  surface,  this  intermediate  temperature  is 
known  as  the  wet-bulb  temperature,  as  itisthe  tempera- 
ture assumed  by  the  bulb  of  a  thermometer  kept  moist 
with  water.  The  temperature  of  the  moist  skin  is  evi- 
dently not  the  wet  bulb  temperature,  but  something 
intermediate  between  the  latter  and  the  body-tempera- 
ture, since  the  body  heat  is  tending  to  warm  the  skin. 
The  greater  the  air  current,  however,  the  more  nearly 
will  the  skin  temperature  approximate  to  the  wet-bulb 
temperature  if  the  skin  is  moist,  provided  that  the  heat- 
flow  from  the  interior  of  the  body  to  the  skin  remains 
constant. 

As  the  wet- bulb  temperature  is  the  temperature  to 
which  a  moist  surface  can  be  cooled  by  evaporation  in 
air  if  the  cooling  is  not  hindered,  and  the  wet-bulb 
temperature  may  be  the  same  when  the  air-tempera- 
ture and  dew-point  are  far  apart,  it  is  only  to  be  ex- 
pected that,  other  things  being  equal, tsuch  as  the 
amount  of  clothing,  the  air-current,  and  the  production 
of  heat  in  the  body,  the  effect  of  warm  air  in  raising 
the  body  temperature  abnormally  will  depend  on  the 
wet-bulb  temperature.  That  this  is  actually  the  case 
was  shown  by  Haldane,  who  found  by  observations  in 
a  hot  disused  level  at  Dolcoath  mine  and  in  laboratory 
experiments  that  if  the  wet  bulb  temperature  exceeded 
88°  in  perfectly  still  air,  and  during  rest,  with  a  mini- 
mum of  clothing,  the  bodv  temperature  rose  continu- 
ously, and  the  faster  the  higher  the  wet-bulb  tempera- 
ture. What  the  air-temperature,  or  the  dew  point,  or 
the  relative  humidity  were,  did  not  matter  except  in  so 
far  as  they  affected  the  wot  bulb  temperature.  Thus 
an  air- temperature  of  133°,  with  the  wet- bulb  at  88  . 
had  no  more  effect  on  the  body  temperature  than  an 
air- temperature  of  SS0  with  the  air  saturated  At  both 
temperatures  the  body  was  just  able  to  keep  its  tempera 
ture  from  rising,  and  there  was  profuse  sweating  ;  but 
at  88  most  of  the  sweat  failed  to  evaporate,  and  was 
thus  wasted.  In  a  further  series  Of  experiments  at  the 
Doncaster  Coal  Owners'  Laboratorv  and  at  Oxford, 
Haldane  found  that   when  the  wet-bulb  temperature 


244 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


was  above  the  body-temperature,  the  rate  of  rise  of 
body-temperature  depended  also  (other  things  being 
equal)  on  the  wet-bulb  temperature  and  not  on  the  air- 
temperature.  When  an  air-current  was  present,  and 
the  wet-bulb  temperature  was  below  the  body-tempera- 
ture, it  required  a  higher  wet-bulb  temperature  to  cause 
a  rise  of  body-temperature,  just  as  might  be  expected. 
But  with  the  wet-bulb  above  the  body-temperature,  an 
air-current  accelerated  the  rise  of  body-temperature  ; 
and  with  the  wet  bulb  temperature  at  120  or  more,  a 
painful  burning  sensation  was  produced  by  moving  air 
or  by  bodily  movements  which  brought  more  air  into 
contact  with  the  skin.  When  muscular  work  was 
done,  the  wet- bulb  temperature  at  which  the  body- 
temperature  began  to  rise  was  lower,  as  could  be  ex- 
pected in  view  of  the  greatly  increased  heat  liberated 
in  the  body  during  work.  In  other  words,  continuous 
hard  work  was  impossible  in  still  air  unless  the  wet- 


temperature  is  often  below  70c,  although  the  shade 
temperature  is  110°  or  more. 

It  seems  evident  from  the  foregoing  considerations 
that  in  dealing  with  the  difficulties  caused  by  heat  in 
deep  mines  the  chief  aim  of  mining  engineers  must  be 
to  keep  down,  not  the  air-temperature  itself,  but  the 
wet-bulb  temperature  ;  and  a  subsidiary  aim  is  to  keep 
the  air  in  motion  as  far  as  possible  at  all  working 
places. 

With  increasing  depth,  the  natural  temperature  of 
the  strata  increases  steadily  ;  and  a  common  rate  of  in- 
crease appears  to  be  about  1  degree  in  70  ft.  Thus, 
assuming  that  the  mean  surface  temperature  in  this 
country  is  about  49CF.,  the  natural  rock  temperature  at 
2.200  ft.  will  be  about  80°.  If,  therefore,  there  was 
very  little  ventilation,  the  air-temperature  would  not 
be  less  than  80°,  and  the  air  would  be  saturated  with 
the  moisture  given  off  from  the  damp  strata.    Actually. 


DISTANCE  FROM    SURFACC  IH  YARDS 


bulb  temperature  was  considerably  below  88°.  Thus, 
even  with  the  wet-bulb  temperature  at  78°,  continuous 
fairly  hard  work  in  still  air  was  impossible.  The  wet- 
bulb  temperature  at  which,  with  an  air-current  such  as 
might  be  expected  alonga  well-ventilated  working  face, 
and  an  amount  of  work  such  as  an  average  miner  does, 
the  normal  body-temperature  could  be  maintained  was 
not  determined,  and  remains  to  be  ascertained.  Judg- 
ing, however,  from  such  observations  as  have  yet  been 
made  in  deep  and  hot  mines,  this  wet-bulb  temperature 
is  not  much  above  80  ,  and  for  the  purposes  of  the 
present  report  SO    may  provisionally  be  assumed. 

In  this  country  the  outside  wet-bulb  shade  tempera- 
ture, in  even  the  hottest  summer  weather,  is  seldom 
above  70°,  and  then  only  during  the  hottest  part  of  hot 
summer  days.  A  wet-bulb  shade  temperature  over 
73°  is  scarcely  ever  experienced,  and  such  a  tempera- 
ture is  exceedingly  trying  to  persons  wearing  ordinary 
clothing.  In  a  mine,  however,  clothing  is  reduced  or 
discarded  as  the  wet-bulb  temperature  rises,  so  that 
men  may  be  quite  comfortable  at  wet  bulb  tempera- 
tures of  80°  or  more.  In  some  tropical  countries  the 
shade  wet  bulb  temperature  is  often  overS0:  for  several 
days  at  a  time  ;   but  in  dry  tropical  heat  the  wet-bulb 


however,  the  air  wonld  be  saturated  at  over  80°,  as 
oxidation  of  coal,  timber,  etc.,  would  raise  the  tempera- 
ture. There  would,  therefore,  be  very  serious  diffi- 
culty from  the  heat.  If,  however,  the  ventilation  were 
adequate,  the  conditions  would  be  very  different.  The 
difference  is  illustrated  by  a  set  of  observations  from  a 
series  carried  out  for  the  Committee  by  Messrs.  Gra- 
ham, Storrow,  and  Kees  at  Brodsworth  and  Bentley 
Collieries,  near  Doncaster.  In  theaccompanying  chart 
in  the  text  the  results  are  plotted  of  observation  of  air- 
temperatureand  wet-bulb  temperature  along  thecourse 
of  an  air-current  supplying  a  section  of  longwall  face 
at  Bentley  Colliery.  The  current  was  ample,  with  a 
view,  not  to  coolness,  but  of  diluting  the  firedamp  given 
off  by  the  seam.  The  data  illustrate  well,  however, 
the  effects  of  good  ventilation  on  the  air-temperature, 
wet-bulb  temperature,  and  taking  up  of  moisture  by 
the  air.  Considering  first  the  air  temperature,  it  ap- 
pears that  in  the  descent  of  the  shaft  there  was  a  rise 
oi  9  As  the  depth  was  1.875  feet,  and  as  for  every 
1,000  ft.  of  descent  the  air- temperature  rises  nearly  5j°, 
owing  to  compression  of  the  air,  if  no  heat  is  lost  or 
gained  from  other  causes,  this  rise  of  temperature  is 
rather  less  than  would  be  accounted  for  by  compression. 


OCTOBER,     1919 


245 


On  an  average  for  the  year,  a  little  heat  will  be  gain- 
ed from  the  strata  owing  to  conduction  through  the 
shaft-walls,  and  some  will  be  lost  owing  to  evap- 
oration of  moisture  from  the  surface  of  the  shaft- 
walls.  In  the  Bentley  shaft  the  loss  of  heat  by  evapo- 
ration predominates,  and  an  average  of  a  large  num- 
ber of  observations  has  given  a  difference  of  only  8'2° 
between  the  top  and  the  bottom  of  the  shaft,  with 
evaporation  in  the  shaft  of  0'27  grain  of  moisture  per 
cubic  foot  of  air.  On  cold  days  the  difference  of  tem- 
perature between  the  top  and  the  bottom  is  much  more 
than  8'2<'',  and  on  warm  days  much  less,  as  the  shaft- 
walls  give  off  heat  to  the  colder  air,  and  absorb  it  from 
the  warmer  air.  On  an  average,  however,  the  tem- 
perature of  the  shaft-walls  is  practically  determined  by 
the  average  temperature  of  the  air  passing  down  (as 
modified  by  compression  in  one  direction  and  by  evap- 
oration in  the  other),  and  not  by  the  natural  tempera- 
ture of  the  rock.  This  is  due  to  the  fact  that  there  is 
a  very  extensive  layer  of  cooled  rock  round  the  shaft, 
so  that  heat  from  the  rock  beyond  this  layer  is  very 
slow  in  penetrating  through  to  the  air.  Calculation 
shows  that  its  effect  in  warming  the  large  volume  of 
air  passing  down  is  inappreciable.  Heating  by  com- 
pression would  account  for  a  mean  rise  of  102°,  and 
cooling  by  evaporation  for  a  fall  of  20°.  The  actual 
rise  of  8  2  is  thus  accounted  for,  apart  from  conduc- 
tion of  heat  from  the  strata.  In  the  first  1,300  yards 
of  intake  road  the  temperature,  as  shown  by  the  chart, 
rises  only  1°,  but  thereafter,  owing  to  the  much  smaller 
air-current  in  consequence  of  splitting,  the  rise  of 
temperature  is  faster,  and  continues  until  the  air  on 
its  return  path  is  within  about  1,000  yards  of  the  up- 
cast shaft.  The  rise  is  rapid  as  the  air  passes  along 
the  freshly-exposed  and  therefore  warm  mineral  at  the 
face  (including  gates),  and  would  be  much  more  so 
but  for  the  cooling  effect  of  the  extensive  evaporation 
of  water  and  methane.  At  the  far  end  of  the  face  the 
air-temperature  is  still  about  5'5°  below  the  natural 
rock-temperature,  which  is  about  75°  ;  and  despite  a 
slight  amount  of  heating  due  to  oxidation,  the  air-tem- 
perature does  not  rise  to  the  natural  rock-temperature 
till  the  air  has  returned  a  long  way  towards  the  up- 
cast shaft.  Looking  back  on  the  temperature  data,  it 
is  seen  that  practically  speaking  the  mean  air-tem- 
perature in  the  shaft  and  main  intakes  is  not  influenced 
at  all  by  the  natural  rock  temperature. 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  wet-bulb  temperature  rises 
6°  as  the  air  descends  the  shaft.  This  rise  is  due 
partly  to  the  warming  of  the  air  by  compression  (less 
the  fall  due  to  evaporation)  ;  partly  to  its  diminution 
in  volume,  so  that  more  moisture  is  contained  in  unit 
volume  ;  and  partly,  as  will  be  seen  from  the  upper 
curve  in  the  diagram,  to  the  small  amount  of  evapora- 
tion from  the  shaft-walls.  Conduction  of  heat  from 
the  strata  contributes  nothing  to  the  rise.  As  the  air 
passes  along  the  intake  the  wet-bulb  temperature  rises 
slowly,  its  rise  lagging  more  and  more  behind  that  of 
the  air-temperature,  so  that  when  the  air  reaches  the 
face  the  wet-bulb  is  10°  below  the  dry-bulb  and  20°  be- 
low the  rock-temperature.  As  the  air  passes  along  the 
face  the  wet  bulb  rises  7  '  owing  to  further  warming  of 
the  air,  and  the  rapid  evaporation  of  moisture  from  the 
warm  and  freshly-exposed  coal.  In  the  returns,  which 
are  already  dry,  there  is  hardly  any  further  rise  of  the 
wet-bulb  temperature,  despite  the  rise  in  the  air-tem- 
perature ;  and  finally  the  wet  bulb  is  13°  below  the 
dry-bulb  and  11°  below  the  natural  rock-temperature. 
At  no  point  is  the  wet-bulb  so  high  as  to  cause  the 
slightest  inconvenience  to  the  men. 

The  curve  showing  the  moisture  in  the  air  is  calcu- 
lated for  the  moisture  contained  not  in  1  cubic  foot  of 


air  at  the  existing  temperature  and  pressure,  but  in  1 
cubic  foot  reduced  to  normal  barometric  pressure  and 
freezing-point,  in  other  words,  for  the  moisture  in  a 
given  mass  of  air.  Thus  the  chart  gives  an  approxi- 
mately true  picture  of  the  amount  of  moisture  which 
air  takes  up  as  it  passes  through  the  mine.  It  will  be 
seen  that  in  the  3,000  yards  from  the  surface  to  the 
working-face  the  air  takes  up  only  0  7  grain  of  mois- 
ture per  cubic  foot,  while  in  290  yards  of  face  it  takes 
up  15  grains,  or  at  a  rate  twenty  times  as  great  per 
yard  of  travel .  This  is  a  striking  fact,  of  fundamental 
significance  in  relation  to  the  problem.  The  rapid 
evaporation  of  moisture  along  the  face  is,  of  course, 
due  to  the  fact  that  the  freshly-exposed  mineral  is 
moist  ;  whereas  along  the  roads  the  mineral,  etc.,  has 
already  lost  to  the  air  nearly  all  the  moisture  it  can 
give  off.  In  this  connection  it  must  be  borne  in  mind 
that  coal,  shale,  etc.,  are  hygroscopic,  and  thus  always 
capable  of  either  absorbing  moisture  or  giving  it  up  to 
the  air.  If  the  air  becomes,  owing  to  varying  condi- 
tions on  the  surface,  either  moister  or  less  moist,  it 
will  take  up  or  give  off  moisture  correspondingly,  and 
it  will  thus  tend  to  keep  the  hygroscopic  conditions  of 
the  air  steady.  The  slight  diminution  of  moisture  in 
the  return  air  is  doubtless  due  to  slight  leakage  direct 
into  the  return  from  a  cross  gate. 

The  chart  throws  a  flood  of  light  on  the  problem. 
In  the  first  place,  it  is  evident  that  if  the  shaft  and 
roads  are  dry,  air  containing  very  little  more  moisture 
than  the  outside  air,  and  at  a  temperature  much  below 
the  natural  rock-temperature,  can  be  brought  right 
up  to  the  working-face,  with  the  consequence  that  the 
wet  bulb  temperature  in  this  air  is  very  low,  and  its 
cooling  capacity  correspondingly  high.  The  rise  in 
temperature  of  the  intake  air  during  its  passage  of 
2,400  yards  from  the  pit-bottom  to  the  working  face 
is  a  little  less  than  half  the  difference  in  temperature 
between  the  air  at  the  pit-bottom  and  virgin  strata. 
As  there  is  no  appreciable  oxidation  along  the  intake 
roads  at  Bentley,  this  rise  is  due  to  conduction  of  heat 
from  the  strata.  From  the  extent  of  the  rise  it  can  be 
inferred  with  great  probability  that  if  the  depth  had 
been  4,000  ft.,  with  a  probable  mean  temperature  of 
about  66°  at  the  pit-bottom,  and  a  rock-temperature 
of  106°,  the  temperature  at  the  in-bye  end  of  the 
intake  would  have  been  about  83°  and  the  wet-bulb 
temperature  about  63°,  a  very  comfortable  condition, 
and  leaving  a  large  margin  of  admissible  rise  of  air- 
temperature  and  wet  bulb  temperature  along  the  face, 
without  any  diminution  of  working  power. 

It  must,  however,  be  also  considered  what  would 
be  likely  to  happen  if  both  shaft  and  intake  roads 
were  wet.  In  this  case  the  air  and  wet-bulb  tempera- 
tures would  certainly  remain  close  together,  but,  pro- 
vided that  the  air-current  were  sufficient,  the  air-tem- 
perature would  be  much  lower  on  account  of  the  cool- 
ing influence  of  evaporation.  The  wet-bulb  tempera- 
ture would  thus  probably  be  only  very  slightly  higher, 
and  the  lower  temperature  would  nearly  balance  the 
effect  of  the  higher  proportion  of  moisture,  so  that  the 
potential  cooling  power  of  the  air  would  be  nearly  the 
same.  This,  however,  would  be  the  case  only  in  the 
downcast  shaft  and  main  roads.  At  parts  beyond, 
the  wet-bulb  temperature  would  certainly  rise  higher, 
with  corresponding  disadvantage  to  working  capacity. 
So  far  as  possible,  therefore,  it  seems  better  to  keep 
the  shaft  and  roads  dry,  and  to  deal  with  coal-dust  by 
stone-dusting  rather  than  bv  watering.  Timber,  also, 
is  more  easily  preserved  in  the  dry  a*r,  and  the  risk  of 
ankylostomiasis  infection  is  elimin 

What  would  happen  if  the  ventilation  weie  greatlv 
decreased,  or  if,  owing  to  leakage  from  intakes  to  re- 


246 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


turns,  the  quantity  of  air  reaching  the  face  were  great 
ly  diminished?  Owing  to  the  slower  air-current,  the 
constant  leakage  of  heat  from  the  surrounding  strata 
into  the  intake  road  would  have  a  much  greater  effect 
in  raising  the  air- temperature,  so  that  for  this  reason 
alone  the  temperature  of  the  air  would  be  nearly  that 
of  the  strata  by  the  time  the  air  reached  the  face. 
Similarly,  the  leakage  of  moisture  into  the  road  would 
tell  more  heavily,  so  that  the  air  would  be  nearly  satu- 
rated at  the  temperature  of  the  strata.  Oxidation  of 
timber  in  the  damp  air,  and  of  any  coal  round  the  road, 
would  also  raise  the  temperature  to  a  far  greater  ex 
tent.  How  serious  the  rise  of  temperature  from  oxi- 
dation may  be  in  certain  circumstances  was  clearly 
shown  by  Haldane  and  Meachem,  in  a  paper  read  be- 
fore the  Institution  of  Mining  Engineers  in  1898. 
These  authors  found  that  the  temperature,  not  only 
in  working-places  and  returns,  but  also  in  intakes, 
might  be  considerably  above  the  natural  temperature 
of  the  strata.  Thus  on  one  branch  intake,  about  3,000 
yards  from  the  shaft,  they  found  the  temperature  16 
above  the  rock  temperature,  with  a  deficiency  of  0 
in  the  oxygen.  Other  striking  instances  of  this,  par- 
ticularly in  metalliferous  mines,  have  also  been  record- 
ed. It  must  further  be  taken  into  account  that  the 
diminished  movement  of  air  would  increase  the  effect 
of  the  heat  on  the  men.  It  is  thus  easy  to  see  that 
with  insufficient  ventilation  the  problem  of  keeping 
the  wet-bulb  temperature  sufficiently  low  to  render 
ordinary  work  economically  possible  would  always 
be  serious  at  depths  of  over,  say,  2,000  ft.,  and  would 

Ventilation  at  St.  John  del  Rey.  — In  the  discussion 
of  the  report  of  the  committee  on  working  conditions 
in  hot  and  deep  mines,  which  was  presented  at  the 
meeting  of  the  Institution  of  Mining  Engineers  held  at 
Birmingham  last  month,  Eric  Davis  gave  some  particu- 
lars of  the  problem  at  the  Morro  Velho  gold  mine  of 
the  St.  John  del  Hey  Co.,  in  Brazil.  As  is  well  known, 
this  mine  is  the  deepest  in  the  world,  the  lowest  work 
ing  being  6,400  ft.  vertically,  below  the  surface,  and 
3,650  ft.  below  sea  level.  Luckily  the  rate  of  increase 
of  rock-temperature  with  depth  is  considerably  less 
than  that  indicated  in  the  report  as  being  usual 
Whereas  the  report  gave  IF.  for  every  70  ft.,  at  Morro 
Velho  it  is  only  1  for  every  140  ft.,  although  there  are 
indications  that  the  rate  is  increasing  slowly  for  in- 
creased depth,  so  that  for  the  lowest  _',100  ft.  the  rate 
has  been  about  1  for  every  119  ft.  In  the  year  1913 
Mr.  Davis  was  entrusted  by  Mr.  George  Chalmers,  the 
superintendent  of  the  mine,  with  an  investigation  into 
this  matter  with  a  view  to  overcoming  the  difficulties 
and  rendering  the  mine  workable  at  depths  consider- 
ably greater  than  those  which  had  been  reached.  The 
only  instruments  he  had  were  an  aneroid  barometer  and 
wet-bulb  and  dry-bulb  thermometers.  Readings  were 
taken  at  every  level  right  down  through  the  mine,  and 
the  results  were  plotted  on  diagrams  having  depth  in 
feet  for  base.  It  was  found  that  the  dry  bulb  tem- 
perature at  any  one  point  in  the  mine  remains  prac- 
tically constant  all  the  year  round,  but  that  the  wet- 
bulb  temperature  undergoes  considerable  variations. 
For  the  same  dry  bulb  temperature  and  barometric 
pressure  the  wet-bulb  temperature  depends  on  the 
moisture  content,  and  the  tests  he  took  showed  that — 
the  conditions  being  equal,  and  the  mine  being  a  dry 
one — the  moisture  content  at  any  point  underground, 
and  therefore  the  wet  bulb  temperature  at  that  point, 
depends  almost  entirely  on  the  moisture  content  of  the 
surfaceairenteringthedowncastshaft.  The wholeques- 
tion  therefore  boiled  down  to  finding  by  analogy  from  the 
diagrams  that  volume  of  the  entrance  moisture  contents 


frequently  be  serious  at  less  depths,  especially  where 
much  leakage  from  intakes  to  returns  existed.  On  the 
other  hand,  with  adequate  and  properly-planned  ven- 
tilation, there  would  seem  to  be  no  reason  to  doubt 
that  in  this  country  at  least,  or  in  any  fairly  dry  or 
fairly  cool  climate,  the  wet-bulb  temperature  can,  by 
ventilation  alone,  be  sufficiently  controlled  to  make 
work  economically  possible  at  any  deDth  at  present  in 
contemplation  and  up  to  at  least  5,000  ft. 

Thus  the  problem  of  underground  temperature  con- 
trol seems  to  resolve  itself  into  that  of  adequate  ven- 
tilation, planned  with  a  clear  conception  of  what  is  re- 
quired in  order  to  prevent  loss  of  the  miners'  working 
capacity,  and  not  merely  to  obviate  trouble  from  fire- 
damp or  vitiation  of  the  air  by  other  gases. 

The  conclusions  reached  in  the  present  report  may 
be  summarized  as  follows  : 

(1)  The  hindering  effects  on  men  of  the  heat  in  deep 
mines  depend,  not  on  the  temperature  of  the  air,  but 
on  the  wet  bulb  temperature  and  the  degree  of  stag- 
nation of  the  air. 

(2)  In  the  downcast-shaft  and  main  intakes  of  a  well- 
ventilated  coal-mine  the  natural  temperature  of  the 
strata  has  no  appreciable  influence  either  on  the  tem- 
perature of  the  air  or  on  the  wet-bulb  temperature. 

(3)  The  data  as  yet  available  indicate  that  by  prop- 
erly designed  ventilation  and  avoidance  of  leakage  the 
hindering  effects  on  men  of  the  heat  in  deep  mines  can 
be  obviated  up  to  any  depths  at  present  contemplated 
in  the  working  of  coal  or  other  minerals  in  the  British 
Isles. 


which  would  give  wet-bulb  temperatures  in  the  work- 
ing zone  below  what  had  been  fixed  upon  as  the  limit- 
ing value,  corresponding  to  the  80  F.  mentioned  in  the 
report.  Then  the  temperature  at  which  the  air  when 
saturated  with  moisture  would  have  this  required  initial 
moisture  content  was  that  to  which  the  downcast  air 
would  have  to  be  reduced  before  it  entered  the  mine. 
By  hourlv  hygrometric  observation  at  the  surface,  ex- 
tending over  a  whole  year,  the  worst  conditions  likely 
to  be  reached  by  the  surface  air  became  approximately 
known.  Hence,  knowing  the  volume  to  be  dealt  with, 
the  amount  of  refrigeration  necessary,  power  required, 
and  so  on,  could  be  calculated.  It  was  found  from 
thediagram  that  in  order  that  the  wet-bulb  temperature 
in  the  stopes  should  not  exceed  S2  ,  which  they  had 
fixed  upon  as  the  maximum  desirable,  the  initial 
moisture  content  must  not  be  more  than  about  50  grains 
per  pound  of  dry  air,  corresponding  to  a  saturated  con- 
dition at  45  5°F.  The  plant,  which  was  now  being 
erected,  anl  which  was  mainly  manufactured  by 
Messrs.  J  &E  Hall,  Limited,  of  Dartford,  wascapable 
of  eliminating  about  100,000  B.T.U.  per  minute. 
This  corresponded  to  the  cooling  of  the  volume  of  air, 
80,000  cu.  ft  per  minute,  from  an  initial  wet-bulb  tem- 
perature of  72  (slightly  below  the  maximum  actual 
condition)  to  43  5  ,  so  that  it  was  on  the  safe  side. 
As  the  surface  wet-bulb  temperatures  varied  during  the 
year  between  75  and  freezing  point,  32°,  it  is  obvious 
that  the  refrigerating  load  on  the  plant  would  be  a  very 
variable  one.  To  meet  these  conditions  they  were 
dividing  the  plant  into  six  stages,  each  complete  with 
its  own  motor-driven  ammonia  compressor,  condenser, 
and  evaporator.  The  number  of  those  sets  running  at 
one  time  would  of  course  depend  on  the  initial  tem- 
perature conditions.  The  air  cooling  would  be  accom- 
plished indirectly,  as  it  would  be  deadlv  to  have  am 
monia  mixed  with  the  entering  air.  Therefore  the 
ammonia  would  be  used  to  cool  water  which  in  its  turn 
would  cool  the  air  as  it  passed  through  by  Heenan  air 
coolers.     The  whole  plant  is  on  the  surface,  and  deals 


OCTOBER,    1919 


247 


with  the  downcast  air  before  it  enters  the  mine  at  all. 
The  mine  is  absolutely  dry,  and  therefore  there  is  no 
fear  of  any  great  amount  of  moisture  being  picked  up 
by  the  air  in  its  course.  The  plant  now  being  installed 
will  cost  about  /iSO.OOO,  and  the  power  required  is 
about  500  h.p.  Provision  is  made  for  the  addition  to 
the  original  six  stages  of  three  further  stages  in  case 
they  should  go  deeper  and  still  further  cooling  be  re- 
quired. The  ventilation  is  effected  by  means  of  ex- 
haust fans. 

Geological  Problems. — In  his  address  before  the 
Geological  Section  of  the  British  Association,  Dr.  J. 
W.  Evans  spoke  of  many  lines  of  research  open  to  the 
economic  geologist.  We  quote  some  of  his  remarks 
herewith. 

It  is  difficult  to  arrive  at  the  true  interpretation  of  the 
phenomena  presented  by  the  rocks  which  have  come 
into  existence  by  the  action  of  the  forces  on  the  earth's 
interior,  for  the  conditions  of  temperature  and  pressure 
under  which  they  were  formed,  whether  they  are  ig- 
neous rocks  in  the  narrower  sense,  or  mineral  veins,  or 
metamorphic  in  origin,  were  widely  different  from  those 
with  which  we  are  familiar.  Under  such  circumstances 
the  ultimate  physical  principles  are  the  same,  but  the 
so-called  constants  have  to  be  determined  afresh,  and 
a  new  chemistry  must  be  worked  out.  It  is  necessary, 
therefore,  as  far  as  possible,  to  reproduce  the  condi- 
tions that  prevailed,  a  task  which  has  been  courage- 
ously undertaken  and  to  a  considerable  extent  accom- 
plished by  the  Geophysical  Laboratory  of  the  Carnegie 
Institute  at  Washington.  By  artificial  means  tempera- 
tures and  pressures  have  been  already  produced  far 
higher  than  those  that  were  in  all  probability  concerned 
in  the  evolution  of  any  of  the  rocks  that  have  been  re- 
vealed to  us  at  the  surface  by  earth-movements  and 
denudation,  for  it  is  unlikely  that  in  any  case  they  were 
formed  at  a  greater  depth  than  five  or  six  miles,  cor- 
responding to  a  uniform  (or,  as  it  is  sometimes  termed, 
hydrostatic)  pressure  of  2,000  or  2,400  atmospheres,  or 
at  a  greater  temperature  than  1500°C.  Indeed,  it  is 
probable  that  the  vast  majority  of  igneous  and  meta- 
morphic rocks,  as  well  as  mineral  veins,  came  into  ex- 
istence at  considerably  less  depths,  and  at  more  moder- 
ate temperatures.  It  is  true  that  most  of  the  rock- 
forming  minerals  crystallize  from  their  own  melts  at 
temperatures  between  1,100°C.  and  1,550°C.,  but  they 
separate  out  from  the  complex  magmas  from  which  our 
igneousrocks  were  formed  at  lower  temperatures,  rarely 
much  exceeding  1,200°C,  and  frequently  considerably 
less.  It  has  been  found  possible  at  the  Geophysical 
Laboratory  to  maintain  a  temperature  of  1,000°C.  or 
more  under  a  uniform  pressure  of  2,000  atmospheres 
for  so  long  a  time  as  may  be  desired,  and,  what  is 
equally  important,  the  temperature  and  pressure  at- 
tained can  be  determined  with  satisfactory  accuracy, 
the  temperature  within  2°C,  and  the  pressure  within 
5  atmospheres.  It  has  been  ascertained  that  such  uni- 
form pressure  as  would  ordinarily  be  present  at  the 
depths  mentioned  does  not  directly  affect  the  physical 
properties  of  minerals  to  anything  like  the  same  extent 
as  the  difference  between  the  temperature  prevailing  at 
the  earth's  surface  and  even  the  lowest  temperature  at 
which  the  igneous  rocks  can  have  been  formed.  It  has, 
however,  a  most  important  indirect  action  in  maintain- 
ing the  concentration  in  the  magma  of  a  considerable 
proportion  of  water  and  other  volatile  constituents 
which  have  a  far-reaching  influence  in  lowering  the 
temperature  at  which  therock-forming  minerals  crystal- 
lize out,  in  other  words,  the  temperature  at  which  the 
rock  consolidates,  and  in  diminishing  the  molecular 
and  molar  viscosity  of  the  magma,  thus  facilitating  the 
growth  of  larger  crystals  and  the  formation  of  a  rock 


of  coarser  grain.  They  must  also  be  of  profound  sig- 
nificance in  determining  the  minerals  that  separate  out, 
the  order  of  their  formation,  and  the  processes  of  dif- 
ferentiation in  magmas.  It  is,  therefore,  obvious  that 
any  conclusions  derived  from  the  early  experiments 
which  were  carried  out  with  dry  melts  at  normal  pres- 
sures must  be  received  with  very  considerable  caution. 
Nor  does  much  advance  appear  to  have  been  made, 
even  at  the  Geophysical  Laboratory,  in  experiments 
with  melts  containing  large  amounts  of  volatile  fluxes, 
and  yet,  if  we  are  to  reproduce  even  approximately 
natural  conditions,  it  is  absolutely  necessary  to  work 
with  magmas  containing  a  proportion  of  these  constitu- 
ents, and  especially  water,  equal  in  weight  to  at  least 
one-third  or  one  half  of  the  silica  present.  This  will 
obviously  present  considerable  difficulties,  but  there  is 
no  reason  to  doubt  that  it  will  be  found  possible  to  sur- 
mount them. 

A  much  more  formidable  obstacle  in  realizing  the 
conditions  under  which  rocks  are  formed  is  the  small 
scale  on  which  our  operations  can  be  carried  on.  There 
are  important  problems  connected  with  the  differentia- 
tion of  magmas,  whether  in  a  completely  fluid  or  partly 
crystallized  state,  under  the  action  of  gravitation,  for 
the  solution  of  which  it  would  seem  for  this  reason  im- 
possible to  reproduce  the  conditions  under  which  na- 
ture works.  Instead  of  a  reservoir  many  hundreds  of 
feet  in  depth,  we  must  content  ourselves  in  our  labora- 
tory experiments  with  a  vertical  range  of  only  a  few 
inches.  There  are,  however,  other  phenomena  that 
require  investigation  and  that  involve  a  great  difference 
of  level  in  their  operation,  but  do  not  take  place  at  such 
elevated  temperatures.  Such  are  some  of  the  proces- 
ses of  ore  deposition  or  transference,  especially  second- 
ary enrichment.  Here,  with  the  friendly  assistance  of 
mining  engineers,  but  at  the  cost  of  considerable  ex- 
penditure, it  might  even  be  possible  to  experiment  with 
columns  several  thousand  feet  in  vertical  height. 

In  any  attempt  to  reproduce  the  processes  of  meta- 
morphism  other  than  those  of  a  purely  thermal  or 
pneumatolytic  character,  or  to  imitate  the  conditions 
that  give  rise  to  primary  foliation,  we  must  consider  the 
effects  of  non-uniform  or  differential  pressure  involving 
stresses  that  operate  in  definite  directions  and  result  in 
deformation  of  the  material  on  which  they  act.  Un- 
like uniform  pressure  which  usually  raises  the  crystal- 
lization point,  differential  pressure  may  lower  it  con- 
siderably and  thus  give  rise  to  local  fusion  and  subse- 
quent recrystallization  of  the  rock.  At  the  same  time 
it  profoundly  modifies  the  structure,  resulting  in  folds 
and  fractures  of  every  degree  of  magnitude.  One  of 
the  most  pressing  problems  of  geology  at  the  present 
moment  is  to  determine  the  effects  of  non-uniform  pres- 
sure in  its  operation  at  different  temperatures,  and  in 
the  presence  of  different  amounts  of  uniform  pressure, 
a  factor  which  has  probably  an  important  influence  on 
the  result,  which  must  also  depend  on  the  proportion 
and  nature  of  the  volatile  constituents  which  are  pres- 
ent, as  well  as  on  the  time  during  which  the  stresses 
are  in  operation.  There  seems  no  reason  why  value- 
able  information  should  not  be  obtained  on  all  those 
points  by  properly  conducted  experiments. 

The  time  element  in  the  constructive  or  transforming 
operations  of  nature  cannot,  of  course,  be  adequately 
reproduced  within  the  short  space  of  individual  human 
activity,  or,  it  may  be,  that  of  our  race  ;  but  Dr.  Evans 
is  inclined  to  think  that,  even  in  the  case  of  metamor- 
phic action ,  the  importance  of  extremely  prolonged  ac- 
tion has  been  exaggerated. 

In  attempting  to  imitate  the  natural  processes  in- 
volved in  the  formation  and  alteration  of  rocks  and 
mineral  veins,  we  require  some  means  of  ascertaining 


248 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


when  we  have  approximately  reproduced  the  conditions 
which  actually  prevailed.  It  is  not  sufficient  to  bring 
about  artificially  the  formation  of  a  mineral  occurring 
in  the  rocks  or  mineral  deposits  under  investigation,  for 
the  same  mineral  can  be  reproduced  in  many  ways.  It 
is,  however,  probable  that  a  mineral  produced  under 
different  conditions  is  never  identical  in  all  its  charac- 
ters. Its  habit,  or  the  extent  to  which  its  possible  faces 
are  developed  (a  function  of  the  surface  tension),  the 
characters  of  the  faces  which  are  present,  its  twinning, 
its  internal  structure,  inclusions  and  impurities,  all  vary 
in  different  occurrences,  and  the  more  closely  these  can 
be  reproduced  the  greater  the  assurance  we  obtain  that 
an  artificial  mineral  has  been  formed  under  the  same 
conditions  as  the  natural  product. 

For  this  purpose  it  is  above  all  necessary  that  there 
should  be  in  the  first  place  a  systematic  comparative 
study  of  these  characters  and  of  theassociation  in  which 


ditions  under  which  deposits  of  economic  importance 
are  found  would  be  of  incalculable  value  in  facilitating 
their  discovery  and  exploitation,  and  would  be  the 
means  of  saving  a  vast  amount  of  unnecessary  labour 
and  expense. 

Utah  Copper's  Tailing.—  Chemical  and  Metallur- 
gical Engineering  for  September  1  quotes  a  paper 
read  by  H.  C.  Goodridge  at  a  recent  meeting  of  the 
Utah  Society  of  Engineers,  describing  the  method  of 
impounding  tailing  from  the  concentrating  plants  of 
the  Utah  Copper  Company,  at  Garfield,  west  of  Salt 
Lake  City.  With  its  enormous  tonnage  the  tailing 
problem  is  of  unusual  importauce.  The  early  esti- 
mates of  ore  reserves  at  the  mine  in  Bingham  Canyon 
were  37,500,000  tons  and,  in  1907,  the  mill  was  expected 
to  handle  5,000  tons  of  ore  daily.  By  purchase  of  the 
Boston  Consolidated  and  other  properties  in  the  can- 
yon, the  existing  ore  reserves  were  increased  ten  times, 


To  Salt  Lake 


Map  showing  the  Tailing  Ponds  of  the  Utah  Copter  Company. 


they  are  found.  The  results  thus  obtained  should  be 
of  the  greatest  value  in  indicating  the  directions  along 
which  experimental  work  would  be  most  probably  suc- 
cessful. They  should,  of  course,  be  supplemented  by 
laboratory  studies  of  the  relations  of  such  subsidiary 
crystallographic  characters  to  the  environment  in  the 
case  of  crystals  which  can  be  formed  under  normal  con- 
ditions of  temperature  and  pressure,  and  therefore  un- 
der the  immediate  observation  of  the  experimenter. 
Some  work  has,  in  fact,  already  been  done  on  the  effects 
on  these  characters  of  the  presence  of  other  substances 
in  the  same  solution. 

In  the  study  of  the  secondary  alterations  of  metal- 
liferous deposits,  especially  those  which  consist  of  the 
enrichment  of  mineral  veins  by  the  action  of  circula- 
ting solutions,  either  of  atmospheric  or  intratelluric 
origin,  the  study  of  pseudomorphs  gives,  of  course, 
valuable  assistance  in  determining  the  nature  of  the 
chemical  and  physical  changes  that  have  taken  place. 

A  successful  solution  of  the  problem  of  the  exact  con- 


to  374,000,000  tons,  despite  mining  in  the  meantime 
more  ore  than  twice  the  original  estimate.  Milling 
during  19 18  proceeded  at  the  rate  of  33,3 17  tons  daily.and 
the  rated  capacity  of  the  Magna  and  Arthur  concentra- 
tors and  the  leaching  plant  is  no  less  than  43,000  tons. 
This  tenfold  increase  in  available  ore  and  ninefold  in- 
crease in  milling  capacity  has  rendered  insufficient  the 
originally  ample  tailing  area.  A  map  shown  herewith 
gives  a  general  idea  of  the  position  of  the  mills  and 
smelter  near  the  Great  Salt  Lake  shore.  The  south- 
western portion  of  this  mapped  area  is  rough  country. 
The  Bingham  &  Garfield  and  Denver  &  Rio  Grande 
railways  skirt  the  Oquirrh  Mountains,  which  rise 
directly  out  of  the  flatlands  surrounding  Salt  Lake. 
Thus  the  mills  are  constructed  on  a  hillside  about 
125  ft.  above  the  general  ground  level  to  the  north. 
Across  this  marshy  flat  some  mile-and-a-half  away 
were  situated  the  main  lines  of  two  transcontinental 
railways,  and  the  intervening  area  has  been  used  for 
tailingsincethecommencementof operations.    Various 


OCTOBER,    1919 


249 


schemes  for  enlargement  were  studied  by  the  company's 
engineers.  If  all  the  expected  ore  were  impounded  in 
the  so-called  west  and  east  tailing  ponds,  dykes  would 
be  required  around  the  area  to  an  average  height  of  80  ft. 
and  an  eventual  slope  on  top  of  the  pond  of  only  0  5%. 
The  total  estimated  cost  of  this  scheme  was  $1, 680, 000. 
Another  plan  was  based  on  making  two  independent 
ponds  with  dykes  paralleling  the  two  transcontinental 
railroads  on  the  north  and  south,  with  a  maximum 
height  of  92  ft.,  at  an  estimated  cost  of  $3,885,000. 
Such  a  mass  of  loose  material  in  close  proximity  to  the 
railroads  would  be  a  continual  menace  to  their  oper- 
ation, and  these  schemes  were  abandoned.  It  then 
appeared  necessary  to  move  the  railroads.  If  they 
were  shifted  about  a  half-mile  north  and  connected 
with  the  old  lines  at  the  old  Garfield  station,  a  dyke 
about 30  ft.  high  would  be  needed  to  impound  all  tailing 
resting  at  a  grade  of  0'9%.  The  cost  of  this  scheme 
was  about  $2,265,000.  However,  by  moving  the  tracks 
still  farther  north,  and  rebuilding  the  Garfield  station, 
a  tailing  area  of  6,000 acres  could  be  provided,  sufficient 
for  all  material,  at  an  average  slope  of  about  0  92% 
without  its  toe  encroaching  on  the  railroads,  with  a 
dyke  12  ft.  high  to  impound  and  clarify  water  before 
drainage  into  the  lake.  This  plan,  which  was  adopted, 
cost  about  $910,000,  chiefly  for  new  lands  and  railroad 
revision.  The  latter  item  was  by  agreement  done  with- 
out cost  to  the  railroads,  a  new  roadbed  being  provided 
equal  to  the  old,  $2,000  per  mile  allowed  for  extra  sur- 
facing work  until  the  roadbed  settled,  and  an  amount 
capitalized  at  $46,000  for  additional  expense  of  oper- 
ation due  to  added  distance  and  curvature.  The  north 
tailing  pond,  which  was  originally  from  6  to  12  in.  under 
water,  was  first  drained  by  digging  the  ditches  event- 
ually needed  for  tailing  water,  and  the  embankments 
were  made  by  drag  line  excavators  at  a  cost  of  25c.  per 
yard.  The  12  ft.  dyke  is  7  miles  long,  with  a  top  width 
of  10  ft.  for  a  railway  track  to  handle  riprapping,  which 
latter  is  smelter  slag  placed  for  about  80c.  per  cubic 
yard. 

The  New  Elmore  Process. — Another  patent  relating 
to  the  new  process  invented  by  F.  E.  Elmore  for  the 
treatment  of  complex  lead-zinc  sulphides  has  been  pub- 
lished during  the  past  month.  This  is  numbered  7,732 
of  1918  (131,353).     The  specification  is  as  follows  : 

This  invention  relates  to  improvements  in  the  pro- 
cess of  separating  lead  and  zinc  from  ores,  concen- 
trates, or  the  like,  in  which  these  metals  co-exist  in 
the  form  of  sulphides.  It  has  been  proposed  to  effect 
this  separation  by  means  of  the  differential  action  of 
sulphuric  or  hydrochloric  acid  alone,  or  of  such  acid 
in  presence  of  a  suitable  salt,  such  as  soluble  chloride, 
whereby  the  lead  sulphide  is  converted  into  a  soluble 
compound  while  the  zinc  sulphide  remains  substan- 
tially unattacked.  In  the  proposed  processes  the  solu- 
ble lead  compound,  after  separation  from  the  unattack- 
ed zinc  sulphide  by  means  of  a  hot  solvent,  has  been 
recovered  by  crystallization  while  the  zinc  sulphide  has 
been  further  treated  for  the  recovery  of  the  zinc  therein. 
The  present  invention  relates  to  improvements  in  that 
form  of  the  process  in  which  hydrochloric  acid  alone, 
in  the  absence  of  a  soluble  chloride  or  like  salt,  is  the 
acid  agent  employed  for  attacking  the  ore,  and  has  for 
its  object  to  provide  a  process  characterized  by  econ- 
omy in  the  consumption  of  hydrochloric  acid  and  other 
materials,  coupled  with  a  high  percentage  recovery  and 
degree  of  purity  of  the  soluble  lead  compound  pro- 
duced. 

According  to  one  part  of  the  invention  the  ore  (which 
term  includes  concentrates  and  the  like)  is  first  heated 
at  about  100°C.  with  a  sufficient  quantity  of  strong 
hydrochloric  acid  until  substantially  the  whole  of  the 


lead  has  been  converted  into  chloride  in  known  man- 
ner, with  evolution  of  sulphuretted  hydrogen.  The 
quantity  of  acid  used  should  be  as  small  as  is  compat- 
ible with  efficient  conversion  of  the  sulphide  into  chlo- 
ride. The  mixture  is  now  cooled,  and  any  excess  of 
hydrochloric  acid  is  removed,  along  with  soluble  im- 
purities present,  by  washing  the  lead  chloride  and  min- 
eral residue  with  a  limited  quantity  of  water.  The 
lead  chloride  thus  freed  from  soluble  impurities  is  then 
extracted  from  the  mass  by  means  of  a  hot  solvent 
which  consists  of  a  solution  of  lead  chloride  in  water 
or  in  strong  brine  and  which  constitutes  the  mother 
liquor  from  previous  operations.  The  hot  solution, 
after  separation  from  the  undissolved  matter,  is  cooled, 
whereupon  a  portion  of  the  lead  chloride  crystallizes 
out  and  can  be  collected  for  use,  preferably  as  herein- 
after described,  while  the  mother  liquor  is  re-heated 
and  used  for  extracting  lead  chloride  from  another 
batch  of  the  ore.  The  extraction  process  thus  becomes 
a  cycle  in  which  the  same  quantity  of  solvent  serves 
continuously  to  convey  the  purified  lead  chloride  from 
the  treated  ore  to  the  crystallizing  vat. 

The  following  example  illustrates  this  part  of  the 
invention.  A  lead-zinc  sulphide  ore  from  Burma  con- 
taining 17  1%  of  lead  and  42%  of  zinc  is  ground  to 
pass  through  a  60  mesh  standard  sieve.  Twenty  kilos 
of  the  powder  are  mixed  with  12  litres  of  strong  hydro- 
chloric acid  (containing  330  grams  of  HC1  per  litre)  in 
an  earthenware  steam  heated  vessel  and  the  mixture 
is  heated  at  about  100:C.  until  the  evolution  of  sul- 
phuretted hydrogen  has  practically  ceased  The  mix- 
ture is  now  cooled,  the  excess  of  hydrochloric  acid  is 
removed  along  withsoluble  impuritiespresentby  wash- 
ing the  lead  chloride  and  mineral  residue  with  a  lim- 
ited quantity  of  cold  water,  and  the  lead  chloride  is 
then  extracted  from  the  mass  by  means  of  hot  mother 
liquor  at  about  100°C.  If  the  mother  liquor  consists 
of  an  aqueous  solution  of  lead  chloride,  about  200 
litres  thereof  may  be  employed  for  the  extraction  ;  if 
it  consists  of  a  solution  of  lead  chloride  in  strong  brine, 
about  150  litres  may  be  employed.  The  hot  solution, 
after  separation  from  the  undissolved  mineral  residue, 
is  cooled,  whereupon  a  portion  of  the  lead  chloride 
crystallizes  out  and  is  collected  for  use,  while  the 
mother  liquor  is  again  heated  and  used  as  hereinbe- 
fore described.  The  proportions  mentioned  in  the 
foregoing  example  are  merely  illustrative.  The  best 
proportions  to  use  in  any  given  case  will  depend  to 
some  extent  upon  the  nature  of  the  ore  treated  and 
other  conditions. 

Owing  to  the  employment  of  hydrochloric  acid  as 
the  acid  agent  for  attacking  the  ore,  and  the  removal 
of  soluble  impurities  from  the  treated  mass  as  above 
described,  the  use  of  brine,  which  in  certain  localities 
is  not  easily  obtainable,  may  be  altogether  dispensed 
with  and  the  rejection  of  lead  in  the  solvent  liquor, 
necessitated  by  the  accumulation  of  impurities  therein, 
is  reduced  to  a  minimum.  Further,  the  lead  chloride 
obtained  is  of  a  high  degree  of  purity.  If,  however, 
the  solvent  liquor  contain  brine,  itsimpoverishment  by 
the  formation  of  sodium  sulphate  and  the  accumulation 
of  impurities  is  reduced  to  such  a  degree  that  the  con- 
sumption of  salt  and  occasional  loss  of  lead  on  reject- 
ing the  contaminated  liquor  are  reduced  to  negligible 
proportions.  A  further  beneGt  resulting  from  the  re- 
moval of  any  remaining  acid  from  the  treated  mass,  prior 
to  the  extraction  with  solvent  liquor,  is  that  the  latter 
remains  substantially  free  from  acid,  and  metallic  pipes, 
pumps,  vats,  or  the  like  may  be  employed  with  but 
little  risk  of  contamination  of  the  liquor  or  corrosion 
of  the  plant. 

According  to  another  part  of  the  invention  the  above 


250 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


described  process  is  improved  by  returning  to  the 
vessel  in  which  the  ore  is  attacked  the  hydrochloric 
acid  consumed  in  forming  the  lead  chloride.  For  this 
purpose  the  lead  chloride  obtained  is  heated  with  sul- 
phuric acid  whereby  hydrochloric  acid  gas  is  evolved  ; 
the  gas  is  absorbed  in  water  and  the  solution  is  used 
for  treating  a  further  batch  of  ore.  The  sulphuric 
acid  required  may  be  obtained  by  utilizing  in  known 
manner  the  sulphuretted  hydrogen  evolved  during  the 
attack  upon  the  ore  by  the  acid.  By  operating  in  this 
manner  the  process  to  a  substantial  extent  constitutes 
an  economic  cycle  in  which  the  hydrochloric  acid  and 
(if  brine  be  used)  the  sodium  chloride  are  largely  con- 
served. These  considerations  are  of  importance  in  the 
case  of  some  ore  deposits  which  are  not  favourably 
situated  as  regards  supplies  of  hydrochloric  acid  and 
salt,  since  they  render  it  practicable  to  treat  the  ore 
on  the  spot  instead  of  transporting  it  to  localities  where 
such  agents  are  readily  obtainable.  To  effect  a  further 
saving  in  acid,  it  is  in  some  instances  advisable  to  sub- 
ject the  ore  to  a  preliminary  concentration  so  as  to  re- 
duce the  proportion  of  useless  acid-consuming  ma- 
terial present. 

The  lead  sulphate  made  from  the  chloride  may  be 
mixed  with  lead  sulphide  and  smelted  in  known  man- 
ner, and  the  lead  sulphide  or  part  of  it  necessary  for 
the  purpose  may  be  made  by  utilizing  the  sulphuret- 
ted hydrogen  evolved  on  the  treatment  of  the  ore  with 
hydrochloric  acid. 

The  following  are  the  claims  :  (1)  Process  of  separa- 
ting lead  and  zinc  from  lead-zinc  sulphide  ores,  con- 
centrates, and  the  like,  consisting  in  heating  the  pulver- 
ized ore  with  asufficientquantity  of  strong  hydrochloric 
acid  until  substantially  the  whole  of  the  lead  has  be^n 
converted  into  lead  chloride  while  the  zinc  sulphide 
remains  substantially  unattacked,  cooling  the  mixture, 
washing  the  mass  with  a  limited  quantity  of  cold 
water  to  remove  excess  of  acid  and  soluble  impurities, 
and  then  by  means  of  the  herein  described  cyclic  pro 
cess  extracting  the  purified  lead  chloride  and  convey- 
ing it  to  the  crystallizing  vat.  (2)  Processof  separating 
lead  and  zinc  from  lead-zinc  sulphide  ores  concen- 
trates and  the  like  according  to  Claim  1,  in  which  the 
lead  chloride  obtained  is  heated  with  sulphuric  acid, 
the  hydrochloric  acid  evolved  is  dissolved  in  water, 
and  the  solution  is  used  for  treating  a  further  batch  of 
ore.  

SHORT    NOTICES 

Coal  Mining. —  At  the  September  meeting  of  the 
Institution  of  Mining  Engineers,  D.  S.  Newy  described 
a  new  way  of  working  thick  seams  of  coal,  with  special 
reference  to  practice  at  Baggeridge,  Staffordshire. 

Sampling. — In  the  Engineering  iind  Mining  Jour- 
nal for  August  30,  J.  H.  Eggers  discusses  the  applica- 
tion of  small  rock-drills  in  sampling  mines. 

Mine  Mapping.  —  In  the  Mining  and  Scientific 
Press  for  August  16,  Leicester  C.  Uren  discusses  the 
standardization  of  symbols  formine  maps.andgives  the 
symbols  used  in  the  University  of  California. 

Surveys. — In  Economic  Geology  for  August,  M.  L. 
Fuller  describes  a  quick  method  of  reconnaissance 
mapping. 

Petroleum  Report  Books. — In  Economic  Geology 
for  August,  E.  G  Woodruff  offers  standard  note-book 
forms  and  symbols  for  use  by  petroleum  engineers. 

Concentration  at  Mountain  Copper. —  In  the  Min- 
ing aiui  Scientific  Press  for  September  6,  L  C. 
White  describes  the  No.  1  concentrator  at  the  Moun- 
tain Copper  mines,  Shasta  County,  California. 

Silver. — At  the  September  meeting  of  the  Institute 
of  Metals,  Ernest  A.  Smith  and  Harold  Turner  read  a 


paper  on  the  properties  of  standard  or  sterling  silver, 
with  notes  on  its  manufacture. 

Electro-Plating. — At  the  September  meeting  of  the 
Institute  of  Metals,  R.  E.  Leader  presented  a  paper  on 
the  early  history  of  electro-plating  with  silver. 

Solubility  of  Gold  in  Cyanide  Solutions. — The 
Journal  of  the  Chemical,  Metallurgical  &  Mining  So- 
ciety of  South  Africa  for  July  contains  a  paper  by  H. 
A.  White  detailing  experiments  on  the  solubility  of 
gold  in  cyanide  solutions. 

Tin  Alloys. — At  the  September  meeting  of  the  Insti- 
tute of  Metals,  J.  E.  Stead  and  L.J.  Spencer  present- 
ed a  paper  on  the  ternary  alloys  of  tin,  antimony,  and 
arsenic  ;  and  F.  C.  Thompson  and  F.  Ormeoneonthe 
constitution  and  metallurgy  of  britannia  metal. 

Zinc-Dust. —  In  Chemical  and  Metallurgical  Engi- 
neering for  August  15,  W.  F.  Edwards  compares 
methods  of  estimating  metallic  zinc  in  zinc  dust  and 
recommends  the  ferric  ammonium-alum  method. 

Aluminium.  —Chi  mical  and  Metallurgical  Engi- 
neering for  September  1  contains  a  paper  by  R  J. 
Anderson  on  the  metallography  of  the  aluminium  ingot. 

Ferro-manganese. — Chemical   and  Metallurgical 
Engineering  for  September  1  contains  a  paper  by  R 
i      '  ,  isrow  on  the  design  of  electric  furnaces  for  the 
production  of  ferro-manganese. 

Carbon- free  Alloys. —  In  Chemical  and  Metallurgi- 
cal Engineering  for  September  1,  E.  F.  Northrupde- 
scribes  an  electric  furnace  for  producing  carbon-free 
alloys 

Determination  of  Magnetite. —  In  I  -ring 

and  Mining  Journal  for  August  23,  F.  G.  Hawley,  of 
tin-    Miami  smelter,    gives  a  method    of  determining 
■me  in  copper  mattes  and 

Losses  in  Slags. — In  the  Engineering  and  Mining 
Journal  for  August  16,  I-;.  II.  Kobie  gives  the  results 
of  tests  at  the  International  Nickel  Co.'s  smelter  at 
Copper  Cliff,  Ontario,  in  connection  with  losses  of 
copper  and  nickel  in  slag. 

Microscopical    Studies  of   Iron  Ores.  —  Economic 

Geology  for  August  contains  a  paper  by  T.  M.  Broder- 

icribiog  microscopical  examinations  of  polished 

surfaces   of  magnetite  and   hematite  ores  undertaken 

partly  with  a  view  of  studying  their  paragenesis. 

Ontario  Ore  Deposits. —  In  the  Mining  and  Scien 
tific  Press  for  August  16,  Elsworth  V.  Dougherty 
on  the  relation  of  regional  deformations  to  the 
distribution  of  ore  in  the  I're-Cambrian,  with  special 
reference  to  the  occurrence  of  ore  deposits  in  Ontario 
and  adjacent  territories. 

Klondyke. —  In  the  Engineering  and  Mining  Jour- 
nal forSeptember6,  Henry  Boursin  givesa  new  version 
of  the  historv  of  the  discovery  of  Klondyke. 

Siberian  Mining. — In  the  Mining  and  Scientific 
Press  for  September  6,  C  W  I'urington  writes  of 
present  conditions  at  the  Siberian  mines. 

Shasta  County,  California.  -  In  the  Mining  and 
Scientific  Press  for  August  23,  Herbert  Lang  continues 
his  reminiscences  of  metallurgy  in  Shasta  County, 
California,  discussing  the  Bully  Hill  copper  zinc  mine. 

South  African  Coal. — A  series  of  articles  on  the 
coalfields  of  South  Africa  starts  in  the  July  19  issue  of 
the  South  African  M  i  n  i  ng  a  ml  Eng  ineert  ngjou  rnal 

Platinum. —  In  the  Engineering  and  Mining 
Journal  for  August  30,  W.  L.  Uglow  commences  a 
series  of  articles  on  the  geology  of  platinum  deposits. 

West  Shining  Tree,  Ontario. —  In  the  Engineering 
ami  Mining  Journal  for  August  16,  I.  11  ( rood  win 
describes  the  West  Shining  Tree  gold  mining  district, 
south  of  Porcupine  and  west  of  Cobalt,  Ontario. 

Fuel  Economy — A  report  prepared  by  Dr  W,  A 
Bone,  Sir  Robert  Hadfield,  and    A     Hutchinson  was 


OCTOBER,    1919 


251 


presented  at  the  September  meeting  of  the  Iron  &  Steel 
Institute  on  fuel  economy  and  consumption  in  the 
manufacture  of  iron  and  steel.  A  similar  paper  on 
present  practice  in  Germany  was  presented  by  Cosmo 
Johns  and  L.  Ennis. 


RECENT  PATENTS  PUBLISHED. 

-  -~  1  copy  of  the  specification  of  any  of  the  patents  men- 
Honed  in  this  column  can  be  obtained  by  sending  6d.  to 
the  Patent  Office,  Southampton  Buildings,  Chancery 
Lane,  London.  W  C.2.  with  a  note  of  the  number  and  year 
of  the  fiatent. 

l,677and  5,598  of  1918  (130,626  and  131,039). 

W.  Heap  and  E.  Newbery,  Manchester.  Method 
of  producing  anhydrous  chlorides. 

12,364  of,  1918  (131,675).  H.  A.  Blackwell, 
Blackpool.  Method  of  producing  carbon-free  ferro- 
titanium  by  the  aluminothermic  process. 

12,778  of  1918  (126,269).  Werf  Conrad, 
Haarlem,  Holland.  Improved  suspension  device  for 
suction  dredges. 

13,210of  1918(119,224)  W.  A.  Scott,  Chica- 
go. The  use  of  a  gaseous  frothing  medium  in  place 
of  liquid  frothing  mediums  in  concentration  by  flota- 
tion, to  be  introduced  with  the  air  used  in  creating 
bubbles  ;  acetylene  is  mentioned  as  such  a  gas. 

13,231  of  1918(118,629).  G.  A.  Guess,  Tor- 
onto. Electrolytic  method  of  separating  nickel  from 
copper. 

13,369  of  1918(131,702).  El ectrolytic  Zinc 
Co.  of  Australasia,  Melbourne.  Method  of  re- 
moving cobalt  from  solutions  obtained  in  the  electro- 
lytic method  of  recovering  zinc  from  its  ores. 

13,792  of  1918  (131,460).  C.  Dreyfus  and  J. 
J.  Bi.och,  Manchester.  Method  of  manufacturing 
alkaline  manganates. 

14,233  of  1918  (131,743).  Horton  Bolitho, 
Falmouth.  Furnace  for  refining  tin.  We  quote  the 
following  from  the  specification  :  "This  invention  re- 
lates to  an  improved  process  for  roasting  and  refining 
impure  tin  and  apparatus  therefor.  Tin  as  obtained 
by  the  smelting  of  its  ores  usually  contains  various 
impurities,  which  it  is  necessary  to  remove  before  the 
metal  is  suitable  for  commercial  use.  This  refining 
has  heretofore  been  accomplished  by  subjecting  the 
impure  metal  to  the  action  of  the  heated  gases  upon 
the  bed  of  the  reverberatory  furnace,  the  gases  coming 
into  contact  with  the  material  operated  upon.  Accord- 
ing to  this  invention,  impure  tin  is  refined  by  applying 
heat  externally  to  a  vessel  containing  the  material,  in 
such  a  manner  that  the  metal  is  melted  in  the  presence 
of  a  limited  amount  of  air  and  out  of  direct  contact 
with  the  furnace  gases.  It  has  hitherto  been  proposed 
in  connection  with  apparatus  for  extracting  metals 
from  their  ores  to  place  the  material  to  be  treated  to- 
gether with  fluxes  in  a  closed  inclined  fireclay  retort 
to  the  exterior  of  which  sufficient  heat  is  applied  to 
fuse  the  metal  sought  to  be  obtained,  the  fluxes  com- 
bining with  theelements  to  be  removedfrom  the  metals 
sought.  In  carrying  the  process  into  effect,  I  prefer 
to  arrange  the  furnace  with  a  tube  of  steel,  iron,  or 
other  suitable  material  inclined  slightly  to  the  hori- 
zontal Under  the  raised  end  of  the  tube  is  construc- 
ted a  fireplace  the  flue  of  which  extends  parallel  with 
the  tube  and  so  that  the  gases  are  in  contact  therewith 
during  their  passage  to  the  chimney  at  the  lower  end. 
The  tube  is  enclosed  at  each  end  by  suitable  doors,  the 
lower  end  projecting  over  a  receiver." 

15,598  of  1918  (130.838).  A.  FERGUSON, 
Scorrier,  Cornwall.  Tin  dressing.  The  following  is 
Claim  No.  1  :  "In  apparatus  for  use  in  concentrating 
ores  and  the  like,  annularly  arranged  series  of  trays 


disposed  radially,  the  said  series  being  arranged  as  a 
pair,  or  two,  or  more,  pairs,  and  in  such  relative  posi- 
tions that  the  matter  under  treatment,  fed  on  to  the 
trays  of  one  series,  passes  therefrom  on  to  the  trays  of 
another  series." 

15,691  of  1918  (130,840).  J.  B.  Pierce, 
Charleston,  West  Virginia.  Method  of  making  stron- 
tium peroxide. 

16,446  of  1918(130,882).  D.  Tyrer,  Stockton- 
on-Tees.     Method  of  making  sodium  permanganate. 

20,081  of  1918  (121,600).  Metals  Disinte- 
grating Co.,  New  York.  Method  and  plant  for  pro- 
ducing finely  divided  metal  by  acting  on  a  stream  of 
molten  metal  by  jets  of  steam. 

9,430  of  1919  (131,858).  G.  H.  T.  Rayner  and 
P.  Rayner,  Sheffield.    Improved  valve  for  rock-drills. 


NEW  BOOKS 

(•"Copies  of  the  books,  etc..  mentioned  below  can  be  obtained 
through  the  Technical  Bookshop  of  Tlie  Mining  Magazine. 
723,  Salisbury  House.  London  Wall,  E.C.2. 

A  Treatise  on  British  Mineral  Oil.     By  J.  A.  Green, 
and  others.     Cloth,  octavo,  253  pages,  with  folding 
platesand  other  illustrations.      Frice21s.net.    Lon- 
don :  Charles  Griffin  &  Co.,  Ltd. 
The  shortage  of  liquid  fuels  of  all  kinds  during  the 
latter  stages  of  the  war  brought  into  prominence  the 
need   for  the  investigation   of  the  potential  internal 
sources  of  supply  of  these  products.     The  results  of  a 
certain  portion  of  these  investigations  have  inspired 
the  production  of  this  treatise  on  British  mineral  oil. 
In  this  volume  the  contributors  have  confined  them- 
selves strictly  to  the  possibilities  of  production  of  such 
mineral  oil  by  thermal  decomposition  of  solid  hydro- 
carbons, and  have  practically  avoided  reference  to  the 
contentious  subject  of  the  production  of  naturally  oc- 
curring petroleum. 

The  book  is  divided  into  six  sections,  containing  six- 
teen chapters,  together  with  an  appendix,  index,  and 
a  bibliography  on  the  chemical  section. 

Section  1,  "The  Raw  Material,"  by  E.  H.  Cunning- 
ham-Craig,  deals  with  oil-shales,  cannel  coals  and 
allied  deposits,  lignites,  and  peat.  In  it  the  author 
discusses  in  outline  the  relationship  between  the  dif- 
ferent types  of  bodies  which  yield  liquid  products  on 
destructive  distillation,  the  possible  means  of  their  for- 
mation, and  their  distribution  in  the  British  Isles.  He 
states  that  the  known  deposits  of  oil-shale  in  these 
islands  are  far  from  being  worked  out,  and  are  not 
even  fully  developed  ;  also,  that  in  addition  to  this 
source  of  oil,  there  are  various  canneloid  deposits  from 
which  oil  may  be  obtained  in  commercial  quantities, 
claiming  that  there  is  a  possible  output  of  4,000,000 
tons  per  annum  which  is  worth  retorting.  No  men- 
tion, however,  is  made  of  the  life  of  such  at  this  rate 
of  denudation,  a  very  important  point  when  the  ques 
tion  of  capital  cost  for  erection  of  works  has  to  be  con- 
sidered. 

In  Section  2,  W.  R.  Ormandy  deals  with  the  "Re- 
torting of  Bituminous  Materials."     After  dealing  in  a 
perfunctory  manner  with  the  wasteful  consumption  of 
fuel,  the  author  discusses  the  action  of  heat  on  the  raw 
materials,  and  then  traces  the  development  of  retort- 
ing for  the  production  of  coal-gas  from  the  earliti 
to  the  present  day,  giving  descriptions  of  modern  gas 
retorts  and  coke  oven  plants.      Leaving   what  are   the 
essentially   high  -temperature  processes,   he  then  de 
scribes  some  of  the  processes  for  low-teniperatui 
tillation,   including   the  Tozer,    Maclaurin,  and   Chis- 
wick  retorts.     The  table  given  of  the  results  obtained 
with  the  Chiswick  retoi  t  is  to  all  intents  and  purposes 


252 


THE    MINING     MAGAZINE 


valueless,  as  no  reference  is  made  as  to  the  origin  of 
the  various  classes  of  raw  material  used,  although  the 
individual  members  of  each  class  show  wide  variations 
among  themselves.  The  conclusions  drawn  at  the 
end  of  this  section  are  well  worthy  of  study,  being 
most  valuable  in  presenting  a  comprehensive  review 
of  the  situation  of  the  low-temperature  carbonizing  in- 
dustry at  the  present  day.  If  these  conclusions  are 
well  digested,  both  by  exponents  of  low  temperature 
carbonization  and  the  general  public,  many  of  the 
rash  statements  that  are  being  at  present  made  would 
never  be  uttered. 

Section  3,  by  A.  E.  Dunstan,  deals  with  "Products 
from  Low  -  Temperature  Carbonization  and  Their 
Chemical  Nature."  Although  there  is  nothing  new 
in  this  section,  it  is  a  resume  that  will  give  agood  gen- 
eral idea  of  the  subject  to  the  junior  student.  For  the 
true  seeker  after  knowledge  on  the  subject,  however, 
the  lack  of  references  detracts  very  largely  from  its 
value;  in  fact,  this  lack  of  references  is  apparent  in 
the  whole  of  the  volume.  It  is  true  that  to  this  par 
ticular  section  a  bibliography  isappended,  but  it  is  very 
incomplete,  and  does  not  even  discriminate  between 
valuable  researches  and  those  of  minor  worth. 

Section  4,  "  Refining."  by  A.  Campbell,  is  an  excel- 
lent outline  of  the  refining  operations  necessary  for  the 
separation  of  the  constituents  of  the  products  of  low- 
temperature  carbonization. 

In  Section  5,  "  Practical  Experimental  Work.  1 
M  Perkin  deals  with  the  proposed  Midland  testing 
station  and  its  scheme  of  operations.  Onecan  hardly 
agree  with  the  author  in  bis  ideas  about  the  sizes  of 
working  experimental  units,  and  would  suggest  that  the 
£100,000  available  for  this  work  will  soon  be  exhaust- 
ed without  giving  practical  results,  if  retorts  of  the 
capacity  of  20  to  40  tons  per  day  are  to  be  erected  as 
experimental  units. 

Section  6,  "Power,"  by  A.  H.  Seabrook,  calls  for 
little  comment,  the  points  he  deals  with  being  accepted 
axioms  at  the  present  day. 

The  whole  question  of  low-temperature  carboniza- 
tion is  a  matter  of  £.  s.  d.  If  the  advocates  of  the 
process  can  prove  that  it  will  be  a  paying  proposition, 
then  nothing  will  prevent  its  expansion.  Unfortu- 
nately, in  tins  volume,  nothing  but  opinions  are  ex- 
pressed, and  as  such  carry  little  weight  with  the  busi- 
ness man. 

The  publishers  must  be  congratulated  on  the  gen- 
eral get  up  of  the  book,  which  is  of  their  best  pre  war 
standard. 

E.  Lawson  Lom.w, 

M  Sc.,  A. I.C.,  F.C.S. 

Potash  Recovery  at  Cement  Plants.  By  l>r  Alfred 
W.  G.  Wilson.  Bulletin  29  of  Canadian  Department 
of  Mines. 

Mineral  Resources  of  Caucasia.  By  D.  Ghamba- 
shidze.  Cloth,  octavo.  180  pages,  illustrated.  Price 
8s.  6d.  net.      London  :  George  Allen  &  I'nwin,  Ltd. 

Mining  and  Manufacturing  of  Fertilizing  Materi- 
als, and  their  Relation  to  Soils.  By  S  L.  Lloyd,  of 
Florida.  Cloth,  octavo,  160  pages,  illustrated.  Price 
9s.  New  York  :  D.  Van  Nostrand  Co.  ;  London : 
Crosby  Lock  wood  &  Son. 

Geology  of  India  for  Students.  By  D.  N.  Wadia. 
Cloth,  octavo,  400  pages,  illustrated.  Price  18s.  net. 
London  :   Macmillan  &  Co.,  Ltd 

Electric  Mining  Machinery.  By  Sydney  F.  Walker, 
Cloth,  octavo,  375pages,  illustrated.  Price  12s.  6d.  net. 
London  :   Sir  Isaac  Pitman  &  Sons,  Ltd. 

Transvaal  Chamber  of  Mines,  29th  Annual  Report, 
1918.  Cloth,  quarto,  525  pages.  Johannesburg  and 
London  :  Transvaal  Chamber  of  Mines. 


COMPANY    REPORTS 

Dolcoath.  —  The  report  of  this  companv,  which 
works  the  celebrated  tin  mine  at  Camborne,  Cornwall, 
shows  that  during  the  half-year  ended  June  30  the  out- 
put exhibited  a  further  decrease.  The  ore  raised  and 
treated  amounted  to  28,877  tons,  and  the  tin  concen- 
trate extracted  was  387  tons,  as  compared  with  28,716 
tons  and  403  tons  respectively  during  the  latter  half 
of  1918.  The  amount  realized  was  £45,875,  as  com- 
pared with  /76.103  ;  the  yield  per  ton  of  ore  was 
30  05  lb.,  as  compared  with  3 1  45  lb  ;  and  the  receipts 
per  ton  of  concentrate  were  £118.  7s.  9d.,  as  compared 
with  £188.  15s  3d.  Other  items  of  revenue  brought 
the  receipts  to  £48,016.  The  working  cost  was 
£67,526,  and  the  loss  for  the  half-vear  was  £19,519, 
as  compared  with  a  profit  of  £14, 446.  The  receipts 
per  ton  of  ore  treated  were  33s.  3d.,  and  the  cost  )6s. 
9d.,  showing  a  loss  of  13s.  6d.  In  the  following  para- 
graphs we  quote  the  report  of  R.  Arthur  Thomas,  the 
managing  director  : 

The  Williams  shaft  has  contributed  40  6",,  of  the 
total  tinstutf  drawn  and  3S  -t  ".,  of  the  black  tin  sold, 
being  a  decrease  of  3'4'  ,  and  2  2%  respectively  The 
375  fm  level  i^  driven  55  fm.  east  of  New  Sump  shaft 
in  the  foot  wall  granite  and  will  shortly  hole  to  the 
old  workings  from  which  it  is  expected  to  secure  con- 
siderable quantities  of  low  grade  tinstutf. 

New  Sump  section  of  the  mine  has  contributed  I 
of  the  total  (install  drawn  and  9  3%  of  the  total  black 
tin  sold,  being  a  decrease  in  each  instance  of  2  J 

tivel)  Following  the  driving  of  the  338 
fm.  level,  approximately  30  fm.  east  of  the  New  last 
shaft,  a  cross  cut  is  being  put  out  south  which  has 
proved  the  unworked  portion  of  the  lode  in  this  dis- 
trict of  the  mine  to  be  upwards  of  18  ft.  in  width,  giv- 
ing an  average  value  of  30  lb  of  black  tin  per  ton.  It 
cannot  be  anticipated  that  there  is  any  great  extent  of 
unworked  lode  in  this  part  of  the  mine,  but  there  is 
every  reason  to  believe  that  large  quantities  of  "  run 
stuff  *'  will  be  available  in  addition  to  that  secured  by 
slopes  when  this  ground  is  properly  opened  up  for 
working.  After  driving  the  L90  east  of  New  Sump 
shaft  for  a  distance  of  20  fm.  and  holing  to  the  old 
workings,  a  rise  was  put  up  Irom  this  level  for  a  dis- 
tance oi  'fm.  4  ft.  preparatory  to  stopmg  this  ground  ; 
subsequently  a  winze  was  started  below  this  level  to 
open  up  this  tin  ground  for  working  in  conjunction 
with  the  development  at  the  230  fm.  level  ;  the  average 
value  of  the  ground  thus  opened  up  has  been  35  lb.  of 
black  tin  per  ton.  The  230  fm.  level  has  been  driven 
east  of  New  Sump  6fm.4ft.,  and,  although  being 
driven  on  the  foot- wall  granite,  it  contains  low  quality 
tinstutf.  winch  will  subsequently  pay  for  stoping,  and 
will,  in  addition,  open  up  large  quantities  of  low-graiie 
tinstutf  which  will  help  as  a  feeder  to  New  Sump  shaft, 
the  major  portion  of  the  stuff  broken  in  the  region  of 
New  Sump  workings  now  being  transferred  to  and 
drawn  through  the  Williams  shaft. 

Old  Sump  section  of  the  mine  has  contributed 
of  the  total  tinstuff  drawn  and  12"0  of  the  total  black 
tin  sold,  being  a  decrease  of  6'1%  and   19%  respec- 
tively as  compared  with  the  last  half-year. 

The  Eastern  section  of  the  mine  has  contributed  39  1% 
of  the  total  tinstuff  drawn  and  37  6, ,  of  the  total  black 
tin  from  the  mine,  being  an  increase  of  3  -  and  0'2% 
respectively  as  compared  with  the  pre\  ious  six  months. 
The  400  fm.  level  has  been  driven  21  fm.  west  of  No. 
4  winze  west  of  the  Eastern  shaft  and  produces  25  lb. 
of  black  tin  to  the  ton  of  stuff.  This  end  is  being 
driven  by  hand  labour  and  consequently  the  progress 
is  slow,  but  there  is  every   prospect  of  developing  a 


OCTOBER,    1919 


253 


very  considerable  tonnage  of  ore  of  about  this  value. 
Preparations  are  being  made  to  work  a  section  of  tin 
ground  from  the  210  to  the  254  fm.  level  west  of  the 
Eastern  shaft  ;  while  this  is  not  expected  to  be  ot  high- 
grade  quality,  yet,  at  approximately  the  present  price 
obtaining  for  tin,  and  having  regard  to  the  conditions 
of  working,  small  margins  of  profit  per  ton  can  be  se- 
cured. 

Wheal  Harriet  section  of  the  mine  has  contributed 
96%  of  the  total  tinstuff  drawn  and  114%  of  the 
black  tin  sold,  being  an  increase  of  3'3%  and  a  decrease 
of  1'8%  respectively. 

Stray  Park  section  has  contributed  18%  of  the  total 
tinstuff  drawn  and  23%  of  the  total  black  tin  sold,  as 
compared  with  1'6%  and  11%  respectively  for  the 
preceding  half-year.  Toward  the  end  of  February 
last  the  driving  of  the  352  fm.  level  west  of  Stray  Park 
shaft  was  resumed,  it  having  been  idle  for  many  years. 
After  driving  about  11  fm.  an  improvement  was  met 
with  of  which  the  shareholders  were  advised  on  May 
28  last.  Since  that  time  about  6fm.  has  been  driven 
on  the  lode,  the  average  value  of  which  has  been  60 
lb.  of. black  tin  to  the  ton  of  stuff.  The  lode  in  the 
end  having  become  split  into  two  parts,  stoping  opera- 
tions were  commenced  to  ascertain  the  main  part  of 
which  the  end  should  be  extended  further  westward, 
to  prove  the  width  (which  has  been  found  to  be  over 
12  ft.)  and  to  prepare  for  sinking  and  rising  below  and 
above  this  level.  Following  this  improvement,  the 
driving  of  the  338  fm.  level  west  of  Stray  Park  shaft 
was  commenced  which  has  been  so  far  driven  3  fm.  4 
ft.,  the  lode  producing  16  lb.  of  black  tin  to  the  ton  of 
stuff.  At  a  distance  of  45  fm.  west  of  Stray  Park  shaft 
a  cross  cut  has  been  driven  6  fm.  south  at  the  375  fm. 
level  to  intersect  the  portion  of  the  lode  referred  to  as 
having  been  found  at  the  352  fm.  level.  This  cross- 
cut has  been  driven  6fm.  4  ft.,  and,  although  altered 
granite  has  been  met  with  containing  a  few  narrow 
branches  of  lode  stuff,  the  main  portion  has  not  been 
intersected. 

Unfortunately  the  company  is  not  in  a  position  to 
undertake  extensive  development  work,  which  for  the 
period  under  review  has  been  only  76 fm.  4  ft.  ;  but, 
as  will  be  observed  from  the  foregoing  report,  this 
important  branch  of  mining  operations  is  being  gradu- 
ally increased  as  circumstances  permit. 

The  total   driving  on  lodes  was  64  fm.   4  ft.  ;    the 
driving  on  cross-cuts  was  5  fm.  1  ft.  ;   and  rising  6  fm 
4  ft.  ;  total  76  fm.  4  ft. 

At  the  meeting  of  shareholders,  Mr.  Thomas  men- 
tioned that  owing  to  poor  results  of  development  the 
Eastern  mill  would  be  closed.  He  also  intimated  that 
arrangements  were  being  made  to  sell  the  produce  by 
private  contract  instead  ot  at  the  Redruth  tin  ticketings. 
Tin  Fields  of  Northern  Nigeria. — This  company 
operates  alluvial  tin  ground  on  the  Kedderi  river,  Ni- 
geria. S.  R.  Bastard  is  chairman.  The  leport  for  the 
year  ended  March  31  shows  that  118  tons  of  tin  con- 
centrate was  won  and  that  the  profit  was  £"2,956.  In 
April  and  December,  1918,  dividends  totalling  £"7,700, 
15%,  were  distributed. 

Lucky  Chance. — This  company  operates  the  Murgi 
alluvial  tin  properties  in  the  Bauchi  province,  North- 
ern Nigeria,  and  at  the  beginning  of  1918  acquired 
the  West  Poldice  tin  and  wolfram  mine  and  dumps 
east  of  Redruth,  Cornwall.  The  company  also  holds 
a  large  number  of  shares  in  the  Berrida  company, 
which  owns  the  Poldice  mine  and  dumps.  S.  R.  Bas- 
tard is  chairman.  The  report  for  1918  shows  that  28 
tons  of  tin  concentrate  was  won  from  the  Nigerian  prop- 
erties. Nothing  has  yet  been  done  at  the  West  Pol- 
dice property,   but  concentration  was  commenced   at 


the  Poldice  on  August  11.     The  report  shows  a  profit 
of  £419,  which  was  carried  forward. 

South  Kalgurli  Consolidated.— This  company  was 
formed  in  1913  as  an  amalgamation  of  the  South  Kal- 
gurli and  Hainault  companies,  which  had  for  some 
years  worked  adjoining  mines  at  Kalgoorlie,  West 
Australia.  Neither  company  ever  paid  big  dividends, 
and  the  amalgamation  was  arranged  for  the  purpose 
of  facilitating  further  exploration.  This  new  develop 
ment  work  has  proved  distinctly  successful.  John 
Morgan  is  consulting  engineer,  and  J .  M.  Embleton 
is  manager.  The  leport  for  the  year  ended  March  31 
last  shows  that  96,239  tons  of  ore  was  sent  to  the  mill, 
where  gold  worth  £"128,556  was  extracted.  The  net 
profit  was  £9, 620,  out  of  which  £9.375  has  been  paid 
as  dividend,  being  at  the  rate  of  7J%.  The  develop- 
ment work  has  been  concentrated  on  the  new  No.  3 
East  lode,  and  the  results  as  already  mentioned  have 
been  favourable.  The  reserve  of  proved  ore  is  estima- 
ted at  155,944  tons  averaging  7  48  dwt.  per  ton,  and  of 
probable  ore  108,785  averaging  6  04  dwt.  per  ton.  The 
proved  ore  reserve  shows  an  increase  of  30,589  tons 
and  the  probable  ore  reserve  an  increase  of  20,000 
tons.  The  average  grade  of  the  proved  ore  reserve  is 
15  dwt.  higher  than  the  year  before,  owing  to  the 
large  amount  of  10  dwt.  ore  developed  on  the  new 
lode. 

Mount  Morgan  Gold.— This  company  operates  the 
celebrated  gold-copper  mine  near  Rockhampton 
Queensland.  The  report  for  the  year  ended  June  1 
shows  that  124,747  tons  of  smelting  ore  was  raised,  to- 
gether with  191.581  tons  of  concentrating  ore.  In  ad- 
dition 6,936  tons  of  smelting  ore  was  obtained  from  the 
open-cut.  At  the  smelter,  128,543  tons  of  ore,  17,348 
tons  of  jig  concentrate,  43,147  tons  of  sintered  table 
and  flotation  concentrates,  112  "  special  "  table  concen- 
trate, 6,406  tons  of  Many  Peaks  fluxing  ore,  and  395 
tons  of  "sundry  "  ores  were  treated  for  a  yield  of  blis- 
ter copper  containing  6. 268  tons  of  refined  copper  and 
92,983  oz.  of  gold.  In  order  to  afford  an  additional  in- 
come as  an  offset  against  the  fall  in  copper  and  the 
difficulty  in  marketing  it,  an  increased  amount  of  sili- 
cious  gold  ore  from  the  upper  levels  was  mined.  The 
profit  for  the  year  was /ill, 640,  out  of  which  £100,000 
was  distributed  as  dividend,  being  at  the  rate  of  I 
The  reserve  remaining  at  June  1  was  calculated  at 
3,622,892  tons  averaging  2'58%  copper  and  6  lidwt. 
gold,  but  it  has  to  be  remembered  that  ore  is  continu- 
ally mined  from  ground  outside  the  calculated  reset  ve. 
The  report  gives  the  detailed  results  of  concentration 
and  smelting  during  the  second  half  of  the  period  un- 
der review,  that  is  to  say,  the  six  months  ended  June  1 . 
The  amount  of  ore  sent  to  the  concentrating  plant  was 
75,138  tons  of  ore  averaging  2  06%  copper  and  5  71 
dwt.  gold.  The  concentration  products  were  :  jig  con- 
centrate 7,221  tons  averaging  2  43",,  copper  and  4  03 
dwt  gold,  table  concentrate  14,853  tons  averaging 
3  07%  copper  and  1145  dwt.  gold,  and  5.581  tons  of 
flotation  concentrate  averaging  14  96%  copper  and 
26  5  dwt.  gold.  At  the  smelters  the  following  v.  tie 
treated  :  60,306  tons  of  ore  averaging  2  1  %  copper  and 
10  59dwt.  gold,  7,345  tons  of  jig  concentrate.  L( 
tons  of  sintered  table  and  flotation  concentrate, 
tons  of  Many  Peaks  ore  averaging  1  '36%  copper  and 
0'  18  dwt   gold,  and  sundries  124  tons,  to  tons, 

yielding   blister  containing   2,687  tons  of  copper  and 
50,041  oz    gold. 

Hampden  Cloncurry  Copper  Mines.— This  com- 
pany operates  a  group  of  copper  mines  in  ill,-  Clon- 
curry district,  North  Queensland.  The  control  ism 
Melbourne,  and  Erie  Huntley  is  manager.  The  re- 
port for  the  half-year  ended   February  28  shows  that 


254 


THE     MINING     MAGAZINE 


the  amounts  raised  from  the  various  mines  were : 
Hampden  5,127  tons,  MacGregor  and  Wallaroo  2,565 
tons,  Trekelano  7,427  tons,  Mascotte  231  tons.  Answer 
556  tons,  Magnet  458  tons,  Pindora  682  tons,  McNa- 
mara  535  tons,  Duchess  967  tons,  fluxing  ore  from 
Salmon  and  Dingo  8,494  tons,  total  27,042  tons.  The 
smelter  treated  30,135  tons,  which  included  3,503  tons 
of  custom  ore.  The  output  was  1,758  tons  of  blister 
copper,  containing  1,736  tons  of  fine  copper,  1,314  oz. 
gold,  and  4,193oz.  silver.  The  mines  and  smelters 
were  only  working  from  the  end  of  November  to  the 
end  of  the  company's  half-year  owing  to  a  strike.  The 
operations  resulted  in  a  loss  of  £53,973,  to  which  must 
be  added  also  an  allowance  of  ,£12,610  for  depreciation. 
The  reserves  of  smelting  ore  at  the  various  mines  are 
estimated  as  follows  :  Hampden  25,000  tons  averaging 
6%,  Duchess  25,000  tons  averaging  1]  %,  MacGregor 
and  Wallaroo  27,500  tons  averaging  5%,  Trekelano 
43,000  tons  averaging  10%,  Answer  1,600  tons  aver- 
aging 8J%,  and  Mascotte  900  tons  averaging  14%. 
The  reserves  of  concentrating  ore  are :  Hampden 
44,000  tons  averaging  3%,  and  Pindora  51,000  tons 
averaging  3%.  In  addition,  the  Magnet,  McNamara, 
and  Arbitration  mines  are  estimated  to  contain  3,000  to 
4,000 tonsaveraging  124",,, and  theMacGregor60,000to 
70,000  tons  averaging  2\  to  3%.  At  the  present  time 
only  a  small  amount  of  I  lampden  low-grade  ore  is  be- 
ing concentrated  At  this  mine  an  experimental  roast- 
ing and  leaching  plant,  with  a  capacity  of  10  tons  per 
day,  is  being  erected. 

Lake  View  &  Oroya  Exploration. — This  company 
wasformed  in  191 1  tocombinetheexploration  and  finan- 
cial business  of  Lake  View  Consolsand  Oroya  Explora- 
tion, two  companies  that  had  previously  made  their 
money  out  of  the  gold  production  of  Kalgoorlie.  F.  A. 
Govett  is  chairman,  and  J.  A.  Ag  new  and  J.  H.  Cordner- 
James  are  on  the  board.  The  report  for  the  year  end- 
ed June  30  shows  that  the  profit  •-,  088,  of  which 
£20  000  was  placed  to  reserve.  As  mentioned  in  our 
last  issue,  £51,565  of  the  reserve  fund  is  to  be  capital- 
ized, and  103,130  shares  of  10s.  each  are  to  be  distri- 
buted among  shareholders  as  a  bonus,  being  at  the 
rate  of  one  for  every  seven  held.  The  directors'  re- 
port contains  the  following  information  as  to  the  com- 
pany's holdings  : 

Burma  Corporation,  100.000  shares  of  pleach,  and 
Bawdwin  Syndicate,  7,250  shares  of  14s.  each.  The 
holding  in  the  Bawdwin  Syndicate  has  been  increased 
during  the  year  by  the  purchase  of  2,250  shares  at  46s. 
The  Bawdwin  Syndicate  has  an  issued  capital  of 
£105,000,  divided  into  150.000  shares  of  14s.  each  and 
holds  83,615  fully- paid  shares  in  the  Burma  Corpora- 
tion. The  value  of  these  interests  has  more  than 
doubled  during  the  year  under  review.  Considerable 
further  progress  has  been  made  in  the  development 
and  equipment  of  the  Burma  Corporation,  though  the 
magnitude  of  its  programme  of  operations  still  makes 
difficult  any  forecast  as  to  when  dividends  may  be  ex- 
pected. 

Zinc  Corporation,  20,940  20%  preference  shares 
of  £l  each,  and  51,100  ordinary  shares  of  10s. 
each.  The  company  has  a  strong  financial  position 
and  the  past  year's  work  was  satisfactory,  but  owing 
to  the  industrial  situation  the  operations  of  the  com- 
pany have  been  suspended  during  the  current  year  for 
a  long  period.  There  are,  however,  some  signs  of 
better  conditions,  while  the  outlook  as  regards  the 
prices  of  metals  is  favourable. 

General  Petroleum  Corporation  (California),  7% 
preference  stock,  $173,100,  and  common  stock, 
$104,900.  In  common  with  other  oil  companies  this 
company  has   benefited  greatly  by  the  large  demand 


for  produces  and  highly  remunerative  prices.  The 
quotation  for  the  common  stock  has  risen  considerably 
in  America  during  the  course  of  this  year,  and  the 
price  of  this  and  of  the  preference  stock  is  further 
appreciated  in  London  in  consequence  of  the  heavy 
fall  in  exchange  $18,100  additional  common  stock 
has  been  acquired  at  par  during  the  year. 

The  Brixworth  Ironstone  Co.  is  entirely  the  prop- 
erty of  the  Lake  View  company.  There  is  no  change 
to  report  in  the  position  of  this  company.  During  the 
year  it  has  paid  a  dividend  of  30"   . 

Trinidad  Leaseholds,  3,688  shares  of  £l  each.  An 
option  to  take  additional  shares  at  30s.  premium  has 
been  exercised  and  the  Lake  View  holding  thereby  in- 
creased as  compared  with  last  year.  A  first  dividend 
of  10",,  was  paid  in  March  last,  and  from  the  fact  that 
a  steady  monthly  output  of  over  14,000  tons  is 
maintained,  and  that  the  recent  issue  of  capital  has 
provided  for  outlays  which  were  formerly  financed  out 
of  revenue  and  loans,  it  is  hoped  that  larger  distribu- 
tions will  be  made. 

Granville  Mining  Co.,  £75,466  6%  debenture  stock, 
£360  prior  lien  debenture  stock,  receiver's  certificates, 
£700,  and  41,142  shares  of  £l  each,  fully  paid  ;  North 
West  Corporation,  receiver's  certificates,  £7,000, 
16,707  shares  of  /.  1  each,  fully  paid.  The  position  of 
these  interests  is  now  far  better  than  at  this  time  last 
year.  The  litigation  referred  to  in  last  year's  report 
has  been  settled,  and  provisional  arrangements  have 
been  made  to  re-finance  the  Canadian  Klondyke  Com- 
pany, while  a  scheme  has  been  prepared  to  provide  the 
North  West  Corporation  with  sullicient  working  capi- 
tal and  a  dredge  so  that  work  may  start  next  year,  It 
is  believed  that  there  will  be  no  great  difficulty  in 
carrying  this  scheme  into  effect. 

Maikop  Combine,  61,797  shares  of  10s.,  fully  paid. 
The  position  of  the  company  would  seem  to  be  more 
hopeful  ;  it  has  maintained  a  steady  output  of  oil 
throughout  the  year,  which  it  has  sold  for  an  immense 
amount  of  roubles  Whatever  may  be  the  value  of 
the  roubles,  this  steady  output  is  a  vast  encouragement 
to  those  who  have  not  abandoned  their  faith  in  the 
ultimate  future  of  this  field.  In  the  meantime,  this 
interest  could  be  sold  for  at  least  £10,000. 

The  following  valuation  of  the  above  interests  is 
made  at  or  under  the  market  quotations,  except  in  the 
case  of  the  Brixworth  Company,  which  is  valued  at 
cost:  Burma  Corporation,  100,000  shares,  at  '»[, 
£925,000;  Bawdwin  Syndicate,  7,250  shares,  at  t£, 
£30.800  ;  Zinc  Corporation,  preference,  20,940  shares, 
at  2|,  £49,700,  and  ordinary,  51,100  shares,  at  20s  , 
£51,100  ;  General  Petroleum,  preference  stock, 
LOO,  at  110,  £38,000.  and  common  stock,  $86,800. 
at  180,  £31.000  ;  Trinidad  Leaseholds,  3.688  shares,  at 
£3,  £11,000;  Brixworth  Ironstone,  £11,000;  Maikop 
Combine,  /10.000  ;  total  £1,157,700;  to  which  must 
be  added  cash  and  liquid  assets  /63.000  ;  total 
£1.220,700. 

The  company  holds  the  following  other  inter- 
ests about  which  there  is  nothing  of  special  im- 
portance to  report  :  Lake  View  and  Star,  565,844 
shares  of  4s.  each,  fully  paid  ;  Babilonia  Gold  Mines, 
150,007  shares  of  £l  each,  fully  paid  ;  Leonesa  Mines, 
551,345  shares  of  4s  each,  fully  paid  ;  Mount  Morgan. 
500  £l  shares,  fully  paid  ;  Nechi  Mines  (Colombia), 
2,000  preference  shares,  10s.  each,  fully  paid  ;  Yuanmi 
Gold  Mines,  169,036  shares  of  £l  each,  fully  paid  ; 
(".reat  Fitzroy  Mines,  6%  First  Mortgage"  A"  Deben- 
tures, £s,024  ;  Natomas  Company  of  California,  pre- 
ferred stock.  $18,900;  Oroya  Links.  25.000  shares  of 
5s  each  ;  and  Queenhills  Gold  Mines,  1,000  shares  of 
1 1  each  ;  and  a  few-  others  of  insignificant  amount. 


<&> 


The  Mining  Magazine 


W.   F.  WHITE,  Managing  Director. 


Edward  Walker,  M.Sc,  F.G.S.,  Editor. 


Published  on  the  15th  of  each  month  by  The  Mining  Publications,  Ltd., 
at  Salisbury  House,  London  Wall,  London.  E.C.2. 


Telephone  :  Loudon  Wall  8938.     Telegraphic  Address  :  Oligoclase.     Codes  :  McNeill,  both  Editions 
Branch  Offices 


(420.  Market  Street.  San  Francisco. 
\  300.  Fisher  Bdg..  Chicago. 


V  2,222.  Equitable  Building,  New  York 


q  •   c     tn-T-,,™  1  U.K.  and  Canada,  12s.  per  annum  (Single  Copy  Is.  3d.) 
si  bscription  i  Elsewherei  16s   per  annum  (Single  Copy  Is.  4d.>. 


Vol.  XXI.    No.  5.       LONDON,   NOVEMBER,    1919. 


PRICE 
ONE   SHILLING 


CONTENTS. 


Editorial 
Notes 


256 


Income  Tax  and  Mines 256 

Note  is  made  of  the  Institution  of  Mining  and 
Metallurgy's  principal  evidence  before  the  In- 
come Tax  Commission. 

The  Hampton  Plains  Discovery   257 

Interpretation  is  given  of  recent  cables  relating  to 
the  nature  of  the  ore  deposit  at  Block  50,  Hamp- 
ton Plains. 

Burma  Corporation 258 

The  proposals  for  smelting  the  lead-zinc-silver  ores 
at  the  Bawdwin  mine  are  des  :ribed  and  the 
possible  variations  in  metallurgical  methods 
outlined. 

*  The  Cornish  Tin  Ticketing    258 

Several  of  the  leading  mines  have  fallen  out  of  the 
Tin  Ticketing  and  are  now  selling  by  private 
contract. 

The  Future  of  Prospecting    259 

An  account  is  given  of  the  discussion  on  Mr.  C.  M. 
Harris'spaperon  prospecting  in  West  Australia, 
read  last  month  at  the  meeting  of  the  Institu- 
tion. 

Review  of  Mining  261 

Articles 

The  Tin  Discovery  in  West  Africa.... 
D.J.  MacDonald  265 

The  author  gives  details  of  the  tin  lodes  at  Mank- 
wadi,  near  Winnebah. 

The  China  Clay  Industry  of  the  West 
of  England Henry  F.  Collins  269 

China  Clay  is  one  of  the  most  important  mineral 
products  of  the  United  Kingdom.  The  author 
describes  its  geological  occurrence  and  minera- 
logical  characteristics,  the  methods  of  mining 
and  preparation  for  market,  and  the  economic 
questions  involved  in  its  disposal. 

A  History  of  Gold  Discoveries  in  West 
Australia C.  M.  Harris  277 

This  article  may  be  read  in  conjunction  with  the 
author's  paper  on  prospecting  in  West  Australia, 
quotations  from  which  are  given  in  this  issue 


The  Minerals  of  Anatolia 

Norman   M.   Pettier,  B.A.,  F.G.S. 

The  author  gives  particulars  of  the  mineral  de- 
posits of  part  of  Asiatic  Turkey,  about  which 
little  is  known  in  tins  country,  though  the  Ger- 
mans compiled  records       me  years  ago. 


278 


FAGE 

News  Letters 

Camborne     284 

Non-Ferrous  Mines  Commission ;  Disaster  at  Le- 
vant ;  Wages  of  Surface  Employees  ;  Tincroft ; 
Killifreth;  Tehidy  Minerals. 

North  of  England  286 

Lead;  Zinc;  The  Mines;  The  Commission;  La- 
bour Question. 

Melbourne    288 

Blythe  River  Iron  Ore:  The  South  Mine  Fire; 
West  Australian  Base  Metals. 

Toronto    290 

Sudbury  Nickel ;  Porcupine;  Cobalt. 

Letter  to  the  Editor 

Jumbil  and  Trevascus F.  Bnllen   291 

Personal 292 

Trade  Paragraphs    ■.  292 

Metal  Markets  295 

Statistics  of  Production 29S 

Prices  of  Chemicals 301 

Share  Quotations 302 

The  Mining  Digest 

Scottish  Lead  and  Zinc  Mines  G".  V.  Wilson  303 

Prospecting  in  West  Australia  C.  M.  Harris  304 

Coal  in  French  Indo  China    307 

Electrostatic  Precipitation  of  Silver-Refinery 

Fume...W\  G.  Smith  and  A.  A.  Heimrod  309 

Gold  Zinc  Cyanide W.  R.  Feldtmann  311 

Diamond  Drilling  ...().  Hall  and  V   P    Row  j5 1J 

Magnesite  in  the  United  States  W.  C.  Phalcn  313 

Value  of  Graphite  Deposits    

Charles  Spearman  311 

Short  Notices 315 

Recent  Patents  Published 315 

New  Books   316 

Company  Reports 316 

Broken  Hill  Proprietary ;  Burma  Corporation ;  Glynn's  I  yden- 
burg;  Kinta  Tin  Mines ;  New  Modderfontein;  Niger  Company 

Nourse  Mines;  Pena  Copper  Mines;   Philippine  Dredges  :  Re- 
nong  Dredging;   Willoufihby's  Consolidated. 


EDITORIAL 


SOME  months  ago  the  leading  petroleum 
firms  combined  to  endow,  in  an  exception- 
ally handsome  manner,  the  chemical  depart- 
ment in  the  University  of  Cambridge.  The 
benefaction  might  appropriately  be  extended 
to  the  geological  department,  where  a  lecture- 
ship in  economic  geology  has  recently  been 
established,  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  R.  H. 
Rastall.  Geology  is  probably  of  as  great  as- 
sistance as  chemistry  in  the  petroleum  indus- 
try, and  the  widening  of  the  opportunities  of  its 
study  might  equally  be  the  care  of  the  oil  kings. 


CAMBORNE  School  of  Mines  has  not 
had  long  to  wait  for  a  Principal,  after 
the  Governors  made  it  known  that  they  were 
desirous  of  making  a  permanent  appointment. 
In  Mr.  Alexander  Richardson  they  have  found 
a  man  of  the  right  type.  A  practical  miner, 
with  plenty  of  experience,  especially  in  the 
Transvaal,  he  is  also  a  keen  student  of  the 
principles  of  mining  and  the  collateral  sciences. 
During  the  year  1913-14  he  was  president  of 
the  Chemical,  Metallurgical,  &  Mining  Society 
of  South  Africa.  He  has  been  a  demonstrator 
at  the  Royal  School  of  Mines,  and  he  served 
for  two  years  as  secretary  of  the  Privy  Coun- 
cil's Committee  of  Research.  For  some  time 
he  was  Johannesburg  correspondent  of  this 
Magazne,  and  our  readers  know  him  well  as 
the  writer  of  reviews  which  are  as  informative 
as  the  books  themselves. 


ONE  of  the  most  inspiring  and  lovable  pro- 
fessors of  geology  is  Mr.  T.  \V.  Edge- 
worth  David,  of  Sydney  University.  His  in- 
fluence is  such  that  all  mining  graduates  from 
Sydney  are  geologists.  His  work  at  the 
Front  in  France  was  of  incalculable  value,  for 
not  only  did  his  geological  knowledge  prove  of 
use  in  the  campaign,  but  his  freedom  from 
departmentalism  and  petty  jealousy  placed  his 
services  and  advice  freely  at  the  disposal  of 
all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact.  He  is  far 
from  being  a  young  man,  and  his  undertaking 
the  formation  of  an  Australian  mining  corps, 
and  subsequently  the  position  of  geological  ad- 
viser on  the  French  Front,  entailed  no  small 
amount  of  self-sacrifice  and  personal  discom- 
fort. We  have  not  seen  his  name  in  the  hon- 
ours lists,  but  perhaps  the  kind  words  and  keen 
appreciation  expressed  by  his  brethren  of  the 
Geological  and  the  Royal  Geographical  So- 
cieties are  a  better  acknowledgment  of  the 
high  quality  of  his  work. 


IN  this  issue  Mr.  Henry  F.  Collins  com- 
mences a  series  of  articles  on  the  china- 
clay  industry  of  the  West  of  England.  China 
clay  is  a  mineral  that  has  not  hitherto  come 
very  much  within  the  purview  of  members  of 
those  branches  of  the  mining  profession  for 
which  this  Magazine  caters.  This  condition 
of  things  has,  however,  been  altered  lately  by 
the  acquisition  of  the  Clifden  estate  by  Tehidy 
Minerals,  Ltd.  The  industry  is  a  bigger  one 
than  is  usually  supposed  by  our  readers,  and 
those  connected  with  it  have  theadvantageover 
the  operators  of  tin  mines  in  that  they  have 
the  control  of  the  market  for  their  output,  in- 
stead of  being  at  the  mercy  of  that  vague  ab- 
straction, the  middleman. 

LABOUR  troubles  have  caused  the  tem- 
porary suspension  of  the  publication  of 
many  of  our  contemporaries  in  New  York,  of 
which  we  miss  particularly  the  Engineering 
and  Mining  Journal  and  Chemical  and  Metal- 
lurgical Engineering.  The  demand  for  fur- 
ther increases  in  wages  on  the  part  of  the  ma- 
chine-room hands  in  the  printing  department 
was  out  of  all  reason,  and  the  publishers  de- 
clined to  entertain  the  proposals.  Conse- 
quently the  October  issues  have  not  yet  been 
printed,  and  the  position  continues  to  be  ob- 
scure. This  episode  is  additionally  distress- 
ing, because  in  the  first  issue  in  October  of  the 
Engineering  and  Mining  Journal  the  new 
editor,  Mr.  J.  E.  Spurr,  would  have  made  his 
bow,  while  in  the  case  of  Chemical  and  Metal- 
lurgical Engineering  a  transition  was  to  have 
been  made  from  semi-monthly  to  weekly. 


EVIDENCE  was  presented  last  month 
by  the  Institution  of  Mining  and  Metal- 
lurgy to  the  Royal  Commission  on  IncomeTax. 
The  evidence  in  chief  consisted  of  a  state- 
ment by  Mr.  P.  D.  Leake,  a  chartered  account- 
ant who  is  well  known  in  the  mining  world  as 
an  authority  on  wasting  assets.  This  statement 
had  been  prepared  by  instruction  from  the  Coun- 
cil of  the  Institution,  after  the  whole  matter 
had  been  exhaustively  discussed  by  various 
committees.  It  filled  eleven  closely-printed 
pages  of  foolscap  size,  and  it  is  too  lengthy  and 
too  technical  from  the  accountant's  point  of 
view  for  reproduction  in  our  pages.  In  any 
case  our  readers  require  no  conversion  to  the 
view  that  a  mine  is  a  wasting  asset.  More- 
over, the  arguments  are  aimed  specially  at  the 
Inland   Revenue  authorities,  and  the  case  is 


256 


NOVEMBER,    1919 


257 


handled  accordingly.  Briefly,  the  contention 
is  that  the  total  assets  of  a  company  should 
always  be  conserved,  that  there  should  be  no 
fictitious  entries  in  the  balance-sheet  repre- 
senting assets  in  the  shape  of  mining  property 
which  are  continually  diminishing  in  value, 
and  that  a  certain  proportion  of  current  profits 
should  be  allocated  to  the  replacement  of  part 
of  the  property  account,  before  the  profits  are 
assessed  for  income  tax.  The  question  then 
arises  as  to  how  the  company  shall  compute 
what  is  here  called  the  '  base  value  of  the 
mining  rights,"  that  is  to  say,  the  actual  total 
amount  representing  the  property  which  is  re- 
deemable out  of  profits.  It  is  clear  that  this 
amount  cannot  be  fixed  as  the  nominal  capi- 
tal of  the  company  paid  as  purchase  price,  for 
under  such  circumstances  the  device  of  in- 
flating the  capital  might  cheat  the  public  reve- 
nue of  income  tax  entirely.  The  proposal  in- 
volves the  formation  of  some  sort  of  tribunal 
or  committee  to  decide  the  base  value  in  every 
case,  so  as  to  arrive  at  a  reasonable  estimate, 
somewhere  between  the  actual  cash  spent  on 
the  mine  in  plant  and  development,  such  as  is 
the  present  practice  with  the  Revenue  Author- 
ites,  and  the  inflated  nominal  figure  beloved  of 
the  promoter.  The  statement  also  provides 
another  view  of  the  present  position  of  the  in- 
come tax,  and  argues  that,  as  the  State  now 
takes  30%  of  the  profits  of  all  companies,  it 
should  consider  itself  not  just  a  tax-collector 
but  a  commercial  partner  and  sharer  of  profits. 
From  this  point  of  view  the  State  would  have 
a  direct  interest,  not  only  in  the  profits,  but  in 
the  continued  prosperity  of  the  ventures.  By 
establishing  a  tribunal  that  could  fix  the  fair 
base  value  the  way  toward  State  participation 
would  be  cleared.  There  are  a  number  of 
other  points  in  the  evidence  that  are  deserving 
of  notice  and  approval,  such  as  the  abolition 
of  the  three  years  average  and  the  payment  of 
the  tax  in  half-yearly  instalments,  but  these  are 
mere  details  as  compared  with  the  establish- 
ment of  a  base  value  of  the  property,  and  its 
gradual  redemption  out  of  profits  before  the 
profits  are  subjected  to  assessment  for  income 
tax. 

The  Hampton  Plains    Discovery. 

Since  the  last  issue,  two  cable  messages 
have  been  received  in  this  country  giving  the 
opinions  of  Mr.  A.  Gibb  Maitland,  Govern- 
ment Geologist,  and  Mr.  C.  S.  Honman,  with 
regard  to  the  gold  discoveries  at  Block  50, 
Hampton  Plains,  West  Australia.  Mr  lion- 
man  used  to  be  field  geologist  under  Mr. 
Maitland,  and  has  recently  been  employed  by 


Hampton  Properties,  Ltd.,  to  make  a  geologi- 
cal report  on  Block  50,  and  in  particular  on 
the  recent  discovery  known  as  the  Celebration 
Lode.  The  cable  messages  were  meagre  and 
not  easily  understood,  but  we  are  fortunate  in 
having  had  the  assistance  of  Mr.  C.  M.  Harris 
in  interpreting  them.  The  following  explana- 
tion comes  from  his  pen  ;  it  should  be  read  by 
reference  to  the  map  published  in  the  October 
issue  of  the  Magazine.  Mr.  Maitland  says 
that  the  deposits  are  not  a  continuation  of 
those  at  Kalgoorlie,  but  of  a  westerly  parallel 
channel.  The  Celebration  lode  is  described 
as  consisting  of  bedded  veins,  which  will  prob- 
ably prove  lenticular.  Mr.  Honman  says  that 
the  lode  is  identical  in  characteristics  with  the 
Kalgurli  lode,  and  shows  the  same  sequence 
of  rocks  as  in  that  mine,  including  quartz  dol- 
erite  and  calc-schist  in  close  proximity  to  the 
lode.  The  evidence  of  these  two  cables  may 
appear  conflicting,  but  Mr.  Maitland's  conclu- 
sions are  based  on  the  view  given  by  Mr. 
Honman  in  1916,  in  Geological  Survey  Bulle- 
tin No.  66,  to  the  effect  that  the  greenstone 
belt  is  a  continuation  of  the  western  line,  call- 
ed the  Somerville  channel,  running  to  the  west 
of  and  parallel  to  the  greenstone  belt  which 
runs  from  the  Boulder  mines  through  Feys- 
ville  and  probably  to  the  east  of  Block  50. 
The  question  as  to  the  actual  greenstone  belt  is 
immaterial,  if  the  rock  characteristics  are  simi- 
lar. Mr.  Honman  says  that  the  characteris- 
tics are  identical  with  those  of  the  Kalgurli 
lode,  that  is,  calc-schist  and  quartz-dolerite. 
This  means  that  it  is  similar  to  the  central  lode- 
channel  of  the  Golden  Mile,  intermediate  be- 
tween the  lodes  in  the  calc-schist  on  the  eastern 
side  of  the  belt  and  those  on  the  western  side, 
such  as  the  Great  Boulder  and  Ivanhoe  lodes, 
which  latter  are  found  in  quartz-dolerite  only. 
Although  the  record  of  the  Kalgurli  line  of 
lode  is  not  as  good  as  that  of  the  Boulder  and 
Ivanhoe  lodes,  it  has  been  a  valuable  property 
for  many  years.  The  Government  Geologist's 
view  that  the  formation  consists  of  bedded 
veins  which  will  probably  prove  to  be  lenticu- 
lar is  an  eminently  safe  one,  but  he  might  have 
dwelt  more  fully  upon  a  question  of  such  vital 
importance  to  the  mining  industry  of  West 
Australia.  The  mine  managers  who  hold  the 
option  on  the  Celebration  lease  are  being  at- 
tacked in  the  local  papers  because  they  will  not 
give  an  opinion  as  to  the  future  possibilities  of 
the  property.  They,  however,  prefer  to  re- 
main silent  until  they  can  secure  more  evidence 
of  the  nature  of  the  lode  when  it  reaches  the 
sulphide  zone.  The  whole  question  depends 
on  how  far  the  lode  will  continue  in  the  quart 


258 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


dolente  until  it  passes  entirely  into  calc-schist. 
Development  alone  will  prove  this,  and,  to  the 
credit  of  the  option-holders,  it  may  be  said  that 
they  are  pushing  on  this  work  with  all  speed. 


Burma  Corporation. 

The  annual  report  of  the  directors  of  the 
Burma  Corporation  is  reproduced  in  full  in  the 
section  devoted  to  company  reports,  and  the 
advertisement  pages  contain  the  Chairman's 
speech  at  the  meeting  of  shareholders.  De- 
scriptions of  the  ore-body  have  so  often  ap- 
peared in  these  pages  that  it  is  not  necessary 
to  recapitulate  on  this  occasion.  The  most  in- 
teresting feature  of  the  present  situation  is 
that  connected  with  the  smelting  of  the  ore. 
In  the  issue  of  the  Magazine  for  December, 
1918,  Mr.  Lawrence  Addicks'  concentration 
scheme  was  given  in  full.  According  to  this 
plan  a  lead  concentrate  with  a  lead-zinc  ratio 
of  6  :  1  is  produced,  together  with  a  zinc  con- 
centrate averaging  48%  zinc  and  8%  lead,  while 
the  middlings  would  remain  for  treatment  by 
chemical,  smelting,  or  concentration  methods. 
Since  that  time  Mr.  R.  G.  Hall  and  Mr.  L.  J. 
Mayreis  have  further  studied  the  smelting  pro- 
gramme, and  they  prepared  a  modified  plan  of 
campaign.  They  found  that  the  type  of  slag 
could  be  changed  in  such  a  way  as  to  carry 
20%  or  more  of  zinc.  This  slag  would  carry 
away  4%  of  lead,  but  on  the  other  hand  the 
amount  made  would  be  proportionally  smaller, 
and  there  would  be  the  additional  advantage 
that  an  improved  fluxing  situation  for  foul 
charges  would  be  obtained.  The  plan  further 
provided  for  the  recovery  of  the  metals  in  the 
slag  by  re- treatment  in  a  reverberatory,  using 
mill  tailing  as  flux.  The  only  drawback  in 
connection  with  this  scheme  was  the  high  price 
of  fuel,  which  would  be  a  serious  cost  in  rever- 
beratory smelting.  The  situation  would,  how- 
ever, be  eased  when  the  Nam  Ma  coal  deposits 
are  developed  and  the  value  of  the  coal  demon- 
strated. In  the  meantime  the  Ganelin  chloride 
process,  on  which  Mr.  Oueneau  has  been  en- 
gaged for  the  last  two  years  or  so,  has  arrived 
at  a  practical  stage,  and  moreover  the  new 
Elmore  process  has  engaged  the  attention  of 
several  members  of  the  board.  The  metal- 
lurgical problem  has,  in  consequence,  changed 
slightly  in  aspect,  and  it  may  eventually  prove 
the  best  policy  to  omit  the  reverberatory,  smelt 
cleaner  in  the  blast-furnace,  and  treat  the  mid- 
dlings by  the  Ganelin  or  chloride  process  or 
the  Elmore  process.  Until  the  relative  advan- 
tages of  the  smelting  with  blast-furnace  and 
reverberatory  and  the  smelting  in  the  blast- 
furnace   in  conjunction  with  the  chloride  or 


Elmore  process  are  definitely  settled, thesmelt- 
ing  programme  will  not  go  farther  than  the 
erection  of  new  blast-furnaces  to  treat  1,000 
tons  per  day  and  produce  60,000  tons  of  lead 
and  5,000,000  oz.  of  silver  per  year.  As  re- 
gards the  treatment  of  the  zinc  concentrate,  the 
plan,  as  already  outlined  in  these  pages,  is  to 
erect  a  distilling  plant  with  a  yearly  capacity 
of  25,000  tons  of  concentrate  at  a  point  close 
to  the  iron  works  of  the  Tata  Iron  &  Steel 
Co.  in  India.  This  plant  should  have  an  out- 
put of  10,000  tons  of  zinc  per  year,  and  the 
output  of  sulphuric  acid  from  the  roasters  is 
estimated  at  30,000  tons. 

As  regards  the  new  processes  mentioned,  the 
Ganelin  or  chloride  process, as  improvedby  Mr. 
Oueneau,  was  described  in  the  Magazine  for 
August,  19 1  iS,  while  the  patents  of  the  new  El- 
more process  have  been  given  in  several  recent 
issues.  The  Chemical  and  Metallurgical  Cor- 
poration, the  owner  of  the  Elmore  patents,  is 
arranging  to  buy  150,000  tons  of  material,  and 
to  treat  it  on  a  profit-sharing  basis,  allowing 
the  Burma  Corporation  a  first  profit  of  £\  per 
ton.  This  material  will  be  treated  at  the  El- 
more works  in  this  country,  and  if  the  results 
are  satisfactory,  the  Burma  Corporation  will 
have  the  option  of  using  the  process  at  the 
mine,  subject  to  the  payment  of  royalty.  The 
chloride  process  will  be  worked  in  this  country, 
on  a  scale  calling  for  100  tons  of  middling  per 
day.  Two  remarks  by  Mr.  Addicks  deserve 
attention.  One  is  that  none  of  these  new  pro- 
cesses will  displace  smelting  for  the  treatment 
of  ordinary  concentrates,  and  the  other  is  in 
connection  with  the  chloride  process:  "pro- 
vided tests  show  that  the  resulting  zinc  con- 
centrate already  produced  is  an  acceptable 
smelting  product." 

The  Cornish  Tin  Ticketing. 

The  desertion  of  the  Tin  Ticketing  by  three 
of  the  largest  producers,  East  Pool  &  Agar, 
Dolcoath,  and  South  Crofty,  came  as  a  matter 
of  no  surprise  ;  the  surprise  has  been  that  the 
mines  should  have  so  long  continued  to  sup- 
port this  crude  method  of  selling  their  tin  con- 
centrate. In  May,  1912,  we  published  in  this 
Magazine  an  article  on  this  subject  written  by 
Mr.  Harold  E.  Fern, the  present  London  repre- 
sentative of  the  Cornish  Chamber  of  Mines, 
in  which  he  conclusively  proved,  by  means  cl 
figures  and  diagrammatic  charts  which  were 
notchallenged.as  a  result  of  hisownexperience 
of  the  sale  of  Cornish  tin  concentrate,  that  the 
returning  charge  under  this  method  of  sale  was 
exorbitant,  that  there  was  insufficient  competi- 
tion, and  that  the  sellers  seldom  secured  the 


NOVEMBER,    1919 


J  5  9 


full  advantage  of  a  rise  in  the  price  of  tin. 

For  the  benefit  of  readers  who  are  not  fa- 
miliar with  the  method  of  sale  by  ticket,  we 
may  say  that  these  Ticketings  are  held  fort- 
nightly at  Redruth.  A  few  days  previously, 
a  mine,  having  tin  concentrate  for  sale,  either 
sends  samples  by  post  to  the  smelters,  or  repre- 
sentatives of  the  smelters  call  at  the  mine  to 
take  samples,  and  on  these  the  smelter  is  sup- 
posed to  base  his  bids.  The  concentrate  is  wet. 
and,  on  other  than  parcels  of  slime  tin,  aver- 
ages from  6  to  8%  of  moisture.  It  has  been 
suggested,  as  the  concentrate  is  not  re-sampled 
on  delivery  at  the  smelting  works,  that  this  af- 
fords an  opportunity  to  a  dishonest  mine  mana- 
ger to  liberally  water  the  parcel  and  so  add  to 
the  weight.  We  have  never  heard  of  such  a 
case,  and  we  believe  the  smelters  figure  on  an 
average  arrived  at  as  the  result  of  long  ex- 
perience. Of  course,  in  hot  weather,  when  the 
concentrate  is  in  transit  to  the  smelting  works, 
the  evaporation  is  often  considerable.  The 
smelters  bid  on  each  parcel  of  concentrate 
submitted,  commencing  with  the  mine  offering 
the  largest  quantity.  There  probably  is  some 
competition  for  the  first  few  lots  offered,  but 
so  soon  as  a  smelter  has  filled  his  requirements 
of  a  certain  class  of  concentrate,  his  desire  to 
purchase  becomes  less,  with  a  consequent  ef- 
fect on  his  bids.  The  variation  in  the  bids  of 
the  different  smelters  for  the  same  parcel  of 
ore  is  sometimes  as  much  as  £\6. 

According  to  the  ancient  tinner's  laws,  an 
allowance  of  3  lb.  per  cwt.  of  concentrate  was 
made  for  the  turn  of  the  scale,  but  this  origin- 
ated in  the  days  when  the  seller  took  tin  metal 
in  exchange,  and  conditionally  upon  the  same 
draf  tage  being  allowed  upon  all  the  tin  metal 
delivered  against  black  tin.  However,  with 
the  passing  of  this  old  custom  and  the  pur- 
chase of  black  tin  for  cash,  there  was  no  good 
reason  why  such  a  deduction  should  continue, 
but  the  smelters  have  persisted  in  its  continu- 
ance. With  tin  at  present  prices,  this  draftage 
of  60  lb.  per  ton  of  concentrate  is  alone  ap- 
proximately worth  £5.  So  that,  in  effect,  to  be 
paid  for  one  ton  of  concentrate,  the  mines  sel- 
ling tin  at  theTicketing  have  to  deliver2, 3001b. 

The  returning  charge  is  really  payable  in 
kind  and  not  in  cash,  as  is  the  case  every- 
where else,  and  of  course  varies  in  monetary 
value  with  the  price  of  tin,  this  deduction  being 
li  from  the  product  per  JO,  that  is  approxi- 
mately bl%.  Of  late  the  total  returning  charge 
for  concentrate  sold  at  theTicketinghas  figured 
in  some  cases  at  over  £30  per  ton,  whereas 
^"15  to  ^18  should  show  the  smelter  in  this 
country  a  fair  profit  at  the  present  time.      Un- 


der the  contract  system  the  ores  will  be  paid 
for  at  the  average,  for  the  two  weeks  after 
sampling,  of  the  official  three  months'  quo- 
tation for  standard  tin,  subject  to  an  agreed 
treatment  charge.  Assays  of  buyers  and 
sellers  are  exchanged  as  usual,  and  if  the  dif- 
ference exceeds  one  per  cent,  there  is  a  refer- 
ence assay  made  by  an  independent  assayer. 
Moisture  isascertainedanddeducted  at  thetime 
eighing,  the  ore  being  paid  for  at  per  ton 
of  20  cwt.  dry  weight.  By  this  method,  pay- 
ment is  received  on  the  actual  content  of  the 
dry  ore,  at  thj  ruling  price  of  tin,  less  a  known 
returning  charge,  which  only  variesif  the  actual 
content  falls  below  68%.  We  cannot  under- 
stand anyone  preferring  the  Ticketing  method. 
The  principal  objection  urged  against  the 
change  appears  to  be  that  shareholders  will 
not  know  the  weight  and  value  of  the  sales 
from  month  to  month,  but  this  can  surely  be 
met  by  the  publication  in  the  financial  press 
of  the  monthly  sales,  weight  and  net  value. 
Two  of  the  mines  concerned  already  do  this. 

The  Future  of  Prospecting. 

The  meeting  of  the  Institution  of  Mining 
and  Metallurgy  held  last  month  was  one  of 
unusual  interest.  In  the  first  place,  it  is  not 
often  that  a  paper  written  by  an  Australian 
engineer  is  presented  in  person,  an  advantage 
which  is  obvious,  especially  when  the  matter 
to  be  discussed  is  of  direct  application  to  the 
policy  to  be  pursued  by  the  mining  profession. 
Secondly,  the  subject  of  the  paper,  prospecting 
in  West  Australia,  has  been  receiving,  during 
the  past  two  months,  the  keen  attention  of 
everybody  connected  with  mining,  owing  to 
the  success  of  the  methods  instituted  recently 
at  the  recommendation  of  the  author  himself. 
The  thirdly  follows  from  what  is  implied  un- 
der the  first  heading,  that  is  to  say,  the  ques- 
tion of  the  organization  of  prospecting  is  one 
of  the  future  problems  for  the  profession,  the 
financiers,  and  theGovernments.and  is  already 
receiving  the  attention  of  the  Institution  and 
other  bodies  from  this  point  of  view. 

The^author,  Mr.  C.  M.  Harris,  called  his 
paper  "  Prospecting  for  Gold  and  other  Ores 
in  West  Australia.''  The  first  part  of  the 
paper  was  devoted  to  a  description  of  the 
method  of  prospecting  for  hidden  outcrops, 
called  loaming,"  originated  in  Victoria,  and 
more  recently  introduced  in  West  Australia. 
This  description  is  quoted  in  the  Mining  D 
gest  elsewhere  in  this  issue,  and  reference  to  it 
will  be  made  later  in  this  article.  In  the  second 
part  of  the  paper  .Mr.  Harris  described  the 
work  done,  mostly  under  his  own  guidance, 


260 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


by  the  West  Australian  Department  of  Mines, 
for  employing  returned  soldiers  as  prospectors, 
and  he  then  proceeded  to  discuss,  on  broad 
principles,  the  best  plans  for  the  systematic 
examination  of  the  earth's  surface  for  the  dis- 
covery of  valuable  mineral  deposits.  The 
third  section  of  the  paper  contained  a  record 
of  the  known  occurrences  of  the  useful  ores  in 
West  Australia.  This  we  intend  to  reprint  in 
the  December  issue.  As  considerable  space 
was  given  in  the  October  issue  to  the  discov- 
ery of  gold  on  Hampton  Plains  as  a  direct  out- 
come of  thenewcampaign  of  prospecting, noth- 
ing more  need  be  said  here  on  the  subject,  nor 
need  we  describe  again  the  inauguration  of  the 
campaign,  for  reference  was  made  to  it  last 
month,  and  also  in  the  issue  of  May.  Before 
going  further,  it  is  convenient  here  to  mention 
that  on  another  page  Mr.  Harris  gives  a  his- 
tory of  the  successive  discoveries  of  gold  m 
West  Australia,  a  record  which  will  prove  to 
be  of  permanent  value. 

In  introducing  his  paper,  Mr.  Harris  re- 
ferred first  to  the  work  done  under  the  au- 
spices of  the  West  Australian  Government. 
The  first  step  to  be  taken  was  the  map- 
ping by  the  Geological  Survey  of  such  areas 
as  might  contain  gold  and  other  ores.  Pros- 
pecting parties  were  then  organized  to  ex- 
amine individual  belts  of  country,  prefer- 
ably.those  near  the  contact  of  the  greenstones 
and  granite.  Particular  note  is  taken  of 
changes  in  the  nature  of  the  country.  Pieces 
of  quartz,  jasper  bars,  and  sometimes  the  out- 
crop of  a  quartz  lode  will  decide  a  party  to 
form  a  camp  and  make,  systematic  trial.  It 
floaters  of  ironstone,  quartz,  or  lode  matter 
are  found,  they  are  dollied,  and  should  any 
prospects  of  gold  be  found,  the  general  direc- 
tion in  which  they  have  travelled  is  carefully 
and  methodically  followed.  As  soon  as  the 
prospector  finds  any  traces  of  gold,  he  starts 
to  "  loam  "  ;  the  details  of  the  method  are  de- 
scribed in  the  reprint  of  this  part  of  the  paper 
in  the  Mining  Digest.  When  he  is  satisfied 
as  to  the  probable  strike  of  the  hidden  outcrop, 
he  sinks  a  costean  or  a  small  shaft  through 
the  cement,  and  drives  across-cut  underneath 
the  cement  to  cut  the  lode.  Constant  use  of 
the  dolly  is  then  necessary,  and  the  capable 
prospector  will  soon  ascertain  whether  or  not 
it  is  worth  while  continuing.  This  method  is 
more  reliable  than  costeaning,  and  enables  a 
prospector  to  get  his  results  much  quicker. 
Mr.  Harris  proceeded  to  tell  how  the  De- 
partment of  Mines  gives  instruction  to  intend- 
ing prospectors  as  to  the  nature  of  the  usual 
commercial  minerals,  and  provides  means  for 


assaying  samples.  Here  we  may  remind  read- 
ers that  in  Rhodesia  two  years  ago  similar  in- 
struction was  provided  and  an  intensive  lec- 
ture course  was  given  by  Messrs.  F.  P.  Men- 
nell,  H.  P.  Maufe,  A.  E.  V.  Zealley,  and  A. 
J.  C.  Molyneux.  An  account  of  this  work- 
was  given  in  the  Magazine  for  September, 
1917.  Note  of  the  details  might  well  be  taken 
by  those  who  follow  the  subject  further. 

In  the  discussion  that  followed  the  introduc- 
tion of  the  paper,  Messrs.  S.  J.  Truscott,  A. 
E.  Kitson,  H.  S.  Denny,  E.  P.  Rathbone,  \Y. 
H.  Trewartha-James,  E.  T.  McCarthy,  and 
E.  O.  Teale  took  part.  Three  points  received 
special  attention.  One  was  the  respective  im- 
portance, for  the  discovery  of  new  ore  deposits, 
of  the  practical  experience  of  the  working  pro- 
spector and  of  the  scientific  knowledge  of  the 
expert  geologist.  Another  was  the  best  con- 
ditions under  which  prospecting  parties  could 
be  organized,  whether  by  individuals,  big  cor- 
porations, or  the  Governments.  A  third  was 
the  occasional  unreliability  of  experience  in 
the  search  for  the  habitat  of  the  gold,  and  the 
necessity  for  being  continually  on  the  alert  for 
new  modes  of  occurrence.  The  discussion 
was  at  its  highest  level  of  excellence  when  Mr. 
A.  E.  Kitson  was  giving  some  of  his  experi- 
ences and  views.  Mr.  Kitson,  though  of 
English  birth,  learned  and  practised  geology 
in  Australia  before  becoming  Government 
Geologist  in  West  Africa.  He  combines  in  a 
remarkable  degree  the  scientific  wisdom  of  the 
mining  geologist  with  the  practical  method  of 
the  prospector,  and  to  him  we  look  for  the 
sound  advice  if  and  when  an  Imperial  pro- 
specting organization  is  established.  With  re- 
gard to  the  directing  and  financing  of  compre- 
hensive schemes  of  prospecting,  the  way  is  far 
from  clear  at  present.  It  would  require  much 
pluck  in  these  days  to  ask  any  government  to 
assume  additional  financial  responsibilities, 
while  corporations  are  more  interested  in  se- 
curing a  large  property  cheaply  than  in  con- 
ducting prospecting  expeditions,  and  no  doubt 
rightly  so.  Theoretically,  of  course,  the  peo- 
ple who  make  money  as  a  result  of  the  pro- 
spectors' work  ought  to  be  called  on  to  contri- 
bute to  the  maintenance  of  prospecting  par- 
ties. For  instance,  the  appreciation  in  the 
share  value  of  Hampton  Properties,  Ltd.,  con- 
sequent on  Hansen's  discovery  on  Block  50, 
would  keep  a  hundred  prospectors  at  work  for 
ten  years  under  trained  leaders.  Can  we  in- 
duce any  of  the  fortunate  shareholders  to  de- 
vote a  share  of  their  profits  to  the  prospectors' 
fund  controlled  by  the  West  Australian  De- 
partment of  Mines  ? 


REVIEW  OF  MINING 


Introduction.— The  feature  of  the  past 
month  has  been  a  flood  of  prospectuses  of 
new  companies  dealing  with  industrial  ventures 
of  all  sorts.  Most  of  the  issues  have  been 
readily  absorbed.  The  position  in  Russia  is 
causing  renewed  anxiety,  for  the  Bolshevist 
forces  have  the  upper  hand  again.  The  price 
of  silver  continues  to  soar,  and  occasionally 
goes  above  coinage  value,  so  that  the  Govern- 
ment is  having  co  take  steps  to  prevent  the 
withdrawal  of  coins  from  circulation. 

The  formation  of  the  National  Mining  Cor- 
poration realizes  the  ambition  of  many  a  mem- 
ber of  the  London  mining   circles,  in    that  it 
makes  possible  the  handling  of  enormous  low- 
grade  or  complex  ore  deposits  in  an  efficient 
manner.      No  single  mining  house  has  hither- 
to felt  able  to  finance  the  development  of  such 
properties   as    Chuquicamata   or    Braden   in 
Chile,  and  it  was  obvious  that  only  by  some 
combination  of  effort  could  the  big  business  be 
possible.     A  glance  at  the  history  of  some  of 
the  largest  mining  operations  is  sufficient  to 
show  the  desirability  of  having  ample  capital 
at  the  beginning.     The   Arizona  Copper   Co. 
had  a  long  fight  in  the  early  days  ;  Tangan- 
yika and  Burma  Mines  are  current  examples. 
As  regards  the  formation  of  the  National  Min- 
ing Corporation,  it  must  have  been  extremely 
difficult  to  arrange  terms  for  such  a  combina- 
tion that  would  be  satisfactory  to  the  many 
rival  interests,  and  it  will  clearly  be  no  easy 
matter  to    steer  the   newly-constituted  team 
without    hitch.       But   Mr.  F.  W.  Baker  has 
been  successful  in  bringing  the  scheme  to  frui- 
tion, and  he  is  quite  equal   to  any  future   re- 
sponsibility.     He  will  be  the  first  managing 
director,  and  with  him  will  be  associated  Mr. 
B.  Kitzinger,  lately  one  of  the  managing  di- 
rectors of  Consolidated  Mines  Selection.     Mr. 
Herbert  Guedalla  is  chairman,  and  the  other 
directors  are  :   Messrs.  J.  A.  Agnew,  A.  Stan- 
ley Elmore,  Henry  Steel  (of  Doncaster,  chair- 
man of  United  Steel  Companies,  Ltd.), Stanley 
Christopherson    (Consolidated    Gold    Fields), 
F.  A.  Govett  (Lake  View  &  Oroya  Explora- 
tion),Walter  McDermott  (Consolidated  Mines 
Selection),  Henry  Strakosch  (Union  Corpora- 
tion), and  E.  Mackay  Edgar  (Sperling  &  Co). 
Thecapital  is  £3,0J0,000,  of  which  ,£"2,000,000 
was  subscribed  before  the  issue  of  the  prospec- 
tus, while  the  ,£"500,000  offered  to  the  public 
was  considerably  over-subscribed. 

The  nominal  capital  of  Minerals  Separation, 
Ltd.,   has  been   increased    from    ,£"50,000    to 

2C1 


£ 500,000,  and  50,000  new  shares  of  £\  each 
are  being  offered  at  £2  to  shareholders.  The 
company  reports  a  great  access  of  new  busi- 
ness, and  announces  its  intention  of  handling 
ore  deposits  for  itself.  In  particular  a  copper 
deposit  in  Spain  is  mentioned. 

Transvaal. — The  ability  of  the  producers 
to  realize  their  gold  in  the  highest  market  is 
having  a  good  effect,  and  the  outlook  is  cheer- 
ful. The  labour  shortage  continues,  as  may 
be  seen  by  the  statistical  figures  given  in  the 
tables  on  another  page. 

Springs  Minesreportsthatduringthe  quarter 
ended  September  30  the  development  totalled 
4,555  ft.,  of  which  3,235  ft.  was  on  the  reef. 
The  percentage  of  payable  ore  was  71 '9%  and 
the  assay-value  averaged  25T  dwt.  over  20 
inches.  No.  3  shaft  was  sunk  584  ft.  during 
the  quarter,  the  depth  being  2,046  ft. ;  it  is  ex- 
pected to  reach  the  reef  at  3,400  ft.  The  sink- 
ing of  No.  4  shaft  will  be  commenced  when 
No.  3  is  completed. 

The  quarterly  report  of  the  Brakpan  to 
September  30  shows  that  3,715  ft.  of  develop- 
ment was  done  on  the  reef,  of  which  2,205  ft. 
averaged  12'88  dwt.  over  40  inches,  the  pro- 
portion of  payable  reef  being  60%.  No.  3 
circular  shaft  was  sunk  565  ft.,  to  a  depth  of 
1,801  ft., and  No.  4  circular  shaft  was  sunk  481 
ft.,  to  a  depth  of  2,334  ft.  In  the  sinking  of 
the  new  shafts  at  Brakpan,  Springs,  and  West 
Springs,  particular  attention  is  given  to  other 
auriferous  reefs  encountered,  these  belonging 
to  the  Kimberley  series;  but  the  sampling  in 
all  cases  has  indicated  far  too  low  a  grade  to 
warrant  further  consideration. 

It  is  reported  that  the  General  Mining  & 
Finance  Corporation,  otherwise  the  Albu 
group,  has  acquired  options  on  the  mineral 
rights  of  the  Pretoria  lead-zinc-copper  district. 
These  deposits  were  in  former  years  worked 
by  the  Transvaal  Silver  Mines  and  other  com- 
panies, but  the  complexity  of  the  ores  and  the 
absence  of  railway  communications  combined 
to  make  the  enterprise  a  failure.  The  argenti- 
ferous galena  is  associated  with  pyrite,  chalco- 
pyrite,  and  tetrahedrite,  in  a  gangue  of  siderite. 
In  this  connection  it  is  of  interest  to  record 
that  the  Union  Government  has  recently  pub- 
lished a  pamphlet  on  the  base-metal  resources 
of  South  Africa,  written  by  Mr.  W.  Versfeld, 
and  that  Mr.  T.  G.  Trevor,  one  of  the  Inspec- 
tors of  Mines,  has  come  to  this  country  with 
the  object  of  arousing  interest  in  this  class  of 
deposit. 


262 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


It  is  announced  that  the  German  diamond 
fields  in  South-West  Africa  have  been  pur- 
chased for  £3,500,000  by  the  Anglo-American 
Corporation  of  South  Africa,  the  company 
which  operates  in  the  Far  East  Rand  in  as- 
sociation with  Consolidated  Mines  Selection. 
The  negotiations  were  conducted  on  behalf  of 
the  corporation  by  one  of  the  directors,  Mr. 
H.  C.  Hull,  who  previously  was  Minister  of 
Finance  for  the  Union  of  South  Africa.  A 
company  called  the  Consolidated  Diamond 
Mines  of  South  West  Africa  is  to  be  registered 
at  Cape  Town  to  take  over  the  property. 

Rhodesia. —  The  par  value  of  the  output  <>t 
gold  during  September  was  {2,25,719,  as  com- 
pared with  £207,339  in  August,  and  £2  I ; 
in  September  last  year.  Some  of  the  mines, 
notably  Rezende,  have  been  suffering  recently 
from  a  return  of  the  influenza.  Other  outputs 
for  September  in  Southern  Rhodesia  were: 
Silver  13,632  oz.,  coal  43,139  tons,  chrome  ore 
1,816  tons,  copper  253  tons,  asbestos  034  ton-. 
arsenic  18  tons,  diamonds^  carats. 

At  the  Shamva  mine,  556,881  tons  of  on- 
averaging  3'63  dwt.per  ton  was  milled  during 
1918,  yielding  gold  worth  £383,843,  for  a 
profit  of  £111,844,  <™d  £120,000  was  distri- 
buted as  dividend,  being  at  the  rate  of  20  "... 
Development  and  prospecting  operations  gave 
excellent  results,  and  disclosed  971,200  tons 
averaging  3'8  dwt.,  making  the  reserve  at 
December  31,  1918,  2,023,000  tons  averaging 
4'3  dwt.  A  couple  of  years  ago  there  was 
good  ground  for  fear  that  the  limit  of  the  ore 
deposits  had  been  reached,  so  the  subsequent 
success  of  the  lateral  exploration  is  particu- 
larly gratifying. 

The  participation  of  the  Central  Mining  and 
Investment  Corporation  in  the  Rhodesia  Bro- 
ken Hill  Company  is  indicated  by  the  election 
to  the  board  of  Sir  Harrv  Ross  Skinner  and 
Mr.  T.  J.  Milner. 

For  some  time  it  has  been  known  that  the 
limits  of  the  rich  ore  at  Globe  &  Phoenix 
have  been  reached  and  that  the  company  has 
been  drawing  on  the  reserves  in  order  to  main- 
tain the  output.  This  was  clearly  shown  in 
the  report  for  1918,  referred  to  in  the  Maga- 
zine for  May.  The  company  last  month  issued 
a  revised  estimate  of  the  reserve.  The  figures 
are  now  143,333  tons  averaging  just  under  30 
dwt.  per  ton,  as  compared  with  159,913  tons 
averaging  29'4  dwt.  at  the  end  of  1918,  and 
184,053  tons  averaging  28'9  dwt.  at  the  end  of 
1917.  In  the  past  some  parts  of  the  mine  have 
yielded  more  ore  in  mining  than  had  been  in- 
dicated by  the  estimate  of  reserves.  The  di- 
rectors state  that  no  such  excess  can  be  ex- 


pected in  the  future.  A  large  proportion  of  the 
reserve  is  in  pillars  and  cannot  be  mined  at 
once,  so  that  the  monthly  output  has  been  re- 
duced from  6,500  tons  to  5,000  tons.  In  the 
meantime  a  vigorous  campaign  of  exploration 
and  development  has  been  commenced.  The 
directors  state  that  the  present  rate  of  output 
is  unlikely  to  provide  any  surplus  out  of  which 
dividends  can  be  paid  for  some  time  unless  a 
new  ore-body  is  struck.  An  announcement  of 
this  sort  in  connection  with  a  mine  carrying  so 
much  high-grade  ore  surely  requires  some 
amplification. 

The  Minerals  Separation  plant  at  Bwana 
M'  Kubwa  started  on  September  25.  This  plant 
is  notable  as  it  is  treating  oxidized  copper  ores. 
The  trial  run  from  September  25  to  30  treated 
480  tons  of  ore  yielding  concentrate  averaging 
.  copper,  the  recovery  being  76*4%.  In 
the  second  trial  run,  from  October  1  to  7,  471 
tons  of  ore  gave  concentrate  averaging  26*7% 
copper,  the  recovery  being  75%.  The  continu- 
ous run  commenced  on  ( )ctober  14,  and  from 
then  to  the  19th,  479  tons  gave  86  tons  of  con- 
centrate averaging  26%  copper,  the  recovery 
being  81  >%,  In  the  report  of  the  two  trial  runs 
no  note  is  given  of  the  assay -value  of  the  ore 
treated  or  of  the  amount  of  concentrate  pro- 
duced. In  the  report  of  the  run  from  October 
14  to  llJ,  the  tonnage  of  the  concentrate  is 
given,  and  from  this  it  is  possible  to  deduce  that 
the  assay-value  of  the  ore  treated  was  5'8%. 

West  Africa. — The  output  of  gold  during 
September  was  reported  at  £100,401,  as  com- 
pared with  £103,112  in  August  and  £115,152 
in  September  of  last  year.  The  Abosso  did 
not  maintain  the  increase  in  the  grade  of  the 
ore  treated,  which  was  a  feature  of  the  August 
output. 

ThereportoftheAbbontiakoonminefor  lVl  3 
shows  106,014  tons  were  milled  for  a  yield  of 
£208,749,  against  a  working  cost  of  £200,825. 
From  January  1  to  September  30  of  the  cur- 
rent year,  69,005  tons  yielded  £133,199  at  a 
cost  of  £132,171.  The  payable  ore  reserve 
at  the  end  of  1918  was  391,163  tons  averag- 
ing 10'55  dwt.  The  developments  in  the  lower 
levels  of  the  Main  reef  are  not  encouraging, 
but  the  West  reef  is  giving  better  results, 
though  there  are  long  stretches  of  unpayable 
ground. 

The  property  of  the  Wassau  Mining  Com- 
pany has  been  finally  closed,  as  the  tributers 
who  started  work  a  year  ago  have  ceasedopera- 
tions. 

The  New  Lafon  Tin  Fields  sold  its  property 
in  August  to  the  newly-formed  Associated  N  i- 
gerian  Tin   Mines,   Ltd.,  as  recorded  in   this 


NOVEMBER,    1919 


263 


column  at  the  time,  the  purchase  price  being 
.£"97,000  in  shares  in  the  latter  company.  The 
Lafon  has  issued  its  report  for  the  year  ended 
September  30,  showing  that,  during  the  10 
months  until  the  sale  of  the  property,  the  out- 
put of  tin  concentrate  was  237  tons,  as  com- 
pared with  151  tons  during  the  previous  12 
months.  The  profit  was  £7,989,  out  of  which 
,£"7,348  is  being  distributed  as  dividend,  being 
at  the  rate  of  20%. 

Australasia. — The  strike  at  Broken  Hill 
continues.  Our  Melbourne  correspondent 
gives  some  account  of  the  vicissitudes  of  the 
smaller  producers  of  the  base  metals,  such  as 
lead  and  tin,  particularly  in  West  Australia. 
Since  this  letter  was  received,  we  have  been 
informed  that  the  We-t  Australian  Govern- 
ment is  not  in  favour  of  the  establishment  of 
a  State  smelter,  but  points  to  the  Fremantle 
smelter  as  affording  all  the  smelting  accommo- 
dation required.  This  smelter  is,  however, 
closed  down,  as  our  readers  are  aware,  owing 
to  the  conditions  to  which  the  deputation  men- 
tioned by  our  correspondent  referred.  Whether 
the  West  Australian  Government  intends  to 
give  assistance  to  the  reopening  of  these  works 
or  not  is  not  clear. 

Operations  at  Kalgoorlie  are  interrupted 
once  more  by  labour  troubles.  The  present 
cause  of  dissatisfaction  arises  between  mem- 
bers of  the  two  unions  and  also  between  union 
and  non-union  men.  Cables  announce  that 
all  the  mines  have  stopped  work. 

The  report  of  Broken  Hill  South  covers  the 
year  ended  June  30  last,  but  work  ceased  on 
April  30  owing  to  the  strike.  Previous  to  the 
latter  date,  there  were  many  interruptions,  and 
shortage  of  suitable  labour  also  curtailed  out- 
put. Thus  it  happened  that  during  the  year 
the  ore  raised  was  only  164,875  tons,  as  com- 
pared with  127,745  tons  during  the  six  months 
ended  June  30,  1918.  The  working  profit  was 
^344,122,  out  of  which  ^"90,000  was  placed 
to  new-plant  account,  £"37,500  was  written  off 
for  mine  development,  ,£"32,500  was  paid  as 
tax  and  royalty,  ,£"120,000  was  distributed  as 
dividend,  and  ^"64,112  was  carried  forward. 
As  already  recorded,  a  fire  occurred  on  July 
30  at  the  Main  shaft.  The  ore  reserve  was 
maintained  at  the  same  figure  as  the  year  be- 
fore, 3,500,000  tons. 

With  regard  to  the  participation  of  the  Im- 
perial Government  in  the  Commonwealth's 
scheme  for  boring  for  oil  in  Papua,  it  is  now 
announced  that  the  Imperial  Government  is 
providing  ,£"50,000  and  controls  the-  selection 
of  the  boring  parties. 

India.      The  hydro  electric  installation  at 


the  Cauvery  Falls  is  to  be  extended,  and  the 
horse-power  brought  up  from  21,000  to  30,600. 
Additional  power  is  required  at  the  Kolar  gold 
mines,  and  current  is  also  being  supplied  in  in- 
creasingquantities  tothecitiesof  Bangaloreand 
Mysore  for  power  and  lighting  purposes.  As 
readers  are  aware,  the  Cauvery  Falls  scheme 
was  inaugurated  early  in  this  century  for  the 
specific  purpose  of  supplying  power  to  the 
gold  mines  of  the  John  Taylor  group,  and  the 
Mysore  Government  preferred  to  be  the  re- 
sponsible party  in  control  rather  than  let  the 
gold-mining  companies  undertake  the  work. 

Malay. — The  Pengkalen.one  of  the  Wick- 
ett  group  operating  in  Perak,  has  recently 
acquired  a  new  area  of  tin-dredging  ground. 
Of  the  total  area  200  acres  has  been  proved,  of 
which  97  acres  averages  0'55  lb.  per  yard  and 
103acres  l'llb.  peryard.  The  average  depth  is 
55  ft.  The  plan  is  todredge  75,000  yd.  per  month, 
at  which  rate  the  property  will  last  16^  years. 

Siam. — The  Renong  Tin  Dredging  Co., 
which  was  the  pioneer  of  English  bucket- 
dredging  enterprises  in  connection  with  East- 
ern tin  deposits,  announces  that  the  best  parts 
of  the  ground  will  be  exhausted  before  long. 
The  remainder  of  the  property  is  of  proble- 
matical value,  and  continuation  of  operations 
will  depend  on  results  obtained.  The  company 
has  recently  examined  a  new  property  in  Se- 
langor,  Federated  Malay  States,  extending  over 
about  1,200  acres.  The  borings  on  400  acres 
are  giving  good  results,  and  the  option  will 
shortly  be  exercised,  while  two  other  blocks 
of  similar  areas  and  of  considerable  promise 
are  on  offer  to  the  company. 

Cornwall. — The  accident  at  Levant  was 
the  worst  disaster  yet  experienced  at  an 
English  non-ferrous  metal  mine  since  the 
flooding  of  East  Wheal  Rose  in  1846.  Our 
Camborne  correspondent  refers  to  the  matter  at 
some  length,  so  that  nothing  further  need  be 
said  here  ;  though  it  is  desirable  to  remind 
readers  that  serious  accidents  also  occur  with 
the  most  up-to-date  winding  appliances,  and 
that,  in  any  case,  the  blame  for  the  delay  in 
reorganizing  the  mining  methods  at  Levant 
does  not  rest  on  the  management  but  with  the 
owners  of  the  mineral  rights. 

The  directors  of  Tehidy  Minerals,  in  an- 
nouncing the  allotment  of  the  40,000  shares 
offered  at  the  end  of  August,  state  that  the\ 
will  not  adopt  the  system  of  granting  leases  on 
a  royalty  basis,  as  has  hitherto  been  the  cus- 
tom in  Cornwall  among  the  owners  of  mineral 
rights,  but  instead  will  encourage  the  forma- 
tion of  subsidiary  companies  in  which  Tehidy 
Minerals  will  retain  substantial  interests.    The 


264 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


company  is  losing  no  time  in  connection  with 
the  study  of  the  china  clay  resources  of  the 
Clifden  estate,  and  Dr.  Malcolm  Maclaren  has 
the  matter  already  in  hand. 

The  Killifreth  mine  has  been  unwatered  to 
the  40  fm.  level  on  the  North  lode  and  the  50 
fm.  level  in  the  Middle  lode.  About  400 
samples  have  been  taken  on  the  old  stopes, 
and  2,000  tons  of  ore  averaging  50  lb.  of  black 
tin  per  ton  has  been  thereby  proved.  At  the 
bottom  of  a  winze  below  the  30  fm.  level  on 
the  Middle  lode  the  ore  averages  350  lb.  of  tin 
and  wolfram  per  ton  over  18  inches.  In  some 
of  the  old  pillars  left  by  previous  workers  on 
the  Middle  lode  the  ore  is  extremely  rich. 
These  pillars  are  only  of  small  extent,  but 
they  provide  much  encouragement  to  those 
interested  in  the  reopening  of  the  old  mine. 

The  report  of  Geevor  Tin  Mines  for  the 
year  ended  March  31  shows  that  25,919  tons 
of  ore  yielded  439  tons  of  tin  concentrate  and 
that  the  profit  was  ^17,854.  Dividends  ab- 
sorbing ^12,000  have  already  been  distribu- 
ted, and  ^13,730  of  debentures  have  been  re- 
deemed. In  order  to  provide  funds  for  addi- 
tional development  and  plant,  it  is  proposed  to 
issue  1. SO, 000  new  10s.  shares  at  15s.  each. 
The  meeting  of  shareholders  will  not  be  held 
until  after  the  publication  of  this  issue  of  the 
Magazine,  so  we  postpone  further  reference. 

British  Oil.— The  Petroleum  Executive  on 
Oil- Boring  Operations  has  issued  a  report 
bringing  information  up  to  the  end  of  Septem- 
ber. From  this  it  appears  that  the  Hardstoft 
bore  in  Derbyshire  had  been  producing  oil  for 
between  four  and  five  months.  The  total  pro- 
duction was  897  barrels,  and  the  daily  flow 
about  8  barrels.  The  pumping  plant  is  not 
yet  in  proper  order.  Ironville  Nos.  1  and  2 
and  Ridgeway,  also  in  Derbyshire,  had  passed 
the  horizon  at  which  oil  was  tapped  at  Hards- 
toft, without  meeting  more  than  slight  traces 
of  oil.  The  other  six  Derbyshire  wells  had 
not  yet  reached  this  horizon.  In  Staffordshire, 
the  Apedale  bore  was  down  1,350  ft.,  in  the 
Coal  Measures,  and  the  Werrington  was  down 
1,175  ft.  in  Carboniferous  Limestone  shales. 
In  Scotland,  the  West  Calder  bore  was  down 
780  ft.,  in  the  oil-shale  series.  A  slight  trace 
of  oil  was  found  in  a  10  ft.  sand,  but  this  was 
of  little  importance.  The  D'Arcy  bore  was 
just  being  commenced.  It  is  also  stated  that 
little  is  now  being  done  at  the  other  Derby- 
shire bores  owing  to  the  difficulty  of  obtaining 
linings  and  other  apparatus. 

Canada. — The  Nickel  Plate  gold  mine,  in 
the  Boundary  district,  British  Columbia,  has 
been  closed  down  owing  to  high  costs.     This 


mine  is  operated  by  the  Hedley  Gold  Mining 
Co.  It  is  the  second  biggest  gold  mine  in  the 
Province,  the  Surf  Inlet  having  out-distanced 
it  a  year  or  more  ago.  In  speaking  of  "  gold 
mines  "  we  do  not  include  the  copper  gold 
mines,  which  are  as  a  matter  of  fact  larger 
gold  producers  than  the  mines  worked  for 
gold  only.  The  ore  at  the  Nickel  Plate  mine 
is  highly  arsenical,  and  is  first  cyanided  and 
then  concentrated.  The  capacity  of  the  plant 
is  200  tons  per  day,  and  the  yearly  yield  is 
about  $800,000,  so  it  will  be  seen  that  the  ore 
is  of  low  grade.  In  normal  times  excellent 
profits  have  been  made,  but  the  recent  rise  in 
i  osts  has  wiped  out  the  margin. 

Mexico. — The  El  Oro  Mining  &  Railway 
Co.  announces  that  the  profit  for  the  year 
ended  June  30  was  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
^69,000.  A  dividend  at  the  rate  of  5%  was 
paid  on  October  31,  absorbing  £57,375.  The 
annual  report  ol  Mr.  A.  F.  Mam,  the  manager, 
not  yet  been  received,  but  should  come  to 
hand  this  month.  The  directors'  report  will 
then  be  issued,  and  the  shareholders'  meeting 
will  follow  early  in  December. 

Colombia.  In  August,  1 VI 8,  we  gave  some 
account  of  the  properties  of  the  British  Plati- 
num &  Gold  Corporation, in  the  Choco  district, 
for  which  a  dredge  has  been  built  to  the  de- 
signs of  Messrs.  Inder,  Henderson,  &  Dixon. 
It  is  now  announced  that  Mr.  T.  J.  Iv°,  the 
managing  director,  who  is  at  present  in  Colom- 
bia, has  acquired  for  the  company  some  addi- 
tional properties.  The  agreement  gives  con- 
trol to  the  company  of  all  the  platinum  and 
gold  properties  owned  by  Messrs.  Pupliese, 
Frigerio,  cY.  Mayolo.  One  of  these  properties 
is  suitable  for  dredging  forthwith,  5,000,000 
cubic  yards  averaging  2s.  per  yard  having 
been  proved,  and  orders  for  a  dredge  to  work- 
it  have  already  been  given  by  the  company. 
The  deal  involves  no  payment  in  cash, but  the 
local  firm  will  be  paid  on  a  profit-sharing  ar- 
rangement.    Mr.  Mayolo  will  join  the  board. 

The  Nechie  Consolidated  Gold  Mining  Co., 
Ltd.,  has  been  formed  with  a  capital  of 
^"500,000  to  acquire  alluvial  gold  ground  in 
the  Nechi  River  district,  and  Mr.  E.  A.  Lang 
has  left  London  to  make  the  necessary  ex- 
aminations by  boring.  The  company  must 
not  be  confused  with  the  Nechi  (Colombia) : 
it  does  not  belong  to  the  same  group. 

Russia. — The  companies  belonging  to  the 
Urquhart  group,  namely,  the  Kyshtim,  Tana- 
lyk,  Irtys-h,  and  Russo-Canadian  Corporations, 
are  to  be  amalgamated  for  the  purpose  of 
strengthening  their  position.  The  details  of 
the  scheme  are  not  yet  settled. 


THE  TIN   DISCOVERY   IN  WEST  AFRICA. 


By   D.  J.  MacDONALD,   M.Inst.M.M. 

The  author  gives  details  of  the  tin  lodes  at  Mankwadi,  near  Winnebah. 


IN  the  Magazine  for  May  a  brief  summary 
was  given  of  the  report  on  the  Winnebah 
tin  deposits,  West  Africa,  made  by  my 
firm,  Innes,  MacDonald,  &  Seale.  The  pres- 
ent article  has  been  written  by  me  from  the 
notes  of  the  late  Mr.  A.  C.  E.  Seale,  who  had 
been  in  charge  of  the  prospecting  work  during 
the  last  six  months  of  his  life. 

The  existence  of  a  deposit  of  high-grade 
coarse  alluvial  cassiterite  was  proved  by  a  pri- 
vate syndicate  four  years  ago  in  the  bed  of  a 
stream  flowing  into  a  salt-water  lagoon  on  the 
sea  coast  about  five  miles  west  of  the  port  of 
Winnebah.  The  nearest  village  to  the  deposit 
went  by  the  name  of  Mankwadi,  which  has 
given  its  name  to  the  find.  Some  work  was 
done  at  the  time  in  the  way  of  trenching  and 
pitting  with  the  objects  of,  firstly,  proving  the 
extent  of  the  alluvial  deposit,  and,  secondly, 
findingthe  source  of  the  cassiterite  in  the  wash, 
which,  being  in  many  cases  scarcely  water- 
worn,  did  not  appear  to  have  travelled  far 
from  its  point  of  origin. 

These  early  operations  failed  to  prove  any- 
thing of  much  consequence  beyond  the  fact 
that  the  country  was  a  hornblende  schist  highly 


garnetiferous,  striking  in  a  N.E.  and  S.W.  di- 
rection and  intersected  by  dykes  of  various 
kinds,  mostly  coarse-grained  pegmatites  run- 
ning in  a  general  N. 60 JE. direction.  It  was  evi- 
dent that  some  of  these  dykes  were  the  origi- 
nal ones  in  which  the  cassiterite  had  been  de- 
posited ;  but,  unfortunately,  those  outcrops 
which  were  exposed  and  accessible  at  the  time 
carried  extremely  small  quantities  of  the  min- 
eral. 

The  area  covered  by  the  tin-bearing  gravel 
was  found  to  be  limited  to  the  creek  bed,  which 
was  about  150  ft.  wide  where  it  entered  the 
lagoon.  The  lagoon  itself,  although  it  could 
never  be  tested  properly  owing  to  the  amount 
of  water,  yielded  fair  prospects  of  fine  grained 
cassiterite.  A  small  quartz  vein  carrying 
molybdenite  was  found  about  a  mile  to  the 
west  of  the  original  workings,  but  this  was  not 
opened  out  at  the  time. 

The  outbreak  of  the  war  put  a  stop  to  the 
operations,  until  they  were  renewed  in  1918 
under  circumstances  more  favourable  to  the  ob- 
taining of  reliable  results.  Some  tons  of  high- 
grade  cassiterite  were  won  from  the  creek  bed 
and  shipped  to  England,  and  during  the  time 


TOGO 


/LAND 


Appam 
Tape  Coast  CdStle 


2S  SO 


Scale  of  M  i  I es. 


Cdpe  Three  Points 


Map  of  West  Africa,  showing  position  or  Winnebah 

265 


266 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


this  work  was  in  progress,  prospecting  was 
vigorously  carried  on  in  the  neighbourhood. 
The  first  result  of  this  prospecting  work  was 
the  discovery  of  a  dyke  or  vein  of  quaitzite 
running  in  a  similar  direction  to  the  other  dykes, 
but  carrying  a  complex  mixture  of  arsenical 
iron  pyrite,,gold,  molybdenite,  and  a  highly 
argentiferous  galena.  A  little  work  was  done 
on  this,  and,  although  at  first  the  ore  was  of  a 
high  grade,  later  results  were  not  sufficiently 
encouraging  to  make  it  worth  while  continuing 
work  at  that  stage.  It  should  be  mentioned 
that,  in  panning  and  calabashing  the  tin-bear- 
ing gravel,  gold  is  found  in  the  dish  in  every 
case,  so  much  so,  that  the  native  washers  in- 
variably carry  a  small  bottle  in  which  to  put 
the  grains  of  precious  metal  collected  during 
the  day's  work.  The  task  of  locating  the  tin- 
bearing  pegmatites  was  at  last  rewarded  by  the 
discovery  of  some  specimens  of  float  pegma- 
tite very  rich  in  cassiterite,  quite  close  to  the 
alluvial  workings. 

The  country,  although  open,  is  covered  with 
thick  grass,  and  in  many  cases,  especially  on 
the  hill-sides,  with  a  low  dense  scrub  which 
grows  to  such  a  thickness  as  to  make  it  im- 
penetrable. It  is  necessary  to  cut  and  burn  it 
before  anything  of  the  surface  soil  or  float 
rocks  can  be  seen.  One  of  the  first  outcrops 
discovered  by  trenching,  at  a  few  feet  below 
the  surface,  gave  such  good  results  on  being 
opened  out  both  as  regards  values  and  width 
that  it  appeared  as  though  it  might  turn  out 
to  be  something  out  of  the  common.  Further 
work,  however,  showed  that  what  appeared 
at  first  to  be  a  lode  over  100  ft.  wide  was  more 
in  the  nature  of  a  sill  or  large  overflowed  cap 
to  one  or  more  dykes.  Two.of  these  dykes  are 
now  being  sunk  upon,  and  they  are  going  down 
so  strongly  as  to  lead  to  the  expectation  that 
they  are  feeders  to  the  capping.  As  the  con- 
cession is  being  cleared  and  examined,  more 
dykes,  not  always  parallel  in  direction,  are  be- 
ing found  and  opened  out,  and  many  of  them 
carry  tin  in  payable  quantities.  So  far,  four 
groups  have  been  found  and  continuous  out- 
crops have  been  traced  for  as  much  as  ,:  mile 
and  up  to  30ft.  in  width. 

The  area  over  which  these  finds  have  been 
made  has  a  considerable  width  measured  across 
the  strike  of  the  schist  country,  and  up  to  the 
present  no  limit  has  been  found  to  the  area, 
either  along  or  across  the  strike.  Quite  re- 
cently cassiterite  has  been  found  in  similar 
dykes  as  far  as  20  miles  west  of  the  original 
discovery.  The  dykes  occur  both  on  the  flats, 
where  they  are  often  covered  by  alluvial  soil, 
and  on  the  slopes  and   tops  of  the  hills  up  to 


a  height  of  400  ft.  above  the  surrounding  level. 

The  belt  of  country  through  which  the  gran- 
ite, pegmatite,  and  other  outcrops  of  a  similar 
character  have  been  intruded,  appears  to  be  a 
hornblende  schist  carrying  a  large  quantity 
of  garnets,  striking  roughly  N.E.  and  S.W. 
and  dipping  steeply  to  the  S.E.  On  the  S.E. 
large  masses  of  granitoid  rocks  outcrop  near 
Winnebah,  and  these  probably  underlie  the 
schists  at  a  depth  at  present  unknown.  The 
same  country  has  been  observed  to  the 
of  Kibbi,  about  60  miles  inland  from  Accra, 
and,  in  the  opinion  of  the  Government  Geolo- 
gist, continues  in  a  N.E.  direction  to  the  Volta 
river,  and  so  through  into  Togoland,  while  to 
-  \\ '.  it  appears  on  the  sea  coast  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Cape  Coast  Castle.  It  is 
bounded  on  the  N.W.  by  the  ranges  of  altered 
sedimentary  and  igneous  rocks,  sandstones, 
slates,  diorite,  and  dolerites  forming  the  Kibbi 
hills.  The  width  of  this  belt  would  appear  to 
be  from  20  to  30  miles,  but  outcrops  and  in- 
trusions of  the  granite  occur  at  many  points 
m  this  area. 

These  pegmatites  are  of  all  classes,  from 
entirely  acid  quartz  veins  to  entirely  basic  fel- 
spars. The  associated  minerals  are  many, 
including  cassiterite,  scheelite,  gold,  molyb- 
denite, galena,  hornblende,  tourmaline,  and  ar- 
senical pyrites.  The  felspars  are  of  various 
kinds,  and  with  them  are  associated  quartz, 
kyanite,  apatite,  and  mica.  The  appearance 
of  the  pegmatites  varies  from  finely  crystal- 
line to  porphyritic,  and  although  they  present 
many  combinations  of  the  above  minerals, 
there  has  not  been  found,  so  far,  any  combina- 
tion which  particularly  favours  the  occurrence 
of  cassiterite.  The  only  exception  to  this  is 
the  case  of  tourmaline  which  is  always  present 
with  cassiterite.  The  tourmaline  is  of  several 
varietiesandcolours.andoccurs  in  many  forms, 
from  acicular  crystals  up  to  l£  inches  in  di- 
ameter and  several  inches  in  length,  to  micro- 
lites  disseminated  evenly  through  the  mass  of 
felspar.  The  same  remarks  apply  to  the  crys- 
tals of  cassiterite,  which  appear,  in  many  cases, 
to  have  taken  the  form  of  the  associated  tour- 
maline, so  much  so,  that  the  two  are  exceedingly 
difficult  to  distinguish  one  from  the  other. 

So  little  work  has  been  done  up  to  the  pres- 
ent that  an  expression  of  opinion  as  to  the  ori- 
gin of  the  pegmatites  is  rather  hazardous.  The 
dykes  would  appear  to  have  their  origin  in  the 
granite  which  underlies  the  schist  country  in 
which  they  occur,  and  which  outcrops  largely 
on  the  S.E.  boundary  of  this  belt  at  Winnebah 
and  Appam,  and  there  is  no  reason  to  suppose 
that  those  dykes  which  are  tin-bearing  at  or 


NOVEMBER,    1919 


267 


near  the  surface  do  not  carry  this  mineral 
down  to  their  point  of  origin.  There  is  no 
evidence  up  to  the  present  by  which  to  deter- 
mine the  depth  at  which  the  granite  occurs, 
but  this  will  be  found  to  vary  from  point  to 
point  in  the  area  under  consideration.  It  may 
happen  that  the  granite  itself  will  be  found  to 
carry  cassiterite,  which  may  also  have  develop- 
ed in  payable  quantities  at  or  near  the  junc- 
tion of  the  two  classes  of  rocks. 

In  the  same  stretch  of  hornblende-schist 
country  and  about  50  miles  N.E.of  Mankwadi, 
where  the  original  deposit  of  tin  was  found, 


country  in  which  the  tin-bearing  pegmatites 
outcrop.  When  one  takes  into  consideration 
the  number  and  variety  of  minerals  which  have 
been  found  in  this  district  and  the  existence 
of  nickel  and  copper  ores  in  the  vicinity,  it 
seems  evident  that  future  developments  in  this, 
the  latest  of  tinfields,  will  prove  extremely  in- 
teresting and  worthy  of  attention. 

The  map  on  this  page  shows  the  areas  ac- 
quired by  various  operators.  (/.)  represents 
the  option  held  by  the  Appollonia  Goldfields, 
Ltd.,  and  Messrs.  F.  &  A.  Swanzy,  Ltd.  With- 
in this  option  (7),  (2),  (J),  (4),  and  (5)  are  the 


Winnebah  Tin  District 
west  Africa 


the  Birrim  river  has  its  rise,  and  from  here 
runs  for  some  miles  in  a  northerly  direction. 
It  then  turns  to  the  west  around  the  north-east 
corner  of  the  Kibbi  range  of  hills  and  contin- 
ues flowing  in  a  wide  alluvial  valley,  covered 
with  gravel,  in  a  south-westerly  direction  to 
its  junction  with  the  Prah.  It  is  in  this  latter 
valley,  and  not  far  north-west  from  Kibbi,  that 
diamonds  have  lately  been  found  by  the  Gov- 
ernment Geologist,  Mr.  A.  E.  Kitson,  during 
a  prospecting  tour  in  which  he  was  engaged. 
Should  it  be  discovered  later  that  the  gravel 
deposit  in  which  these  diamonds  have  been 
found  is  the  result  of  the  weathering  of  the 
country  in  which  the  Birrim  takes  its  rise,  it 
opens  out  the  possibility  of  diamonds  being 
found  to  occur  anywhere  in  the   same  belt  of 


leases  taken  up  by  these  companies,  and  now 
being  examined  by  the  Ashanti  Goldfields 
Corporation.  (//.)  is  the  option  held  by  the 
Dunkwa  Mining  Syndicate,  and  the  London 
Dublin  Gold  Coast  Syndicate;  (A)  being  the 
Bewade  lease  and  (B)  the  Muni  lease  taken  up 
by  these  companies.  (///.)  and  {HI. a)  are 
options  held  by  a  local  syndicate,  and  (C)  is 
the  lease  taken  up.  (/  \ '.)  and  ( \  \)  are  options 
held  by  two  companies  whose  names  are  with- 
held by  request. 

Our  leading  scientific  paper  Nature  cele- 
brated its  jubilee  with  the  issue  of  November 
6,  which  contains  many  instructive  reviews  of 
progress  during  the  past  half-century,  written 
by  many  eminent  leaders  of  thought. 


268 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


* 


<V^\ 


■Q- 


o.-^ 


THE  CHINA  CLAY   INDUSTRY  OF 
THE  WEST   OF   ENGLAND. 
By   HENRY    F.   COLLINS,   A.RS.M.,   Assoc.M.Inst.CE.,  M.Inst.M.M. 

China  Clay  is  one  of  the  most  important  mineral  products  of  the  United  Kingdom.  The 
author  describes  its  geological  occurrence  and  mineralogical  characteristics,  the  method 
of  mining  and  preparation  for  market,  and  the  economic  questions  involved  in  its  disposal. 


CHINA  clay  is,  after  coal,  the  most  im- 
portant of  the  limited  listof  raw  materials 
that  the  United  Kingdom  can  export.  In  view, 
therefore,  of  our  economic  position,  with  heavy 
bills  to  be  paid  for  imports,  it  is  of  the  highest 
importance  to  develop  to  the  utmost  the  ex- 
port trade  in  this  mineral,  with  a  view  to  re- 
ducing the  trade  balance  against  this  country. 

The  geographical  distribution  of  the  princi- 
pal deposits  of  china  clay  in  the  West  of  Eng- 
land is  shown  upon  the  accompanying  map, 
which  also  shows  the  principal  shipping  ports 
for  china  clay,  and  the  railways,  except  small 
branch  lines,  serving  only  the  clay-works,  for 
which  the  scale  is  too  small.  Taking  the  gran- 
ite areas  in  order,  beginning  at  the  east,  the 
Dartmoor  granite  shows  china  clay  at  only  a 
few  places;  the  granite  area  north  of  Bodmin 
too  is  only  just  beginning  to  be  worked  at  three 
or  four  places.  Most  of  the  output  of  the  china 
clay  comes  from  the  Hensbarrow  district  north 
of  St.  Austell,  a  large  proportion  of  which  is 
covered  by  clay  deposits.  Nothing  has  as  yet 
been  found  in  the  Wendron  area,  and  only  two 
works  each  are  at  present  producing  in  the 
Tregoning  Hill  area  north-west  of  Porthleven, 
and  the  Land's  End  area. 

Nature  and  Composition  of  China 
Clay. — China  clay  isa  white,  very  fine  powder 
which,  when  kneaded  with  water,  forms  a  paste 
much  whiter  than  common  ball,  or  pipe-clays, 
though  less  plastic  and  tenacious  than  these. 
When  dried,  the  paste  cakes  into  lumps  of 
little  coherence  but  of  uniformly  smooth  and 
soft  texture,  free  from  even  the  smallest  grit- 
tiness,  although  powdery  rather  than  greasy  to 
the  touch.  In  this  form  it  is  put  upon  the 
market. 

From  the  point  of  view  of  the  chemist,  china 
clay, or  kaolin,  is  a  hydrated  silicate  of  alumina; 
more  technically  its  composition  may  be  de- 
scribed as  corresponding  roughly  with  that  of 
an  alumino-disilicic  acid.  Analysis  of  the 
purest  commercial  samples,  however,  does  not 
agiee  at  all  closely  with  the  supposed  theoreti- 
cal formula,  AL03,  2Si02,  2H.20,  which 
calls  for  4677%  SiOo,  36'9  AUOs.and  16'4?o 
of  combined  water,  for  the  purest  china  clays 
in  their  ordinary  commercially  dry  condition 


vary  between  11  and  13'6%  of  combined  water. 
When  dried  in  vacuo  over  sulphuric  acid,  the 
content  of  combined  water  isreduced  uniformly 
to  about  10'5%::,  for  which  and  other  reasons 
the  late  Mr.  J.  H.  Collins  suggested  the  formu- 
la 3H20,  2ALO,,  4Si02  as  being  more  in 
accordance  with  the  actual  composition. 

The  following  analyses  show  the  extreme 
variations  in  composition  among  commercial 
samples  of  china  clay  of  the  best  quality  from 
different  works,  all  dried  at  110°C. 

12  3  4  5  6 

Si02  (and  traces  of  Ti02l     47'23  46'2  45'4  48\38  37  24  46'69 

AI2O3  39-49  411  40'3  36  99  50'86  38  34 

Fe203  0'23  0  1  0  2  0  62  0  61  0'45 

CaO  0'31  tr  tr  015  0'20  0'33 

MsO  0'24  0'2  tr  tr  tr  010 

Alkalies  0  21  0'4  0'6  0"29  0"18  142 

Water  12  24  125  13  5  13'57  10*21  1256 


S9  91  100'5     100  0    lOO'O    1000   100  0 

The  composition  of  sample  6  may  be  looked 
upon  as  abnormal,  being  low  in  silica  and  high 
in  alumina;  it  probably  contains  some  allo- 
phane. 

ORIGIN. — From  the  point  of  view  of  the 
geologist,  china  clay  is  a  product  of  the  de- 
composition in  situ  of  the  felspar  constituent 
of  granitic  rocks,  by  means  of  the  circulation 
of  acid  solutions  proceeding  from  below.  In 
order  to  separate  it  from  the  other  constituents 
of  the  granite  (mainly  quartz  and  mica,  with 
more  or  less  tourmaline),  the  china  clay  has  to 
be  washed  out  with  a  stream  of  water,  from 
which  it  is  recovered  by  settling. 

Some  geologists  have  assumed  that  the  de- 
composition has  been  the  result  of  atmospheric 
agencies.  Others  have  supposed  that  humic 
and  other  vegetable  acids,  proceeding  from 
peaty  surface  growths,  have  contributed  to- 
ward the  decomposition  of  the  granite.  The 
extremely  local  character  and  limited  distribu- 
tion of  the  decomposition  is  sufficient  to  de- 
monstrate that  both  these  hypotheses  are  totally 
inadequate  and  untenable.  Others  again  have 
assumed,  for  no  sufficient  reason,  that  it  is  only 
certain  intrusions  of  newer  granite  that  have 
been  affected  by  the  phenomena  of  decomposi- 
tion. Close  investigation  into  the  china-clay 
deposits  of  the  West  of   England  shows  that 


'See  Miucr.ilonical  Magazine,  Vol.  VII,  1886,  p.  209. 


269 


270 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


the  occurrences  of  china-clay  rock  are  invari- 
ably associated  closely  with  groups  of  small 
fissure  veins,  from  which  fact  it  is  only  reason- 


►J  8 


y.  ~s 

-  ^ 


able  to  deduce  that  the  origin   of  the  decom- 
position is  attributable  to  the  solutions  or  va 
pours  that  have   found  their   way  up  through 
these  channels.     As  to  the  agency  by  which 


decomposition  has  been  effected,  it  is  to  be 
noted  that  the  process  of  kaolinization,  that  is, 
the  change  from  felspar  into  kaolin  or  china 
clay,  involves  a  gain  of  water  and  a  loss  of 
alkali  and  of  silica.  The  agent  was  therefore 
doubtless  an  acid  of  some  sort,  possibly  car- 
bonic, possibly  sulphuric.  Experimentally,  the 
kaolinization  of  felspar  or  felspathic  rocks  has 
been  effected  byboth  of  these  agents ;  sulphuric 
acid  in  particular  appears  to  have  been  in  many 
cases  the  active  agent  in  bringing  about  kao- 
linization in  mineral  veins  where  kaolin  is 
found  associated  with  pyrites.  In  Cornwall 
and  Devon,  however,  the  total  absence  from 
the  china-clay  pits  of  all  carbonate  and  sul- 
phate minerals,  and  the  intimate  and  invari- 
able association  of  kaolin  with  minerals  like 
tourmaline,  gilbertite,  and  more  rarely  topaz, 
all  of  which  contain  fluorine,  would  appear  to 
indicate  that  hydrofluoric  acid  probably  played 
a  prominent  part  in  the  kaolinization  of  the 
granite  of  this  field.  The  late  Mr.  J.  H.  Col- 
lins indeed  actually  produced  kaolin,  indistin- 
guishable in  its  composition  and  properties 
from  that  found  in  nature,  by  exposing  ortho 
clase  felspar  under  a  bell-glass  during  a  long 
period  to  the  action  of  the  vapours  from  very 
dilute  hydrofluoric  acid  at  ordinary  tempera 
tures ;  the  same  effect  was  produced  more 
rapidly  by  immersing  the  felspar  in  the  acid. 

ModeofOccurren<  )■:.  Tbedecomposed 
granite  known  as  "  china-clay  rock,"  or  "  clay- 
ground,"  although  in  exceptional  cases  so  hard 
as  to  need  blasting  before  it  can  be  sufficiently 
broken  up  for  washing  out  the  clay,  isgenerally 
soft ;  frequently  indeed  so  soft  as  to  be  easily 
cut  out  by  a  spade,  becoming  in  wet  weather 
of  almost  putty-like  consistency.  The  pro- 
portion of  clay  to  "sand  "  (under  which  name 
are  included  the  other  mineral  constituents  of 
the  rjck,  principally  quartz,  black  tourmaline, 
and  white  mica)  varies  ordinarily  from  1  I 
up  to  30%.  In  rare  cases  the  proportion  of 
clay  in  the  ground  runs  up  to  40  or  50 
even  more  ;  a  fair  average  of  the  ground  now 
being  worked  over  the  whole  district  would  be 
between  20  and  25%  of  clay.  These  variations 
are  due  in  part  to  differences  in  the  proportion 
of  felspar  in  the  original  rock,  in  part  to  the 
fact  that  frequently  only  a  portion  of  the  fel- 
spar has  been  decomposed,  namely,  the  finer- 
grained  portion,  including  the  plagioclase(  usu 
ally  albite)  ;  the  large  porphyritic  crystals  of 
orthoclase,  when  present,  appear  to  have  very 
generally  resisted  decomposition  much  more 
than  the  smaller  crystals  that  form  part  of  the 
rock  base. 

'Mineralogica  Vol.  VII,  p  213. 


NOVEMBER,     1919 


271 


The  deposits  or  "  beds  "  of  clay-ground  gen- 
erally show  in  plan  a  much  elongated  form  ; 
frequently  indeed  their  length  is  very  small  in 
proportion  to  their  width.  They  frequently 
affect  the  form  of  "dykes"  and  are   always 


J 


'// 


■I  1 I 


o  w 

r.  '2 


closely  associated  with  leaders  or  veins  com- 
posed of  quartz  with  "  schorl  "  (black  tourma- 
line) and  sometimes  traces  of  tin  oxide,  that 
traverse  the  deposits.  The  greatest  extension 
of  the  decomposed  clay-ground  coincides  with 
the  bearing  of  the  veins,  in  which  direction, 
5—5 


indeed,    kaolinization   may  extend  for  half  a 
mile  or  more,  while  it  rarely  extends  to  more 
than  a  few  fathoms  on  either  side  of  the  schor- 
laceous  veins  from   which   the  solutions  that 
affected  the  decomposition  appear  to  have  been 
distributed.     When  clay-ground  is 
found  to  extend  over  a  wide  area, 
therefore,  it  is  invariably  traversed 
by  a  group  of  parallel  veinlets,  or 
sometimes  by  two  systems  of  veins 
crossing  each  other  at  a  high  angle, 
each  of  which  has  affected  thecoun- 
try  on   either   hand.     It  is  by   no 
means,  however,  the  most  impor- 
tant quartz  veins  that  give  rise  to 
the  most  wide  spread  alteration  of 
the  granite;  it  was  noted  40  years 
ago  that  "the  breadth  of  the  decom- 
position does  not  seem  to  bear  any 
relation  to  the  size  of  the  vein."  * 
A  large  proportion  of  the  clay 
deposits,  particularly  those  which 
are  most  extensive,  are  marked  by 
shallow  depressions  in  the  granite, 
some  of  which  form  marshy  places. 
Many  of  the  principal  valleys  upon 
the  high  moors,  and  of  the  second- 
ary valleys  on  the  lower  ground, 
follow  lines  which  correspond  with 
a  linking  up  of  these  depressions, 
and  coincide  roughly  with  the  main 
directions  of  Assuring.    Sometimes 
a  series  of   clay  deposits    can  be 
traced  following  almost  exactly  the 
strike  of  a  group  of  mineral  veins, 
and  in  such  cases  the  relationship 
between  the  decomposition  of  the 
granite  and  the  solutions  that  came 
up  through  the  veins  becomes  evi- 
dent.    In  vertical  section  the  de- 
posits   may   appear    to   be   either 
dyke-shaped  or  basin- shaped,  ac- 
cording as  to  whether  they  are  as- 
sociated with  a  single  system  of 
parallel  veins,  or  with  two  groups 
crossing  at  an  angle.    Many  of  the 
former   type   have  been    followed 
down  to  considerable  depths  (250  to 
300  ft.)  without  pinching  or  marked 
variation    in    horizontal     section  ; 
some    indeed   have    even  increas- 
ed in  sectional    area   as   followed 
In    rare    instances    basin -shaped 
deposits  have  apparently  "cut  out"  upon  a 
floor  of  hard  granite  ;  all  such  cases  have  been 
situated  upon  hill  sides,  and  may  be  looked  up- 

*Collins:  "The  Hensbarrow  Granite    District."  Truro.    1878, 


> 


2* 

<  2 
a. 


downward. 


272 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


> 


on  as  owing  their  origin  to  the  overflow  of 
solutions  from  a  hssure-channel  into  some  bed 
of  the  granite  that  was  either  more  permeable 
or  more  readily  decomposed  than  that  under- 
lying. In  one  or  two  cases  such  a  hard  "floor  " 
of  almost  undecomposed  granite  has  been  pene- 
trated, and  soft  clay-ground  again  found  be- 
neath. No  well-authenticated  case  can  be  cited 
of  the  cutting  out  of  a  true  clay  "  pipe  "  or  de- 
posit situated,  not  upon  a  slope,  but  upon  the 
high  moorland  or  in  one  of  iis  valleys. 

A  way  from  the  veins,  and  toward  the  sides  of 
the  deposit, the  soft  china-clay  rock  gives  place 
to  hardgranite.thechangebe- 
ing  often  sudden.  More  fre- 
quently, however,  the  transi- 
tion is  gradual,  so  that  a  con- 
siderable thickness  of  rock  is 
found  of  intermediate  compo- 
sition, which  if  washed  as 
soon  as  exposed  would  yield 
little  clay,  but,  after  break- 
ing down  and  weathering  for 
some  time,  can  be  washed 
with  a  satisfactory  yield.  It 
is  worth  noting  that  the  qual- 
ity and  colour  of  china  clay 
from  a  given  pit  usually  im- 
proves as  depth  is  attained, 
although  the  yield  often  falls 
off,  the  ground  becoming 
"  leaner,"  that  is,  the  pro- 
portion of  sand  to  clay  is 
greater. 

The  pits  in  which  the  ground 
is  worked  are  always  more 
or  less  basin-shaped  or  fun- 
nel-shaped, because  they  must  be  made  wider 
at  the  top  than  at  the  bottom  in  order  to  pre- 
vent the  sides  from  coming  in,  and  also  be- 
cause the  clay-ground  is  always  overlain,  un- 
der the  surface  soil,  by  a  certain  thickness  of 
"overburden,"  consisting  of  loose  earth  and 
gravel  with  boulders  of  granite,  and  sometimes 
a  bed  of  peat.  Frequently,  too,  the  upper  part 
of  the  clay  rock  proper  is  so  stained  with  iron 
oxide,  either  throughout  or  in  myriad  joints,  as 
to  be  commercially  valueless  ;  in  such  cases  it 
is  considered  to  form  part  of  the  overburden. 
The  total  depth  of  these  waste  materials  which 
have  to  be  removed  may  vary  from  as  little  as 
3  ft.  to  as  much  as  60  ft.  When  shallow,  the 
overburden  is  always  removed  by  hand-labour, 
using  wooden  tip- waggons  holding  about  a  ton, 
running  upon  tramrails.  When  deeper,  a  steam 
navvy  is  sometimes  employed. 

Method  of  Winning  Clay. — The  ap- 
proximate extent  of  the  deposit  of  clay  (called 


locally  "  clay-bed  '*),  is  ascertained  by  a  series 
of  trial  pits,  supplemented  in  some  cases  by 
bore-holes  put  down  in  the  bottom  of  some  of 
the  pits  by  means  of  a  3  in.  auger  and  hand- 
gear. 

The  layout  of  the  works  will  largely  depend 
upon  the  ex  tent  of  the  clay  bed  and  the  configura- 
tion of  the  ground.  If  on  a  hill-side,  or  upon 
high  land  not  too  far  from  a  deep  valley,  the 
most  desirable  way  to  open  up  the  deposit  i- 
by  means  of  an  adit,  below  the  mouth  of  which 
the  settling  and  drying  plant  is  situated.  If 
sufficient  fall  is  available  the  adit  may  bedriv- 


c.s. 


Fig    3.     Vfi:  ncAi 


AL  China  Ci  u    \\ '■  kking 


en  on  a  grade  steep  enough  for  the  stream  of 
water  to  carry  out  the  sand  together  with  the 
clay.  If  the  fall  is  insufficient  to  admit  of 
this,  the  adit  is  driven  at  such  a  grade  as  to 
take  only  the  clay  stream,  leaving  the  sand  to 
be  raised  from  the  pit  by  means  of  tram- wag- 
gons on  an  ordinary  incline;  New  Lee  Moor  and 
Carclaze  providing  examples  of  this  method. 

In  most  cases  sufficient  fall  is  not  available 
for  an  adit,  except  at  ruinous  expense, 'and 
preparations  must  be  made  for  raising  from 
the  pits  not  only  the  waste  sand  and  stony  rub- 
bish called  "  stent,"  but  also  the  clay  water  (the 
aggregate  weight  of  which  is  greater  than  that 
of  the  sand)  hy  pumping.  Two  methods  are 
in  use.  The  first  is  shown  in  Fig.  3.  A  shaft 
is  sunk  into  the  solid  rock,  at  some  distance 
from  one  side  of  the  clay  deposit,  to  a  depth 
of  30  or  40  fathoms.  Leaving  a  convenient 
sump,  a  cross-cut  is  next  driven  from  the  shaft 
t  i  below   the  point  which   is   selected   as   the 


NOVEMBER,    1919 


273 


temporary  bottom  of  the  pit,  and  a  rise  is  put 
up  through  the  clay-ground  to  the  surface,  or 
to  meet  a  winze  put  down  part  of  the  way  from 
surface,  after  removing  a  sufficient  area  of  the 
overburden.  In  the  rise  is  fixed  a  buttonhole 
launder  "  or  box-pipe  of  rectangular  section 
from  4  in.  to  9  in.  diameter,  provided  with 
large  plug  holes  in  one  side,  closed  tempora- 
rily by  plugs  or  covers,  through  one  or  more 
of  which  at  the  top  the  clay  stream  enters  so 
long  as  the  bottom  of  the  pit  remains  at  a  cer- 
tain level,  the  others  being  opened  in  turn  as 
the  pit  is  deepened.  The  clay  stream  runs 
from  the  bottom  of  the  launder  back  through 
the  cross-cut  to  the  shaft,  where  it  is  raised  to 
surface,  usually  by  a  Cornish  pumping  engine 
with  pitwork  of  from  12  in.  to  15  in.  diameter. 
Under  this  system  of  pumping,  the  sand  has 
always  to  be  raised  from  the  pit  separately, 
generally  by  means  of  hopper-skips  running 
on  steep  inclines.  In  some  cases  Cornish  pit- 
work  is  actuated  through  belts  and  gearing  by 
suction-gas  engines  using  anthracite. 

In  the  second  method,  which  is  applicable 
only  to  comparatively  new  and  therefore  shal- 
low pits,  the  clay  stream  is  raised  within  the 
pit  itself  by  means  of  centrifugal  pumps.  These 
are  fixed  near  the  bottom  of  the  pit  upon  a 
heavy  wooden  bedframe,  upon  which  is  also 
erected  the  covering  house,  and  which  can  be 
readily  moved  downward  bodily  as  the  pit  is 
deepened.  In  order  to  obtain  the  maximum 
advantage  of  this  form  of  layout,  it  is  usual  to 
employ  gravel  pumps  capable  of  bringing  up 
together  with  the  clay  the  whole  of  the  sand, 
and  even  small  stones  (say  all  less  than  lh  in. 
in  diameter),  leaving  only  the  larger  stones  to 
be  raised  from  the  pit  by  means  of  tramwag- 
gon  and  incline.  The  suction  of  the  pump 
with  the  usual  windbore  or  strainer  is  fixed  in- 
side a  rectangular  box  or  pen,  with  open  top 
and  bottom,  composed  of  iron  gratings  with 
spaces  of  about  1  in.  between  the  bars  ;  assist- 
ed by  a  small  nozzle  under  high  pressure  of 
water,  the  suction  sinks  its  own  sump  as  re- 
quired. A  common  form  of  gravel  pump  for 
the  purpose  is  of  twin  type.  Two  similar  cen- 
trifugal pumps,  but  right  and  left  hand  respec- 
tively,aremounted  upon  the  same  shaft,  with  an 
electric  motor  between  them  to  drive  them  both. 
One  of  the  pumps  is  connected  to  the  suction 
in  the  sump  and  delivers  to  the  other,  which 
thereupon  forces  the  stream  to  the  surface,  the 
total  head  being  perhaps  60  to  80  ft. 

The  gravel-pump  plant  is  of  course  cheaper 
in  first  cost  than  the  more  ordinary  type  of 
plant  with  Cornish  pitwork  in  a  shaft,  but,  ex- 
cept from  a  small  depth,  and  when  working  a 


'  fat  "  clay  deposit,  it  is  much  more  expensive 
to  work,  both  for  power  and  for  wear  and  tear. 
In  the  case  of  '  lean  "  deposits,  in  which  the 
proportion  of  sand  to  clay  is  as  high  as  6  to  1 
up  to  9  to  1,  as  well  as  in  the  case  of  deep  pits, 
requiring  several  pumps  in  series,  the  main- 
tenance and  power  cost  of  the  system  would 
soon  become  ruinous.  In  opening  up  a  new 
pit,  however,  where  the  area  to  be  worked  is 
considerable,  and  more  especially  if  the  ground 
be  '"  fat,"  with  a  ratio  of  clay  to  sand  of  not 
less  than  1  :  3,  the  gravel-pump  system  is  much 
more  convenient,  besides  calling  for  a  smaller 
capital  expenditure. 

The  operation  of  breaking  the  clay-ground 
and  washing  out  the  clay  from  it  may  be  car- 
ried out  in  two  ways.  In  theolder  waya  stream 
of  water  is  conducted  over  the  surface  of  the 
exposed  clay  in  a  so-called  "  stope  "  where, 
aided  by  men  with  chisel-pointed  picks  called 
'  dubbers  "  and  two- pronged  hoes,  it  soon  cuts 
out  a  gully  called  a  "  strake."  Into  this  the 
sides  are  continually  broken  down,  and  the 
lumps  which  fall  are  disintegrated,  in  order  to 
keep  the  average  load  of  clay  carried  by  the 
stream  as  heavy  and  as  uniform  as  possible. 
In  the  more  modern  way  of  working,  water 
under  a  pressure  of  from  50  to  1001b.  per 
square  inch  (obtained  by  gravity  head  in  the 
case  of  deep  pits,  and  by  pumps  in  shallower 
ones)  is  discharged  from  a  nozzle  of  lj  to  li 
in.  diameter  at  the  bank  of  clay  ground,  exactly 
as  in  hydraulicking  alluvial  gold  -  bearing 
ground.  The  jet  must  be  kept  in  constant 
motion  in  order  to  stir  up  and  disintegrate  the 
lumps  rather  than  merely  to  bring  them  down. 

With  "  fat  "  clay-ground  it  is  easy  to  keep 
the  clay  stream  at  a  content  of  10  to  12%  clay 
by  the  use  of  nozzles;  when,  however,  the 
ground  is  lean  and  hard  this  becomes  impos- 
sible even  if  the  work  of  the  nozzle  itself  is 
supplemented  by  much  hand  work  in  the 
strake.  which  therefore  becomes  necessary  in 
order  to  keep  the  stream  as  thick  as  possible 
and  so  avoid  extra  cost  of  pumping.  Another 
advantage  of  the  method  of  washing  in  a  strake 
is  the  facility  it  affords  of  picking  out  streaks 
and  small  pockets  of  di.  coloured  ground  which, 
if  allowed  to  mix  in  with  the  rest,  would  spoil 
the  colour  of  the  clay,  and  therefore  lower  its 
quality  for  the  market.  Many  producers  of 
"  best  clays  "  therefore  prefer  to  adhere  to 
the  old-fashioned  method  of  hand  washing, 
with  its  necessarily  higher  labour  cost,  on  ac- 
count of  the  facility  afforded  tor  washing 
"  best  "  and  "  seconds  "  clays  separately.  Ex- 
cept therefore  where  the  ground  is  very  fat  and 
uniform  in  quality,  the  noz/les  have  always  to 


_>74 


THE     MINING    MAGAZINE 


Fig    4      Double  Incline  at  the  Bottom  of  a  Deei    I'm    which  is  being  Worked 

in  Two  Stages. 
(Photo,  English  China  Clays,  Ltd  .  Si-  Austell) 


NOVEMBER,     1919 


275 


Fig.  5.     Duplicate  Sand-Pit,  with  Sand-Waggon  being  filled  with  Sand  for 
Tramming  to  the  Bottom  of  the  Incline. 

(Photo,  English  China  Clays.  Ltd  ,  St.  Austell). 


be  supplemented  by  a  certain  amount  of  hand- 
labour. 

Fig.  1  gives  a  general  view  of  one  of  the 
largest  shallow  clay-pits.  In  the  foreground 
three  nozzles  are  seen  at  work  breaking  down 
the  clay  ;  in  the  background  (centre)  are  two 
inclines  for  bringing  up  the  sand. 

Separation  and  Disposal  of  Sand. — 
The  stream  carrying  both  sand  and  clay  flows 
to  the  lowest  point  of  the  pit.  If  gravel  pumps 
are  employed,  both  sand  and  clay  are  raised 
together,  a  square  box  grating  with  bars  about 
1  in.  apart  being  placed  round  the  suction  of 
the  pump  to  keep  back  all  but  the  small  stones. 

The  delivery  of  the  pump  is  into  large 
wooden  boxes  with  hopper  bottoms,  in  which 
the  sand  settles,  while  the  clay  stream  over- 
flows to  the  purifying  and  settling  plant.  Two 
boxes  are  generally  used  alternately,  one  fill- 
ing while  the  other  is  emptied  through  a  bottom 
door  into  trucks  running  upon  an  incline. 
Some  form  of  valve  discharge  might  perhaps 
be  devised,  but  offers  difficulties  in  view  of  the 
variations  in  size  of  the  waste  material  be- 
tween fine  sand  and  coarse  stones,  and  the  ne- 
cessity for  avoiding  loss  of  clay  with  the  waste. 

When  gravel  pumps  are  not  employed,  sepa- 
ration of  sand  from  clay  is  effected  at  the  bot- 
tom of  the  pit  by  means  of  shallow  sand-pits, 
with  fronts  built  up  of  slats,  into  which 
the  stream  is  conducted,  the  sand  settling, 
while  the  clay  water  overflows  the  slat  front. 


These  sand-pits  are  used  alternately,  and  the 
sand  from  them  is  shovelled  directly  into  the 
incline  waggons  or  hopper-skip.  The  top 
of  the  incline  may  be  either  fixed  or  continu- 
ally extending.  In  the  former  case  the  wag 
gons  are  detached  and  run  slightly  downhill 
to  the  tip,  or,  if  a  hopper-skip  is  used,  its  con- 
tents automatically  fill  a  waggon  to  be  run  of! 
similarly  by  man  power  to  the  tip,  which  in 
such  cases  gradually  attains  a  considerable 
horizontal  extent.  With  the  continually  ex 
tending  incline-top  or  "sky  tip,"  the  whole 
headgear  arrangement  carrying  the  pulley  is 
mounted  upon  a  sliding  framework  of  beams, 
provided  with  guys  and  counterweights,  which 
is  pushed  forward  as  the  dump  itself  advances. 
A  hopper-bottomed  skip  with  automatically 
actuated  door  is  always  used  in  this  case,  and 
the  dump  retains  a  conical  form,  increasing  in 
height  as  it  advances. 

Fig.  2  is  another  view  of  the  large  pit  shown 
in  Fig.  1,  with  sand  pits,  and  waggons  filled 
with  sand  being  assembled  near  the  bottom  of 
the  incline.  Fig.  4  shows  a  double  incline  at 
the  bottom  of  adeeper  pit  which  is  being  worked 
in  two  stages ;  the  sand-pits  are  shown  in  the 
centre  foreground,  to  left  and  right  respectively 
of  the  inclines.  Fig.  5  shows  details  of  the  du 
plicate  sand-pits,  with  sand  waggon  being  filled 
with  sand  for  tramming  to  the  bottom  of  the 
incline. 

(To  be  continued  >. 


276 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


Map   of   West 


AUSTRALIA    TO    ILLUSTRATE    THE    HISTORY    OF    THE     GOLD     DISCOVERIES. 


A   HISTORY  OF  GOLD   DISCOVERIES 

IN    WEST   AUSTRALIA. 

By  C.   M.   HARRIS,   M.Inst.M.M. 

This  article  may  be  read  in  conjunction  with  the  author's  paper  on  prospecting  in  West 
Australia,  quotations  from  which  are  given  in  this  issue. 


The  history  of  the  mining  industry  of  West 
Australia  dates  back  to  1842,  when  Thomas 
Mason,  a  shepherd,  discovered  the  rich  lodes 
of  copper  and  lead  at  Wanerenooka,  at  North- 
ampton, situated  200  miles  north  of  Perth. 
This  and  other  mines  in  the  district  were  work- 
ed for  some  years  with  considerable  success 
by  English  companies,  but  little  attention 
was  given  to  prospecting  for  gold,  until  the 
rich  discoveries  in  Victoria  and  New  South 
Wales  induced  the  Government  in  1860  to  em- 
ploy Mr.  Hargreaves  (the  discoverer  of  gold  in 
the  latter  State)  to  report  upon  the  prospect  of 
finding  gold-bearing  reefs  in  what  was  then  the 
Crown  Colony  of  West  Australia.  The  results 
of  his  inspection  of  the  coastal  areas  were  such 
that  he  gave  it  as  his  opinion  that  gold  in  pay- 
able quantities  would  not  be  found  here.  Small 
quartz  leaders  containing  traces  of  gold  with 
pyrite  were  found  in  the  Darling  Range  and 
at  Kendinup  in  the  south-west.  However,  in 
1883  Mr.  E.  F.  Hard  man,  the  then  Govern- 
ment Geologist,  discovered  gold  at  Kimberley, 
which  is  the  most  northerly  goldfield  in  the 
State.  A  rush  of  prospectors  set  in  from  the 
eastern  States.  A  comparatively  extensive 
area  of  surface  alluvial  deposits  and  some  lodes 
were  worked  to  a  shallow  depth,  but  the  patchi- 
ness  of  the  ore-bodies,  together  with  the  tropi- 
cal climatic  conditions,  soon  drove  away  the 
majority  of  these  "  othersiders,"  as  they  were 
termed.  Then  came  a  lull  until  1887  when 
Mr.  Glass  discovered  a  small  nugget  of  gold 
on  his  property  at  Mugakine,  near  York,  but 
he  was  unable  to  find  any  more.  This,  how- 
ever, gave  an  impetus  to  prospecting,  and  the 
Settlers  Association,  with  the  assistance  of  the 
Government,  formed  a  party,  with  Anstey  and 
Greaves  as  prospectors,  to  look  for  gold  to  the 
east  of  York.  After  travelling  some  160  miles, 
they  found  several  gold-bearing  reefs,  and  call- 
ed the  spot  Golden  Valley.  The  result  was 
that  several  more  parties  were  equipped  and 
sent  out,  one  known  as  the  "  Phoenix  "  party, 
while  at  Golden  Valley  they  were  advised  to 
go  down  to  a  line  of  hills  due  south.  Owing 
to  the  heat  of  the  day,  and  scarcity  of  water, 
they  decided  to  travel  by  night,  taking  their 
direction  by  the  Southern  Cross.  In  doing  so, 
they  discovered  the  first  large  goldfield  in  West 


Australia,  and  named  the  centre  after  the  con- 
stellation by  which  they  found  it.  The  dis- 
covery of  a  rich  series  of  quartz  veins  and  iron- 
capped  lodes  soon  attracted  the  attention  of 
miners  and  prospectors  from  Victoria,  where 
mining  was  on  the  decline.  Thus  Southern 
Cross  became  the  outpost  station  and  food 
depot  for  prospectors.  Parties  started  north, 
south,  and  east,  and  several  finds  were  made. 
In  the  meantimeprospectors  at  Kimberley  hav- 
ing worked  out  the  surface  deposits,  travelled 
south,  and  discovered  the  Pilbara  field  in  1890, 
Murchison  in  1891,  and  Peak  Hill  in  1892. 

In  September,  1892,  Bayley  brought  500 
oz.  of  gold  to  Southern  Cross  to  Warden  J. 
M.  Finnerty,  and  claimed  a  Reward  Lease 
for  having  found  what  he  described  as  "  pay- 
able gold"  some  114  miles  farther  in  a  water- 
less country,  which  wascalled  Coolgardie.  The 
actual  discovery  of  gold  at  Bayley's  find  was 
made  some  years  earlier  by  two  unknown  men, 
whose  skeletons  were  found,  and  on  a  tree 
near  by  was  fixed  an  application  notice  fcr  a 
claim,  pricked  out  by  a  nail  on  a  piece  of  tin. 
It  is  presumed  that  these  men  were  killed  by 
blacks  before  they  could  return  and  report 
their  find.  However,  within  a  few  days  of 
Bayley's  arrival  at  Southern  Cross  with  his 
gold,  the  rush  started,  and  in  a  very  little  time 
Coolgardie  became  world-renowned.  Men 
flocked  in  from  all  parts,  miners,  and  sons  of 
the  old  pioneering  families  in  ttie  Eastern 
States,  representatives  of  English  companies, 
each  tumbling  over  the  other  to  secure  some 
of  the  riches.  Money  flowed  like  water,  and 
leases  were  purchased  at  prices  utterly  out  of 
proportion  to  the  potential  value  of  gold  in 
sight.  Experts,  whose  experience  in  mining 
was  frequently  in  inverse  ratio  to  the  fertility 
of  their  imagination, sprang  up,  and  theiradvice 
was  accepted  with  far  greater  appreciation 
than  that  of  the  trained  men  of  sound  know- 
ledge and  mature  judgment.  Those  mining 
men  who  were  at  Coolgardie  at  that  time  will 
remember  the  type  of  expert,  whose  report 
frequently  was  written  without  his  having  seen 
the  property.  The  number  and  .made  of  the 
lodes  depended  upon  the  size  of  the  honorarium 
granted  him  by  the  vendors. 

Out  of  this  medley  of  fortune  hunters,  there 


111 


278 


THE     MINING    MAGAZINE 


evolved  a  fine  type  of  pioneer  prospector,  who 
pushed  out  east  and  north,  and  the  discovery 
of  new  "  finds"  followed  in  rapid  succession. 
In  June,  1893,  Hannan  found  surface  alluvial 
and  quartz  veinscontaining  coarse  gold  on  what 
is  now  Kalgoorlie.  This  was  followed  in  1894 
by  the  finding  of  gold  in  lode  formation  on 
what  has  since  become  the  richest  area  in  the 
world  ("  the  Golden  Mile")  by  the  Brook  man 
exploration  party.  Within  the  next  three 
years  many  new  mining  districts  were  discov- 
ered and  opened  up,  notably  Broad  Arrow, 
Kanowna,  Menzies,  Leonora,  Mt.  Morgans, 
and  Laverton,  connecting  up  with  the  East 
Murchison.  In  1896,  the  discovery  of  the  deep 
alluvial  leads  at  Kanowna  brought  the  pros- 
pectors back  from  the  outside  fields.  Claims 
could  be  taken  up  instead  of  leases,  which 
meant  that  thousands  of  men  were  able  to 
carry  out  intense  development  work  on  a  small 
area.  The  sinking  was  shallow,  from  under 
the  surface  cement  to  100  ft.,  the  gold  was 
easily  and  cheaply  extracted  from  the  wash, 
and  the  great  lure  to  the  prospector,  "fortune," 
was  in  sight. 

The  prospector  had  become  the  alluvial 
miner,  with  the  idea  of  alluvial  gold  being  his 
by  divine  right.  The  question  of  the  right  to 
alluvial  gold  came  into  prominence  at  the  first 
rush  to  Coolgardie.  Although  the  leaseholders 
under  the  Goldfields  Act,  1886,  were  entitled 
to  all  the  gold  within  their  four  pegs,  men 
swarmed  all  over  the  leases  in  search  of  allu- 
vial gold.  This  was  more  or  less  assented  to 
by  the  leaseholder,  but  when  the  alluvial  men 
started  to  break  off  specimens  from  the  reef 
at  Bayley's  mine,  the  owners  naturally  objec- 
ted, and  Warden  Finnerty  ruled  that  the  allu- 
vial men  were  not  to  work  within  50  ft.  on 
either  side  of  the  line  of  lode.  Subsequently 
this  provision  was  incorporated  in  the  Gold- 
fields  Act,  1895.  When  the  deep  alluvial 
lead  on  the  Ivanhoe  Venture  lease  at  Kal- 
goorlie was  discovered,  the  owners  held  that 
the  section  referred  to  in  the  1895  Act  under 
which  the  lease  was  granted,  was  only  intended 
to  apply  to  surface  alluvial  gold.  However, 
after  considerable  litigation,  the  Court  held  in 
favour  of  the  alluvial  miner,  thereby  creating 
a  double  title,  lode  gold  to  the  leaseholder,  and 
alluvial  gold  to  the  holder  of  a  miner's  right. 

In  April,  1899,  deep  alluvial  gold  was 
found  on  the  Adeline  lease  belonging  to  the 
Hannan's  Proprietary  Development  Company 
Ltd.,  on  a  block  of  ground  let  to  a  tributer. 
The  writer  had  just  then  been  appointed  gen- 
eral manager  of  the  company,  and  found  that 
the  whole  of  the  lease  had   been  pegged  out 


as  claims  by  the  alluvial  men.  On  looking 
into  the  matter,  the  company's  legal  advisers 
found  that  the  lease  was  granted  under  the 
1886  Act,  previously  referred  to,  and  it  was 
decided  to  fight  the  alluvial  men.  In  spite 
of  repeated  warnings,  the  latter  insisted  on 
prospecting  their  claims,  and  injunctions  were 
granted  by  the  Warden  to  restrain  them  from 
doing  so.  These  were  disobeyed  and  some  of 
the  men  were  sent  to  goal,  but  the  alluvial  men 
and  the  public  considered  it  a  similar  case  to 
the  Ivanhoe  Venture,  and  feeling  ran  high. 
We  were  advised  to  give  way  to  save  blood- 
shed. However,  being  sure  as  to  the  legality 
of  the  company's  rights,  we  intended  to  see  it 
through,  and  as  the  miners  were  arming  them- 
selves a  strong  force  of  police  was  collected 
for  the  trial  of  strength.  Sunday,  October  19, 
1899,  was  appointed  the  day  of  battle,  and 
several  thousand  people  assembled  to  see  the 
men  cart  the  alluvial  wash  from  the  lease,  this 
being  the  "  overt  act  "  necessary  for  the  prose- 
cution for  larceny.  A  few  loads  of  this  were 
carted  away,  and  the  names  of  the  carters 
were  taken  by  the  police,  but  no  arrests  were 
made.  Many  of  the  miners  were  armed,  and 
so  were  the  police,  but  fortunately  no  shots 
were  fired,  and  just  at  a  critical  time  a  priest 
came  out  from  Kalgoorlie  and  took  the  leaders 
into  town,  and  the  trouble  was  over  for  the 
day.  A  truce  was  agreed  to,  no  further  work 
to  be  done  until  the  Chief  Justice  gave  his  de- 
cision as  to  the  company's  title.  This  was, 
after  considerable  delay,  given  in  favour  of  the 
latter,  and  the  alluvial  men  loyally  abided  by 
it.  The  company  on  its  side  paid  the  alluvial 
men  so  much  per  ton,  as  the  cost  of  mining  and 
raising  it,  for  all  alluvial  wash  on  the  surface. 

The  present  Mining  Act,  1904,  was  so  draft- 
ed as  to  give  the  alluvial  men  the  right  to  ob- 
ject to  the  granting  of  a  lease,  if  they  can  prove 
that  alluvial  gold  exists,  but  when  once  it  is 
granted,  the  leaseholder  has  all  the  gold  with- 
in his  pegs. 

Thismatter  has  been  referred  to  rather  fully, 
as  it  marked  an  epoch,  in  that  it  practically 
suspended  prospecting  operations  in  new  coun- 
try. From  this  time  comparatively  few  pros- 
pecting parties  were  sent  out.  Some  centres, 
which  had  been  discovered  earlier,  such  as 
Meekatharra  and  Kookynie,  were  opened  up. 
Youanme  was  found  in  1907,  but  no  find  of 
any  importance  was  made  until  April,  1910, 
when  Charles  Jones,  who  was  backed  by  D. 
L.  Doolette  and  some  of  his  friends,  found 
gold  at  a  spot  between  Golden  Valley  and 
Southern  Cross  in  a  lode,  the  ironstone  cap- 
ping of   which  gave  some  wonderfully  high 


NOVEMBER,    1919 


279 


assay  results.  An  old-time  rush  started,  ex- 
perts who  had  not  been  heard  of  for  years 
again  blossomed  forth,  leases  were  pegged  for 
miles,  the  Government  built  a  railway  from 
Southern  Cross  in  record  time,  and  for  a  few 
weeks  every  one  talked  of  the  "  Bullfinch." 
Representatives  of  English  companies  were 
asked  to  send  properties  to  London,  but  they 
wanted  something  more  tangible  than  four 
pegs  and  a  notice  of  application,  and  as  ven- 
dors were  only  able  to  show  where  the  Bull- 
finch lode  should  traverse  their  leases,  very 
little  business  was  done.  Within  a  few 
months,  nearly  the  whole  of  the  area  out- 
side of  Mr.  Doolette's  leases  had  been  aban- 
doned. 

The  one  pleasing  feature  of  this  boom  was 
the  discovery  of  the  most  recent  goldfield  in 
Western  Australia.  A  prospector  named 
Weston,  being  unable  to  find  any  lodes  out- 
side the  ground  pegged,  travelling  to  the  west, 
discovered  what  is  known  as  Weston's  Reward 
Lease.  This  property  has  not  turned  out  to 
be  a  payable  one,  but  the  discovery  brought 


other  prospectors  along,  and  they  found  the 
Edna  May  group,  comprising  the  Central, 
Deeps,  and  Consolidated  Mines,  which  have 
been  and  still  are  producing  a  considerable 
amount  of  gold,  and  the  centre  has  been  called 
Weston  ia. 

It  is  pleasing  to  note  that  in  addition  to  find- 
ing the  first  goldfield  in  Western  Australia, 
as  before  mentioned,  Mr.  E.  F.  Hardman 
suggested  to  a  Mr.  Stinton  that  certain  country 
at  Greenbushes  should  be  tin-bearing.  Shortly 
afterwards  this  prospector  proved  the  truth  of 
this  suggestion  of  the  Government  Geologist. 
The  discoveries  of  other  base  metal  mines 
have  been  made  by  prospectors  looking  for 
gold,  and  no  records  are  available.  This  brief 
history  of  discoveries  would  be  incomplete 
without  the  name  of  West  Australia's  greatest 
son,  the  late  John  Forrest,  whose  pioneering 
exploration  work  blazed  the  track  for  the  men 
who 

Followed  fortune  where  she  led, 
With  fortune  alway?  on  ahead, 
And  always  further  out. 


THE  MINERALS  OF  ANATOLIA 

By   NORMAN   M.   PENZER,  B.A.,  F.G.S. 

The  author  gives  particulars  of  the  mineral  deposits  of  parts  of  Asiatic  Turkey,  about  which 
little  is  known  in  this  country,  though  the  Germans  compiled  records  some  years  ago. 

(Continued  from  October  issue,  page  221.) 


Nickel.— Nickel  occurs  in  Aidin  and 
Castamuni,  but  has  hardly  been  worked  at  all. 
The  Castamuni  deposit  is  at  Ak-kaya,  about 
31  miles  north-east  of  the  capital,  and  during 
the  war  has  been  requisitioned  by  the  Ministry 
of  War  which  has  taken  over  the  total  output. 
The  minerals  extracted  were  sent  to  the  chief 
steel  works  in  Germany  and  Austria- Hungary. 
A  representative  of  an  English  company  visited 
the  mines  just  previous  to  the  war  and  reported 
that  the  nickel  was  too  low  grade  to  work. 
The  Germans,  however,  apparently  think  dif- 
ferently, but  perhaps  it  was  a  case  of  getting 
whatever  they  could  in  1917  and  1918.  No 
figures  as  regards  the  output  are  to  hand,  but 
it  is  probable  that  although  at  present  the  pro- 
duction is  only  small,  there  is  a  future  for  this 
mineral  if  more  surveying  and  better  com- 
munication could  be  made. 

ARSENIC. — Arsenic  is  found  chiefly  in  the 
vilayet  of  Aidin,  at  Aidin  itself,  Torbali,  Tire, 
Darmara,  and  Odemish.  It  usually  occurs  in 
pockets  in  association  with  antimony,  gold,  or 
silver.  The  China  mine  yielded  concentrates 
containing  35  to  42%  of  arsenic  and  40  to  50  oz. 


of  gold  per  ton.  They  have  all  been  little 
worked.  Deposits  also  occur  near  Angora  and 
Castamuni,  but  little  seems  to  be  known  about 
them. 

Tin. — The  occurrences  of  tin  in  Asia  Minor 
are  few  and  unimportant.  At  Mughla,  sand- 
j  ik  of  Mughla,  vilayet  of  Aidin,  there  are 
stanniferous  lodes.  Near  Darmara,  34  miles 
south-east  of  Smyrna,  columbite  occurs  in 
quartz  veins  which  are  also  stanniferous. 

Sulphur. —  Deposits  of  sulphur  are  found 
in  the  vilayet  of  Aidin  near  the  railway  between 
Smyrna  and  Cassaba.  They  are  very  little 
exploited  at  present,  but  only  need  capital  and 
initiative  to  start  them.  In  the  vilayet  of 
Konia,  sulphur  occurs  at  Kechi  Burlu  (Boru) 
in  the  sandjak  of  Burdur.  The  sulphur  is 
found  near  the  surfaceand  the  percentage  varies 
from  40  to  60.  The  annual  production  was 
5,000  tons,  but  the  Government  have  now  di- 
rected that  the  output  be  raised  to  10,500  tons. 
The  number  of  miners  is  also  to  be  increased. 
In  1918  the  Drogistcn  Zeitutig  stated  that  a 
factory  for  the  purification  of  sulphur  was  un- 
der construction.     By  this  means  and  by  the 


280 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


SCVl-E 

4milci    =  I  mcK 


r-.  MFz-sTT  t-i 


Map  o]    Borate  District,  Anatolia 

larger  output,  the  Government  hopes  in  time 
to  meet  all  demands  of  the  Turkish  vine  growers 
who  buy  the  sulphur  in  such  large  quantities. 
The  Austrian  Consular  report  for  1916  stated 
that  the  mines  were  exploited  under  the  super- 
vision of  an  Austrian  expert.  There  arenumer- 
ous  springs  in  Sivas  yielding  sulphur  and  iron. 

BORATES.  Borates  occur  in  the  vilayet  of 
Brusa  at  Sultan-Chair,  near  Pandemia,  from 
which  place  is  derived  the  local  name  of  pan- 
dermite  which  is  applied  to  the  borate.  Ban- 
dermite,  although  harder,  is  closely  related  to 
colemanite,  which  is  a  hydrated  borate  of  cal- 
cium. Its  chief  value  lies  in  the  fact  that  it 
contains  a  higher  percentage  (about  56)  of  bor- 
acic  acid  than  any  of  the  other  borates,  with 
the  two  exceptions  of  boracite  and  stassfurtite, 
which  are  borates  of  magnesia. 

The  presence  of  these  deposits  has  been 
known  from  time  immemorial,  although  the 
natives  had  no  idea  what  the  substance  was 
which  they  picked  up  on  their  caravan  journeys 
across  the  Sultan- Chair  basin  to  the  Dardan- 
elles. The  potters  established  on  the  coast 
used  the  borate  for  glazing  large  earthenware 
pots,  which  they  decorated  in  striking  colours 
and  exported  chiefly  to  Constantinople.  They 
were  ignorant  of  its  composition,  and  only  knew 
it  was  fusible  and  useful  in  their  trade.    It  was 


many  years  afterwards  that  bor- 
ate was  re-discovered. 

This  re-discovery  appears  to 
havebeen  due  to  aFrencharchi- 
tect,  M.Demazures.who  in  1856 
was  constructing  the  Seraglio 
Boint  lighthouse.  When  enga- 
ged in  this  work  he  met  a  cer- 
tain M.  Grappler,  the  owner  of  a 
large  marble  quarry  at  Pander- 
ma.  who  invited  M.  Demazures 
to  inspect  it.  The  latter  noticed 
that,  in  order  to  support  the  mar- 
ble while  being  sawn,  M.  Grap- 
pler used  native  gypsum.  This 
gypsum  attracted  the  notice  of 
M.  I  )emazures,  and  on  close  ex- 
amination he  noticed  that  it  was 
mixed  with  pieces  of  another 
mineral,  the  nature  of  which  he 
could  not  determine  on  the  spot. 
However,  he  sent  a  specimen  to 
Bans  and  was  informed  that  it 
w.is  borate  of  lime,  containing 
to  H  of  boric  arid.  The 
two  Frenchmen,  on  receiving 
this  information,  sent  an  agent  to 
inspect  the  deposits  from  which 
the  gypsum  had  been  extracted, 
with  the  result  that  they  solicited  a  concession 
to  work  the  same.  The  concession  was  at  first 
refused,  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  occurrence 
of  borates  was  unknown  in  Turkey,  but  ulti- 
mately it  was  granted  for  a  period  of  20  years. 
The  beds  were  then  worked  secretly,  and  small 
shipments  were  made  to  Europe,  labelled 
"  plaster  of  paris."  Thus  little  became  known 
of  the  deposits,  and  the  dues  and  duties  were 
for  a  time  avoided.  When,  however,  the 
Government  found  out  what  was  goingon.they 
placed  the  workings  under  the  section  of  the 
"  Regulations  of  Mines  relating  to  Quarries." 
Later  they  were  transferred  to  the  laws  regu- 
lating mines  proper. 

About  1880  a  number  of  bore-holes  were 
sunk  to  ascertain  the  points  of  greatest  de- 
velopments, though  little  was  done  till  1899. 
In  the  latter  year  the  mines  were  acquired  by 
Borax  Consolidated,  Ltd. 

When  the  modern  exploitation  began,  and 
inquiries  were  made  to  explain  the  numerous 
ancient  galleries  that  had  been  discovered,  it 
was  said  that  they  were  the  workings  of  the 
Genoese.  But  the  Dardanelles  potters  had 
used  the  borate  of  lime  many  years  before  the 
advent  of  the  Genoese  to  the  coasts  of  the 
Aegean  Sea.  Although  these  old  galleries  were 
found,  it  was  clear  on  close  inspection  that  the 


NOVEMBER,     1919 


281 


first  workings  were  open-cut,  and  that  the  gal- 
leries were  made  after  the  more  accessible 
ground  had  been  worked  out. 

Sultan-Chair  may  be  taken  as  the  centre  of 
the  deposits.  It  lies  on  the  Manissa-Soma- 
Panderma  branch  of  the  Smyrna- Cassaba  rail- 
way. It  is  37  miles  south-south-east  of  Pan- 
derma  and  51  miles  south-west  of  Brusa.  The 
neighbouring  villages  near  which  the  mines 
occur  are,  to  the  north  :  Susughirli  or  Susurlu, 
Busalik,  and  Kadi  Keui,  and,  to  the  south  : 
Azizie,  Seulejik,  Omer  Keui,  Chinarli,  Baba 
Keui,  and  Yildiz.  Nearly  all  these  villages  lie 
on  the  banks  of  the  Susughirli  Chai,  which, 
after  being  joined  in  its  meandering  course  by 
a  number  of  tributaries,  empties  itself  into  the 
Sea  of  Marmora  at  Saslik  Burun,  30  miles  east 
of  Pandemia. 

The  basin  of  Sultan-Chair  lies  between  gab- 
bro,  schist,  and  granite  hills  of  early  age.  In 
this  basin  the  sedimentary  deposits  have  ac- 
cumulated to  a  great  depth,  the  chief  being 
gypsum.  An  important  volcanic  upheaval  took 
place  during  the  formation  of  thegypsum,  which 
in  all  probability  caused  the  trachyte  outflow 
found  to  the  north  of  the  basin.  At  the  same 
time  it  gave  birth  to  fumaroles  of  boric  acid 
of  an  intensity  varying  with  that  of  the  move- 
ments ;  consequently  changes  occurred  in  the 
inclination  of  the  dip,  the  immediate  result  of 
which  was  the  formation  of  smaller  basins,  and 
subsequent  layers  of  borate  of  lime.  This  ex- 
plains the  concentration  of  minerals  in  certain 
parts  of  the  gypsum  and  its  complete  absence 
in  parts  distant  from  volcanic  centres.  The 
activity  of  the  movements  has  not  always  been 
constant,  and  completely  ceased  during  a  cer- 
tain period,  to  start  again  with  more  or  less  in- 
tensity. 

The  pandermite  is  divided  into  four  classes, 
the  mineral  of  first-class  quality  averaging  46 
to  48%  of  BO.t  Each  class  is  put  apart  and 
undergoes  a  sifting  and  hand-sorting  before 
leaving  Sultan-Chair. 

As  regards  the  export  duty,  it  was  originally 
very  small,  but  that  was  when  the  export  was 
known  as  sulphate  of  lime,  or  gypsum. 

At  Pandemia  the  pre-war  duty  was  about 
16%  on  the  value  of  the  mineral.  This  value 
was  arrived  at  quite  arbitrarily.  In  1885  the 
production  was  1,500  tons,  by  1892  it  was 
15,000,  in  1903  it  had  sunk  to  8,000,  and  in 
1912  the  production  was  about  12,000  tons  of 
mineral,  corresponding  to  14,000  tons  of  borax 
and  boracic  acid.  Just  previous  to  the  war  the 
output  had  risen  to  16,000  tons,  but  soon  sank 
to  under  11,000  tons. 

The  borate  deposits  other  than  those  at  Sul- 


tan-Chair are  unimportant.  There  is  one  in 
Bigha,  near  Lapsaki.and  another  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  Alashehr  in  the  vilayet  of  Smyrna, 
but  they  are  very  little  worked,  if  at  all. 

Salt. — Salt  is  fairly  widely  distributed  in 
Asia  Minor,  both  in  the  form  of  rock-salt  and 
in  solution  in  the  numerous  lakes.  Previous 
to  1881  there  were  no  Government  regulations 
with  regard  to  the  industry,  but  in  that  year  an 
Imperial  Irade  was  issued,  and  the  salt  indus- 
try became  a  Government  monopoly,  worked 
by  the  Imperial  Ottoman  Debt  Committee. 
There  are  a  large  number  of  deposits  of  rock- 
salt,  but  few  have  been  worked  owing  to  the 
easier  way  of  obtaining  salt  from  the  streams 
and  lakes.  There  are  typical  rock-salt  mines 
at  Changri,  56  miles  south  of  Castamuni,  in 
the  vilayet  of  the  same  name.  The  entrance 
is  small,  but  the  cave  opens  out  to  an  astonish  - 
ingextentanddisplays  a  beautiful  subterranean 
landscape,  springs,  lakes,  natural  bridges,  &c. 
It  is  stated  that  these  mines  have  been  worked 
from  the  tenth  century.  In  1893  about  2,000,000 
kilograms  were  extracted.  Other  mines,  forthe 
most  part  unexplored,  occur  in  the  vilayets  of 
Bigha,  Brusa,  Angora,  Aidin,  Konia,  and  Sivas. 
Apart  from  rock- salt  deposits,  salt  isobtained 
from  mouths  of  rivers,  natural  and  artificial 
lakes,  springs,  marshes,  ravines,  &c.  As  can 
be  imagined,  the  means  of  procuring  the  salt 
are  most  primitive.  The  inhabitants  of  the 
villages  wait  until  the  sea  has  formed  layers 
of  salt  on  the  edges  of  the  lakes  and  sides  of 
the  ravines,  and  workers  of  both  sexes  and  of 
all  ages  collect  it  chiefly  by  hand,  though  a 
wooden  shovel  is  sometimes  employed.  In 
some  places  exaporation  is  so  complete  that  in 
summer  salt  lakes  dry  up  completely,  leaving 
a  thick  layer  of  salt.  As  is  clear  from  the 
following  table,  there  are  springs  or  lakes  in 
most  of  the  vilayets,  and  it  may  be  taken  for 
granted  that  there  are  far  more  of  both  than 
are  mentioned  here,  although  they  are  not 
marked  on  the  maps.  In  Angora  the  number 
of  salt  and  hot  springs  is  very  large  and  they 
are  used  both  for  bathing  and  drinking. 

Konia  has  by  far  the  greatest  number  of 
salt  lakes  in  western  Anatolia,  and  contains  the 
Tuz  Cheullu  (Gul)  which  is  twice  as  large  as 
any  other  lake  included  in  our  survey.  The 
lake  is  very  shallow  and  is  said  to  be  even  more 
salt  than  the  Dead  Sea.  It  is  almost  impos- 
sible to  swim  in  it  and  equally  impossible  to 
sink,  so  great  is  the  salinity.  Its  shallowness 
makes  it  of  course  most  valuable  as  a  salt  pro- 
ducer by  evaporation. 

The  salt  is  derived  from  the  lakes  by  evapora- 
tion, but  no  trouble  is  taken  to  increase  the 


282 


THE     MINING     MAGAZINE 


production  which  could  be  made  enormous  as 
the  land  is  impregnated  with  salt  for  a  very 
large  area.  As  it  is,  Aidin  is  the  largest  salt 
producer.  Among  the  deposits  of  this  vilayet 
are  the  Charnalti  salt  beds,  situated  16  miles 
W.N.VV.  of  Smyrna  on  the  coast  opposite  the 
Island  of  Keusten,  in  the  Gulf  of  Smyrna. 
There  are  also  beds,  though  less  extensive,  on 
the  right  bank  of  the  Bakir  Chai  near  Chan- 
darli  in  the  gulf  of  the  same  name,  38  miles 
N.N.W.  of  Smyrna.  The  other  deposits  occur 
for  the  most  part  in  the  south-western  corner 
of  the  vilayet,  although  there  are  important 
ones  near  Smyrna. 

In  the  vilayet  of  Sivas,  salt  is  found  at  over 
a  dozen  localities.  It  is  collected  in  reservoirs 
from  which  it  passes  to  paus,  where  evapora- 
tion is  natural. 

The  vilayet  of  Adana  gets  its  salt  from  the 
southeast  at  the  lakes  Aktche  Deniz,  Hassan- 
Dede,  and  Bebely,  and  also  at  the  mouths  of 
its  two  chief  rivers.  Theinhabitants  of  several 
villages  have  cut  trenches  from  the  sea  to  the 
lakes  and  the  ealt  forms  on  the  sides  of  the 
channels  and  on  the  shores  of  the  lakes. 

Saltpetre  is  got  from  the  earth  by  lye-wash- 
ing and  is  worked  largely  on  the  arid  plains 
around  Konia. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  chief  salt  de- 
posits with  their  output  wherever  obtainable  : 


Vilayet 

Locality 

Produc- 
tion in 
Kilograms 

At  the  mouths  of  th^  Seyounn  1  -  ihan) 
and  1  ')■  ihann  (lihan)and  at  the  lake- 
ab  >ve  mentioned. 

2.500  000 

Angora     .. 

Hadji  Btkiash— 117  miles  S.E.  of  An- 

Kora 
Tepessi  Delik— 11  miles  from  Kir 
Shehr.  11  miles  N.W.  of  Hadji  Bektash 
Se  kilo— 32  miles  from  YuzRat,105niili- 

ea«t  of  Angora 
Jououl                       | 
AtcheKKongouloU      Artificial  Lakes 

Simtu  In 

Souidan  Saz            1  ,  ....          .   ... 

Cb.ir.ack  Saz            \  Llttle  «Pl°««e«l 

1.850.0CO 
1 .000.000 

l.OOO.OfO 
500.000 
600  000 
500.0(0 
750.0C0 

BlGHA      

Bairamich 

Yfihli — unexnloited  - 

1. 500.000 

Brusa    

Aivahk 

2  s(  10  lilKJ 

Castamum 

Chdiisri 

I  keleb                      ) 

SSSf                      Salt  Springs 

Taita                          I 

Aoau.ojo 
4.600.000 

1.C00.0O0 
2111.000 
lfi-i/Oi 

Konia     

luz  Cheullu.  &c                              aboui 

'O.OOiiOOO 

Aid  n 

(Smyrna) 

Phocea  (6  'a  t  deposits) 
Menteche  (very  large  deposits) 
Charnalti.  \c 

76.200  000 

T..ta    116.89(000 
=  II*  H  0  iTifiric  tnns 


ElTHOGKAPHIC    STONE    AND    MARBLE. — 

Large  bedsof  lithographic  stone  occur  between 
Brusa  and  Pandemia  on  the  west,  south-west, 
and  south  of  Abulliond  (Apollonia)  Geul. 
The  chief  localities  are  near  Michalij  (5  miles 
from  the  lake),  Kirmasti   (82   miles  S.S.W.), 


andatnumerousvillages  tothe  southof  thelake. 

The  Michalij  deposits  are  situated  on  the 
summit  of  the  Dede  tepe,  north-northeast  of 
the  town.  They  were  discovered  in  1892,  and 
after  going  through  a  number  of  hands  were 
transferred  to  Messrs.  Pirie  &  Tyhurst,  repre- 
sentatives of  the  Michalij  Lithographic  Stone 
Company,  Ltd.  This  company  had  a  capital 
of  £"225,000,  and  controlled  an  approximate 
area  of  740  acres,  for  which  ,£"40,000  is  said  to 
have  been  paid.  The  stone  itself  is  very  pure 
and  dense,  and  of  a  grey  colour,  but  it  is  per- 
meated with  crystalline  veins,  and  only  10%  of 
the  total  stone  was  quarried.  Workshops  have 
been  built  containing  cutting  machinery,  etc. 

In  the  same  neighbourhood,  but  sixteen  miles 
to  the  east  at  the  north-east  corner  of  Abulliond 
Guel.lithographicstoneoccurs at  Chatal  Agkil; 
a  concession  for  working  was  granted  to  an 
Englishman  in  1901.  The  stone  in  thisdeposit 
has  a  yellowish  bull  colour.  The  beds  at  Dish 
Kaya  in  the  caza  of  Gemlik,  12  miles  south- 
east of  the  town,  may  also  be  mentioned. 
Little  work  has  apparently  been  done,  if  any. 
on  these  beds,  probably  owing  to  the  difficul- 
ties put  in  the  way  of  concessionaires,  but  there 
are  considerable  hopes  for  the  future.  No 
figures  are  obtainable. 

The  chief  marble  quarries  in  Asia  Minor  are 
mainly  in  the  islands  of  the  Grecian  Archipela- 
go and  on  the  Island  of  Marmora,  which  are 
not  included  in  our  survey.  The  famous  quar- 
ries of  Synnada  in  the  sandjak  of  Afium  Kara- 
hissar,  vilayet  of  Brusa,  are,  however,  still  of 
importance.  The  ancient  quarries  are  near 
Eski-kara-hissar.  The  marble  is  known  as 
Synnada  Docimian  or  Phrygian.  The  old  city 
of  Synnada  is  now  only  a  village,  while  Doci- 
mium  was  the  nearest  town  to  the  quarries. 
They  were  worked  by  the  Byzantine  Emper- 
ors, but  attained  their  greatest  development  in 
Roman  times,  the  Romans  bringing  great  quan- 
tities of  the  marble  to  Italy. 

One  is  struck  by  the  great  number  and  size 
of  the  ancient  workings,  specially  the  quarry 
of  Buyuk  Arylik.  The  quarry  looks  like  a 
gorge  or  ravine  entering  the  hill-side,  and  the 
marks  of  the  hammer  and  chisel  are  still  plainly 
visible.  The  quarries  cover  about  li  by  f  of 
a  mile,  these  being  the  limits  of  an  isolated 
mass  of  marble,  surrounded  by  basalt  and 
trachytic  rocks,  which  form  the  prevailing  geo- 
logical characteristics  of  the  entire  region.  The 
marble  is  a  highly  crystalline  limestone  of  great 
purity.  The  chief  colour  is  white,  but  is  often 
veined  with  sienna,  orange,  grey  blue,  etc. 
Statuary  marble  is  also  found.  Other  kinds 
are  red  and  purple  veined  pavonazetto,  bright 


NOVEMBER,    1919 


283 


orange- veined   marble,    and  a    rose    or  flesh 
coloured  variety.     A  permit  was  granted  about 
1900,  but  the  marble  was  not  worked. 

Other  quarries  in  Brusa  occur  near  the  coast 
of  the  sea  of  Marmora  and  yield  carrara,  yel- 
low, black,  pink,  blue,  and  rose-colonred 
marbles.  A  certain  amount  of  alabaster  and 
lapis-lazuli  is  also  obtained. 

In  the  sandjak  of  Ismid  there  are  several 
quarries,  some  of  which  are  abandoned.  Those 
of  Ah-hissar,  21  miles  south-east  of  Ismid,  are 
probably  the  most  important  at  present.  There 
are  also  numerous  deposits  of  marble  and  ala- 
baster in  Sivas,  but  they  are  entirely  unex- 
ploited  owing  to  lack  of  communications. 

In  pre-war  days  a  metre  of  marble  cost  25 
piastres  (4s.  2d.),  while  in  1918  the  price  was 
250  piastres  (£2.  Is.  8d.). 

Kaolin  and  Fullers  Earth.— Kaolin 
deposits  occur  in  the  vilayet  of  Aidin  at  Mene- 
men  and  also  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Sivas  and 
Tokat,  but  no  information  concerning  them  is 
obtainable. 

Fullers  earth  is  found  aiound  Eski-Shehr  in 
nearly  the  same  localities  as  the  meerschaum. 
In  fact  in  some  cases  deposits  occur  in  thesame 
mines  as  the  meerschaum  which  they  overlap. 
The  deposits  are  about  3  ft.  in  thickness.  The 
only  other  occurrence  worthy  of  mention  in 
Brusa  is  one  near  Michalij,  close  to  the  marble 
quarries  already  mentioned.  In  the  vilayet  of 
Angora  deposits  occur  at  Moalitch,  75  miles 
west  of  the  capital. 

Cement  and  Hydraulic  Lime. — On  the 
gulf  of  Ismid  there  are  large  modern  cement 
works  at  Eskihissar  and  close  to  Ar>lan 
(Aghiasma).  The  former  of  these  manufac- 
tured the  cement  used  for  the  Taurus  and  other 
tunnels,  and  also  in  the  building  of  the  Bagh- 
dad railway.  The  latter  exclusively  supplied 
the  Ministry  of -War  for  buildings,  &c.  The 
produce  of  these  two  factories  wis  insufficient 
to  supply  the  demands  of  the  State,  and  the 
price  rose  from  12  piastres  per  50  kilogram 
sack  to  over  300.  Hydraulic  lime  is  made  at 
these  factories,  but  only  in  small  amounts.  It 
is  also  manufactured  at  Stenia  on  the  Bos- 
phorus. 

BITUMEN,  &C. — Under  this  heading  is  in- 
cludedasphaltand  petroleum.  Few  discoveries 
have  been  made  as  yet,  but  close  to  Alashehr 
at  the  villages  of  Osmanie  and  Kozluja  out- 
crops occur.  Asphalt  is  found  in  Sivas,  but 
details  are  lacking.  Petroleum  has  been  traced 
in  Bigha,  a  few  miles  from  the  Dardanelles 
near  Bergaz,  but  as  yet  is  of  little  importance. 
During  the  war  a  petroleum  source  was  dis- 
covered near  Sinob  in  the  vilavet  of  Castamu- 


ni,  and  a  concession  was  granted  to  a  Turkish 
subject  for  working  the  find  for  99  years. 
Traces  are  also  said  to  occur  in  Sivas. 

Oi'ALS. — Opals  are  at  present  of  rare  occur- 
rence in  Asia  Minor,  although  there  is  reason 
to  suppose  that  further  exploitation  of  mines 
in  some  of  the  ancient  volcanic  regions  would 
give  rise  to  new  discoveries.  Opils  were 
found  in  the  island  of  Mitylene  in  association 
with  chromium,  but  no  details  are  given.  The 
Natural  History  Museum  at  South  Kensing- 
ton has  a  fine  specimen  of  fire  opal  from 
Sandschak.nearUshak,  in  the  vilayet  of  Brusa. 

The  fullest  description  is  given  from  a  num- 
ber of  specimens  found  near  the  village  of 
Karamanjik,  which  lies  on  the  slopes  of  the 
Koja  Dagh,  seven  miles  E.S.E.  of  Simav,  and 
3h  miles  N.W.  of  Shabhane,  in  the  vilayet  of 
Brusa.  The  spot  is  said  to  have  been  dis- 
covered in  1860  by  an  Englishman,  but  it  was 
very  little  worked.  The  opals  are  found  em- 
bedded in  trachytic  rocks  whose  presence  is 
accounted  for  by  the  assertion  that  the  neigh- 
bouring mountains  were  volcanic.  One  speci- 
men of  rock  was  so  permeated  with  holes  filled 
with  opal  that  the  entire  stone  was  nearly  opal- 
ized.  Associated  minerals  include  chalcedony, 
biotite,  and  felspar.  A  large  range  of  opals 
occurs ;  precious,  fine,  milk,  glass,  wax,  and 
common  opals  have  all  been  found.  In  some 
cases  the  precious  opals  are  interstratified  with 
milky  opals  and  chalcedony,  and  a  single  speci- 
men displayed  colours  varying  from  the  dark- 
est red  to  a  bright  yellow.  Some  of  the  red 
opals  display  a  scaly  formation  in  which  thick 
strata  of  fine  opal  alternates  with  very  thin 
opaque.  Specimens  of  hydrophane  also  occur, 
which  display  a  wonderful  variety  of  colours 
when  immersed  in  water. 

(To  be  continued.) 


Volume  III.  of  the  Annual  Reports  of  the 
Progress  of  Applied  Chemistry  has  been  pub- 
lished by  the  Society  of  Chemical  Industry  : 
price  to  members  5s.  6~d.,  to  non-members  10s. 
6d.  Volume  I.  is  out  of  print.  The  price  of 
Vol.  II.  has  been  raised,  and  is  now  4s.  6d.  t o 
members,  and  7s.  6d.  to  non-members.. 

The  Geology  and  Mineral  Resources  of 
the  British  Possessions  in  Africa  form  the  sub- 
ject of  a  course  of  twelve  "  Swiney  "  lectures 
to  be  delivered  by  Dr.  J.  D.  Falconer  at  the 
Imperial  College  of  Science  and  Technology. 
The  first  lecture  was  delivered  on  Monday, 
November  10,  and  they  continue  on  Mondays, 
Wednesdays,  and  Fridays  of  the  following 
weeks.  The  hour  is  5.30  p.m.  and  there  is  no 
charge  for  admission. 


284 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


NEWS   LETTERS. 

CAMBORNE. 

Non-Ferrous  Mines  Commission. 
While  the  evidence  submitted  to  this  Govern- 
ment Commission  is  not  yet  available  in  detail, 
an  outline  of  the  proposals  made  by  the  various 
witnesses  is  known.  The  most  interesting, 
and  one  likely  to  cause  no  little  heartburning, 
is  the  proposal,  made  by  Mr.  C.  A.  Moreing, 
that  the  Camborne  mines  should  be  amalga- 
mated and  worked  as  one  large  proposition. 
The  working  mines  included  comprise  East 
Pool  &  Agar,  Dolcoath,  South  Crofty,  and 
Tincroft.  Originally,  Grenville  was  also  in- 
cluded, but  obviously  the  situation  of  this 
mine  in  relation  to  the  four  groups  mentioned 
and  the  fact  that  its  workings  are  on  an  entirely 
different  set  of  lodes,  affected  the  feasibility 
of  its  inclusion,  and  we  believe  the  idea  has 
been  dropped.  If  it  has  not,  further  considera- 
tion will,  we  venture  to  suggest,  make  such  a 
course  desirable.  From  figures  culled  from  the 
Year  Book  of  the  Cornish  Chamber  of  Mines, 
it  would  appear  that  in  1918  the  four  mines 
previously  referred  to  produced  258,844  tons 
of  ore,  from  which  was  extracted  3,067  tons 
of  black  tin,  1,575  tons  of  crude  arsenic,  and 
161  tons  of  wolfram,  having  a  total  value  of 
£"771,799.  The  average  recovery  of  black- 
tin  per  ton  of  ore  milled  figures  at  26'54  lb.,  but 
as  Fast  Pool  &  Agar,at  the  express  wish  of  the 
Government,  was  extracting  ore  of  more  than 
the  normal  average,  this  recovery  is  obviously 
higher  than  can  perhaps  be  looked  for  under 
ordinary  conditions.  The  total  monetary  value 
of  59s.  7d.  per  ton  of  ore  is  also  abnormally 
high  owing  to  the  exceptional  prices  of  the 
metals  produced.  So  far  as  black  tin  is  con- 
cerned, the  four  mines  produced  in  1918  ap- 
proximately 5  %  of  the  total  output  from 
Cornwall.  The  number  of  men  employed  at 
the  mines  was  2,187,  of  which  987  were  work- 
ing underground  and  1,200  at  surface;  this 
total  would  doubtless  be  higher  in  normal  times, 
as  in  1918  there  was  a  considerable  shortage 
at  Dolcoath  owing  to  the  war. 

In  addition  to  the  mines  referred  to,  Mr. 
Moreing  proposes  to  include  the  following, 
which  are  waterlogged  at  present,  but  which 
he  regards  of  immediate  importance  :  Tolgus 
(for  the  development  of  which  capital  has  al- 
ready been  provided),  North  Crofty  (owned  by 
South  Crofty,  Limited),  and  the  Roskears 
(owned  by  Dolcoath  Mine,  Limited).  If  an 
amalgamation  of  interests  could  be  brought 
about,  Mr.  Moreing  foreshadowed  certain  ex- 
ploration work  for  testing  the  ore-bodies  in 


these  at  present  derelict  mines  by  lateral  de- 
velopment in  the  granite.  The  Tolgus  lodes 
he  would  test  by  a  2,000  ft.  drive  from  Agar 
shaft  at  the  255  fm.  level  and  then  by  cross- 
cutting;  this  work  would  also  prove  the  eastern 
ground  in  East  Pool  &  Agar.  North  Crofty 
would  be  tested  by  a  2,400  ft.  cross-cut  from 
New  Cook's  Kitchen  shaft  in  the  South  Crofty 
mine,  but  the  shaft  would  first  have  to  be 
deepened  to  get  the  right  level.  The  Roskear 
setts  would  be  tackled  by  a  3,600  ft.  cross- 
cut from  Harriett's  shaft  in  Dolcoath.  All 
these  projected  cross-cuts  would  intersect  a 
large  number  of  known  lodes  in  the  granite, 
lodes  which  in  the  killas  were  rich  in  copper, 
and  the  cost  is  estimated  at  approximated 
^116,000. 

It  is  common  knowledge  that  with  current 
metal  prices  and  existing  high  operating  > 
no  mines  in  the  Camborne  district  are  earning 
profits,  so  that  to  justify  the  expenditure  of 
the  large  sum  referred  to  in  development,  v. 
ing  costs  must  be  materially  reduced.  In  1918 
the  average  all  in  cost  at  the  four  mines  con- 
cerned was  about  4  5s.  per  ton  milled  (it  would 
have  been  nearer  -lo-.  but  for  the  F 
Profits  Duty  payable  by  Fast  Pool  &  Agar, 
Limited),  but  wages  and  materials  are  prob- 
ably  higher  this  year,  so  that  no  reduction  of 
the  higher  figure  is  likely,  even  although  no 
Excess  Profits  Duty  will  be  payable  by  East 
Pool  &  Agar  this  year.  Mr.  Moreing  claims 
that  to  secure  the  desired  reduction  in  costs, 
the  scale  of  output  must  be  substantially  in- 
creased, and  that  this  can  be  done  most  effec- 
tively by  amalgamation.  This  would  enable, 
too,  the  centralization  of  the  milling  and  dress- 
ing plant,  and  obvious  economies  in  pumping 
and  other  sectional  costs  to  be  brought  about. 
Por  a  central  mill  of  a  capacity  of  25,000  tons 
per  month, heopinesthat  treatment  costs  can  be 
reduced  from  1  Is. M. to 6s.  lOd.  perton.orinthe 
caseofamill  withdoublethis  capacity, to  5s. 6d. 
per  ton.  A  plant  with  a  monthly  capacity  of 
25,000  tons  would  probably  cost  ^295,000; 
and  the  saving  would  be  equivalent  to  ^69,600 
per  year.  The  larger  mill  is  estimated  to  cost 
,£"488,000  and  the  saving  is  then  figured  at 
^180,000  per  year.  Altogether  Mr.  Moreing 
claims  for  centralization  on  the  basis  of  25,000 
tons  per  month  a  total  saving  of  about  10s.  per 
ton,  which  would  enable  the  mines  to  be  oper- 
ated without  loss  with  tin  metal  at  £"240  and 
an  average  recovery  of  25  lb.  black  tin  per  ton. 
With  the  larger  programme,  201b.  ore  could 
be  tackled  without  loss. 

The  scheme  is  clearly  a  bold  constructive 
effort,  worthy  of  the  closest   investigation   by 


NOVEMBER,    1919 


285 


the  Commission  and  by  the  interests  concern- 
ed, for  obviously  vast  economies  can  be  effec- 
ted by  amalgamation  and  centralization.  It 
would  involve,  however,  the  provision  of  a 
very  large  sum  of  money,  which  presumably 
would  only  be  forthcoming  if  the  Government 
assisted  by  guarantee  or  in  some  other  form. 
The  South  Crofty  interests  are  evidently  not 
enamoured  with  the  scheme,  for  already  Cap- 
tain Josiah  Paull  has  expressed  his  belief  to 
the  Commissioners  that  the  results  claimed 
under  the  scheme  cannot  be  attained,  and  we 
await  with  interest  his  detailed  criticism. 
However,  if  the  Commissioners  view  the  pro- 
posal favourably,  he  has  stated,  on  behalf  of 
his  principals,  that  they  will  not  stand  in  the 
way. 

Mr.  Harold  E.  Fern  also  has  submitted  a 
scheme  to  the  Commission  for  the  resuscitation 
of  mining  in  the  famous  St.  Agnes  district. 
His  suggestion  is  to  work  the  Wheal  Kitty  & 
Penhalls,  West  Kitty,  and  Polberro  mines  as 
one  concern.  All  these  mines  have  splendid 
past  records,  and  owing  to  the  frequent  fault- 
ing of  the  lodes,  all  have  large  lode  areas  un- 
tested at  quite  shallow  depths.  He  also  gave 
evidence  on  the  questions  of  mine  licences 
and  leases,  royalties,  the  Tin  Ticketing,  and 
other  general  subjects. 

Mr.  Bennett,  the  manager  of  the  Duchy  of 
Cornwall  Mines,  has  given  evidence  relating 
to  mining  in  East  Cornwall,  and  when  repre- 
sentatives of  the  St.  Just  district  have  submit- 
ted their  ideas,  and  Mr.  Wethered,  on  behalf 
of  the  Cornish  Chamber  of  Mines,  has  given 
the  Commissioners  a  taste  of  his  optimism  and 
belief  in  the  county's  mineral  resources,  they 
should  be  in  a  position  to  prepare  an  interim 
report.  The  position  of  the  industry  is  so 
critical  that  we  hope  there  will  be  no  delay  in 
submitting  their  recommendations  to  the  Gov- 
ernment. 

Disaster  at  Levant. — This  famous  old 
mine,  the  workings  of  which  extend  for  over 
one  mile  under  the  sea  at  St.  Just,  was  recently 
the  scene  of  one  of  the  worst  disasters  ever 
recorded  in  the  long  annals  of  Cornish  mining, 
no  less  than  31  lives  having  been  lost.  It  will 
be  recalled  that  at  this  mine,  the  miners  are 
lowered  to  or  raised  from  the  various  levels  by 
means  of  a  man-engine.  This  particular  man- 
engine  appears  to  have  been  installed  some  70 
years  ago,  and  has  been  in  continuous  use  ever 
since.  On  October  20,  at  a  time  when  the 
day-shift  men  were  on  their  way  to  surface, 
the  connecting  link  between  the  beam  of  the 
engine  and  the  wooden  rod,  which  works  in 
the  shaft,  broke,  and  the  rod  collapsed,  knock- 


ing away  the  platforms,  and  generally  wreck- 
ing the  shaft,  particularly  in  that  part  above  the 
130  fm.  level.  At  the  time,  it  is  stated,  about 
120  men  were  on  their  way  to  surface,  and 
most  were  on  the  rod,  as  the  engine  was  at  the 
top  of  its  stroke  at  the  time  of  the  accident. 
Some  of  the  men  were  precipitated  down  the 
shaft ;  others  were  crushed  or  injured  by  the 
falling  debris.  To  get  out  the  killed  and  in- 
jured was  a  very  hazardous  task  in  view  of  the 
wrecked  nature  of  the  shaft,  but  the  unassum- 
ing heroism  of  the  Cornish  miner  was  quickly 
in  evidence,  and  there  was  no  lack  of  volunteers 
when  called  for.  Gangs  of  experienced  shaft 
men  were  appealed  for  from  other  mines,  and 
these  men  from  Geevor,  East  Pool,  and  other 
mines,  together  with  uninjured  Levant  men, 
worked  unceasingly  for  days,  until  all  the  in- 
jured and  dead  were  got  out.  We  desire  to 
associate  ourselves  with  the  many  expressions 
of  sympathy  extended  to  the  families  of  the 
men  killed,  and  also  to  the  management,  par- 
ticularly Major  Freathy  Oats  f  chairman  of  the 
company),  and  Captain  Ben  Nicholas,  the 
manager. 

The  man-engine  was  introduced  from  Ger- 
many in  1842,  in  which  year  the  first  started 
to  work  at  the  Tresavean  mine  near  Redruth. 
At  the  time  it  was  hailed,  as  indeed  it  was,  as 
a  great  improvement  on  the  exhausting  and 
slow  method  of  descending  and  ascending  the 
mines  by  means  of  ladders.  The  man-engine 
consists  of  a  beam  of  wood,  in  40  ft.  sections 
bolted  together,  which  extends  from  the  sur- 
face to  the  bottom  of  the  shaft  (in  this  case 
1,800  ft.)  which  is  raised  and  lowered  by  a 
steam  engine  working  at  surface.  Attached 
to  the  beam  or  rod,  12  ft.  apart,  are  steps,  each 
of  which  affords  a  foothold  for  one  person, 
while  on  the  side  of  the  shaft  are  stationary 
platforms  also  12  ft.  apart.  When  the  beam 
is  at  the  bottom  of  its  stroke,  a  man  ascending 
steps  on  one  of  the  small  platforms  attached 
to  the  rod.  The  beam  rises  12  ft.  and  the  man 
then  transfers  himself  to  one  of  the  platforms 
fixed  to  the  side  of  the  shaft.  At  the  bottom 
of  the  next  stroke,  he  steps  on  to  the  rod  again, 
is  raised  another  12ft.,  and  then  again  trans- 
fers to  a  shaft  platform.  He  is  thus  raised  to 
surface  by  lifts  of  12  ft.  The  Levant  man- 
engine  was  the  only  one  left  in  Cornwall,  and 
its  supersession  was  only  a  matter  of  a  year  or 
two,  for  as  indicated  in  these  columns  last 
month,  a  new  vertical  shaft  had  been  decided 
on  and  the  winding  engine  for  it  has  ah 
been  purchased.  Levant  is  also  the  last  ot 
the  cost-book  companies  operating  a  nunc 
<4    any    size,    and    we  fear    the    adventurers 


286 


THE     MINING     MAGAZINE 


will  have  to  face  heavy  calls  for  some  time  to 
come,  unless  the  property  can  be  sold  to  peo- 
ple with  ample  capital  to  sink  the  proposed 
new  vertical  shaft,  and  to  install  modern  plant. 
At  the  time  of  writing,  we  understand  that  Mr. 
Henry  F.  Collins  is  inspecting  and  sampling 
the  mine  to  this  end. 

Wages  of  Surface  Employees.— It  has 
long  been  recognized  that  the  surface  men 
working  at  the  mines  have  been  underpaid, 
but  remedial  measures  were  out  of  the  ques- 
tion, because  the  mines  were  being  operated 
at  a  loss.  This  loss  still  continues,  but  not  to 
so  great  an  extent  owing  to  the  improved  price 
of  tin,  and  recently  the  Employers  Federation 
has  resolved  that  all  men  over  21  years  of  age, 
who  have  hitherto  been  receiving  less  than  £  I 
per  week,  shall  as  from  November  1,  be  given 
an  increase  of  2s.  6d.  per  week,  or  such  a  less 
sum  as  will  hring  their  wages  to  that  figure. 

TiNCROFT. — We  hear  good  accounts  of  de- 
velopments on  the  South  lode  in  the  Tyrie's 
section  of  this  property,  and  the  following  fig- 
ures, taken  from  the  last  monthly  report,  bear 
this  out  : 


Average 

AsFay-v 

width 

Ib.blacl 

sampled 

per  to 

224  fm.  level 

4  ft. 

56 

214  fm.  level 

4  ft. 

60 

..'OS  fm.  winze 

4ft 

95 

We  hope,  in  spite  ol  the  present  unsatisfac- 
tory financial  position  of  the  company,  that 
ways  and  means  will  be  found  to  continue  to 
\  i^orously  press  forward  the  development 
work  in  the  bottom  of  this  mine. 

KlLLIFRETH.  From  a  report  recently  is- 
sued, it  would  appear  that  the  unvvatering 
operations,  which  commenced  on  March  15 
last,  have  been  delayed  owing  to  a  chokage  in 
the  shaft  from  the  10  to  the  30  fm.  level, 
which  it  has  been  a  tedious  and  expensive  task 
to  remove.  However,  this  has  been  success- 
fully done,  and  the  water  is  now  well  below  the 
40  fm.  level  on  the  North  lode,  and  the  50  fm. 
level  on  the  Middle  lode.  All  the  old  stopes 
are  being  systematically  sampled  and  assayed 
as  the  water  recedes,  and  the  results  so  far 
show  that  there  is  in  sight  about  2,000  tons 
of  ore  assaying  50  lb.  black  tin  per  ton.  We 
have  great  faith  in  the  possibilities  of  this 
property,  but  we  still  doubt,  as  we  recorded  in 
these  columns  at  the  time  the  work  was  started, 
whether  the  present  company  has  sufficient 
capital  to  bring  the  mine  to  the  profit-earning 
stage. 

TEHIDY  Minerals. — Thiscompany  is  now 
the  largest  owner  of  mineral  rights  in  the 
county,  and  it  is  therefore  noteworthy  that  the 


directors  have  notified  their  decision  that  "  the 
old  system  of  granting  leases  on  a  royalty  basis 
is  contrary  to  the  best  interests  of  the  mining 
industry."  In  substitution,  as  far  as  possible, 
they  propose  to  encourage  the  formation  of 
subsidiary  companies  to  develop  and  work  the 
various  minerals  on  the  estate,  the  intention 
being  that  instead  of  receiving  royalties,  the 
company  shall  have  a  substantial  share  inter- 
est in  these  undertakings.  Presumably,  this 
will  mean,  too,  a  share  in  the  control,  for  other- 
wise there  would  be  little  to  commend  this 
course  to  other  owners  of  minerals.  We  be 
lieve  that  the  co-operation  of  the  capitalist,  the 
mineral  owner,  and  the  work-people  in  the 
control  of  the  undertakings  will  prove  a  good 
buffer  to  nationalization,  and,  for  this  reason 
alone,  should  receive  the  support  of  the  indus 
try. 

NORTH   OF   ENGLAND. 

LEAD. — The  position  of  the  lead  mines  is 
certainly  more  cheerful  than  even  a  month  ago; 
the  price  of  pig  lead  has  recovered  to  a  level 
well  above  the  controlled  price  in  1918,  and 
the  general  anticipation  of  those  who  are  fami- 
liar with  the  inner  workings  of  the  market  is 
that  we  may  expect  a  still  higher  figure.  This 
has  madean  enormous  difference  tothose  mines 
whose  principal  output  is  galena,  and  the  two 
or  three  large  mines  will  be  relieved  of  a  con- 
siderable amount  of  apprehension.  The  past 
six  months  have,  of  course,  caused  the  greatest 
anxiety  to  mme  owners,  and  it  is  most  unjust 
that  during  the  reckless  disposal  of  Government 
stocks  of  lead  the  mine  owner  should  have  been 
compelled  to  sell  his  output  at  ridiculously  low 
prices.  One  just  wonders  what  gross  profit 
has  been  made  by  dealers  in  lead  who  acquired 
the  State's  stock  at  from  £21  to  £25  and  are 
now  retailing  the  same  at  £31.  The  Govern- 
ment might  just  as  well  have  held  the  lead  at 
a  reasonable  fixed  price, and  saved  the  tax  payer 
the  margin  that  was  absolutely  thrown  away. 
Even  the  most  ill-informed  official  might  have 
discovered  that  the  world's  price  of  lead  was 
far  above  the  recent  level,  and  that  to  free  the 
lead  on  the  market  would  result  in  a  collapse 
of  price.  Whoever  is  responsible  for  what 
was  done  deserves  a  handsome  reward  from 
the  metal  brokers. 

There  is  now  an  insistent  demand  for  lead 
products  of  all  sorts,  and  several  works  are  be- 
ing started  to  make  these  direct  from  galena. 
The  lead  mines  should  keep  their  eyes  open  to 
this  extra  outlet,  as  every  additional  consumer 
helps  to  keep  an  open  market  for  our  or* 

ZiN'C. — As  far  as  blende  is  concerned  we  are 


NOVEMBER,    1919 


287 


where  we  were.  My  statement  last  month  as 
to  the  deliberate  blocking  of  our  outlet  has  been 
abundantly  justified  by  the  facts,  and  now  the 
Government  is  negotiating  with  the  object  of 
saving  the  zinc  smelters.  This  industry  seems 
to  have  a  pull  somewhere,  and  will  probably  get 
its  way  and  persuade  the  Board  of  Trade  to 
grant  assistance.  I  only  hope  that  it  will  not 
be  at  the  cost  of  the  home  industry.  The  Gov- 
ernment is  in  a  difficulty  with  its  zinc  concen- 
trates, and  it  is  not  easy  to  forecast  what  will 
be  done  as  to  their  disposal.  I  hope  that  the 
mine -owners  will  elicit  some  declaration  of 
policy  at  the  Committee,  which  will  take  evi- 
dence on  this  industry  about  November  11. 
There  are  many  things  to  bring  forward  and 
my  own  view  is  that  the  Government  should, 
as  a  minimum,  give  the  output  bonus  from 
July,  1919,  to  June,  1920.  Every  mine  has 
been  compelled  to  sell  at  an  artificially  low 
price  during  the  past  six  months  and  many 
mines  have  reduced  their  production  consider- 
ably. I  do  not  know  of  any  where  there  has 
been  an  increase.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  there 
will  be  some  report  issued  as  to  what  evidence 
is  given,  as  the  reports  on  the  tin  industry  give 
us  no  information  that  can  help  to  form  public 
opinion.  As  far  as  I  have  seen  in  the  press 
the  only  cure  suggested  in  Cornwall  is  that 
there  should  be  an  amalgamation  of  interests 
in  Cornwall.  Such  a  policy  would  hardly 
help  the  lead  or  zinc  mines.  These  are  gen- 
erally isolated,  and  central  management  would 
not  effect  much  saving,  but  I  must  admit  that 
the  mines  could  undoubtedly  be  more  efficient- 
ly conducted  than  they  are  at  present,  and  it 
is  surprising  to  learn  how  meagre  is  the  statis- 
tical records  of  many  of  the  mines.  The  im- 
portance of  this  may  be  exaggerated,  but  I 
claim  that  no  manager  can  properly  conduct  a 
mine  unless  he  has  well-kept  records  of  all 
operations.  Nevertheless,  the  Government 
should  realize  that  no  industry  can  possibly  be 
well  managed  as  long  as  its  prospects  are  so 
hampered  by  uncertainty  as  to  what  the  Gov- 
ernment will  do.  The  principal  difficulty  is, 
of  course,  the  outlook  for  the  sale  of  zinc  con- 
centrates, and  I  hope  that  next  month  it  may 
be  possible  to  know  where  we  stand. 

The  Mines. — In  our  district  the  outstand- 
ing feature  is  the  stoppage  of  the  Great  Nent- 
head  Mines,  owned  by  the  Veille  Montagne 
Zinc  Company.  All  the  men  have  been  dis- 
charged except  a  few  who  are  working  some 
of  the  best  places.  This  very  nearly  disposes 
of  the  zinc  concentrate  output  in  the  United 
Kingdom  and  the  inquiry  becomes  daily  more 
of  a  "  post-mortem."  The  owners  of  the  Threl- 
5—6 


keld  mine  are  going  to  accelerate  the  develop- 
ment of  the  newly  discovered  lode.  They  ap- 
pear to  have  faith  in  the  future  of  lead,  and 
want  to  have  a  respectable  output  by  the  time 
it  rises  to  £35.  I  believe  that  this  mine  will 
become  the  principal  producer  of  galena  in  the 
Lake  District  within  five  years.  Thorntbwaite 
mine  is  still  working  on  the  reduced  scale,  but 
the  manager  tells  me  that  he  cannot  see  how 
the  Government  can  possibly  refuse  the  joint 
demands  of  the  industry.  I  have  seen  no  evi- 
dence to  justify  this  hope,  but  the  unexpected 
sometimes  happens. 

I  hear  of  a  most  interesting  situation  at  Mill 
Close  mine,  Derbyshire.  The  miners  have 
made  a  threat  that  if  all  non-union  men  wrere 
not  dismissed  they  would  close  down  the  mine. 
The  owners  refused  to  take  this  course  and 
the  men  were  instructed  to  strike.  This  step 
was  taken,  and  the  management  promptly  met 
it  by  sitting  tight  and  keeping  the  pumps  going 
at  all  costs.  The  staff  cordially  co-operated, 
and  the  loyalty  of  the  non-union  men  was  so 
pronounced  that  the  owners  offered  work  to 
any  men  who  cared  to  take  advantage  of  the 
opening.  The  result  has  been  that  enough 
men  have  started  to  work  the  mine,  and  there 
is  now  a  considerable  output  of  galena.  Many 
owners  are  able  to  work  happily  with  the  men, 
but  there  is  a  breaking  point  if  unreasonable 
demands  are  made.  The  Unions  should  real- 
ize that  all  the  "  co-operation  "  cannot  be  ex- 
pected on  one  side  alone,  and  there  is  not  much 
evidence  of  a  spirit  of  "give"  on  their  side. 
Both  parties  should  sink  all  minor  points  of 
dispute  and  make  the  mines  a  success  at  all 
costs.  I  have  never  yet  come  across  a  mine 
owner  who  was  not  willing  and  anxious  to  do 
the  best  he  could  for  the  men,  and  every  effort 
should  be  made  by  the  Union  officials  to  foster 
this  established  tradition.  Most  of  them  are 
quite  new  to  the  industry,  which  cannot  be 
compared  with  larger  operations  where  the 
men  are  personally  unknown  to  the  owners. 

Mr.  Stretton  has  resigned  from  the  acting 
management  of  the  Force  Crag  mine,  but  is 
retaining  the  position  of  consulting  engineer 
for  the  present.  I  le  is  succeeded  by  Mr.  Plant, 
who  will  take  upthe  dutieswithinaweekor  two. 

The  Commission.— The  Lead  and  Zinc 
Mine  Owners'  Association  is  taking  very  ac 
tive  steps  to  present  the  case  for  the  industry 
before  the  Non- Ferrous  Mining  Commission. 
It  was  arranged  at  a  recent  meeting  that  Mr. 
Onslow  should  deal  with  the  negotiations  that 
have  taken  place  between  the  owners  and  the 
Government  during  and  since  the  war,  and  that 
Mr.  Anthony  Wilson  should  present  the  claim 


288 


THE     MINING     MAGAZINE 


for  the  extension  of  the  output  bonus  to  all 
mines  until,  as  regards  (a),  galena;  the  Gov- 
ernment stocks  are  disposed  of,  and,  as  regards 
(b),  zinc,  concentrates  until  the  stock  in  Aus- 
tralia has  been  disposed  of  or  alternatively 
until  the  production  from  the  tailing  heaps  is 
disposed  of.  Mr.  Anthony  Wilson  is  also  to 
concern  himself  with  the  question  of  the  rating, 
royalties,  and  income-tax  assessments.  A 
member  has  been  appointed  to  represent  each 
district,  and  he  will  give  an  outline  of  mining 
past  and  present  in  his  neighbourhood  and  an 
inkling  of  the  potential  possibilities  if  a  reason- 
able price  for  sulphide  is  assured.  Individual 
mine-owners  will  give  evidence  respecting  par- 
ticular features  of  their  own  companies.  Mr. 
Onslow,  it  was  arranged,  should  speak  first  and 
Mr.  Anthony  Wilson  next.  The  Commission 
was  expected  to  reach  zinc  and  lead  on  No- 
vember 1 1 . 

Labour  Question. — The  District  Coun- 
cil of  the  Industrial  Committee  for  the  North- 
West  District  arranged  for  a  meeting  to  be 
held  at  Keswick  on  November  8  to  discuss 
a  number  of  local  questions  with  regard  to  the 
relations  between  the  owners  and  the  men. 
The  representatives  were  as  follows  :  Scot- 
land :  Mr.  Eelix  Wilson,  managing  director 
of  the  Leadhills,  and  Mr.  John  Mitchell,  Wan- 
lockhead.  North  of  England  :  (East)  Mr. 
Willis,  Weardale;  (West)  Mr.  Anthony  Wil- 
son,Thornthwaite;  Mr.  Cox,  Yeille  Montagne. 
North  Wales:  Mr.  J.  L.  Francis,  Halkyn;  Mr. 
N.  Humphreys,  East  Halkyn;  Mr.  Philip 
Jones.  Central  Wales:  Mr.  Nancarrow,  Lis- 
burne  Mines;  Mr.  Miller,  Van  Mines.  Shrop- 
shire: Mr.  W.  Ramsden,  Shropshire  Mines. 
Derbyshire:  Mr.  Sam  Potts,  of  Wass  &  Sons, 
Mill  Close.     Conway  :    Mr.  Horace  Boot. 

MELBOURNE. 

August  22. 
Blythe  River  Iron  Ore. — The  report 
of  A.  A.  Boyd,  C.  G.  Gibson,  and  G.  W. 
Young,  who  were  appointed  a  few  months  ago 
to  examine  the  property  of  the  Blythe  River 
Iron  Mines,  Ltd.,  was  presented  to  the  House 
of  Representatives  on  August  20,  accom- 
panied by  a  letter  from  Sir  John  Higgins,  at 
whose  suggestion  the  Federal  Government 
had  taken  an  option  over  the  property  at  a 
cost  of  ^3,000.  It  will  be  remembered  that 
more  than  one  adverse  report  had  previously 
been  made  upon  these  deposits,  and  the  report 
now  presented  fully  confirms  its  predecessors. 
Sir  John  Higgins's  covering  letter  compares 
the  vastly  different  estimates  of  the  quantity 
and  quality  of  the  ore  available.     In   1900  J. 


H.  Darby,  the  English  iron  and  steel  special- 
ist, estimated  the  quantity  of  ore  available  at 
24,500,000  tons  of  selected  ore,  with  an  aver- 
age value  of  approximately  8%  silica,  and  90% 
oxide  of  iron,  equivalent  to  63%  metallic  iron. 
In  1901  W.  H.Twelvetrees,  of  the  Geological 
Survey  for  Tasmania,  estimated  the  deposits 
to  contain  from  17,000,000  to  23,000,000  tons. 
During  May,  June,  and  July  of  this  year  the 
three  experts  mentioned  made  a  thorough  in- 
vestigation of  the  deposit,  and  they  computed 
that  the  deposit  contained  9,000,000  tons,  and, 
further,  that  the  bulk  of  the  deposit  was  far 
too  silicious  to  be  considered  as  an  iron  ore  at 
the  present  day,  and  that  the  quantity  of  ore 
was  too  small  to  be  considered  of  any  econo- 
mic importance.  For  many  years,  Sir  John 
Higgins  added,  the  Blythe  River  deposit  had 
been  considered  to  be  one  of  the  largest  bodies 
of  high-grade  ore  in  Australia,  and  its  accessi- 
bility gave  it  an  additional  value.  Assuming 
that  the  conclusions  of  Messrs.  Boyd,  Gibson, 
and  Young  were  correct,  then  the  reduction  in 
the  quantity  of  iron  ores  available  for  Australia 
was  a  serious  national  loss  to  the  Common- 
wealth. The  reports  of  the  experts  differed  so 
vitally  as  regards  the  quantity  and  value  of  the 
ore  that  there  was  only  one  course  which  he 
could  recommend  the  Government  to  follow, 
namely,  that  the  right  of  purchase  over  the 
Blythe  River  Mines  held  by  the  Common- 
wealth Government  be  not  exercised. 

The  South  Mine  Fire. — One  of  the  most 
seriousdisasters, other  than  strikes,  that  has  ever 
been  experienced  in  the  Broken  Hill  district  oc- 
curred on  the  morning  of  J  uly  30,  when  a  large 
part  of  the  South  Mine  mill  was  destroyed  by  fire. 
The  fire  was  discovered  at  1.25  a.m.,  and  with- 
in three  hours  approximately  ,£"100,000  worth 
of  valuable  property  had  been  destroyed.  That 
the  damage  was  not  greater  is  due  solely  to 
the  work  of  the  city  and  mine  fire  brigades. 
The  surface  is  covered  with  buildings,  treat- 
ment plants,  offices,  etc.,  and  stacks  of  timber 
and  coai,  produce  dumps,  and  so  on,  and  the 
whole  is  intersected  by  narrow  lanes  and  road- 
ways. There  are  several  shafts,  leading  down 
to  over  1,300  ft.  The  main  shaft  (No.  l)  is 
in  a  hollow  to  the  east  of  the  main  business 
offices.  Around  this  shaft  are  the  concentra- 
ting mill,  ore  bins,  power  plant  (a  new  plant 
was  just  about  completed),  winding  -  engine 
plant,  and  technical  offices.  The  fire  destroyed 
the  greater  portion  of  the  mill,  the  ore  bins, 
and  the  head-gear.  Officially  reported,  the  ex- 
tent of  the  damage  was :  No.  1  poppet  heads, 
destroyed  ;  No.  1  fan,  motor,  and  shed,  de- 
stroyed ;  mill  engine-house  and  engine, destroy- 


NOVEMBER,    1919 


289 


ed ;  brace  No.  1  shaft,  destroyed  ;  crude  ore 
bins,  destroyed;  Gates  crusher  section  of  mill, 
destroyed  ;  Gates  crusher  ore  bins,  destroyed  ; 
rolls  crusher  ore  bins,  destroyed  ;  rolls  section 
of  mill,  partly  destroyed ;  jig  section,  partly  de- 
stroyed ;  grinding  section,  partly  destroyed  ; 
belt  store  in  mill,  destroyed ;  cut  timber  around 
No.  1  shaft,  destroyed  ;  steam  mains  and  tres- 
tles, severely  damaged ;  new  power  house, 
slightly  damaged.  The  fire  was  not  got  un- 
der control  until  4  o'clock,  and  the  ruins  con- 
tinued to  smoulder  for  48  hours,  when  the 
blaze  was  reported  "  practically  out."  While 
the  fire  was  at  its  worst  it  was  a  magnificent 
though  melancholy  sight.  The  flames  from 
the  roaringmill  timbers,  bins, and  poppet  heads 
rose  to  a  great  height,  and  according  to  reports, 
could  be  seen  as  far  away  as  Cockburn,  30 
miles  distant.  Great  risk  was  taken  by  the 
firemen  in  combating  the  flames,  and  several 
narrow  escapes  from  serious  injury  occurred  ; 
but  brave  work  saved  the  new  power  plant, 
the  winding  engine  house,  and  the  table  sec- 
tion of  the  mill.  It  is  almost  inconceivable, 
looking  into  the  ruins,  in  the  very  heart  of  this 
great  cluster  of  buildings,  that  anything  at  all 
could  have  been  saved.  The  view  was  remin- 
iscent of  the  photos  of  the  damage  done  by  the 
Germans  in  Belgium  and  France.  The  cause 
of  the  fire  so  far  remains  a  mystery.  That  the 
buildings  were  set  on  fire  is  more  than  a  pos- 
sibility. Whether  organized  Bolshevism  was 
responsible,  or  whether  the  fire-bug  was  an  in- 
dividual maniac,  has  yet  to  be  proved.  On 
Saturday, the  19th,  Sunday  the  20th, and  Satur- 
day, 26th  of  July,  outbreaks  of  fire  occurred 
among  the  surface  workings  of  the  mine,  but 
in  all  cases  were  checked.  The  first  two  were 
looked  upon  as  mere  accidents,  the  result  of 
short  electric  circuits.  The  third  was  unex- 
plainable,  and  the  outbreak  was  only  extin- 
guished after  considerable  trouble.  Opinions 
vary  as  to  whether  the  disastrous  fire  was  ac- 
cidental or  intentional,  but  nine  out  of  every 
ten  men — including  the  men  on  strike— hold 
to  the  arson  theory.  The  plant  was  insured. 
The  company  will  replace  the  plant,  but  for 
various  reasons — partly  because  some  of  the 
machinery  must  be  obtained  from  overseas — 
it  will  take  from  18  months  to  2  years  before 
its  re-erection  can  be  completed.  There  were 
about  1,200  men  employed  on  the  mine  before 
the  present  strikes.  For  the  next  18  months 
or  two  years  at  least  1,000  of  the  men,  even 
if  the  strike  were  declared  off,  must  remain  un- 
employed as  far  as  this  mine  is  concerned. 
Rumour  has  it  that  the  directors  may  offer  a 
reward  of  .£"2,000  for  the  identification  of  those 


guilty  of  the  fire.  If,  in  addition,  the  Govern- 
ment should  offer  £"1,000  and  the  Associated 
Mines  another  ,£"2,000,  making  £"5,000  in  all, 
the  actual  culprits  may  be  secured.  The 
prompting  culprits,  of  course,  all  Australia 
knows,  but  this  particular  crime  cannot  be 
brought  home  to  them.  Broken  Hill  has  had 
some  serious  mine  fires  before,  but  the  South 
mine  surface  blaze  takes  its  stand  as  the  most 
serious  in  Broken  Hill's  history. 

West  Australian  Base  Metals.— The 
Mining  Association  of  West  Australia  is  up 
in  arms  against  the  Federal  law  prohibiting 
the  export  of  base-metal  concentrates  from 
Australia.  Particulars  of  the  hardships  in- 
volved and  the  hopeless  position  of  the  mines 
and  smelters  have  already  appeared  in  the 
Magazine.  The  Association  has  addressed  a 
memorandum  to  the  State  Government  on  the 
subject,  and  a  deputation  waited  on  Mr.  W. 
M.  Hughes  at  Perth  on  his  return  from  Eng- 
land. The  memorial  says  that  the  Govern- 
ment control  of  metal  output  is  unjustified  and 
harsh.  Itisimpossible  to  smelt  leadand  tin  con- 
centrates in  West  Australia,  and  the  charges 
of  the  smelters  in  the  eastern  Australian  states 
are  utterly  impossible,  being  from  60  to  100% 
higher  than  English  charges.  Cases  of  exces- 
sive charges  by  smelters  in  the  eastern  states 
are  given.  For  instance,  early  this  year  two 
tin  producers  at  Greenbushes  had  arranged  to 
export  50  tons  of  concentrates  to  England,  an 
arrangement  had  been  completed  with  a  Liver- 
pool firm  for  the  sale  of  the  consignment,  and 
the  Controller  of  Shipping  had  allowed  the 
necessary  space,  when  at  the  last  moment  the 
Acting  Prime  Minister  intervened  and  pro- 
hibited the  export.  On  the  date  that  this  tin 
ore  would  have  been  sold  in  England  the  price 
offered  by  Kelly  and  Co.,  tin  smelters,  of  Syd- 
ney, was  £2\.  13s.  per  ton  of  metal  less  than 
would  have  been  realized  in  England, after  pay- 
ing the  high  freight  then  ruling  from  Fre- 
mantle  to  Liverpool,  namely,  £6  per  ton. 
Again,  a  shipment  of  silver-lead  ore  from  a 
mine  in  the  north-west  was  sent  to  the  Asso- 
ciated Smelters,  Port  Pirie.  It  was  high  grade 
ore,  containing  67%  metallic  lead  and  20  oz. 
silver  per  ton,  the  value  being  about  £"21  per 
ton.  The  charge  made  by  the  smelters,  for 
smelting  only,  amounted  to  about  42°,.  of  the 
value  of  the  metals,  and  after  the  costs  for 
mining,  bagging,  transport,  etc.,  were  deduc- 
ted, the  producers  found  themselves  out  of 
pocket,  so  the  mine  was  closed  down.  An- 
other instance  cited  is  the  Whim  Well  copper 
mine.  Since  the  mine  was  opened  in  1906, 
60,000  tons  of  14%  ore  have  been  shipped  for 


290 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


treatment.  This  ore  was  obtained  by  hand- 
picking  from  8%  ore,  the  residue,  now  amount- 
ing to  about  90,000  tons,  being  dumped  for 
subsequent  treatment  on  the  mine.  In  an  ap- 
plication to  the  Prime  Minister  about  two 
years  ago,  figures  were  given  showing  that 
with  silicious  copper  ore  of  a  grade  of  11%,  the 
difference  in  price  realized  on  shipments  made 
during  1916,  in  England  and  in  Australia  re- 
spectively, was  ^44  per  ton  of  metal.  Against 
this  great  disparity  in  value  has  only  to  be  set 
the  difference  between  the  freights  to  England 
and  to  Port  Kembla,  which  normally  is  trivial. 
Under  ordinary  conditions,  treatment  charges 
in  England  on  15  to  20%  copper  ore  may  be 
taken  at  ^15  per  ton  of  metal  less  than  the 
charges  at  Port  Kembla,  and  after  allowing 
forall  charges, includingrealizationand  freight, 
either  to  England  or  to  Port  Kembla,  the  advan- 
tage of  sending  such  ores  to  England,  as  com- 
pared with  Port  Kembla,  is  from  ^"15  to  £20 
per  ton  of  copper  contents. 

The  case  of  lead  is  stated  on  similar  lines. 
In  1914  it  was  customary  to  ship  lead  to 
Europe  in  the  form  of  70%  concentrate,  where 
it  was  refined  at  a  cost,  including  freight  from 
Fremantle,  of  not  more  than  £\  per  ton. 
These  charges  enabled  the  industry  to  be 
carried  on  successfully,  although  the  selling 
price  for  pig  lead  did  not  exceed  /"19  per  ton. 
With  lead  at  £29  per  ton,  and  special  shipping 
facilities  provided  by  the  Imperial  Govern- 
ment for  transport  of  the  metal,  the  heavy 
charges  involved  in  local  treatment  could  be 
met,  but  now  that  the  war  is  over,  the  special 
shipping  facilities  have  ceased,  the  price  of 
the  metal  has  fallen,  and  it  has  become  a  com- 
mercial impossibility  to  mine  lead  profitably. 
Two  consignments  of  lead  concentrates  treated 
at  the  Fremantle  smelters  in  December,  1918, 
were  subjected  to  the  following  charges:  No. 
1,  29'25  tons  of  66%  concentrates,  treatment 
charges,  £\2.  13s.  6d.  per  ton:  No.  2,  27'65 
tons  of  69%  concentrates,  treatment  charges, 
£\\.  3s.  9d.  per  ton. 

As  reported  by  the  Industrial  Statesman 
&  Mining  Standard,  advantage  was  taken  of 
the  presence  of  the  Acting- Prime  Minister  in 
Perth,  whither  he  had  gone  to  welcome  the 
Prime  Minister,  Mr.  W.  M.  Hughes,  on  his 
return  from  England,  to  place  the  position  be- 
fore him.  Mr.  A.  E.  Morgans,  president  of 
the  West  Australian  Mining  Association,  was 
the  principal  speaker,  and  he  said  that  while 
they  agreed  with  the  Federal  Government's 
policy,  the  burden  should  not  fall  wholly  on 
the  producers  of  metals.  A  bonus  should  be 
given.     He  feared  that  the  Broken  Hill  com- 


panies were  making  outside  customers  pay  for 
the  cheaper  smelting  of  their  own  ore.  Mr. 
Watt  asked  if  the  situation  would  be  met  by 
erecting  a  really  up-to-date  smelter  by  the 
Wcvt  Australian  Government  alone  or  in  co- 
operation with  the  Federal  Government,  and 
was  assured  that  it  would,  and  that  if  this 
were  erected  at  Geraldton  there  would  be  a 
prospect  of  a  profit  of  £2  or  £3  per  ton  on 
lead  concentrates,  but  if  the  ore  had  to  be  sent 
to  Fremantle  the  profit  would  be  less  than  £l 
per  ton.  Mr.  Watt  promised  to  consult  with 
the  Government  metallurgical  adviser  and  with 
Mr.  Hughes  to  see  how  far  they  could  relieve 
the  pressure  on  the  State  until  arrangements 
could  be  made  for  treating  the  ores  in  the  west. 

TORONTO. 

October  13. 

Sudbury    Nickel. — The   production  of 

nickel,  which  had  been  greatly  stimulated  by 
war  requirements,  wassuddenly  curtailed  when 
the  armistice  was  declared.  It  is  now  recover- 
ing with  the  development  of  new  markets,  as 
the  use  of  nickel  in  connection  with  staple 
manufacturing  industries  is  increasing.  It  is 
specially  in  requisition  for  alloy  purposes  in 
the  manufacture  of  automobiles,  where  a  hard 
metal  is  required.  The  International  Nickel 
Co.  is  steadily  increasing  the  scope  of  its 
operations,  and  its  present  output  is  nearly 
equal  to  that  before  the  war.  Mining  at  the 
Creighton  mine  has  been  actively  resumed 
with  an  output  of  about  1,300  tons  of  matte 
per  month,  which  is  shipped  to  the  refinery  at 
Port  Colborne  for  treatment.  Four  of  the 
seven  furnaces  are  in  operation.  All  the  ore 
is  now  sent  to  the  new  roast  beds  at  O'Don- 
nell,  26  miles  west  of  Copper  Cliff.  A  new 
nickel  centre  is  growing  up  at  Coniston,  seven 
miles  east  of  Sudbury,  where  the  extensive 
plant  of  the  Mond  Nickel  Co.  is  situated.  The 
company  is  now  employing  about  700  men  and 
has  resumed  the  shipment  of  nickel  matte  to 
the  refinery  at  Swansea,  Wales.  The  present 
smelting  capacity  of  the  Mond  Co.  is  four  fur- 
naces and  three  converters,  but  the  company 
has  in  contemplation  the  construction  of  three 
additional  furnaces  and  three  converters  at  an 
estimated  cost  of  $3,000,000.  Work  on  this 
extension  has  been  for  some  time  delayed  on 
account  of  unfavourable  conditions.  The 
British  America  Nickel  Corporation,  which 
has  an  official  connection  with  the  British 
Government  and  will  supply  nickel  for  arma- 
ment purposes  for  the  Navy,  is  building  alarge 
plant  at  Nickelton,  three  miles  north-west  from 
Sudbury,  comprising  three  furnaces  and  three 


NOVEMBER,     1919 


291 


converters.  A  force  of  800  men  is  now  en- 
gaged in  construction  work.  It  is  hoped  to 
begin  production  early  in  the  winter,  employ- 
ing about  1,800  men.  The  ore  will  be  obtained 
from  the  Murray  mine  at  the  site  of  the  smel- 
ter. The  company's  refinery  is  under  construc- 
tion at  Deschenes,  Quebec,  on  the  Ottawa 
river,  and  the  electrolytic  process  will  be  used. 
It  is  stated  that  the  company  has  proved  ore 
reserves  to  the  amount  of  8,000,000  tons. 

Porcupine. — The  gold-mining  industry  is 
handicapped  considerably  by  labour  shortage. 
The  rate  of  pay  is  higher  at  the  Cobalt  silver 
mines  and  the  high  wages  offered  by  the 
lumber  companies  are  attracting  many  who 
would  otherwise  beemployed  in  the  goldmines. 
The  Hollinger  Consolidated  has  issued  an  in- 
terim report  covering  the  period  from  January 
1  to  September  9,  showing  a  total  income  of 
$4,839,845,  with  expenses  of  $2,433,958,  leav- 
ing net  profits  of  $2,405,887.  Dividends 
amounting  to  $984,000  have  been  paid  and 
$1,421,887  added  to  the  surplus,  which  now 
stands  at  $3,493,174.  The  cost  of  treatment 
of  ore  was  $4"82  per  ton  compared  with  $4'95 
for  last  year,  and  the  average  value  of  ore 
treated  was  $9'99  per  ton  compared  with 
$10'24  in  1918.  The  number  of  employees 
has  fallen  from  1,344  on  June  17  to  1,187  on 
September  9.  The  annual  report  of  the  Mc- 
Intyre  for  the  year  ended  June  30  shows  gross 
earnings  of  $1,671,646  and  net  profits,  before 
providing  for  depletion  of  mining  profits  or 
war  taxes,  of  $683,350.  The  ore  reserves  were 
estimated  at  433,057  tons  valued  at  $11  per 
ton,  the  average  value  having  been  materially 
increased  by  the  ore  developed  on  the  1,125  ft. 
level.  The  development  programme  laid  down 
contemplatesthecontinuous  sinking  of  themain 
shaft  which  has  now  reached  the  1,400  ft.  level. 
The  Dome  is  treating  about  900  tons  of  ore 
per  day,  employing  a  force  of  some  800  men, 
which  it  is  endeavouring  to  increase.  At  the 
Sovereign  a  promising  vein  highly  mineralized 
with  iron  sulphides  has  been  found  in  trenching. 

Cobalt. — The  silver-mining  industry  has 
fully  recovered  from  the  effects  of  the  strike, 
and  the  producing  mines  are  again  in  steady 
operation,  with  plenty  of  labour  available. 
One  noticeable  effect  of  the  strike  settlement 
has  been  a  considerably  higher  degree  of  effici- 
ency among  the  workers,  the  spirit  of  unrest 
and  dissatisfactionhaving  completely  subsided. 
Production  is  increasing  under  the  stimulus  of 
the  high  price  of  silver,  and  the  output  of  the 
last  quarter  of  the  year  bids  fair  to  exceed  that 
of  any  previous  three-monthly  period.  The 
La  Rose  Consolidated  has  made  a  discovery 


of  high-grade  ore  at  the  100  ft.  level,  and  is 
also  working  a  high-grade  vein  on  the  Prin- 
cess property.  A  rich  vein  on  the  University 
property  is  being  opened  up.  The  Nipissing 
Extension,  capitalized  at  $3,000,000,  has  pur- 
chased the  Farah  property,  on  which  a  dis- 
covery of  rich  ore  was  made  in  June  last. 
Major  E.  H.  Birkett,  formerly  of  Idaho,  has 
been  appointed  manager.  The  annual  report 
of  the  Kerr  Lake  for  the  year  ended  August 
31  shows  a  production  of  1,482,649  oz.  of  sil- 
ver'and  90,5861b.  of  cobalt. 


LETTER  to  the  EDITOR 

Jumbil  and  Trevascus. 

The   Editor: 

Sir — In  your  editorial  comments  in  the 
September  issue  of  the  Magazine,  upon  the 
letter  in  which  Messrs.  Ashurst,  Morris, 
Crisp  &  Co.  refute  every  statement  you  pub- 
lish on  the  subject  of  the  Trevascus  mine  and 
Mr.  Calvert's  connection  with  the  company 
which  is  working  that  property,  you  accept  the 
correction  that  the  assay-values  of  30  lb.  of  tin 
per  ton  for  the  Great  Trevascus  lode  were  given 
by  Major  Bullen,  and  add  :  "  No  doubt  Mr. 
Calvert  accepts  the  figure " 

If  this  surmise  is  intended  as  a  reflection 
upon  the  accuracy  of  my  figures,  or  implies 
that  Mr.  Calvert  or  the  company  should  not 
accept  them,  I  shall  be  glad  if  you  will  state 
your  reasons  for  the  aspersion. 

As  the  Great  Trevascus  lode  has  not  been 
seen,  let  alone  sampled,  by  any  assayers  but 
ourselves  since  the  mine  was  closed  down,  and 
as  we  had  to  clear  the  levels  and  stopes  in 
order  to  do  the  sampling,  I  am  at  a  loss  to  un- 
derstand how  you  can  claim  the  right  to  ques- 
tion our  figures,  and  I  challenge  anybody  to 
refute  my  report.  I  may  add  that  in  so  doing 
I  am  backed  by  Mr.  H.  R.  Beringer,  Instruc- 
tor of  Chemistry,  Assaying,  and  Mineralogy  of 
the  Camborne  School  of  Mines,  under  whose 
supervision  our  assay  department  was  built, 
equipped,  and  staffed,  and  the  assays  in  ques- 
tion were  checked. 

F.  BULLEN,  Major. 

Camborne,  October  7. 

[We  are  not  aware  that  our  remark  "  No 
doubt  Mr.  Calvert  accepts  the  figure"  consti- 
tutes an  aspersion.  Major  Bullen  might  just 
as  well  entertain  the  same  supposition  with  re- 
gard to  Mr.  Calvert's  denial  that  he  was  re- 
sponsible for  the  figure.  Major  Bullen  states 
that  the  Trevascus  lode  has  not  of  late  years 
been  sampled  by  anyone  but  his  own  party. 
That  is  just  our  grievance. — EDITOR.] 


292 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


PERSONAL 


A.  H.  Ackermann  has  returned  from  Transylvania. 

M.  A.  Bruce  left  last  month  for  Nigeria  to  take  up 
the  management  of  the  Bongwelli  properties. 

Captain  L.  Maurice  Cockerell  has  resumed 
practice  at  3,  London  Wall  Buildings,  on  the  closing 
of  the  Mineral  Resources  Development  Department. 

W.  F.  Collins  left  for  China  on  October  25. 

D.  Dale  Condit  has  accepted  a  position  as  oil 
geologist  with  S.  Pearson  &  Son,  and  will  go  to  India 
and  China. 

Cutten  Brothers  have  moved  their  office  from 
Capel  House,  New  Broad  Street,  to  Bank  Chambers, 
329.  High  Holborn,  W.C.I. 

T.  M.  Daulton  has  left  Atlin,  British  Columbia, 
for  the  Philippine  Islands  to  develop  placer  deposits. 

J.  C.  Farrant  is  going  to  the  United  States  for 
about  three  months. 

T.  J.  Foster  has  returned  from  West  Africa. 

R.  D.  Gill  is  the  president  of  the  Cornish  Institute 
of  Engineers  for  1919-20. 

W.  H.  Goodchild  has  gone  to  South  Africa. 

J.  Wenshy  GRAY  is  expected  back  from  Mesopo- 
tamia on  demobilization  from  the  85th  Burma  Rifles. 

R.  H.  Greaves  has  returned  to  Egypt. 

Theodore  Haddon  is  here  from  Rhodesia. 

James  M.  Holman  and  Leonard  Holman  are 
on  their  way  home  from  India,  on  the  conclusion  of  a 
tour  through  the  mining  districts  of  the  world. 

A  sun  Y.  Hoy,  London  manager  of  the  Sullivan 
Machinery  Co.,  was  married  last  month  to  Miss  Rent- 
Pavitt,  of  Wimbledon. 

J.  M.  Iles  is  leaving  shortly  for  Australia. 

T   J.  Jones  is  back  from  Siberia. 

A.  E.  Kitson  left  by  the  Appam  on  October  22  on 
his  return  to  West  Africa. 

E.  A.  Lang  left  for  Colombia  on  November  6. 
Frank  E.  Lathe,  lately  with  the  Anaconda,  and 

more  recently  at  Chuquicamata,  has  been  appointed 
chief  chemist  of  the  British  America  Nickel  Corpora- 
tion, at  Sudbury,  Ontario. 

J.  G.  Lawn  is  leaving  for  South  Africa  to  take  up 
the  position  of  managing  director  of  the  Johannesburg 
Consolidated  Investment  Company. 

Dr.  Malcolm  Maclaren  has  returned  from  Bu- 
charest. 

D.  P.  McDonald  is  here  from  Rhodesia. 

Sir  Henry  A.  Miers,  Vice-Chancellor  of  the 
University  of  Manchester,  has  been  appointed  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Advisory  Council  to  the  Committee  of  the 
Privy  Council  for  ScientiSc  and  Industrial  Research. 

H.  G.  Nichols  has  left  for  Mazapil. 

A.  J.  A.  Orchard  has  been  re  elected  president  of 
the  Manchester  Geological  and  Mining  Society. 

William  Plant  has  been  appointed  manager  for 
the  Braithwaite  Mines,  Ltd.,  Cumberland. 

C.  W.  Purington  is  back  from  Siberia. 

A.  McIntosh  Reid  has  been  appointed  Assistant 
Government  Geologist  for  Tasmania. 

Gilbert  Rigg  has  returned  from  Australia  to  Eng- 
land by  way  of  the  United  States. 

H.  G.  Scott,  manager  for  the  Siamese  Tin  Dred- 
ging Company,  is  in  London. 

H.  V.  Seale  has  been  appointed  manager  of  the 
Junction  North  mine,  Broken  Hill. 

S.  F.  Shaw  is  superintendent  of  the  Charcas  Bon- 
anza, Asientos,  Zacatecas,  and  Zaragoza  units  of  the 
American  Smelting  &  Refining  Co.,  in  Mexico. 

W.  E.  Simpson  has  returned  from  Scotland  to 
Canada. 

Colonel  Ralph  Stokes,  Chief  Engineer  Arch- 


angel Forces,  has  returned  from  North  Russia,  and 
will  resume  mining  work  early  next  year. 

E.  O.  Teale  is  on  his  way  back  to  West  Africa. 

J.  W.  Teale,  of  Bainbridge,  Seymour  &  Co.,  Ltd., 
left  for  Brazil  on  November  4. 

D.  A  Thompson  is  here  from  Abosso. 

T.  G.  Trevor  is  here  from  South  Africa. 

P.  M.  Tyler  is  in  England  on  behalf  of  the  United 
States  Tariff  Commission. 

Thomas  WEIR  has  left  for  Nigeria. 

A.  Stanley  Williams  has  left  for  Nigeria 

Percy  P.  WOODHAMS,  representing  the  Climax 
Rock-Drill  &  Engineering  Works,  is  visiting  South 
Africa. 

Louis  A.  Wright  left  New  York  on  October  22 
for  Italy,  where  his  address  will  be  Via  Parhmento  22, 
Rome. 


W  F.  Collins,  manager  of  the  Filani  mine,  died 
in  Nigeria  last  month  from  blackwater  fever. 

Fkank  Simon,  general  manager  of  the  Tweefontein 
United  Collieries,  died  suddenly  in  September. 

Charles  McConnell,  one  of  the  best  known 
mine  managers  in  Ontario,  died  in  September.  He 
was  connected  with  the  Hargraves  mine  in  1905,  and 
later  with  the  Trethewey  and  the  Tough  Oakes.  His 
last  managership  was  at  the  Patricia,  Boston  Creek. 

TRADE   PARAGRAPHS 

The  Rapid  Magnetting  Machine  Co.,  Ltd., 
makers  of  electro-magnetic  ore  separators,  have  moved 
from  IS,  Crescent,  to  Magnet  Works,  52,  Lombard 
Street,  Birmingham. 

Hyatt,  Ltd.,  of  24,  Devonshire  Street,  London, 
W.C  1 ,  announce  that  they  have  taken  over  all  matters 
pertaining  to  the  Hyatt  Flexible  Roller  Bearing  for 
England  and  Continental  Colonies. 

Agricultural  A  General  Engineers,  Ltd..  of 
Central  House,  Kingsway,  London.  W.C  2,  the  for- 
mation of  which  was  noted  in  our  last  issue,  send  a 
preliminary  catalogue  giving  an  outline  of  the  range  of 
their  manufactures.  Among  these  are  winding  engines 
for  mines  and  aerial  ropeways. 

The  Wokthington  Pump  &  Machinery  Cor- 
poration, of  115,  Broadway,  New  York,  send  us  a 
number  of  bulletins  as  follows:  Horizontal  Double- 
Acting  Single-Cylinder  Power  Pumps  ;  Single  and 
Duplex  Boiler-Feed  and  Tank  Pumps  ;  Log  Washers  ; 
Spirojector  Condensers. 

VISIT  TO  THE  FRASER  &  CHALMERS 
ENGINEERING  WORKS  AT  ERITH. 
On  Monday  of  last  week,  at  the  invitation  of  the 
management  of  these  works,  a  number  of  reprc-enta 
tives  of  the  Press  made  a  tour  of  inspection  of  the 
extensive  plant  at  Erith,  Kent.  As  isgenerally  known, 
the  G.E.C.,  in  April,  1918,  purchased  the  business  of 
Fraser  &  Chalmers,  Ltd.,  which  from  the  year  1893 
manufactured  machinery  for  metalliferous  mines  and 
metallurgical  works.  But  the  F.  &  C.  operations  were 
not  confined  to  this  particular  kind  of  machinery,  for 
they  were  practically  the  pioneers  in  this  country  in 
the  development  of  the  Rateau  impulse  type  of  tur- 
bine, while  they  were  also  known  for  their  conveying, 
loading,  transporting,  and  handling  plants.  Further, 
they  were  instrumental  in  producing  the  dry  gas  clean- 
ing plant  for  blast  furnace  gases,  which  is  still  in 
operation  in  a  number  of  the  large  steel  works  in  this 
country.  Since  the  combination  of  these  two  compan- 
ies the  works  have  been  reorganized  from  war  condi- 
tions, with  a  view  to  concentrating  attention  on   tur- 


NOVEMBER,    1919 


293 


bines,  turbo  blowers,  rolling-mill  equipment,  and  gen- 
eral engineering  ;  and  although  they  already  cover  an 
area  of  about  18  acres,  are  not  sufficiently  commodious 
for  their  rapidly-extending  business,  and  call  for  con- 
siderable extensions  to  make  adequate  provision  for 
the  ever-increasing  call  upon  the  company's  resources. 
Situated  close  to  the  river  Thames,  and  within  easy 
access  of  London,  it  will  be  seen  that  they  are 
well  placed  for  both  the  inland  and  export  trade. 

The  foregoing  conveys  very  little  idea  of  the  mag- 
nitude of  the  works  which  it  was  our  privilege  to  in- 
spect. Passing  from  the  maze  of  general  offices  one 
stepped  into  the  Drawing  Department,  where  between 
30  and  40  draughtsmen  were  busily  employed,  the 
fons  et  origo  of  some  of  the  great  mechanical  produc- 
tions seen  later.  From  this  point  the  more  practical 
parts  of  the  establishment  were  seen,  especially  when, 
on  entering  the  General  Engineering  Shop,  there  was 
brought  into  view  the  overhead  cranes  carrying  up  to 
25  tons,  and  the  boring,  turning,  planing,  and  slotting 
machines.  The  Smiths'  Shop,  with  its  steam  ham- 
mers, sawing  and  cutting  off  machinery,  and  oil-fired 
annealing  furnace,  gave  one  the  impression  that  there 
was  very  little,  if  anything,  that  could  not  be  done 
there.  The  Foundry,  which  in  ordinary  times  would 
be  a  place  of  great  activity,  was  strangely  silent ;  not 
because  there  was  no  work  to  do  ;  on  the  contrary, 
there  was  an  abundance,  but  the  fires  were  out,  and 


the  workmen  were  absent.  This  particular  part  of  the 
works,  which  are  centrally  situated,  is  composed  of 
two  main  bays  measuring  360  by  155  ft.,  and  the  entire 
length  is  covered  by  six  25  ton  electrical  overhead 
travelling  cranes,  and  castings  up  to  approximately 
35  tons  weight  are  provided  for. 

A  very  different  aspect  was  presented  on  entering 
the  Boiler  and  Plate  Shop.  Here  all  was  activity  ; 
huge  plates  were  being  rolled  and  drilled,  the  process 
of  riveting  was  to  be  seen,  and  welding  in  various 
stages  of  operation  was  being  carried  on.  With  the 
remarkable  development  of  the  turbine,  the  section 
where  these  are  built  proved  very  attractive.  This 
shop  has  been  specially  designed  for  the  manufacture 
of  large  steam  turbines,  turbo  blowers,  and  turbo-com- 
pressors, and  is  equipped  with  boring  and  turning 
mills,  planing  machines,  lathes,  presses,  &c.  In  this 
shop  there  were  many  test  beds  with  condensing  plants 
beneath,  as  every  machine  is  tested  before  its  despatch. 
On  either  side  there  is  a  gallery,  one  of  which  is  de- 
voted to  the  manufacture  of  blades  for  turbines.  The 
other  is  given  up  to  assembling,  riveting,  and  finishing 
wheels  for  turbines  and  blowers.  In  this  department 
also  were  to  be  seen  many  types  of  turbines,  ranging 
from  500  kw.  upwards.  At  present  the  F.  &  C.  Works 
have  under  construction  for  the  Glasgow  Corporation 
a  high-pressure  machine  with  a  normal  capacity  of 
15,000  kw.  and  the  overload  up  to  23,500  kw.,  run- 


Ekecting  Bay  of  Machine  Shop,  Fraser  &  Chalmers  Engineering  Works,  at  Erith. 

Showing  15,1)00  kw.  F.  g  C.  High-Pressure  Turbine  under  construction. 


294 


THE    MINING     MAGAZINE 


ning  at  1, 500  r. p.m.,  and  designed  for  divided  flow  in 
the  low-pressure  stage.  This  is  near  completion,  as 
are  others  for  China,  South  Africa,  etc.  There  was  also 
to  be  seen  in  an  advanced  state  of  completion  the  lar- 
gest turbo-compressor  built  in  this  country,  having  a 
capacity  of  20,000  cu.  ft.  of  free  air  per  minute  against 
a  pressure  of  100  lb.  per  sq.  in.  developing  4,100  b.h.p. 

In  the  department  dealing  with  mining  machinery  it  is 
to  be  noted  that  F.  &  C.  produce  stamp-mills,  tube- 
mills,  Hardinge  conical  mi  lis,  Dorr  machinery,  crushing 
andscreening  plant, concentration  machinery, indeed  all 
the  auxiliaries  for  a  complete  mining  equipment.  Much 
attention  has  been  given  since  1912  to  dry  gas-cleaning 
plant,  a  system  which  was  begun  in  Germany,  but  the 
F.  &  C.  Works  are  now  the  sole  manufacturers  in  Great 
Britain  of  the  Halberg- Beth  process.  The  first  plant  in- 
stalled in  this  country  was  a  small  capacity  unit  of  350,000 
cu.  ft  of  gas  per  hour,  whereas,  showing  the  rapid  advance 
made,  the  largest  plant  now  under  construction  will 
effectively  deal  with  9,000,000  cu.  ft.  per  hour.  Pass- 
ing through  the  Wood-working  Department,  the  Pat- 
tern Shop  came  in  for  inspection,  and  there  one  saw 
the  designs  that  had  been  worked  out  in  one  depart- 
ment being  prepared  for  yet  another. 

During  the  war  this  Works  contributed  in  no  mean 
measure  to  the  success  that  attended  our  efforts,  and 
brought  us  victory,  contributing  as  they  did  pontoon 
boats,  armoured  cars,  heavy  gun  parts,  shell  dies,  and 
a  host  of  other  essentials  too  numerous  to  mention  here. 

Before  the  return  journey  was  made,  the  guests 
were  invited  to  partake  of  the  company's  hospitality, 
during  which  Mr  Hirst,  Chairman  of  the  G.E.C., 
delivered  an  illuminating  speech  on  the  company's 
operations  and  its  future  expansion.  He  was  sup-  < 
ported  by  Mr.  E.  W.  Wilson,  who,  in  a  very  brief 
speech,  alluded  to  the  good  training  he  had  received 
from  the  previous  speaker,  under  whom  he  had  served 
for  27  years.  Mr.  S.  Kentell,  of  "Electricity,*'  made 
suitable  reply  for  the  members  of  the  Press,  thanking 
Mr.  Hirst,  whom  he  had  known  for  33  years,  for  the 
opportunity  afforded  them  of  inspecting  the  works  at 
Erith,  and  also  for  the  hospitality  shown  to  them. 

THE  SHIPPING,    ENGINEERING.   AND 
MACHINERY  EXHIBITION. 

The  period  originally  fixed  for  this  exhibition  was 
extended  by  four  days,  owing  to  the  inability  of  num- 
bers of  visitors  from  the  Midlands  and  the  North  to 
reach  Olympia  during  the  railway  strike.  From  the 
moment  when  something  like  a  normal  train  service 
was  obtained  the  success  of  the  exhibition  was  assur- 
ed. In  addition  to  the  brief  sketch  that  appeared  in 
the  October  issue,  the  following  notes  will  be  found  of 
interest  to  mining  engineers. 

Babcock  &  Wilcox,  Ltd.,  of  Farringdon  Street, 
London,  and  Renfrew,  showed  models  of  some  of  their 
manufactures,  and  also  of  appliances  for  the  saving  of 
labour  in  handling  materials.  In  1889  they  introduc- 
ed their  patent  marine-type  boiler,  which  has  made 
continuous  progress  ever  since.  It  has  many  advan- 
tages, being  adaptable  for  either  coal  or  oil  ;  all  the 
tubes  are  straight,  all  joints  expanded,  and  every  part 
is  easily  accessible  for  cleaning  or  repair.  They  also 
showed  an  automatic  water-softening  plant,  among  its 
principal  features  being  the  simplicity  of  its  work- 
ing and  the  fact  that  treatment  can  be  carried  out  in 
hot  or  cold.  The  model  of  their  gravity  bucket  con- 
veyor showed  a  typical  conveyor  installation,  compris- 
ing filler,  driver,  wheel  curves,  and  chain  and  buckets. 
Any  material  delivered  through  the  filler  into  the  buc- 
kets is  carried  undisturbed  to  the  point  of  discharge, 
the  whole  of  the  chain  running  on  wheels  automati- 


cally lubricated.  In  addition  the  firm  specializes  in 
the  construction  of  patent  tray  conveyors,  and  had  on 
exhibitionacollection  of  conveyor  parts,  buckets,  trays, 
links,  chains,  <S;c. 

DAVIDSON  &  Co.,  Ltd.,  of  the  Sirocco  Engineering 
Works,  Belfast,  had  a  number  of  exhibits.  Ore  of 
these  was  a  marine  forced-draught  set,  with  a  35  in. 
diam.  "Sirocco"  fan,  direct-coupled  to  a  "  Sirocco  r 
enclosed  forced  lubricated  engine,  supplying  air  to 
special  furnace  fronts  through  a  pre-heater  arranged 
in  the  boiler  up  take.  They  also  manufacture  air 
washers,  induced  draught  fans,  steam  heater  units  for 
factory  heating,  fans  for  ships'  ventilators,  high  pres- 
sure fans  for  cupolas,  forge  fires,  dust  fans,  and  hand- 
driven  fans.  Their  mine  fans  are,  of  course,  well 
known. 

James  Keith  &  BlackmanCo.,  Ltd  , of  27,  Farring- 
don Avenue,  London,  EC,  had  a  variety  of  blowers 
and  fans  for  all  kinds  of  ventilation,  for  saloons,  state- 
rooms, stokeholds,  bilges,  tanks,  workshops,  public 
buildings,  &c.  They  had  also  a  "  KB."  smith's 
hearth,  a  down-draught  smith's  hearth,  a  "  KB."  cop- 
persmith's fire,  with  direct  coupled  electric  blast  fan, 
and  a  "Keith"  centrifugal  fan,  belt  and  electrically 
driven,  for  ventilation,  fume,  steam,  and  dust  removal, 
mine  ventilation,  &c. 

Siemens  Brothers  &  Co.,  Ltd  ,  of  London  and 
Stafford,  showed  cables  for  electric  lighting  and  power 
suitable  for  installation  upon  ships,  loud-speaking  tele- 
phones for  use  between  the  bridge,  engine  room,  and 
various  positions  on  deck  ;  a  helm  indicator  for  show- 
ing on  a  dial  the  angle  of  the  rudder  or  helm,  an  ad- 
vantage in  this  device  being  that  the  instrument  may 
be  placed  either  on  the  navigating  bridge  or  elsewhere  ; 
and  a  navigation  light  indicator,  to  show  at  a  glance 
whether  the  navigation  lights  are  all  burning.  The 
use  of  this  indicator  is  apparent,  the  failure  of  a  light 
being  revealed  immediately.  In  addition  they  had  a 
searchlight  projector,  a  "  Siemens  24  in.  Suez  Canal ,T 
pattern  with  split  mirror  and  an  80  ampere  lamp, 
switch  pillars,  and  panels;  also  a  complete  wireless 
telegraph  station,  being  a  standard  ship's  installation, 
with  an  emergency  transmitter  for  use  when  the  main 
source  of  electric  supply  is  not  available,  a  valuable 
feature  being  its  compactness  and  the  almost  complete 
absence  of  noise.  To  mining  engineers  the  f'rm  is 
known  for  its  work  in  connection  with  the  electrical 
equipment  of  mines. 

Tin-:  Variable  Speed  Gear,  Ltd.,  of  Broadway 
Court,  Westminster,  were  exhibiting  their  Williams- 
Janney  hydraulic  variable  speed  gears.  These  are 
suitable  for  any  purpose  where  it  is  desired  to  convert 
a  constant  speed  in  one  direction  into  an  infinitely- 
variable  speed  in  either  direction,  and  to  develop  a 
high  starting  torque.  These  gears  are  applicable  to 
capstans,  windlasses,  winches,  cranes,  and  other  ap- 
liances  for  hoisting  and  hauling. 

The  Whirl  Rotary  Pump  Co  ,  Ltd.,  of  Strat- 
ford, London,  E.,  showed  their  pump.  Every  part  of 
this  pump  is  easily  accessible,  and  can  be  withdrawn 
without  in  any  way  disturbing  the  pipe  connections. 
The  pump  is  particularly  adapted  for  fluids  and  semi- 
fluids  where  large  volumes  have  to  be  dealt  with 
quickly  and  economically.  Its  other  advantages  are 
its  positive  action,  its  lightness  in  weight,  and  the  small 
amount  of  floor-space  it  occupies. 

The  British  Flottmann  Co.,  of  Cardiff,  special- 
ize in  drills  and  machines  for  boring  shot-holes  in 
mines  and  quarries.  The  drills  are  constructed  of 
solid  forgings  of  highest  grade  steel,  each  part  being 
subjected  to  a  case-hardening  process  in  order  to  give 
to  the  machine  a  long  life  and  render  it  immune  from 


NOVEMBER,    1919 


295 


breakage,  despite  the  fact  that  the  drills  have  a  most 
severe  test  put  upon  them,  approximately  2,500  blows 
a  minute  being  delivered.  Among  the  great  variety  of 
their  exhibits  they  had,  too,  a  drill  for  submarine 
work,  which  they  claim  is  just  as  easy  to  work  as  an 
ordinary  hammer-drill  is  in  a  mine  or  quarry.  Com- 
pressed air  is  the  principal  force  used,  but  in  cases 
where  this  system  cannot  be  adopted  steam  can  be 
easily  applied.  They  had  also  hollow  drills,  and  twist 
drills,  with  cutting  bits  of  various  shapes. 

W.  &  T.  Avery,  Ltd.,  of  Birmingham,  had  a  fine 
exhibit  of  weighing  machines  in  great  variety.  Their 
automatic  grain  weigher  is  constructed  on  the  princi- 
ple of  the  equal  armed  beam,  on  one  end  of  which  is 
the  weigh  hopper  of  the  machine,  and  on  the  other  the 
weight  box  containing  the  dead  weights  to  the  amount 
required.  The  machine  is  entirely  automatic  in  action, 
thus  eliminating  the  human  element.  They  also  ex- 
hibited the"  Avery  Brinell  "  hardness  testing  machine, 
the  129  ft. -lb.  impact  tester,  the  604  cement  tester,  and 
a  10  ton  machine. 

The  Delta  Metal  Co.,  Ltd.,  of  East  Greenwich, 
had  many  samples  of  their  "Delta"  bronzes  in  the 
form  of  rods  and  bars,  shapes  and  sections,  solid  and 
hollow,  forgings,  stampings,  &c.  Their  No.  IV.  is 
largely  used  to  replace  steel  in  general  engineering, 
shipbuilding,  mining,  sanitary,  and  other  work.  In 
addition  they  displayed  numerous  test  pieces  illustra- 
ting the  strength,  tenacity,  and  ductility  of  the  various 
qualities  of  metals  and  alloys  which  they  manufacture. 

Explosives  Trades,  Ltd.,  of  Cavendish  Square, 
exhibited  explosives  of  every  description,  detonators, 
electric  fuses,  sound  and  smoke  signals,  &c.  They 
had,  too,  an  engineering  section  and  one  dealing  with 
non-ferrous  metals. 

The  Igranic  Electric  Co.,  Ltd.,  of  147,  Queen 
Victoria  Street,  London,  E.C  ,  displayed  a  large 
variety  of  electric  coils  for  wireless  equipments,  switch- 
es, rheostats  of  various  types,  and  motor  starters  ; 
and  they  had  in  operation  a  Telfer  crane  equipped  with 
a  model  unit  type  electric  lifting  magnet  for  handling 
steel  bars,  plates,  pipes,  &c, 

E.  Green  &  Son,  Ltd.,  of  Wakefield,  showed  a 
model  of  their  fuel  economizer  with  flues,  working  in 
connection  with  water  tube  boilers.  These  econo- 
mizers preheat  the  water  before  going  to  the  boilers 
by  means  of  waste  gases  and  save  from  15%  to  20% 
of  the  coal. 

W.  H.  Bailey  &  Co.,  Ltd.,  of  Manchester,  showed, 
among  other  things,  their  "aqua-thruster"  steam  pump, 
which  requires  no  skilled  attention  in  handling  water 
containing  the  solids  usually  found  in  mine  water. 

The  Engineering  Supplies  Co.,  of  Newcastle- 
on-Tyne,  showed  the  "Finney"  pump.  One  of  its 
special  qualifications,  which  commends  it  to  mining 
engineers,  is  that  the  water  on  its  passage  through  the 
pump  passes  directly  through  the  valves  without  en- 
tering the  cylinder  and  immediately  finds  its  exit 
through  the  discharge.  This  considerably  prolongs 
the  life  of  the  cylinder,  pistons,  and  rods,  especially 
when  gritty  or  corrosive  liquids  have  to  be  dealt  with. 

Allen  West  &  Co.,  Ltd.,  of  Brighton,  in  con- 
junction with  Herbert  Morris,  Ltd.,  crane  makers, 
of  Loughborough,  showed  a36in.  circular  lifting  mag- 
net, hoisting  scrap  from  a  large  water  tank,  the  mag- 
net being  operated  by  a  contactor  controller  and 
master  switch.  A  special  "  locked"  winding  is  one  of 
its  features,  by  which  the  magnets  may  be  worked 
under  water  without  injury. 

Petters,  Ltd.,  and  Vickkus-Petteks,  Ltd., 
Westminster,  showed  their  "Semi-Diesel"  crude-oil 
engine.     It  will  burn  any  kind  of  crude  or  residual  oil 


at  an  extremely  low  running  cost  ;  added  to  this  it  can 
be  started  in  one  minute  from  cold,  a  desideratum  long 
looked  for  by  mining  engineers. 

W.  H.  Allen,  Son,  &  Co.,  Ltd.,  of  Bedford,  had 
a  great  display  of  ships'  fittings,  from  switches  and 
connectors  to  oil-driven  salvage  pumps.  Thesepumps 
have  capacities  of  670  to  750  tons  of  water  per  hour. 
The  work  for  which  the  pumps  are  adapted  is  that  of 
raising  sunken  vessels,  large  numbers  being  construc- 
ted for  the  Admiralty.  The  firm  also  makes  pumps 
useful  in  mining  and  metallurgical  operations. 

George  Kent,  Ltd.,  of  High  Holborn,  among  a 
variety  of  meters  were  showing  their  "  Venturi  "  tube 
for  the  measurement  of  the  flow  of  water  and  air. 
Their  l^in.  "Gate"  type  air  meter  is  suitable  for  use 
with  rock-drills. 

J.  &  E.  Hall,  Ltd.,  of  Dartford,  exhibited  a  re- 
frigerating machine  suitable  for  many  purposes  :  for 
instance,  for  the  manufacture  of  ice  and  for  cooling 
drinking  water  and  cupboards  on  passenger  vessels, 
and  a  C0.2  machine  for  maintaining  a  steady  tempera- 
ture in  ship's  magazines.  This  firm's  refrigerating 
machines  are  applicable  for  the  drying  and  cooling  of 
inlet  air  in  schemes  for  the  ventilation  of  deep  mines. 

Werf  Conrad,  of  Haarlem,  had  an  excellent  dis- 
play, in  the  Holland  Section,  of  their  dredges,  demon- 
strating at  a  glance  the  enormous  stride  that  has  been 
made  since  those  built  about  150  years  ago,  of  which 
a  model  was  to  be  seen  in  the  Historical  Section. 
Their  dredges  are  of  interest  to  both  civil  and  mining 
engineers. 

The  Marion  Steam  Shovel  Co.,  of  Canton, Ohio, 
had  a  stall  at  the  exhibition,  though  their  name  did 
not  appear  in  the  catalogue.  Their  shovels  can  be 
used  in  an  iron  mine  or  for  making  a  railway  track. 
Their  small  revolving  shovel,  turning  in  its  own  length, 
can  go  anywhere,  being  mounted  on  crawling  traction 
trucks.  The  small  type  can  be  used  for  underground 
mining  of  all  kinds  where  the  head-room  suffices.  By 
contrast,  Model  100,  the  working  weight  of  which  is 
137  tons,  has  a  capacity  of  from  2,500  to  5,500  cubic 
yards  in  ten  hours. 

The  Detail  Engineering  Co  ,  of  Victoria  Street, 
Westminster,  were  showing  a  very  effective  grip  for 
wire  rope  called  the  "  Mortimer  "patent  wire  rope  grip. 
The  whole  mechanism  consists  of  two  bridges  held 
together  by  two  bolts,  with  a  centre  bore  having  a 
gripping  surface  of  machined  grooves.  It  is  made  of 
forged  steel,  is  plastic,  and  has  no  shearing  lines. 
These  grips  are  guaranteed  to  hold  a  rope  round  a 
standard  thimble  without  reducing  the  breaking  strain 
more  than  5%,  and  requires  a  minimum"  tail.'* 

METAL  MARKETS 

Copper. — The  stocks  of  copper  held  in  this  country 
by  the  Government  on  October  1  amounted  to 
tons,  which  showed  a  decrease  on  the  month  of  5,265 
tons.  While  this  decrease  was  satisfactory  from  a 
market  point  of  view-,  it  had  no  material  effect  on  the 
trend  of  values,  the  fact  that  there  would  be  a  decrease 
being  generally  expected.  Perhaps  the  most  interest- 
ing inference  that  can  be  drawn  is  that  the  ( rovernment 
had  apparently  been  getting  a  large  share  of  the  busi- 
ness which  had  been  going  The  market  has  seen 
some  variations  of  sentiment  during  the  month  of 
October,  which  have  been  chiefly  traceable  to  the  fears 
of,  or  results  of.  labour  troubles  both  at  home  and 
abroad.  One  of  the  most  important  features  has  been 
the  downward  tendency  of  the  quotations  cabled  from 
America,  and  it  seems  clear  that  the  large  producers 
there  are  now  shading  their  prices  in  spite  of  much  talk 


296 


THE    MINING   MAGAZINE 


Daily  London  Metal  Prices:   Official  Closing 

Copper,  Lead,  Zinc,  and  Tin  per  Long 


Co 

PPER 

Standard  Cash 

Standard  (3  mos  ) 

Electrolytic 

Ingots 

Electrolytic 

Best  Selected 

W 

ire-Bars 

Oct. 

£ 

s. 

d. 

£ 

s. 

d 

£ 

s 

d.  £ 

s. 

<i 

£ 

s. 

d, 

£ 

s. 

d 

£ 

s. 

d.  £ 

f . 

d 

£ 

s. 

d.  £ 

s.  d. 

n 

106 

10 

0  to 

107 

0 

0 

106 

10 

0  to  107 

0 

i 

114 

0 

0 

to 

121 

0 

0 

120 

0 

0  to  121 

0 

0 

113 

0 

0  to  114 

0  0 

14 

106 

0 

0  to 

106 

10 

0 

105 

5 

0  to  106 

10 

0 

115 

0 

0 

to 

122 

0 

0 

120 

0 

0  to  122 

0 

(! 

114 

0 

Oto  115 

0  0 

15 

105 

15 

0  to 

106 

0 

0 

106 

5 

0  to  106 

n 

0 

115 

0 

0 

to 

122 

0 

0 

120 

0 

0  to  122 

0 

0 

114 

0 

0  to  115 

0  0 

16 

105 

5 

0  to 

105 

10 

0 

105 

10 

0  to  105 

15 

( 

116 

0 

0 

to 

122 

0 

o 

120 

0 

0  to  122 

0 

0 

114 

0 

0  to  115 

0  0 

17 

106 

5 

0  to 

06 

10 

0 

106 

5 

0  to  106 

10 

0 

117 

0 

0 

t.l 

122 

0 

0 

120 

0 

0  to  122 

0 

0 

115 

0 

0  to  116 

0  0 

20 

107 

5 

0  to 

107 

10 

0 

106 

5 

0  to  106 

10 

0 

117 

0 

0 

to 

121 

0 

0 

120 

0 

0  to  121 

0 

0 

115 

0 

0  to  116 

0  0 

21 

106 

5 

0  to 

106 

10 

0 

105 

15 

0  to  106 

0 

0 

117 

0 

0 

to 

122 

0 

0 

120 

0 

0  to  122 

0 

0 

115 

0 

Oto  116 

0  0 

22 

104 

10 

0  to 

104 

15 

0 

104 

0 

0  to  101 

5 

0 

116 

0 

0 

to 

121 

0 

0 

119 

0 

0  to  121 

0 

( 

115 

0 

0  to  116 

0  0 

23 

102 

5 

0  to 

102 

10 

0 

102 

5 

0  to  102 

10 

0 

115 

0 

0 

to 

120 

0 

0 

118 

0 

0  to  120 

0 

0 

115 

0 

0  to  116 

0  0 

24 

100 

10 

0  to 

100 

15 

0 

100 

IS 

0  to  101 

0 

0 

114 

0 

0 

to 

119 

0 

0 

118 

0 

0  to  119 

0 

( 

113 

0 

0  to  114 

0  0 

27 

98 

5 

0  to 

us 

10 

0 

'J ) 

0 

0  to  99 

5 

0 

114 

0 

0 

to 

118 

0 

0 

117 

0 

Oto  118 

0 

c 

113 

0 

Oto  114 

0  0 

28 

99 

2 

6  to 

99 

5 

0 

99 

15 

0  to  100 

0 

0 

114 

0 

0 

to 

118 

0 

0 

117 

0 

0  to  118 

0 

0 

111 

0 

Oto  114 

0  0 

29 

100 

0 

0  to 

loo 

5 

0 

100 

15 

0  to  101 

0 

0 

114 

0 

0 

to 

118 

0 

0 

117 

0 

0  to  US 

0 

0 

113 

0 

0  to  !14 

0  0 

30 

100 

12 

6  to 

100 

17 

6 

101 

7 

6  to  101 

10 

0 

114 

0 

0 

to 

119 

0 

0 

117 

0 

Oto  119 

0 

c 

113 

0 

Oto  114 

0  0 

31 

Nov. 

3 

100 

10 

0  to 

100 

15 

0 

101 

7 

6  to  101 

10 

0 

114 

0 

0 

to 

118 

0 

0 

116 

0 

0  to  118 

0 

0 

113 

0 

0  to  114 

0  0 

99 

15 

0  to 

too 

0 

0 

100 

10 

0  to  100 

15 

0 

114 

0 

0 

to 

118 

0 

0 

116 

0 

Oto  118 

0 

0 

113 

0 

0  to  114 

0  0 

4 

99 

10 

0  to 

99 

15 

0 

100 

5 

0  to  100 

10 

0 

114 

0 

o 

to 

118 

11 

0 

116 

o 

Oto  IIS 

II 

0 

112 

0 

0  to  113 

0  0 

5 

100 

12 

6  to 

100 

17 

6 

101 

12 

6  to  101 

17 

6 

113 

0 

0 

to 

117 

0 

0 

116 

o 

Oto  117 

0 

( 

112 

0 

Oto  113 

0  0 

6 

103 

15 

0  to 

101 

0 

0 

102 

0 

0  to  102 

5 

0 

113 

0 

0 

to 

117 

o 

0 

116 

0 

Oto  117 

0 

0 

112 

0 

0  toll3 

0  0 

7 

100 

5 

0  to 

too 

10 

0 

101 

10 

0  to  101 

15 

0 

113 

0 

0 

to 

117 

0 

0 

116 

0 

0  to  117 

0 

0 

112 

0 

0  to  113 

0  0 

10 

100 

0 

0  to 

LOO 

5 

0 

101 

5 

0  to  101 

10 

0 

112 

0 

0 

to 

117 

0 

0 

115 

0 

Oto  117 

0 

0 

112 

0 

Oto  113 

0  0 

in  the  past  as  to  their  faith  in  the  future  of  the  metal. 
It  looks  as  if  stocks  there  were  undoubtedly  accumu- 
lating, and  this  has  no  doubt  influenced  their  ac- 
tion. Toward  the  end  of  the  month  the  general  labour 
unsettlement  in  America  had  a  depressing  effect  on 
sentiment,  although  it  really  seems  to  be  as  much  a 
bull  point  as  a  bear  point,  owing  to  the  fact  that  if 
consumption  is  stopped  so  also  will  be  production. 
The  (uture  absorbing  power  of  the  domestic  market  in 
America  must  depend  largely  on  how  soon  labour  there 
settles  down.  On  this  side  manufacturers  of  copper, 
and  of  wire,  have  been  very  busy,  but  the  brass  trade 
has  been  affected  by  the  moulders' strike,  and  the  amount 
of  copper  going  into  consumption  in  this  country  is 
probably  not  up  to  previous  records  owing  to  the  diffi- 
culty of  keeping  up  output  for  various  reasons,  such  as 
lack  of  fuel  and  labour.  Meanwhile  standard  copper 
has  been  moderately  active,  some  metal  being  taken 
up  for  shipment  to  Japan  and  elsewhere,  and  this  was 
instrumental  in  creating  occasionally  a  premium  for 
cash  standard.  Generally  speaking  standard  copper 
is  not  dear,  and  although  easier  values  may  be  seen 
for  electrolytic  in  view  of  the  wide  margin  between  the 
two,  standard  ought  not  to  be  adversely  affected. 

Average  prices  for  cash  standard  copper :  October 
1919,  £103.  lis.;  September  1919,  /100.  17s.  5d.  ; 
October  1918,   £122    5s.  ;   September  1918,  £122.  5s. 

Tin. — This  metal  has  perhaps  not  been  quite  so  in- 
teresting during  the  month  of  October,  as  although 
values  continually  fluctuated,  the  price  movements 
have  not  been  so  extravagant  as  is  sometimes  the  case 
in  this  metal.  The  trade,  however,  has  had  a  good 
many  vicissitudes  during  the  period  in  question,  with 
the  railway  strike  and  the  moulders'  strike  at  home, 
the  steel  strike  in  America,  and  latterly  the  labour  dis- 
turbance in  that  country.  The  tinplate  trade  in  this 
country  has  been  very  active,  and  a  good  outlet  for  the 
metal  in  that  direction  seems  assured  for  some  time  to 
come.  The  export  demand  for  America  has  been  rather 
disappointing,  but  the  lack  of  business  with  that  country 
is  of  course  explained  by  the  labour  troubles  there. 
When  these  are  over  there  ought  to  be  a  good  demand 
from  the  United  States  also,  but  at  the  moment  it  is 
impossible  to  say  when  this  can  be  expected  to  come 
along.     Meanwhile  stocks  here  have  been  increasing, 


and  if  some  time  is  going  to  elapse  before  shipments 
on  an  important  scale  can  be  resumed  to  America,  it 
looks  as  if  the  supplies  in  this  country  must  accumu- 
late further.  In  view  of  all  these  circumstances,  it 
can  only  be  said  that  values  have  been  very  well  main- 
tained, which  may  be  partly  attributable  to  the  firm 
attitude  adopted  by  holders  in  the  Straits.  Latterly 
little  business  has  been  reported  from  there,  and  in 
some  quarters  it  is  suggested  that  holders  are  finding 
some  less  obvious  method  of  disposing  of  their  metal. 
China  continues  to  refrain  from  offering,  and  indeed 
has  been  reported  to  be  buying  in  the  Straits.  Mean- 
while Batavia  has  been  firm  and  it  is  reported  that 
Germany  has  purchased  3,000  tons  of  Banka  tin  there. 
At  home,  makers  of  Knglish  have  not  been  pressing 
their  metal  for  sale,  as  they  sold  fairly  well  some  time 
ago  when  the  export  buying  movement  was  on,  and 
indeed  even  yet  have  difficulty  in  giving  prompt  de- 
livery. 

Average  prices  of  cash  standard  tin  ;  October  1919, 
£279.  4s  lid.  ;  September  1919,  £280.  4s.  ;  October 
1918,  £335.  10s.  ;  September  1918.  £343.  19s    Id. 

Lead. — This  market  has  seen  aconsiderableadvance 
during  the  month  of  October,  and  dealings  on  'Change 
have  surpassed  all  previous  records  in  their  magnitude. 
The  chief  cause  of  this  seems  to  have  been  the  steady 
reduction  in  the  Government  stocks  of  the  metal,  and 
to  the  fact  that  there  was  an  absence  of  serious  outside 
competition  from  such  sources  as  America.  In  con- 
sequence of  this,  speculators  took  a  very  active  interest 
in  the  market,  and  bought  largely,  with  the  result  that 
prices  very  quickly  advanced.  The  firmer  aspect  of 
prices  brought  in  consumers'  demand,  with  the  result 
that  the  market  was  assisted  upward  still  further. 
Latterly  a  little  more  hesitation  has  been  seen  and  con- 
sumers have  been  less  keen  on  buying.  The  chief  de- 
mand from  users  emanated  from  the  cable  makers,  who 
have  been  very  busy  and  have  bought  well  forward, 
but  it  is  also  reported  that  there  is  an  improvement  in 
the  sheet  and  pipe  trade.  The  market  now  appears 
to  be  in  the  neighbourhood  of  such  a  level  as  might 
induce  the  United  States  to  offer  bonded  lead  to  this 
country,  and  this  would  of  course  have  the  effect  of 
preventing  a  further  advance.  Business,  indeed,  has 
already  been  reported  to  have  been  done  by  America 


NOVEMBER,     1919 


297 


Prices  on  the  London  Metal  Exchange. 

Tons  ;  Silver  per  Standard  Ounce. 


Le 

AD 

Standard  Tin 

Silver 

Zinc 
(Spelter) 

Soft  Foreign 

English 

Cash 

3  mos. 

Cash 

Forward 

£   s. 

d.  £ 

S. 

d. 

£ 

s. 

d. 

£ 

s. 

d.  £ 

s. 

d. 

£ 

s. 

d.   £ 

s. 

d. 

£ 

s. 

d.  £ 

s. 

d- 

Oct. 

27  15 

0  to  29 

0 

0 

29 

0 

0 

43 

10 

0  to  44 

10 

0 

283 

10 

0  to  283 

15 

0 

28 1 

10 

Oto  285 

0 

0 

62| 

62 

13 

28  10 

0  to  29 

5 

0 

29 

10 

0 

43 

15 

0  to  44 

10 

0 

281 

10 

0  to  281 

15 

0 

282 

15 

0  to  283 

5 

0 

6  3,  \t 

62i53 

14 

28  12 

6  to  29 

5 

0 

29 

10 

0 

41 

0 

0  to  44 

15 

0 

278 

15 

0  to  279 

0 

0 

280 

0 

0  to  280 

5 

0 

63! 
632 

63 

15 

28  15 

0  to  29 

5 

0 

29 

15 

0 

44 

5 

0  to  44 

17 

6 

279 

15 

0  to  280 

0 

0 

280 

15 

Oto  281 

0 

0 

62l 

16 

23  17 

6  to  29 

5 

0 

29 

15 

0 

44 

10 

0  to  45 

0 

0 

281 

0 

Oto  281 

5 

0 

282 

5 

0  to  282 

10 

c 

632 

6-'l 

17 

29  0 

0  to  29 

10 

0 

30 

0 

0 

45 

0 

0  to  45 

10 

0 

281 

10 

0  to  282 

0 

0 

282 

10 

0  to  283 

0 

0 

64i 

63i 

20 

29  5 

0  to  29 

15 

0 

30 

5 

0 

45 

10 

0  to  46 

0 

0 

281 

0 

Oto  281 

5 

0 

282 

0 

Oto  282 

5 

0 

64§ 

638 

21 

29  12 

6  to  30 

5 

0 

30 

10 

0 

45 

10 

0  to  45 

15 

0 

279 

0 

0  to  279 

5 

c 

280 

0 

0  to  280 

5 

0 

63! 

f>^ 

22 

30  10 

0  to  31 

5 

0 

31 

10 

0 

45 

10 

0  to  45 

15 

0 

280 

0 

0  to  280 

5 

0 

281 

0 

Oto  281 

5 

0 

631 

63i 

23 

30  7 

6  to  30 

17 

6 

31 

10 

0 

45 

10 

0  to  45 

15 

0 

279 

0 

0  to  279 

5 

0 

280 

0 

0  to  280 

5 

0 

64J 

63§ 

24 

29  17 

6  to  30 

17 

6 

31 

5 

0 

45 

0 

0  to  45 

10 

0 

273 

10 

0  to  273 

15 

0 

274 

10 

Oto  274 

15 

0 

65 

64r3g 

27 

30  7 

6  to  30 

15 

0 

31 

5 

0 

45 

0 

0to45 

5 

o 

275 

15 

0  to  276 

0 

0 

177 

0 

Oto  277 

5 

0 

65| 

64A 
64! 

28 

30  10 

0  to  30 

15 

0 

31 

5 

0 

44 

10 

0  to  45 

0 

0 

276 

15 

0  to  277 

0 

0 

277 

15 

Oto  2/8 

0 

c 

66§ 

29 

30  15 

0  to  31 

0 

0 

31 

10 

0 

43 

10 

0  to  44 

0 

0 

277 

5 

0  to  277 

10 

0 

278 

0 

0  to  278 

5 

0 

6th 

64}  J 
63l 

30 

31  2 

6  to  31 

7 

6 

52 

0 

0 

44 

10 

0  to  45 

0 

0 

275 

0 

0  to  275 

5 

0 

275 

10 

Oto  275 

15 

0 

65* 

31 

Nov. 

32  0 

0  to  32 

7 

6 

33 

0 

0 

44 

10 

0  to  45 

0 

0 

272 

15 

0  to  273 

0 

0 

273 

10 

Oto  273 

15 

0 

66 

63$ 

3 

32  10 

0  to  32 

15 

0 

33 

10 

0 

44 

15 

Oto  45 

5 

0 

273 

15 

0  to  274 

0 

0 

274 

5 

Oto  274 

10 

0 

67 

64^ 

4 

33  0 

0  to  33 

5 

0 

34 

0 

0 

44 

15 

0  to  45 

5 

0 

277 

0 

0  to  277 

5 

0 

277 

5 

Oto  277 

10 

0 

66! 

64 

5 

53  5 

0  to  33 

10 

0 

34 

0 

0 

41 

10 

Oto  45 

0 

0 

279 

0 

0  to  279 

5 

0 

279 

0 

0  to  279 

5 

0 

66! 

64 

6 

33  10 

0  to  33 

15 

0 

34 

10 

0 

44 

15 

Oto  45 

10 

0 

278 

10 

0  to  278 

15 

0 

27^ 

15 

0  to  279 

0 

0 

66! 

64j 

7 

33  12 

6  to  33 

17 

6 

34 

10 

0 

44 

15 

0  to  45 

15 

0 

279 

5 

0  to  279 

10 

0 

279 

10 

0  to  279 

15 

0 

68i 

67 

10 

in  France,  but  on  the  other  hand  it  is  stated  that  the 
consumption  in  America  is  such  as  would  not  leave 
metal  available  for  export.  The  labour  troubles  there 
may  change  the  aspect  of  affairs  in  this  connection. 

Average  prices  of  soft  pig  lead  :  October  1919,  £28. 
15s.  lid.  ;  September  1919,  £25.  12s.  7d,  ;  October 
1918,  £29  ;   September  1918,  £29. 

Spelter. — This  market  has  also  advanced  consider- 
ably and  business  on  the  Metal  Exchange  has  been 
very  active  indeed.  The  galvanized  sheet  trade  has 
been  busy,  and  a  good  demand  has  been  experienced 
from  time  to  time  with  consumers,  which  no  doubt  was 
responsible  for  a  certain  amount  of  covering  being  done 
on  'Change,  but  at  the  same  time  a  large  factor  in  the 
operations  there  has  been  purchases  on  account  of 
speculators,  who  appear  to  consider  the  position  of  the 
article  favourable  and  were  determined  to  have  the 
benefit  of  any  rise.  The  American  market,  on  the 
other  hand,  had  for  a  while  an  easy  tone,  due  to  the 
steel  strike  there,  and  this  made  business  possible  with 
that  country.  As  a  result  the  demand  on  'Change  was 
met  more  freely  and  the  advance  was  stayed.  Some 
of  the  buying  on  this  side  is  attributed  to  American 
sources,  possibly  with  the  object  of  firming-up  values. 
Meanwhile  consumers  have  been  pretty  well  covered, 
and  it  looks  as  if,  when  re-sales  come  on  the  market, 
a  reaction  might  be  seen.  Recently  some  offerings  here 
of  German  spelter  have  been  reported,  but  it  does  not 
seem  probable  that  the  quantities  from  that  source  will 
be  sufficient  to  influence  the  position.  At  the  time  of 
writing  there  is  still  no  announcement  as  to  the  policy 
to  be  pursued  in  regard  to  the  English  smelting  works 
when  the  existing  subsidy  arrangement  expires  early 
in  November. 

Average  prices  of  spelter:  October  1919,  £43.  18s. ; 
September  1919,  £41.  8s.  5d.  ;  October  1918,  £52; 
September  1918,  £52. 

Zinc  Dust. — Supplies  have  been  rather  scarce  and 
prices  firm.  Australian  high  grade  (88  to  92%  me- 
tallic zinc)  has  been  raised  to  £75  per  ton  c.i.f.  U.K. 

Antimony. — This  article  has  been  firm,  and  prices 
have  been  advanced  to  £47.  10s.  for  English  regulus. 
Some  business  has  been  done  in  Chinese  for  prompt 
shipment  from  the  East  at  £45  c.i.f.  U.K. 

Arsenic. — This  market  has  been  firm,  and  the  quo- 


tation for  white  delivered  London  is  about  £62  per 
ton. 

Bismuth. — 12s.  6d.  nominal  per  lb. 

Cadmium. — 6s.  6d.  to  6s.  9d.  per  lb. 

Aluminium. — £150  per  ton  for  the  home  trade. 

Nickel. — £205perton  for  the  home  trade,  and  £210 
for  export. 

Cobalt  Metal. — 10s.  6d.  per  lb. 

Cobalt  Oxide. — 7s.  to  8s.  per  lb. 

Platinum. — 450s.  nominal  per  oz. 

Palladium. — 500s.  nominal  per  oz. 

Quicksilver. — £17.  5s.  to  £17.  10s.  per  bottle. 

Selenium. — 12s.  to  15s.  per  lb. 

Tellurium. — 95s.  to  100s.  per  lb. 

SulphateofCopper. — £41  to  £43  per  ton. 

Manganese  Ore. — Firm  at  about  2s.  3d  per  unit 
for  Indian  c  i.f.  U.K. 

Tungsten  Ores. — Wolframite  65%  and  scheelite 
65%,  32s.  6d.  per  unit. 

Molybdenite. — 85%,  75s.  to  80s.  per  unit. 

Silver. — The  market  has  fluctuated  slightly,  but  in 
the  main  has  been  very  strong,  chiefly  on  Chinese  buy- 
ing, and  prices  of  standard  bars  touched  the  record 
high  level  of  66'^d.  per  oz.  Early  in  November  the 
record  price  of  68|d.  was  reached. 

Corundum. — No  quotation. 

Graphite.— 80%,  £35  to  £40  per  ton  c.i.f.  U.K. 

Chrome  Ores. — No  quotation. 

Iron  &  Steel. — The  predominant  feature  of  the 
Cleveland  pig  iron  market  has  been  the  scarcity  of 
foundry  iron.  It  was  hoped  that  this  might  be  to  some 
extent  remedied  by  the  moulders'  strike,  which  would 
permit  of  some  of  the  export  inquiries  being  satisfied 
in  view  of  the  consequent  reduction  in  home  consump- 
tion. Unfortunately  the  interruption  of  the  work  of 
the  blast  furnaces  by  reason  of  the  railway  strike  some- 
what defeated  hopes  in  this  respect.  As  it  is,  although 
themoulders'  strike  was  prolonged,  thereis  still  a  short- 
age of  foundry  iron.  Prices  are  steady';  but  the  rise  in 
railway  rates,  which  seems  inevitable,  will  of  course 
affect  these.  As  regards  manufactured  iron  and  steel, 
works  are  all  very  busy,  operations  being  thrown  into 
arrears  by  the  railway  strike,  while  there  is  still  an  ac- 
tive demand  for  both  home  and  export  account,  and 
ship  plates,  for  example,  are  very  difficult  to  procure 


298 


THE    MINING     MAGAZINE 


STATISTICS. 

Production  of  Gold  in  the  Transvaal. 


Transvaal  Gold  Outputs. 


Rand 


Oz. 

July.  1918 716  010 

August 719.849 

September  6-C.963 

October i  667.955 

November    640,797 

December    630.505 


Year  1918  . 


January.  1919 

February  

March 

April  

May    

June   

July    

August  

September   ... 


3, 197,959 

621. US 
694.825 
676.702 
706.158 
682,603' 
705.523 
686,717 
6S0.359 


Total 


221.734 


13.854 
15.540 
17.554 
18.242 
18.8)7 
19.776 
19.974 
19.952 
18.1  9 


Oz. 

736.199 
740.210 
708.206 
679.761 
65O.701 
641,245 


676.059 
636.728 
712.379 
694,944 
724.935 
702.379 
725.497 
706.669 
698.558 


Value 

£ 

3.127,174 
3,144,211 
3.008.267 
2,887.455 
2.797.983 
2.723.836 


35.768.688 
2.871,718 
2.704.647 
3,025,992 
2.951,936 
3,079,583 
2.983,515 
3.081.713 
3.001.739 
2.967.287 


Natives  Emploved  in  the  Transvaal  Minks. 


July  31,  1918  .... 

August  31    

September  30     • 

October  31  

November  30-- 
December  31  •••• 
January  31,  1919 
February  28    •■■• 

March  31 

April  30    

May  31  

June  30 

July  31  

August  31     

September  30-.-- 


Gold 

mines 


Coal 
mines 


178,412 
179.390 
179.399 
173.153 
160.275 
152.606 
169.599 
172,359 
175.620 
175.267 
173.376 
172.505 
173.613 
170,844 
169.120 


11.7C0 
11.950 
12.108 
11.824 
11.826 
11.851 
11.8*8 
11.868 
11.168 
11.906 
12.232 
12.544 
12,453 
12,450 
12.39? 


Diamond 
mines 


Total 


5.011 
4,954 
4.889 
4.749 
4.016 
3,180 
3,539 
4.261 
5.080 
5.742 
5.939 

5.736 
5.655 
5.29* 


195,213 
196.29* 
196.395 
189.726 
176,117 
167,637 
175.986 
188.491 
191.868 
192.915 
191.547 
190,880 
191. t02 
188.949 


Cost  and  Profit  on  the  Rand. 
Compiled  from  official  statistics  published  by  the  Transvaal 
Chamber  of  Mines.    The  profit  available  for  dividends  is  about 

60%  of  the  working  profit.  

Work'g  Work'g      Total 

cost         profit      working 
per  ton   per  ton         profit 


Tons 
milled 


July,  1918. 2.167.869 

2.158,431 
2,060.635 
2.015.144 
1.899.925 
1,855.991 
24.922.763 


August 

September  .. 

October  

November  ■•• 
December  ■•• 


Year  1918 


January,  1919..  1.942.3:9 

February  1,816,352 

March 2.0S2.469 

April 1.993,652 

May 2.099.450 


23  0 

23  2 

22  6 

22  9 

22  3 

22  4 
.134.66S     I    27  10 

August     2.036. 12S         28     5        22  11 


Yield 
per  ton 


s.    d 

27   10 


27  11        21    7 


28  9 

28  9 

28  2 

28  7 

28  4 


June     2032.169    |    28    4 

July 


s.  d. 

6  6 

6  3 

5  10 

5  3 

5  1 

5  6 


£ 

702.360 
676.146 
600.330 

4  SO,  102 
507.860 


6    0       7.678.129 


5  8 
5  6 
5  6 
5  9 
5  10 

5  10 

6  0 
5     5 


547.793 
498.204 
573.582 
573.143 
608.715 
592.361 
611.118 
551.203 


Production  of  Gold  in  Rhodesia  and  West  Africa. 


Rhodesia.                        West  Africa. 

1918 

1919                191S 

1919 

February  

£ 
253.807 
232.023 
230.023 
239,916 
239,205 
225.447 

£                      £ 
211,917            107.863 
220.885            112.865 
225.808            112.605 
213.160            117,520 
218.057            126.290 
214,215            120.273 

£ 
104.063 
112.616 
112,543 

Mav 

y 

106.612 
102,467 
103.112 
100.401 

July     

257,096            207  339            120,526 
247,885     ;       223.719            115,152 
136. 7S3               —                   61,461 
145,460     .          —                  108,796 
192.870               —                  112.621 

September  ... 

November   •■• 
December    ... 

- 

Total 

2.652.250        1.950.019         1.333.553 

952,211 

September.  1919 


Treated 


Value 


Tons 

Aurora  West   13.700 

Bantjes — 

Barrett. — 

Brakpan    41.500 

Citv  &  Suburban    21.777 

City  Deep 57.000 

Cons.  Langlaagte 43,000 

Cons.  Main  Reef   45.100 

Crown  Mines 176.000 

Durban  Roodepoort  Deep 20.400 

East  Kand  P.M. 126.000 

Ferreira  Deep 32,500 

Geduld 42.500 

Geldenhuis  Deep  42.900 

Ginsberg  — 

Glynn's  Lydenburg  2.770 

Goch  13.800 

Government  G.M.  Areas    113.000 

Heriol    11.350 

Jupiter  25.000 

Kleinfontein    44.740 

Knights  Central 20.000 

Knights  Deep •  86.400 

Langlaagte  Estate 40.200 

Luipaard's  Vlei 20,110 

M<  yet  &  Charlton 14,442 

Moddcrfr.ntein   67.500 

Modderfontein  B  55,500 

Moddeifontein  Deep  42.500 

New  Unified   11.300 

Nourse  37.250 

Primrose  17.1C0 

Princess  Estate 20.000 

Randfontein  Central 150.000 

Robinson  40.700 

Robinson  Dfep 5*. 200 

Roodepoort  United  23.100 

Rose  Deep    50,900 

Simmer  &  Jack  52.600 

Simmer  Deep 49.000 

Springs 36,550 

Sub  Nigel 9.900 

Transvaal  G.M.  Estates 15.210 

Van  Kyn    30,700 

Van  Rm  Deep   50.500 

Village  Deep   43.600 

Village  Main  Reef  17.200 

West  Kand  Consolidated    30.400 

Witwatersrand  'Knights)   32,650 

Witwatersrand  D«  .  27,240 

Wolhuler 27,200 


£ 
14,949 

216 

81.205 
30,820 

105.683 
53,720 
72.474 

244.312 

149,131 
47.988 
64.205 
51,268 

4.617 
10.719 
201.740 
14.595 
27.099 
65.586 
25.143 
70.563 

19.0*1 
40.068 

153.519 

115.715 
94,596 
11.673 
47.5S8 
17,132 
25.879 

174.378 
41.616 
76.396 
23,254 
58,147 
59.038 
51.505 
53.19* 
26.713 
23.636 
32.485 

110.483 
61.673 
24.681 
38.261 
37.733 
32  620 
35.652 


Wesi  African  Gold  Ornns. 


Abbontiakoon     

Abosso  

Ashanti  Goldfields 

Offin  River  

Prestea  Block  A 

Taquah  

Wassati 


September,  1919 


I  n  ated 


Value 


Tons 

7.028 
6.910 
7.562 

14.580 
4.471 


£ 

14.837 
12.472 

8.498 

24.018 
11.838 


Rhodesian  Gold  Outputs. 


September,  1919 


Antelope  

Cam  &  Motor 

Eldorado  Banket  

Falcon   

Gaika 

Globe  &  Phoenix 

Lonely  Reef 

Rezende    

Rhodesia,  Ltd.  

Shamva     

Transvaal  &  Rhodesian 
Wanderer 


Tn  ated 

Value 

Tons 

£ 

3.110 

5.203 

15.106 

23.878* 

3,189 

5.551 

5.012 

6.059k 

4,560 

25  576 

4.000 

10.700 

397 

1.057 

52.534 

36.782 

1.7C0 

4.400 

Gold.  Silver  and  Copper  ;  t  Ounces  Gold. 


NOVEMBER,    1919 


299 


West  Australian  Gold  Statistics. 


Production  op  Gold  in  India. 


Reported 
for  Export 


November,  1918 1,444 

December    2.739 

January,  1919  * 

February  733 

March    nil 

April  I  33 

May   525 

June  ;  1,050 

July    '  680 

August  835 

September + 

October 586 


Delivered 

to  Mint 

oz. 


Total 


70.711 
61.314 
69,954 
66,310 
65.158 
63.465 
68.655 
73,546 
68,028 
58.117 

I 
64,987 


72,155 

61.053 

* 

67.013 
66.158 
63.498 
69.180 
74,596 
68,708 
58.952 

t 
65,573 


Total 
value  £ 


305,491 

272,208 
* 

281,779 
281.120 
269,720 
293.856 
316  862 
292,852 
250,410 

t 
278,535 


*  By  direction  of  the  Federal  Government  the  export  figures 
were  not  published,     i  Figures  not  received. 

Australian  Gold  Returns.     


January  . 
February 
March  •■•• 
April    .  .. 

May 

June 

July  

August    • 
September 
October  ... 
November 
December 

Total    ... 


Victoria. 

Queensland. 

New  South 
Wales 

1918 

1919 

1918 

1919 

1918 

1919 

£ 

£ 

£ 

£ 

£ 

£ 

32.134 

36,233 

47.600 

37.100 

25,000 

18.000 

58.113 

46,955 

45.470 

43,330 

28,000 

24.000 

65,412 

40,267 

48.020 

48.000 

30.000 

16,000 

29.620 

63,818 

47.600 

61.200 

30.000 

24.000 

87,835 

37.456 

46.740 

38,200 

45,000 

16.000 

45.765 

41.465 

51.420 

44,600 

32.000 

17,000 

37.395 

51.000 
44.600 

25,000 

22,000 

61.163 

49,700 

21,000 

20.000 

65.751 

— 

45,900 

37,120 

32.000 

13.000 

* 

— 

54,400 

— 

40.000 

— 

* 

— 

38,200 

— 

25.000 

— 

70.674 

— 

56,281  | 

— 

38.000 

— 

674.655 

301.292 

578.213  1 

401.310 

370.000 

170,000 

'  Figures  not  received. 


Australasian-  Gold  Outputs. 


September,   1919 


Associated    

Associated  Northern  \  Iron  Duke 

Blocks (  Victorious 

Black  water 

Bullfinch  

Golden  Horseshoe    

Great  Boulder  Prop 

Ivanhoe 

Kalgurli 

Lake  View  &  Star 

Mount  Boppy 

Oroya  Links    

Progress    

Sons  of  Gwalia  

South  Kalgurli    

Talisman  

Waihi 

Waihi  Grand  Junction 


Value 


Tons 

£ 

4,702 

7,203 

— 

1,672* 

2,225 

4,141 

5  6<0 

5.518 

13.860 

30.383 

9.523 

27.661 

17.027 

27.400 

3.1S1 

7.C61 

8.566 

10.708 

8,266 

8,500 

1.397 

9,4501 

1,350 

1,961 

13.557 

18.665 

5.523 

8,713 

15.152 

25  ooi : 

5.500 

7,976: 

*  Surplus  ;  t  Total  receipts  ;   t  Gold  and  Silver  to  October  4. 


Miscellaneous  Gold  Output. 


Ba'rramia  (Sudan) 

Esperanza  (Mexico) 

Frontino  lV  Bolivia  (Colombia! 

Nechi  (Colombia) 

Ouro  Preto  (Brazil)  

Pato  (Colombia) 

Philippine  Dredges(Philippine  Islands) 

Plymouth  Cons.  (California) 

S'.  John  del  Key  (Brazil)    

Santa  Gerirudis  (Mexico) 

Sudan  Cold  Field  (Sudan) 


September,  1919 


Treated 


Value 


Tons 


2,660 

88,591* 

6,600 

134,737* 

8.000 

32.775 


1U.0I6 
31.702 

2.505 
82,0371 

11.150 
33.000 
32.980ft 


*  Cubic  yards.     +  Dollars.     5  Ounces,  fineness  not  stated. 
1 1  Profit,  gold  and  silver. 


1916 

1917 

1918                 1919 

£ 
192.150 
183.264 
186.475 
192,208 
193,604 
192,469 
191.404 
192.784 
192,330 
191,502 
192.298 
205,164 

£ 

190.047 
180.904 
189,618 
185.835 
184.874 
182.426 
179,660 
181.005 
183.630 
182,924 
182.388 
190.852 

176.030 
173.343 
177.950 
176.486 
173.775 
174.375 
171.950 
172.105 
170.360 
167.740 
157.176 
170.630 

£ 
16?,270 

153.775 
162.79J 

162.550 

Mav 

164.080 

162.996 

July     

163.795 

160,840 

September   ... 

156.450 

November    ... 
December    ... 

- 

Total 

2.305.652 

2.214.163 

2.061.920        1.351.546 

Indian  Gold  Outputs. 


Balaghat   

Champion  Reef  ... 
Hutii  (Nizam's)  ... 

Jibutil    

Mysore 

North  Anantapur 

Nundydroog   

Ooregum 


Septem  ber,  1 9 1 9 

Tons  Fine 

Treated         Ounces 


3.050 
11.510 


20.065 

800 

8.323 

1  '.800 


1.999 

6.848 
750 

12.502 
1.078 
6.263 
7.373 


Base  Metal  Outputs 


September 

1919 

Arizona  Copper 

British  Broken  Hill  . 

- 

Broken  Hill  Block  10 

I  Tons   lead   concentrate... 
i  Tons  zinc  concentrate 

1  181 

Burma  Corp 

136  938 

Fremantle  Trading  . 
North  Broken  Hill    . 



•Tons  silver-lead  concentrate 
(  Tons  zinc  concentrate 

2.014 

Imports  of  Ores  and   Metals  into  United  Kingdom. 


Iron  Ore Tens  . 

Manganese  Ore  Tons  . 

Copper  and  Iron  Pyrites Tons  . 

Copper  Ore   Tons  . 

Copper  Precipitate Tons  ... 

Copper  Metal    Tons  ... 

Tin  Concentrate  Tons  ... 

Tin  Metal   Tons  ■■• 

Lead.  Pig  and  Sheet  Tons  ... 

Zinc  (Spelter)    Tons  ... 

Quicksilver Lb,     ... 

Zinc  Oxide Cwt.    ... 

Barytes    Cwt.   .. 

Phosphate  Tons  •  ■■ 

Brimstone  Cwt.   ... 

Boracic  Compounds  Cwt.  ... 

Nitrate  of  Potash Cwt.   ... 

Petroleum 

Crude  Gallons 

Lamp  Oils Gallons 

Motor  Spirit  Gallons 

Lubricating  Oils Gallons 

Gas  Oil    Gallon? 

Fuel  Oil  Gallons 

Total  Petroleum Gallons 


Oct. 
1919 


368.563 
9,827 

47.979 
886 
2.168 
7.465 
4.559 
4,544 

18.118 
6.470 

84.000 
5  070 

30.100 
12.256 
48.61* 
19.939 

2.710,815 
10,827,861 
20.069.037 
6.046.447 
3,035.960 
27,494.157 


Year 
1919 

4,493.188 
242.095 

11,354 

11.675 

98,015 

30.398 

19.32.S 

202.435 

79.796 

2.608,719 

114.228 

354.861 

290.105 

255.383 
143.818 

7.577,549 
134.093. -'OS 
175.775,0*9 

20.565,478 
213.472.594 


300 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


United  Status  Metal  Exports  and  Imports. 
Imports. 


Copper  Ingots 
Copper  Tubes 
Copper  Sheets 
Copper  Wire. 

Lead,  Pig 

Zinc. 

Zinc  Sheets-. 


cports. 

June 

July 

Tons. 

Tons. 

10,826 

18,917 

248 

149 

229 

195 

2,127 

2,468 

7.492 

2.367 

10,730 

8.842 

746 

896 

June 

Tons. 

722 

Tin  Con 

— 

50 

Manganese 

31.550 
338 

TungstenCon 

50.545 

Outputs  of  Tin  Mining  Companies. 
In  Tons  of  Concentrate. 


Year 

1918 
Tons 
33 
207 


Nigeria  : 

Abu 

Anglo-Continental  

Associated  Nigerian 

Benue  

Berrida  

Bisichi 

Bongwelli  

Dua  

Ex- Lands  

Filani  

Forum  River 

Gold  Coast  Consolidated 

Gurum  River 

Jantar  

Jos    

Kaduna  

Kaduna  Prospectors 

Kano  

Kassa-Ropp  

Keffi 

Kuru    

Kuskie 

Kwall 

Lower  Bisichi  

Lucky  Chance 

Minna 

Mongu 

Naraguta    

Naraguta  Extended   

New  Lafon    

Nigerian  Tin 

Ninghi 

N.N.  Bauchi 

,    Offin  River 

Rayfield  

Ropp    

Rukuba  

South  Bukeru  

Sybu    

Tin  Areas  

Tin  Fields 

Toro - 

Union  &  Rhodesian  Trust  ■••• 
Federated  Malay  States  : 

Chenderiang 

Gopeng   

Idris  Hydraulic    

Ipoh ' 

Kamunting    

Kinta    

Kledang 

Lahat  

Malayan  Tin 

Pahang    

Rambutan 

Sungei  Besi  

Tekka 

Tekka-Taiping 

Tronoh   

Tronoh  South  

Cornwall : 

Cornwall  Tailings  

Dolcoath    

East  Pool  

Geevor    

South  Crofty    

Other  Countries  : 
Aramayo  Francke  (Bolivia)..- 

Briseis  (Tasmania) 

Deebook  (Siam)  

Mawchi  (Burma) 

Porco  (Bolivia) 

Renong  (Siam) 

Rooiberg  Minerals  (Transvaal)  ■•• 

Siamese  Tin  (Siam)   

Tongkah  Harbour  (Siam)    1.528 

Zaaiplaats  (Transvaal) '      563 


146 

275 

17 

60 

3*2 

37 

274 

30 

99 

141 

228 

178 

60 

133 

118 

12 

21 

108 

99 

27 

40 

476 

478 

280 

198 

87 

435 

120 

689 

836 

132 

94 

40 

96 

108 

17 


179 
979 
136 
245 
236 
478 
28 
399 
730 

1.877 
207 
408 
508 
400 

1,36* 
133 

140 
787 
1,336 
352 
598 

1,816 
327 
398 
658 
227 
615 
335 
989 


Sept. 

1919 

Tons 

1 

6 

40 

3 

28 

6 

5 
30 

5 
15 

3 


145 
51 
15 
14 
72 
39 

42 
39 

184 
15 
39 
36 
27 

121 


15 
20 
51 

22 
13 
74 
107 
12 


Year 

1919 

Tons 

16 

117 

80 

59 

1 

141 

43 

50 

170 

25 

125 

27 

61 

81 

159 

141 

47 

114 

84 

30 

209 

4 

7 

60 

23 

30 

402 

302 

199 

125 

25 

40 

282 

40 

488 

784 

35 

38 

23 

57 

129 

3 

6 

197 
608 
163 
121 
168 
330 
10 
328 
481 

1,626 
120 
295 
335 
243 

1,107 


554 
750 
186 
426 

1,397 
172 
210 
572 
186 
641 
209 
456 
881 
235 


Nigerian  Tin  Production. 

In  long  tons  of  concentrate  of  unspecified  content. 

Note      These  figures  are  taken  from  the  monthly  returns 

made  by  individual  companies  reporting  in  London,  and 

probably  represent  S5%  of  the  actual  outputs. 


1914 


January  .. 
February 

March 

April    

May 

June     

July  

August 

September 

October  

November  ... 
December  ... 

Total  •• 


Tons 
485 
469 
502 
482 
480 
460 
432 
228 
289 
272 
283 
326 


1915 


1916 


Tons 
417 
358 
418  ! 
444 
357 
373 
455 
438 
442 
511 
467 
533 


4.708  I  5.213    6  594 


1917 


1918 


Tons 

Tons 

531 

667 

528 

646 

547 

655 

486 

555 

536 

509 

510 

473 

506 

479 

498 

551 

535 

538 

584 

578 

679 

621 

654 

655 

Tons 
678 
668 
707 
584 
525 
492 
545 
571 
520 
491 
472 
518 


1919 


Tons 
613 
623 
606 
546 
483 
484 
481 
616 
557 


6.927       6.771     I   5.003 


Total  Sales  of  Tin  Concentrate  at  Redruth  Ticketings. 


Long  mns 

Value                Average 

1704 

164 

146  J 

144 

142 

142* 

;45| 

1364 

£34,035             £199  12     5 

£34,595             £210  19    0 

£33,816             £231     4    6 

£33.116             £229  19    6 

£31,211             £219  16    0 

£28,793             £202     1     2 

£29.639             £203     7     2 

£27.037             £197  14     3 

150                    £29.672            £197  16    4 
1411                   £27.636            £195  13     1 
150                     £27.592             £183  19    9 

163?                    £25.170 
1754                    £26.032 

£150  19    0 

£|48    6     7 
£128  11     1 

152 

£19.539 

ivectin         j\j 

Total  and  Average. 

i9ie 

£786  541 

£192   0  0 

January  13.  19 

160 

1354 

153 

142 

1444 

1484 

1344 

134J 

129 

1264 

140 

139 
136 

145 

122 

1274 

1304 

1154 

1354 

72 

32 

314 

'.838 
£17.000 
£17.441 
£15.015 
£18.123 
£17  877 
£15.258 
£15.023 
£14,919 
£15.844 
£17.185 
£17.206 
£  16,782 
£"18.250 
£16.939 
£17,125 
£18.297 
£16.588 
£l9.557 
£10,867 
£5,093 
£5.235 

£130  11    0 

£l25  10    7 

P  |           ",- 

£113  19  10 

p.e. 

£105  14  10 

March  10  -■•• 

£"H5     8     5 
£l20    7     8 

£111     8  10 

April  22 

£111  18     1 

£115  13    2 

£125    5    0 

£122  15    0 
£123  15    9 

,          je- 

june 30 

£123    8    0 
£125  17     3 

£138  16  11 

£134     6    5 
£140    4     3 
£l43  '.2    6 

August  25 

September  22  

£144     6    9 
£150  18    7 

£159     3     2 

November  3 

£151  15     0 

Details  of  Rf.drith  Tin  Ticketings. 


October  8 


October  20 


Tons 

Sold 

Realized 
per  ton 

Tons 
Sold 

Realized 
per  ton 

E.  P00I&  Agar,  No.  1 
,,      No.  la 
..      No.  lb 
„      No.  lc 

12 
12 
11 

8 
2 

6 
6 
8 
7 

£    s    d 

151  15     0 
151   15     0 
150    0    0 

147  15     0 
74     2     6 

158  12     6 
160    0    0 
155  10    0 
157    0    0 

6 

5 
6 

\ 

£    s.  d. 

No.  la  

No  lb  

No.  2 

A 

South  Crofty,  No.  1 

.,       No.  la 

Grenville  Utd.,  No.  1 

.,      No.  la 

„      No.  2 

Tincroft  Mines,  No.  1 

,,             n      No.  la 
Levant  Mines,  No.  1 
..       No.  la 

148  15    0 

164  7  6 
164  10  0 
158  15  0 
160     5    0 

Total 

~ 

32 

NOVEMBER,    1919 


301 


Production  of  Tin  in  Federated  Malay  States 

Estimated  at  70%  of  Concentrate  shipped  to  Smelters.     Lon 

Tons.     *  Figures  not  published. 


g       PRICES   OF   CHEMICALS.    November  7. 


January     ... 
February  ... 

March    

April  

May    

June   

July    

August  

September  . 

October 

November  . 
December  . 


1915 

1916 

1917 

1918 
Tons 

Tons 

Tons 

Tons 

4.395 

4,316 

3,558 

3,149 

3.780 

3.372 

2,755 

3.191 

3,653 

3,696 

3,286 

2,608 

3.619 

3.177 

3,251 

3,308 

3.823 

3.729 

3,413 

3.332 

4.048 

3.435 

3,489 

2,950 

3,544 

3.517 

3.253 

3,373 

4,046 

3.732 

3.413 

3,259 

3.932 

3.636 

3,154 

3,166 

3,797 

3,681 

3,436 

2.870 

4.059 

3.635 

3,300 

3,131 

4,071 

3,945 

3.525 

3.023 

46.767 

43,871 

39.833 

37.370 

1919 

Tons 
3,765 
2.673 
2,819 
2,855 
3,404 
2,873 
3,756 
2.955 
3.161 


Stocks  of  Tin 
Reported  by  A.  Strauss  &  Co. 


Long  Tons. 


Straits  and  Australian  Spot  

Ditto.  Landing  and  in  Transit  

Other  Standard,  Spot  and  Landing  . 

Straits,  Afloat 

Australian.  Afloat 

Banca,  in  Holland 

Ditto,  Afloat   

Billiton,  Spot 

Billiton.  Afloat   

Straits,  Spot  in  Holland  and  Hambur 

Ditto,  Afloat  to  Continent 

Total  Afloat  for  United  States 

Stock  in  America 

Total 


Sept.  30, 
1919 


Tons 

523 
2.522 

275 
3,585 

225 
1,370 
2,293 

70 

2,071 
8,542 
1,515 


Oct.  31. 
1919 


21.292 


Tons 
2,515 
1,235 
1.900 
1,390 

178 
1.000 

775 

49 

276 
5,929 
7.560 


22,807 


Shipments,  Imports,  Supply,  and  Consumption  of  Tin. 
Reported  by  A.  Strauss  &  Co.     Long  tons. 


Sept. 
1919 

Oct. 
1919 

Shipments  from : 

Tons 

1,500 

3,615 

350 

742 

350 

1,369 

29 

5,465 

350 

47 

1,557 

1,494 

1,142 

54 

4,825 

917 

Tons 

1.060 

3,070 

301 

341 

250 

1.479 

1.819 

4,431 
250 

Imports  of  Bolivian  Tin  into  Europe... 
Supply: 

1,267 

1,650 

1,137 
2,875 

375 

Consumption  : 

Dutch         „        

Straits,  Banca  &  Billiton,  Continen- 

Straits  in  hands  of  Malay  Government 

ii      controlled  by  U.S.  Government 
n               n          ,,  French  and  Italian 

Banca  in  Trading  Company's  hands ... 

- 

£   s.  d. 


Alum  per  ton 

Alumina,  Sulphate  of ,, 

Ammonia,  Anhydrous per  lb. 

,,  0'880  solution   per  ton 

,,  Carbonate per  lb. 

,,  Chloride  of,  grey per  ton 

,,         ,,    pure per  cwt. 

Nitrate  of  per  ton 

Phosphate  of 

Sulphate  of   

Antimony  Sulphide per  lb. 

Arsenic,  White per  ton 

Barium  Sulphate ,, 

Bisulphide  of  Carbon 

Bleaching  Powder,  35%  CI ,, 

Borax  

Copper,  Sulphate  of    

Cyanide  of  Sodium,  100% per  lb. 

Hydrofluoric  Acid    

Iodine M 

Iron,  Sulphate  of per  ton 

Lead,  Acetate  of,  white 

,,      Nitrate  of   

,,      Oxide  of,  Litharge   

,,      White  

Lime,  Acetate,  brown 

grey  80% 

Magnesite,  Calcined 

Magnesium  Chloride , 

,,  Sulphate 

Methylated  Spirit  64°  Industrial     per  gal, 

Phosphoric  Acid  per  lb. 

Potassium  Bichromate   

,,         Carbonate  per  ton 

,,         Chlorate  , per  lb. 

Chloride  80%     per  ton 

Hydrate  (Caustic)  90% 

,,         Nitrate 

,,         Permanganate   per  lb. 

Prussiate,  Yellow ,, 

Sulphate,  90%   per  ton 

Sodium  Metal  per  lb. 

Acetate per  ton 

,,        Arsenate  45  % ,, 

Bicarbonate   , 

,,        Bichromate    per  lb. 

Carbonate  (Soda  Ash)...    per  ton 

,,         (Crystals) 

,,        Chlorate per  lb. 

Hydrate,  76%   per  ton 

,,        Hyposulphite , 

Nitrate,  95% 

Phosphate 

,,        Prussiate per  lb. 

,,        Silicate    per  ton 

,,        Sulphate  (Salt-cake) 

..  ,,         (Glauber's  Salts)    ,, 

,,        Sulphide 

Sulphur,  Roll ,, 

,,  Flowers 

Sulphuric  Acid,  Non- Arsenical... 

140°T.       „ 

90%        ,, 

96%        ,, 

Superphosphate  of  Lime,  18% 

Tartaric  Acid per  lb. 

Zinc  Chloride per  ton 

Zinc  Sulphate 


17     0 
17     0 


33 


0 

0 

0 

0 

6£ 

47     0     0 

4     0     0 

60     0     0 

110     0     0 


19     0     0 

1     3 

60     0     0 

12     0     0 

55     0     0 

17     0     0 

39     0     0 

41     0     0 

11 

7 

16     0 

4  10     0 

83     0     0 

0     0 

0     0 

0     0 

12     0     0 

0 


56 
46 

50 


17  0 
21  10 
16  0 
12 


100 

25 
105 

55 


25 


0 
5 
1 
1 

0 
1 
0 
0 
0 
3 
1 
0 

1 

49     0 

60     0 

S   10  0 

11 

12  10  0 

5  10  0 

6 

0  0 

0  0 

0  0 

0  0 

1  0 
12     0  0 

3  10     0 

4  0  0 
23  0  0 
_'2  0  0 
22  0  0 


24 
19 
21 

28 


5     0 

7     5 

9     7 

5     0 

3 

23    10 

22     0 


302 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


SHARE  QUOTATIONS 

Shares  are  £l  par  value  except  where  otherwise  noted. 


GOLD,    SILVER, 
DIAMONDS  : 
Rand  : 

Brakpan 

Central  Mining  (£8)    

City  &  Suburban  (£4) 

City  Deep 

Consolidated  Gold  Fields  

Consolidated  Langlaagte 

Consolidated  Main  Reef 

Consolidated  Mines  SelectiondOs.) 

Crown  Mines  (10s  ) 

Daggafontein 

Durban  Roodepoort  Deep 

East  Rand  Proprietary 

Ferreira  Deep 

Geduld 

Geldenhnis  Deep 

Gov't  Gold  Mining  Areas 

Heriot 

Johannesburg  Consolidated 

Jupiter  

Kleinfonlein 

Knight  Central 

Knights  Deep   

Langlaagte  Estate 

Meyer  &  Charlton 

Modderfontein  (£4) 

Modderfontein  15 

Modder  Deep  (5s.) 

Modder  East  

Nourse 

Rand  Mines  (5s.) 

Rand  Selection  Corporation 

Randfontein  Central 

Robinson  (£5) 

Robinson  Deep  A  (Is.) 

Rose  Deep 

Simmer  &  Jaclt 

Simmer  Deep 

Springs 

Sub  Nigel 

I'nion  Corporation  (12s.  I 

Van  Ryn  

Van  Ryn  Deep 

Village  Deep  

Village  Main  Reef 

Witwatersrand  ( Knight's) 

VVitwatersrand  Deep  

Wolhuter 

Other  Tkansvaal  Gold  Minks: 

Glynn's  I.ydenbnrg  

Sheba  (5s.)  

Transvaal  Gold  Mining  Estates. ... 
Diamonds  in  South  Africa: 

De  Beers  Deferred  (£2  10s.) 

Jagersfontein 

Premier  Deferred  (2s.  6d.)  

Rhodesia  : 

Cam  &  Motor 

Chartered  British  South  Africa  .... 

Eldorado 

Falcon 

Gaika 

Giant 

Globe  &  Phoenix  (5s.) 

Lonely  Reef 

Rezende 

Shamva 

Willoughby's  (10s.) 

West  Africa  • 

Abbontiakoon  (10s.) 

Abosso' 

Ashanti  (4s.)    

Prestea  Block  A 

Taquah 

West  Australia  : 

Associated  Gold  Mines  

Associated  Northern  Blocks 

Bullfinch  

Golden  Horse-Shoe  (£5) 

Great  Boulder  Proprietary  (2s.) 

Great  Fingall  (10s) 

Ivanhoe  (£5)    

Kalgurli a 

Lake  View  &  Oroya  1 10s.)  

'-on*  of  Gwalia  

South  Kalgurli  (10*. ) 


Nov.  7 
1918 

£    s.   d. 

3  15     0 
7  15     0 

15  6 
2  IS  9 
2  0  6 
1     1     3 

15 

1  6 

2  8 

1  5 
10 

5 
17 

2  0 
13 

4  12 
17 


10 
19 
4  16 
26  0 
8  5 
7  13 


1     3 

1 

18 


10 

1     1 

7 

1     1 

18 

8 

1  10 

1-  17 

4  16 


3 
9 
9 
G 

0 
0 
0 

0 

o 
G 

6 

4  0 

5  9 
16    0 

5     3 


17 

3  5 

4  5 
14 
16 

1     5 

18 

7 

3 

3  13 

1   14 

17 

1     1 

3  10 

1     0 

14     0 

1     8    9 

13     3 

6    6 


15  17  7 
4  10  0 
6  17    6 


5  6 

7  0 

1     0  9 

4  0 

14  6 

3  6 

4  0 

1  6 
1  18  0 

11  6 

2  0 
1   13  0 

10  6 

14  6 

10  6 

6  3 


Nov.  fi 
1919 

£   s.  d. 

3  15  0 

10  15  0 

10  0 

3     2  6 

2  2  6 
1     5  0 

12  0 

1   12  6 

3  7  6 
1     3  9 


10    0 
7    9 


13 

3     0 

12 

5     0 

11 

1   12 

4 

13 
6 


9 
0 
G 
0 
G 

6 

9 
6 

3 

10    0 
19    6 


4  10 
30  5 
9  0 
1  6 
1  15 
15 

3  12 

4  15 
19 
13 

1  2 
18 

7 
2 

2  17 
1  1 
1  3 
1  0 
4  10 

16 
9 
1  3 
9 
4 


16  3 

1  9 

16  3 

29    0  0 

7  15  0 

12    0  0 


9 
1     3 

5 

13 
16 

9 
16 

3  5 

4  17 
1  18 

6 


4  6 
14  6 

I       4  0 

5  9 
16  6 


3  3 

3  6 
2  6 
7  6 

10  0 
1  9 
1  3 

11  6 

4  3 
7  0 

5  6 

Share 


Gold.  Silver,  cont. 

Others  in  Australasia  : 

Blackwater,  New  Zealand 

ConsolidatedG.F.of  New  Zealand 

Mount  Boppy.  New  South  Wales 

Progress,  New  Zealand 

Talisman,  New  Zealand 

Waihi,  New  Zealand    

Waihi  Grand  Junction,  New  Z'lnd 
America  : 

Buena  Tierra,  Mexico 

Camp  Bird,  Colorado 

El  Oro.  Mexico 

Esperanza,  Mexico  

Frontino  &  Bolivia,  Colombia 

Le  Roi  No.  2  (£5). British  Columbia 

Mexico  Mines  of  El  Oro,  Mexico.. 

Nechi  (Pref.  10s.).  Colombia 

Oroville  Dredging,  Colombia  

Plymouth  Consolidated,  California 

St.  John  del  Rey,  Brazil  

Santa  Gertrudis,  Mexico 

Tomboy,  Colorado 

Russia  : 

Lena  Goldfields 

■  Orsk  Priority  

India  : 

Balagbat 

Champion  Reef  (2s.  6d.) 

Mysore  (10s.)   

North  Ananlapur  

Nuudydroog  (10s.) 

Ooregum  (10s.)    

COPPER : 

Arizona  Copper  (5s.).  Arizona 

Cape  Copper  (£2),  Cape  Province.. 

Esperanza.  Spain 

Hampden  Clonourry,  Queensland 

Kyshtim,  Russia 

Mason  &  Barry,  Portugal  

Messina  (5s),  Transvaal 

Mount  Elliott  (£5),  Queensland  ... 

Mount  I. yell,  Tasmania  

Mount  Morgan.  Queensland 

Mount  <  »\nle.  Queensland    

Nama.jua  (£2),  Cape  Province 

Rio  Tinto  (£5),  Spain  

Sissert,  Russia    

-ia 

Tanalyk,  Russia 

Tanganyika.  Congo  and  Rhodesia 

LEAD-ZINC: 

Broken  Hill : 

Amalgamaled  Zinc    

British  Broken  Hill  

Broken  Hill  Proprietary  (8s.)  

Broken  Hill  Block  10  (£10) 

Broken  Hill  North 

Broken  Hill  South 

Sulphide  Corporation- (15s.)  

Zinc  Corporation  (10s.) 

Asia  : 

Burma  Corporation  

Irtysh  Corporation   

Russian  Mining 

Russo-  Asiatic 


Nov.  7 

1918 

£    s.   d. 


8  9 

3  9 

5  0 

2  0 


2    1 

17 

17 
14 
13 
9 
12 
10 

6  0 
11 
19 

1     5 


1   17 
15 


7 

1  10 

2  0 

2  13 

5 

3  5 
1  8 
1   11 

6 


TIN: 

Aramayo  Francke,  Bolivia 

Bisichi.  Nigeria 

Briseis,  Tasmania 

Dolcoath.  Cornwall  

East  Pool.  Cornwall 

Ex-Lands  Nigeria  (2s.).  Nigeria  ... 

Geevor  (10s  )  Cornwall  

Gopeng,  Malay  

Ipoh  Dredging.  Malay     

Kamunting.  Malaya  

Kinta.  Malaya 

Malayan  Tin  Dredging,  Malay 

Mongu  (10s.).  Nigeria 

Naraguta,  Nigeria 

N.  N.  Bauchi.  Nigeria  (lOs.l    

Pahang  Consolidated  (5s.),  Malay. 

Rayfield.  Nigeria   

Renong  Dredging,  Siam 

Ropp  (4s. >.  Nigeria 

Siamese  Tin.  Siam 

South  Crofiy  (5s  ),  Cornwall 

Tehidy  Minerals(15s.  pd.)  Cornw'l 

Tekka,  Malay    

Tekka-Taipmg,  Malay     

Tronoh.  Malay   

capital  expanded. 


19    0 
14     3 

14     3 


5  3 

6  0 
2  10  0 

5  6 

1     2  6 

17  9 


5     0 
6 


1  7  6 

2  8  9 

3  5  6 
1  10  0 
3  0  0 

13  5  0 

1  6  6 

1  8  0 


4  10  0 

2    0  0 

1     0  0 

4   17  6 


3     7 

14 

5 

10 

1     9 

2 

I     3 

1   16 

18 

1  i: 

2  10    0 
2     2     6 

16  0 

17  6 
7     0 

15     0 
14     6 

2  5     0 

1  1      3 

3  6    3 

2  0    0 

4  0    0 

3  17     6 
2     3    9 


Nov   6 

1919 
£   s.    d. 


2  12 
14 


15 
1     3 

18 

16 

10 

11 
7  17 

12 
1  8 
1     3 

18 
1   17    0 

16    6 


1   11     3 
15    0 


4  9 

4  3 

1     5  0 

4  6 

17  6 

14  3 


1  16 

2  7 
5 

17 

1  ]  ■ 

2  3 
5 

4  5 
1     5 

1  .: 
B 

2  0 
50  10 

1  2 
1  15 
1  12 
4     5 


3  17 
15 
4 
8 
17 
3 
1  5 
1   18 

1  0 

2  6 
2  1J 
2     1 

1  4 
16 

8 
15 
!4 

2  13 
1      4 


13    7  6 

1   12  6 

18  9 

4    8  9 


THE  MINING  DIGEST 

A    RECORD    OF     PROGRESS     IN    MINING,   METALLURGY,    AND    GEOLOGY 

In  this  section  we  give  abstracts  of  important  articles  and  papers  appearing  in  technical  journals  and 

proceedings  of  societies,  together  with  brief  records  of  other  articles  and  papers  ;  also  reviews  of  new 

books,  and  abstracts  of  the  yearly  reports  of  mining  companies. 

SCOTTISH   LEAD  AND   ZINC   MINES. 


The  Summary  of  Progress  of  the  Geological  Survey 
of  Great  Britain  for  1918,  published  last  month,  con- 
tains an  outline  of  the  work  done  in  opening  lead  and 
zinc  deposits.  This  account  has  been  written  by  Mr. 
G.  V.  Wilson,  who  made  a  personal  examination  of  all 
the  workings.  We  omit  the  reference  to  the  Wanlock- 
head  and  Leadhills  mines,  as  a  full  description  of  these 
appeared  in  our  July  issue.  The  account  of  the  Tyn- 
drum  deposits  is  of  particular  interest,  as  the  Kinta 
Tin  Mines,  Ltd.,  is  working  this  property,  as  mention- 
ed in  our  October  issue.  Mr.  Wilson's  report  was 
written  some  time  ago,  and  much  work  has  been  done 
since. 

The  veins  in  the  Tyndrum  district  were  accidentally 
discovered  in  1741  by  Sir  Robert  Clifton,  who  at  that 
time  held  the  mining  lease  of  the  Breadalbane  property. 
He  opened  up  the  mine,  and  raised  1,697  tons  of  lead 
ore  between  1741  and  1745.  From  that  time  to  1768 
the  mine  passed  through  various  hands,  and  in  all  about 
3,318  tons  of  ore  were  raised.  In  1768  the  Scots  Min- 
ing Co.  obtained  a  lease,  erected  a  smelter  about  1  mile 
east  of  the  mine,  and  between  1768  and  1790  produced 
1,678  tons  of  lead  from  3,683  tons  of  ore.  After  1790 
work  was  only  carried  on  intermittently  until  1858, 
when  the  Earl  of  Breadalbane  took  the  mines  into  his 
own  hands.  From  50  to  100  tons  of  ore  were  raised 
annually  until  his  death  in  1862,  when  work  ceased. 
In  1917  the  mines  were  taken  over  by  the  Tyndrum 
Mines,  Ltd.  This  district  is  situated  in  an  area  of 
metamorphic  rocks,  consisting  mainly  of  mica  schists, 
quartzites,  and  quartzose  flags,  with  occasional  inter- 
bedded  schistose  bands.  A  large  N.E.  fault,  throwing 
down  to  the  S.E. ,  crosses  the  area. 

The  metalliferous  veins  are  situated  along  this  fault, 
and  also  parallel  to  it  in  the  area  of  quartzose  rocks  oc- 
curring on  theN.W.  Two  veins  were  worked,  the  Hard 
Vein  (west)  and  the  Clay  Vein  (east),  the  latter  being  a 
metalliferous  portion  of  the  main  fault.  Theground  be- 
tween is  not  disturbed  to  any  extent.  Farther  to  the 
S.W.  the  veins  become  known  as  the  Tyndrum  Main 
Vein,  and  where  they  cross  the  AUt-nan-Sae  they  are 
about  100  yards  apart,  the  rock  between  them  being 
much  shattered  and  strung  with  thin  quartz  veins.  The 
vein  on  the  north  boundary  of  this  shatter  zone  contains 
a  little  iron  pyrites  only,  but  that  to  the  south  contains 
also  galena  and  blende.  About  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
farther  south  an  old  level,  driven  in  a  N.W.  direction, 
appears  to  havecut  thesouthern  limbof  thevein,  which, 
judged  by  the  material  in  the  dump,  contained  a  fair 
quantity  of  complex  lead-zincore.  Farther  south  again, 
where  it  crosses  the  Coninish  River,  the  vein  has  re- 
cently been  opened  and  is  found  to  contain  a  fair 
quantity  of  galena.  When  traced  north  from  Tyn- 
drum the  veins  are  not  seen  until  they  cross  the  Crom 
Allt  about  1  mile  from  Tyndrum.  Here  the  Clay  Vein 
has  been  worked  by  open-cut  a  short  distance  on  the 
N.E.  side  of  the  burn,  near  the  road.  About  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  farther  up  the  burn,  however,  the  fault  (Ciay 
Vein)  can  be  seen  to  contain  no  ore.  Two  small  off- 
shoots, both  of  which  are  metalliferous,  cross  the  burn 
from  the  west  side,  and  are  cut  off  against  the  fault. 
About  200  yards  southward  they  apparently  join,  and 

5—7  303 


the  conjoint  vein  is  well  seen  crossing  the  burn  about 
100  yards  upstream  from  the  railway  bridge.  The 
southward  extension  is  nowhere  visible,  but  it  prob- 
ably joins  with  the  Clay  Vein  near  the  point  where  that 
vein  is  metalliferous,    at  the  small  open-cut  already 


Lead-Zinc  Ore  Deposits  at  Tyndrum. 

mentioned.  The  Hard  Vein  can  be  traced  from  Tyn- 
drum to  near  the  top  of  Beinn  Odhar,  where  it  was  at 
one  time  worked  by  open  cut  and  by  adit.  A  little 
galena  and  blende  can  still  be  found  on  the  dumps. 
An  old  shaft  and  a  level  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  west 
of  the  Crom  Allt  railway  bridge  are  also  probably  on 
the  course  of  the  Hard  Vein.  About  half  way  between 
the  two  main  veins,  another  vein  can  be  traced  by  trials, 
and  an  old  adit  from  the  roadside  near  the  railway 
bridge  to  a  point  about  J  mile  away  up  the  side  of  the 
Beinn  Odhar.  It  is  about  4  ft.  wide  and  contains  a 
fair  quantity  of  blende  and  galena. 


304 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


The  Ben  Lui  and  Coninish  mines  are  to  the  south- 
west of  Tyndrum.  A  barren  quartz-reef,  known  as  the 
Mother  Reef,  runs  in  a  N.E.  direction  from  the  Eas 
Anie  to  Meall  Odhar.  About  $  mile  N.E.  of  Eas  Anie 
it  appears  to  branch,  and  from  this  point  southward 
becomes  metalliferous.  The  westerly  branch  or 
branches  have  been  worked  at  Eas  Anie  and  at  Ben 
Lui.  At  the  former  place  the  adits  on  the  more  west- 
erly branch  are  open,  and  galena  and  blende  associ- 
ated with  barytes  can  be  seen.  At  Ben  Lui  the  same 
minerals  occur  on  the  dumps  at  the  mouth  of  the  adit. 
The  easterly  branch,  which  keeps  the  same  trend  as 
the  Mother  Reef,  is  visible  at  a  trial  on  the  hill-side 
about  aquarter  of  a  mile  S.E.  from  Eas  Anie,  and  there 
shows  a  fair  quantity  of  blende  and  galena.  The  veins 
contain  a  complex  ore  scattered  through  a  quartz 
gangue.  The  galena  and  blende  are  usually,  however, 
in  small  pieces  and  intimately  mixed,  so  that  it  has  been 
impossible  to  separate  them,  but  with  improved  plant 
this  may  be  done.  The  old  dumps  at  the  Tyndrum 
Mines  are  estimated  to  contain  about  40,000  tons  of 
material  yielding  approximately  9  5%  of  lead  and  I 
of  zinc. 

The  Strontian  and  Lurga  mines  are  situated  in  Mor- 
vern,  a  district  of  Argyll,  and  are  20  miles  south-west 
of  Ben  Nevis.  They  are  believed  to  have  been  dis- 
covered by  Sir  Alexander  Murray,  of  Stanhope,  in  the 
early  part  of  the  18th  century.  He  was  the  proprietor 
of  Strontian  and  appears  to  have  leased  the  mines  to 
the  Duke  of  Norfolk,  who  afterward  made  them  over 
to  the  York  Buildings  Co.  The  Lurga  mines  were 
leased  from  the  proprietor,  the  Duke  of  Argyll,  and  in 
a  statement  made  by  Duncan  Forbes,  of  Culloden,  to 
the  Duke  of  Argyll,  in  1737,  we  6nd  that  the  rent  paid 
was  £41.  17s.  7|d.  In  1733  an  interesting  map  and 
account  of  the  area  was  published  under  the  title,  "  A 
Plan  of  Loch  Sunart."  The  Strontian  mines  were 
worked  continuously  until  1815,  but  since  that  time 
the  workings  have  been  intermittent  and  on  no  great 
scale.  In  1809  the  output  seems  to  have  been  about 
400  tons  of  lead  per  annum,  but  it  gradually  fell  away, 
and  when  work  ceased  in  1871  it  was  only  9  tons.  The 
country  rock  varies  from  hard  mica  schist,  with  banded 
quartzites  in  the  west  near  Coire  an-t-suidhe,  to  augen 


gneiss  at  Fee  Donald  in  the  east.  The  veins,  several 
of  which  have  been  worked,  all  have  a  trend  of  about 
5°N.  of  W.,  and  except  at  Coire-an-t-suidhe  are  associa- 
ted in  each  case  with  a  highly  decomposed  basalt  dyke. 
The  primary  ores  are  galena,  jamesonite,  and  zinc 
blende,  with  a  little  pyrites.  Galena  has  been  worked 
extensively  at  Strontian,  at  the  Whitesmith  and  Bells- 
grove  mines.  At  Coire-an-t-suidhe  30  tons  of  blende 
also  were  extracted  in  1871.  The  gangue  consists 
mainly  of  barytes  and  calcite,  occasionallv  with  small 
quantities  of  strontium  minerals  such  as  strontianite 
andcelestine.  The  Lurga  vein  is  situated  in  Glen  Dubh 
on  the  estate  of  Laudale  and  about  3  miles  south  of 
Laudale  House,  on  the  south  side  of  Loch  Sunart.  It 
is  of  the  same  type  as  the  Strontian  veins,  and  like 
them  is  accompanied  by  a  decomposed  basalt  dyke. 
The  ores  are  mainly  galena  and  blende,  associated 
with  white  barvtes  and  quartz,  and  at  one  part  the 
vein  shows  about  4  ft.  ot  fairly  clean  barytes.  The 
Strontian  veins  have  been  worked  to  a  depth  of  over 
100  fm.,  but  the  workings  are  now  full  of  water  to  adit 
level.  The  Coire-an-t-suidhe  vein,  which  is  visible  at 
several  places,  contains  a  fair  quantity  of  galena,  per- 
haps lOcwt.  per  fathom,  together  with  blende  up  to 
1  ft  or  18  in.  thick  still  remaining  on  the  foot-wall  of 
some  of  the  open-cut  workings. 

A  large  number  of  mineral  veins  carrying  lead, 
zinc,  and  copper  ores  occur  around  the  Cairnsmore 
granite  mass  near  Newton  Stewart,  Wigtown.  Black- 
craig  vein  was  accidentally  discovered  in  1763  dur- 
ing the  making  of  the  military  road,  and,  soon  after, 
the  mine  was  opened  up  and  the  ore  was  shipped 
to  Chester  for  smelting.  During  a  recent  visit,  it  was 
found  that  at  Wood  of  Cree,  now  being  opened  up  and 
worked,  an  interesting  view  of  the  vein  can  be  obtained. 
The  walls  are  ill  defined,  and  the  country  rock  for  a 
few  yards  on  either  side  is  impregnated  and  strung  with 
thin  veinlets  of  ore.  In  addition  there  occurs  near  the 
centre  of  the  vein  a  definite  brecciated  zone  containing 
strings  of  galena  and  blende  ranging  up  to. 4  in.  in 
thickness.  Many  of  the  veins  of  the  district  are  of  this 
compositetype,  andat  Blackcraigthe"bearingground," 
as  the  impregnated  country-rock  is  called,  attains  in 
places  a  width  of  about  20  yards. 


PROSPECTING  IN   WEST  AUSTRALIA. 


At  the  meeting  of  the  Institution  of  Mining  and 
Metallurgy  held  on  October  16,  Mr.  CM.  Harris  read 
a  paper  on  prospecting  in  West  Australia.  We  quote 
the  parts  of  the  paper  describing  the  new  method 
known  as  "  loaming  "  for  discovering  covered  outcrops 
and  detailing  the  work  done  by  the  West  Australian 
Department  of  Mines  in  instituting  prospecting  parties. 

Prospecting  in  West  Australia  may  be  said  to  have 
started  with  the  discovery  of  gold  at  Kimberley  in  1883. 
The  results  there  were  not  satisfactory,  and  only  a  few 
parties  remained,  who,  working  their  way  south,  found 
gold  on  the  Gascoyne.Ashburton,  and  Murchison  rivers. 
The  discovery  ot  gold  near  York  in  1887  rekindled  in- 
terest in  prospecting,  and  the  finding  of  this  in  profit- 
able quantities  at  Southern  Cross  enticed  a  number  of 
men  from  the  Eastern  States.  It  was,  however,  the 
discovery  of  rich  ore  and  alluvial  gold  bv  Bayley  in 
at  Coolgardie,  that  drew  the  attention  of  men 
from  all  parts  of  the  world  to  West  Australia.  With 
the  advent  of  great  numbers  of  prospectors,  new  finds 
were  rapidly  made,  and  within  five  years  nearly  the 
whole  of  the  goldfields  were  discovered. 

The  early  prospectors  simply  ran  over  the  country 
as  if  they  were  looking  for  pastoral  areas,  riding  from 
outcrop  to  outcrop,  and  when  one  of  these  appeared 


"likely"  a  few  pieces  of  lode  material  were  knapped.  If 
any  coarse  gold  were  visible  a  search  was  made  for 
nuggets  and  specimens  which  could  be  broken  down 
with  a  hammer  and  the  gold  collected.  Then  came 
the  man  who,  having  less  means  of  transportation,  was 
unable  to  cover  so  much  ground,  but  did  so  more 
thoroughly.  When  he  found  an  outcrop  he  knapped 
off  pieces  and  crushed  them  ;  if  any  water  were  avail- 
able he  would  pan  off  his  sample,  and  on  coarse  gold 
being  found,  a  shaft  would  be  started,  probably  on 
eitheraquartzor  "mullocky  "  leader.  More  frequently 
he  would  prospect  for  the  alluvial  or  detrital  gold  shed 
from  the  leader.  If  there  were  a  scarcity  ot  water,  the 
prospector  would  use  two  dishes,  about  15  in.  in  diame- 
ter; he  would  fill  one  with  the  broken  material,  and  from 
about  the  level  of  his  head  would  "  pour  the  dirt  "  into 
the  other  dish  placed  on  the  ground. 

Then  he  would  pick  up  the  second  dish  and  repeat 
the  process.  Each  operation  would  cause  dust  to  be 
blown  away,  leaving  the  coarse  material  and  gold, 
which  latter  could  subsequently  be  collected.  This 
procedure  is  called  "  dry  blowing,"  and  men  may  still 
be  seen  carrying  on  this  dusty  and  dry  method  of  pan- 
ning, looking  for  coarse  vein  gold  and  small  nuggets. 
If  a  large  quantity   of  material   has  to   be   treated,   a 


NOVEMBER,     1919 


305 


shaker  is  built,  consisting  of  a  shallow  inclined  dox 
about  30  by  20  in.,  standing  on  four  thin  spring  legs 
fitted  into  sill  pieces.  The  box  is  fitted  with  remov- 
able trays  containing  riffle  bars,  over  which  is  a  screen, 
made  out  of  a  piece  of  tin  with  holes  punched  in  it, 
practically  a  miniature  trommel.  This  is  surmounted 
by  a  hopper,  into  which  the  material  is  fed.  The 
operator  stands  on  the  windward  side  and  rocks  it  to 
and  from  himself.  The  large  pieces  run  off  over  the 
screen,  while  the  finer  have  to  pass  over  the  riffles,  the 
gold  gravitating  to  the  bottom.  The  tray  is  periodi- 
cally removed,  and  the  contents  are  placed  in  a  dish, 
and  either  dry  blown  or  panned  off.  Various  improve- 
ments to  the  shaker  have  been  introduced,  mainly  the 
addition  of  bellows  bv  which  the  tailing  is  more  rapidly 
worked  down  the  riffles. 

By  1897,  following  the  discovery  of  gold  at  Kanowna, 
the  old-time  prospector  had  become  the  alluvial  miner, 
and  as  it  became  more  difficult  to  discover  new  lodes, 
a  new  type  of  prospector  was  developed.  This  man 
with  his  horse  and  cart,  and  a  50  gallon  tank  to  hold 
water,  sets  out  to  examine  a  belt  of  country  which  he 
considers  should  be  auriferous,  preferably  near  the  con- 
tact of  the  granite  and  greenstone.  Then  he  looks  for 
porphyry  dykes  and  jasper  bars,  knowing  by  experi- 
ence that  most  of  the  lodes  occur  near  one  of  these. 

Should  the  jasper  be  found  in  contact  with  the  lode 
the  latter  may  contain  patches  of  rich  ore,  but  when 
the  lode  is  in  greenstone  schist  and  the  jasper  bar 
some  distance  away  there  is  more  chance  of  the  ore 
shoot  being  of  greater  extent.  If  floaters  of  quartz  or 
ironstone  be  found,  they  are  dollied  and  the  sample 
panned  off.  Should  any  "colours  of  gold  "  be  obtain- 
ed, he  will  try  and  see  where  these  floaters  have  come 
from.  To  do  this  thoroughly  he  starts  to  "  loam  "  the 
piece  of  ground  he  has  chosen,  taking  his  loam  bag, 
6  ft.  long  and  6  in.  diam. ,  made  of  unbleached  calico, 
with  tapes  sown  to  it  every  9 in.  from  top  to  bottom. 

If  the  ground  be  on  a  rise,  he  starts  on  the  fall  or 
where  he  found  the  floaters  or  indications,  makes  a 
hole  4  to  6  in.  deep,  takes  a  sample  from  top  to  bottom 
and  puts  it  in  his  loam  bag.  He  then  holds  the  bag 
perpendicularly  and  shakes  it  well  so  that  all  the  fine 
material  falls  to  the  bottom,  then  No.  1  tape  is  tied. 
He  next  proceeds  for  about  4  yd.  across  the  country 
ar.d  repeats  the  operation  until  he  has  8  samples,  and 
8  holes  in  a  row. 

Having  marked  the  spot  he  proceeds  to  pan  off  the 
samples,  carefully  noting  and  driving  a  long  stick  into 
the  ground  in  each  hole  in  which  the  tail  (if  any)  of 
gold  was  obtained.  If  he  be  lucky  enough  to  secure 
any  colours  of  gold,  he  takes  another  parallel  course 
10yd.  ahead,  starting  in  frontof  the  first  sample  which 
showed  the  "  tail  "  and  proceeding  at  shorter  distances 
than  in  the  first  line,  until  opposite  the  samples  last 
taken  in  the  first  line,  which  showed  a  tail  (see  the 
diagram  in  the  next  column). 

When  this  second  row  of  samples  have  been  panned 
off,  they  will  determine  whether  gold  continues  fur- 
ther ;  if  it  does,  or  has  a  tendency  to  spread  out,  then 
a  wider  line  must  be  taken  ahead  again, and  so  on  un- 
til the  loam  gold  cuts  out.  The  prospector  then  starts 
to  costean  (trench),  still  proceeding  up-hill,  and  the 
debris  should  be  panned  right  along  to  determine 
(should  no  lode  or  vein  be  visible)  if  the  gold  is  going 
down  in  the  cement  or  the  subsoil.  If  this  be  so,  the 
prospector  knows  he  can  go  on  sinking,  as  sometimes 
he  may  have  to  do  for  several  feet  below  the  surface, 
often  without  the  slightest  sign  of  thelode  until  it  is  cut. 

II  the  prospector  be  fortunate  enough  to  strike  a 
long  shoot  of  gold,  the  loams  containing  a  "  tail  "  may 
be  widely  spread.     On  the  contrary,  the  usual  charac- 


teristic is  that  the  "tail"  in  the  loams  will  gradually 
narrow  until  they  cut  out,  as  per  sketch.  In  cases 
where  there  is  no  water  available  the  total  contents  of 
each  hole  are  put  through  a  dry-blower,  which  will,  by 
careful  handling,  save  the  finest  concentrate,  and  by 
the  use  of  a  magnifying  glass  any  "  tail  "  of  gold  can 
readily  be  seen.  There  are  several  minerals  which 
may  be  concentrated  and  make  the  tail  appear  to  be 
much  richer  than  it  really  is.  They  are  cerussite, 
pyromorphite,crocoite,bismutite,scheelite, and  pyrites. 
The  prospector  generally  roasts  his  concentrate  on  a 
shovel,  in  a  case  like  this,  to  "clean  the  gold." 

There  are,  of  course,  many  details  which  an  intelli- 
gent prospector  must  fill  in  by  his  experience.  If  he 
works  on  the  above  system  in  places  which  give  pros- 
pects sufficiently  encouraging  to  go  on,  he  will  find  it 
much  quicker  and,  consequently,  much  cheaper,  than 
using  the  older  method  of  costeaning  for  hundreds  of 


Hidden 

Outcrop 

Costean 

or  Reef 


Blank 

*0. 
•00- 
•  .000- 
•  .00000- 

•    .000000' 

•  • 00GG0G • 

^'caters      or      Indications     of      Cold 
Diagram  explaining  "Loaming"  Method  of  Prospecting, . 

feet  employed  previously  when  prospecting  for  hidden 
outcrops.  A  number  of  the  more  recent  discoveries 
of  mines,  both  in  Victoria  and  in  Western  Australia, 
have  been  made  by  this  method. 

The  question  is  how  new  mines  are  to  be  found  to 
replace  those  which  are  shut  down,  or  which  are  rapidly 
reducing  their  reserves  of  ore,  owing  to  high  costs  caus- 
ed by  the  war.  This  question  is  being  asked  the  world 
over,  and  already  attempts  have  been  made  to  answer 
it  in  a  practical  way.  In  the  history  of  prospecting  it 
will  have  been  seen  that  the  discovery  of  the  greatest 
number  of  goldfields  in  West  Australia  took  place  be- 
tween 1887  and  1899,  and  that  during  the  last  twentv 
vears  few  mines  have  been  found. 

Some  more  scientific  manner  of  prospecting  must  be 
carried  out  if  we  are  to  make  any  success  of  this  en- 
deavour. The  more  easily  found  outcrops  have  been 
vered  and  tested,  but  there  must  be  many  others 
that  are  hidden,  and  base  metal  ores  that  remain  un- 
recognized. One  instance  may  be  quoted,  showing 
how  prospectors  may  easily  pass  by  or  turn  down  a 
proposition  as  valueless,  whereas  another,  with  a  little 
know  ledge,  makes  a  fortune.  The  case  was  that  of  the 
Silver  King  mine  in  Victoria.  During  the  past  fifty 
years  the  iron-capped  lodes  at  this  spot  were  known  to 
prospectors,  but  as  they  only  gave  a  small  prospect  of 
gold  in  the  dish,  they  were  considered  unpayable. 
About  six  years  ago,  one  prospector,  who  had  learned 


306 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


how  to  utilize  the  services  of  the  staff  of  the  Mines  De- 
partment, sent  down  a  sample  from  one  of  the  lodes 
for  assay.  The  result  was  5  dwt.  of  gold  and  180oz. 
of  silver  per  ton.  Other  instances  will  be  known,  not 
only  in  Australia,  of  how  good  lodes  have  been  un- 
recognized for  years. 

This  brings  us  to  the  education  of  the  prospector. 
Some  30  years  ago,  on  the  Thames  goldfield,  New 
Zealand,  a  number  of  prospectorsclubbed  together  and 
formed  miniature  Schools  of  Mines.  Instructors  visit- 
ed them  periodically  from  the  Thames  School  of  Mines 
and  taught  them  elementary  mineralogy  and  geology. 
This  is  the  only  instance  known  to  the  writer  of  where 
any  attempt  was  made  to  train  the  prospector.  The 
prospector  has  neither  the  time  nor  as  a  rule  the  in- 
clination for  an  extended  course  of  study  ;  the  informa- 
tion must  be  given  in  tabloid  peptonized  form. 

It  was  this  idea  that  prompted  the  calling  of  a  con- 
ference of  mining  men  in  West  Australia  last  year, 
when  we  were  faced  with  the  problem  of  how  to  find 
employment  for  the  miners  who  returned  from  the 
front,  unable  to  take  up  their  pre-war  avocations. 
These  men  were  nearly  all  suffering  from  gassing,  in 
addition  to  wounds  in  the  legs  and  arms,  so  that  it  be- 
came necessary  to  find  some  work  which  they  could  do, 
at  the  same  time  building  up  their  health.  It  was 
agreed  that  a  scheme  should  be  devised  for  them  to 
form  prospecting  parties,  but  before  doing  so,  they 
were  to  be  given  a  short  series  of  lessons  in  the  testing 
of  economic  minerals,  and  in  sampling  ore  ;  the  idea 
being  to  teach  them  how  to  discriminate  between  min- 
erals that  would  pay  them  to  mine,  such  as  scheelite, 
wolfram,  bismuth,  tin,  copper,  lead,  graphite,  molyb- 
denite, and  the  other  heavy  minerals,  such  as  hematite, 
magnetite,  pyrrhotite,  pyrolusite,  tantalite,  barite,  and 
many  others  that  are  so  frequently  mistaken  for  heavy 
minerals  of  value.  By  means  of  a  small  collection  of 
typical  minerals,  with  which  each  party  is  supplied, 
they  are  enabled  to  compare  any  they  may  find,  and 
know  how  to  make  a  confirmatory  test.  Thus,  if  they 
find  any  mineral  which  they  consider  likely  to  be  of 
value,  they  can  test  it  at  once,  and  if  it  prove  to  be  so, 
they  send  a  sample  of  it  down  to  the  Government  Min- 
eralogist to  be  determined  and  assayed,  and  go  on  de- 
veloping the  deposit.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  the  min- 
eral proves  not  to  be  of  an  economic  type,  they  need 
waste,  no  further  time  on  it.  They  are  further  instruc- 
ted in  the  method  of  taking  a  sample  of  the  ore  to  send 
down  for  assay. 

A  small  sub-committee,  consisting  of  Dr.  Edward 
S.  Simpson  (Perth),  the  Government  Mineralogist  and 
Assayer,  and  the  author  offered  to  take  charge  of  this 
instruction,  and  during  the  last  twelve  months  nearly 
a  hundred  returned  soldiers  have  received  and  appre- 
ciated this  short  course.  Naturally,  wherever  possible, 
we  have  extended  it  by  giving  lessons  on  the  reading 
of  geological  maps,  and  encouraging  the  prospectors 
tolook  upon  the  mininggeologist  and  assayer  as  friends 
willing  and  anxious  to  help  them.  Thus  men  have 
started  out  with  greater  knowledge  and  better  equipped 
in  every  way  than  any  parties  of  prospectors  before. 
The  State  Mines  Department  has  supplied  horses  and 
carts  or  camels,  tents,  tools,  explosives,  etc.,  while  the 
Repatriation  Department  provides  the  food  for  the 
expedition  for  six  months,  and  sustenance  for  the  man's 
family. 

Naturally  there  are  weaknesses  in  the  scheme,  the 
principal  defect  being  the  want  of  direct  supervision. 
The  Minister  then  controlling  the  scheme  considered 
that  the  prospectors  should  be  allowed  to  wander  about 
where  they  chose.  The  result  has  been  that  some 
parties  have  stopped  round  the  mining  centres,  and 


have  done  little  actual  prospecting.  The  majority 
have  tried  old  abandoned  ground  that  they  had  a  fancy 
for,  while  a  few  have  gone  out  into  new  country  and 
are  doing  good  work. 

An  alteration  has  been  effected  in  the  scheme,  the 
parties  being  now  under  the  supervision  of  local  com- 
mittees, consisting  of  mining  men,  which  is  an  improve- 
ment in  that  "  wasters,"  and  there  are  always  men  of 
this  type,  are  the  sooner  weeded  out. 

But  even  this  does  not  go  far  enough  ;  the  whole 
system  of  prospecting  must  be  revised  before  any  great 
measure  of  success  can  be  counted  on.  Instead  of  a 
short  course  of  training  for  all  the  prospectors,  a  few 
should  be  picked  out  who  have  the  brains  and  educa- 
tion to  assimilate  the  necessary  knowledge  and  are 
capable  of  leadership.  They  should  be  given  an  inten- 
sive course  of  study  in  simple  mining  geology  extend- 
ing over  at  least  six  months.  Better  still,  young  men. 
who  have  been  trained  at  a  school  of  mines  and  have 
a  practical  knowledge  of  mining,  should  be  given 
special  instruction  in  this  work.  They  must  learn  how 
to  read  geological  maps,  to  understand  the  bulletins 
supplied  by  the  members  of  the  Geological  Survey, 
and  to  transform  them  into  language  understood  by 
the  ordinary  prospector.  Such  a  man  would  be  put 
in  charge  of  a  party  of  returned  miners,  who  would  be 
paid  wages  to  do  what  he  tells  them. 

A  special  block  of  country  could  be  mapped  out,  the 
fullest  data  available  collected  from  plans  and  bul- 
letins, and  that  block  thoroughly  and  systematically 
prospected.  The  results  obtained  should  be  recorded 
in  the  Mines  Department  for  use  at  any  future  date. 
The  latter  would  on  their  side  reserve  that  ground  from 
leasing  to  anyone  else  while  the  party  was  working  on 
it  for  the  discovery  of  any  gold  or  base  metal  lodes, 
the  party  to  be  allowed  so  much  time  to  prospect  the 
block  and  then  be  granted  a  certain  acreage  of  lease- 
hold. This  is  to  eliminate  what  is  termed  the  "  Jingo 
prospector,"  who  never  does  any  prospecting  himself, 
but  waits  until  a  find  is  made,  and  then  pegs  out  the 
whole  country,  and  sells  his  pegs,  for  that  is  all  he  has 
to  dispose  of. 

The  financing  of  such  a  scheme  is  one  that  needs 
much  more  consideration  than  can  be  given  in  this 
brief  paper.  Several  suggestions  have  been  made,  and 
can  be  classed  under  five  heads. 

(1)  Parties  subsidized  by  the  Government.  This  is 
the  present  method  ;  the  prospectors  retain  anything 
they  may  find,  and  are  only  liable  to  return  the  sub- 
sidy if  they  are  successful.  The  weakest  point  in  this 
scheme  is  the  want  of  leadership  and  co  operation  in 
the  party.      No  definite  line  of  work  is  carried  out. 

(2)  Prospecting  syndicates,  in  which  the  "backers" 
or  those  who  finance  the  scheme  hold  shares  in  vary- 
ing proportion,  as  do  the  prospectors.  If  the  party  is 
under  a  good  leader,  satisfactory  results  may  be  obtain- 
ed, but  as  a  rule  syndicates  are  unwilling  to  pay  a 
sufficient  salary  to  tempt  a  really  good  man  to  take 
charge. 

(3)  Parties  employed  by  the  Government  under  a 
mining  geologist  to  carry  out  detailed  examination  of 
separate  areas,  including  a  care  ul  search  for  mineral 
deposits  or  indications,  and  the  selection  of  the  most 
promising  areas  on  which  prospectors  could  take  up 
ground.  They  would  be  assisted  by  the  Government 
to  the  extent  of  half  the  cost  of  wages  and  stores.  This 
method  is  to  be  started  in  New  South  Wales,  and  is  a 
step  in  the  right  direction. 

(4)  Prospecting  parties  sent  out  by  mining  compan- 
ies employing  returned  soldiers  on  wages  under  a  min- 
ing geologist.  As  leader,  he  would  have  the  power  of 
dismissal  of  any  of  the  party,  and  any  rewards  should 


NOVEMBER,    1919 


307 


be  in  the  shape  of  a  bonus  to  be  paid  on  the  discovery 
of  any  ground  worth  taking  up.  It  has  been  found  by 
experience  that  a  direct  monetary  reward  in  addition 
to  wages  is  better  than  being  given  a  share  interest. 
This  is  especially  so  in  the  case  of  a  company  which  is 
looking  out  for  a  new  property  to  take  the  place  of  the 
old  mine.  The  prospector  on  his  part,  with  the  money 
received,  is  then  able  to  go  out  on  his  own  account,  if  he 
wishes  to  do  so. 

(5)    The    suggestion    coming    from    Mr.    Mortimer 
Lamb,  in  Canada,  of  forming  a  national  prospecting 


company,  under  a  board  of  management,  composed 
of  mining  engineers  of  repute,  in  whom  the  subscri- 
bing public  have  confidence,  is  one  that  opens  up  very 
great  possibilities.  Tens  of  thousands  of  pounds  are 
lost  annually  by  the  public  all  over  the  world  in  pros- 
pecting syndicates,  and  in  small  gold-mining  compan- 
ies, because  they  are  badly  handled.  Whereas,  with 
such  a  company,  the  shareholders  would  be  sure  of 
having  the  best  advice  possible,  the  management  would 
be  above  reproach,  and  high-class  leaders  could  be 
secured. 


COAL   IN    FRENCH   INDO-CHINA. 


The  Far  Eastern  Review  (Shanghai)  for  Septem- 
ber contains  an  account  of  coal  deposits  in  Tonkin,  the 
northernmost  province  of  French  Indo-China,  trans- 
lated from  the  Bulletin  of  the  Comite  d'Assistance 
aux  Travailleurs  Indo-Chinois.  We  make  the  follow- 
ing brief  extracts  from  this  account. 

Tonkin  is  the  only  one  of  the  five  divisions  of 
French  Indo-China  in  which  the  mines  have  reached 
the  working  stage.  The  coal  mines,  worked  since  1888, 
have  doubled  their  output  during  the  last  10  years, 
while  as  for  the  metal  mines  their  production,  which 
was  practically  nil  in  1905,  reached  in  1916  totals  of 
49,000  tons  of  zinc  ore  and  932  tons  of  tin  and  tung- 
sten ores.  Tonkin  possesses  extensive  strata  of  hard 
coal.  These  strata  belong  to  the  same  geologic  forma- 
tion, Rhaetic.  The  coal  formation  stretches  for  180 
kilometres  from  Mon-cay,  in  the  east,  to  Seven  Pago- 
das in  the  west,  with  an  average  width  of  five  kilo- 
metres. At  Ha-long  the  coal  has  the  following  aver- 
age composition  :  Volatile  matter  8  to  11%,  ash  2'5  to 
7%,  fixed  carbon  85  to  88%,  sulphur  less  than  1%, 
calorific  units  7,800  to  8,400.  This  coal  closely  ap- 
proaches in  quality  the  best  hard  coal  from  South 
Wales.  It  is  an  excellent  fuel,  burning  without  smoke 
and  giving  no  clinker.  It  burns  equally  well  when 
mixed  half  and  half  with  bituminous  coals,  and  more 
than  100,000  tons  is  sent  annually  to  Japan  and  China 
for  this  purpose.  The  known  reserves  are  very  consider- 
able and  are  geographically  situated  in  exceptionally 
favourable  spots,  either  on  the  coast,  by  sheltered  road- 
steads accessible  to  vessels  of  4,000  to  6,000  tons  (as 
Hongay,  Kebao,  and  the  mines  of  Port  Courbet)  or  (as 
the  mines  in  the  region  of  Dong-trien)  at  small  dis- 
tances from  waterways  navigable  by  lighters  of  100 
tons  which  in  a  few  hours  can  be  towed  to  Haiphong. 
Markets  are  now  widely  open  for  the  coal,  both  in  In- 
do-China, whose  well-planned  industrial  development 
will  not  long  delay  in  realizing  its  full  scope,  and  in 
the  neighbouring  countries,  China,  Japan,  Hongkong, 
Singapore,  and  even  Vladivostok,  and,  perhaps  later, 
on  the  west  coast  of  North  America  where  anthracite 
is  in  demand. 

The  article  proceeds  to  describe  the  principal  col- 
lieries. 

The  first  operators  of  coal  deposits  at  Ha-long  Bay 
were  the  Chinese,  who,  about  the  year  1865,  opened 
several  workings  to  furnish  the  warships  of  the  Chinese 
Government  with  the  necessary  fuel.  It  was  not  long 
before  these  deposits  attracted  the  attention  of  the  first 
explorers  of  Tonkin,  and  from  1881  a  mission  was  en- 
trusted to  Fuchs,  then  Engineer-in-Chief  of  Mines,  and 
to  Saladin,  Civil  Engineer  of  Mines,  to  study  the  coal 
region  about  Ha  long  and  Pha-si-long  Bays.  The 
account  of  the  work  of  this  mission  appeared  in  the 
"Annates  des  Mines"  in  1882,  and  the  conclusions 
then  arrived  at  were  very  favourable.  Following  Fuchs' 
travels,  and  in  conformity  with  his  proposals,  the  Gov- 
ernment decided  to  send  a  new  mission  which  was  en- 


trusted to  the  leadership  of  Sarran,  Colonial  Engineer 
of  Mines,  and  which  extended  from  1885  to  1886.  In 
1888  Sarran  published,  under  the  title  of  "Etude  sur 
le  Bassin  Houiller  du  Tonkin,"  a  work  which  is  still 
to  this  day  the  most  complete  study  which  has  been 
published  on  the  hard  coal  mines  of  Tonkin.  Then 
since  1884,  M.  Bavier  Chauffour,  representing  a  group 
of  French  capitalists  whose  attention  had  been  drawn 
to  the  deposits  of  Ha-long  Bay  by  Fuchs'  mission,  had 
obtained  from  the  Annam  Government,  for  a  payment 
of  $100,000,  the  concession  of  these  deposits.  The 
French  Government  contested  the  validity  of  this  con- 
tract, but  after  a  long  discussion  accepted  a  settlement 
of  the  dispute  and  in  1887  conceded  to  M.  Bavier 
Chauffour  the  mines  of  Hongay.  The  proprietary  com- 
pany is  now  called  the  "  Societe  Francaise  des  Char- 
bonnages  du  Tonkin."  The  early  days  of  the  com- 
pany were  attended  with  difficulty.  From  1888  to 
1900  it  just  managed  to  exist,  struggling  against  ob- 
stacles of  all  kinds.  At  last  in  1900,  thanks  to  its 
tenacity  and  energy,  these  difficulties  were  overcome, 
and  from  that  time  complete  success  crowned  its  efforts. 
The  Soci£t£  produced  600,000  tons  of  coal  in  1916,  and 
its  shares  issued  at  500  fr.  are  to-day  worth  more  than 
2,500  fr. 

The  coal  seams  known  within  the  limits  of  the  Hon- 
gay concession  have  been  classed  in  two  systems  :  the 
Hatu  and  Nagotna.  To  the  first  system  belongs  the 
following  seams  : 

(1)  The  upper  seam  of  0'5  metres  to  0'8  metres  thick 
considered  unworkable  to  day. 

(2)  The  main  seam  of  which  the  thickness  varies 
from  50  to  60  metres  with  a  workable  thickness 
of  30  metres  of  good  coal.  This  seam  is  worked 
at  Hatu  and  Cam-pha. 

(3)  The  flooded  seam  50  or  60  metres  below  the  pre- 
ceding seam,  with  a  thickness  of  2'5  metres  and 
which  is  not  actually  being  worked. 

(4)  The  seam  180  metres  below  the  main  seam  found 
only  in  Hill  158.  Its  useful  thickness  is  13  metres. 
It  is  being  worked  at  Hatu  at  the  foot  of  Hill  158. 

The  Nagotnasystem  comprises  a  dozen  known  seams 
having  a  workable  thickness  of  from  one  to  eight 
metres.  Four  of  these,  at  Nagotna,  are  worked  under- 
ground by  shafts  and  galleries.  It  would  appear  that 
the  seams  worked  at  Nga-hai  recently,  and  at  Mong 
Duong  since  1908,  belong  to  this  system. 

The  greater  part  of  the  tonnage  extracted  comes 
from  the  main  seam  worked  by  open- cut  at  Hatu, 
which  in  1916  supplied  280,000  tons  of  coal  from  the 
three  open  workings  of  N.S.,  Monplanet,  and  Hill  I  - 
and  at  Cam-pha  where  170,000  tons  were  obtained  in 
the  same  year.  In  all  these  open  cuts  the  coal  is  cut 
into  benches,  each  bench  being  from  5  to  6  metres 
high.  The  slope  is  maintained  at  an  angle  of  45°  in 
order  to  prevent  landslides. 

Underground  workings  into  the  hill-sides  are  carried 
on  at  Hatu  in  the  16  metre  seam  at  Mong-Duong   in 


308 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


Map  of  the  Tonkim  Coal  District. 


which  there  are  8  metres  of  workable  coal,  and  at  Nga- 
Hai  in  the  two  seams  of  which  there  is  an  average 
thickness  of  2  metres  available.  At  Ilatu  and  Mong- 
Duong  the  horizontal  gallery  is  usea  ;  at  Xga-Hai  in- 
clined galleries.  Altogether  these  underground  work- 
ings produce  120,000  tons  of  coal  annually. 

In  order  to  meet  the  demands  of  steamship  and  rail- 
way companies  the  Societe  des  Charbonnages  has  es 
tablished  an  important  works  at  Hongay  for  the  manu- 
facture of  briquettes  composed  of  about  30%  of  bitu- 
minous Japanese  coal  and  70%  of  hard  small  local 
coal.  The  binding  material  is  coal  tar  which  came  from 
Europe  or  America  before  the  war  and  of  which  a  cer- 
tain quantity  is  now  supplied  by  Japan.  The  annual 
production  is  130,000  to  140,000  tons.  A  battery  of 
nine  Coppee  furnaces  produces  25  to  30  tons  of  coke 
per  day,  thus  meeting  the  needs  of  the  SocieTe  and  the 
various  construction  shops  in  lndo  China.  The  coal 
treated  for  coke  is  a  mixture  of  bituminous  Japanese 
and  hard  Hongay  coal. 

Another  mine  is  at  Kebao.  This  was  conceded  in 
1888  to  Jean  Dupuis  as  a  recompense  for  his  services 
to  the  French  cause  in  the  Far  East.  The  coal  is 
bituminous,  and  of  high  grade,  but  the  seams  are  too 
narrow  for  underground  mining.  The  first  operating 
company  failed  after  having  spent  in  about  10  years 


more  than  10,000,000  fr.     Since  1901   the  output  has 
been  about  12,000  tons  of  coal  per  year. 

There  are  also  mines  at  Dong-trieu.  The  region  of 
Dong-trieu  forms  the  western  extremity  of  the  band  of 
Rhaetian  beds  to  which  belong  the  deposits  of  Kebao 
and  Hongay.  It  stretches  for  a  length  of  20  kilome- 
tres from  east  to  west,  between  Uong-Bi  on  the  east 
and  Maokhe  to  the  west.  The  southern  series  contains 
about  20  seams  of  from  one  to  10  metres  thickness,  giv- 
ing a  coal  of  good  quality  of  the  same  character  as  that 
from  the  bay  of  Ha  long,  but  generally  containing  less 
volatile  matter  and  more  ash.  The  Edouard  and 
Schoedelin  workings  employ  about  700  workpeople, 
and  for  about  12  years  have  supplied  about  30,000  to 
40,000  tons  per  vear  on  the  average.  The  deposits  on 
the  northern  series,  which  have  recently  been  discov- 
ered, contain  coal  which  is  a  real  anthracite  containing 
only  1  %  of  volatile  matter.  The  examinations  show 
a  system  of  at  least  ten  seams,  of  which  the  workable 
thickness  varies  from  two  to  ten  metres,  coming  to  the 
surface  for  a  distance  of  20  to  25  kilometres. 

Between  Hongay  and  Dong-Trieu  the  Rhaetian  strata 
contain  many  deposits  of  coal  which  are  worked  by  small 
concessions.  The  Francis,  Hien,  Marcelle,  Paul,  and 
Renee  concessions  together  turned  out  in  1916,  33,000 
tons  of  coal. 


NOVEMBER,    1919 


309 


The  discovery  of  deposits  of  bituminous  coal  in 
Tonkin  is  quite  recent  and  has  excited  great  interest, 
for  the  colony  is  at  present  dependent  upon  Japan  for 
this  class  of  fuel.  The  mines  of  Phan-Me  are  situated 
at  about  15  kilometres  to  the  north-west  of  Thai-Ngu- 
yen in  close  proximity  to  the  Song-Cau  river  and  the 
road  from  Thai-Nguyen  to  Bac-Can.  Their  geographi- 
cal situation  is  scarcely  favourable,  for  the  Song-Cau  at 
this  point  is  not  navigable  to  any  boats  but  the  small- 
est (four  to  five  tons  at  the  most).  But  the  construc- 
tion of  a  railway  from  Thai-Nguyen  to  Dong-Anh  has 
been  discussed  lately.  This  would  enable  the  coal  to 
be  discharged  easily  and  cheaply  on  the  delta.  The 
coal  of  Phan-Me  contains  25%  of  volatile  matter,  1 
to  2%  of  sulphur,  and  5  to  10%  of  ash.  Its  calorific 
power  is  7,650;  it  makes  an  excellent  metallurgical 
coke,  light,  and  not  breaking  easily.  Preliminary  work- 
ings have  proved  seven  seams  of  coal  of  a  working 
thickness  varying  from  15  metres  to  5  metres.  Five 
kilometres  from  this  point  to  Lang-Cam  in  a  hill  about 
200  metres  high  there  has  recently  been  found  a  series 
of  seams,  about  ten,  of  one  of  which  the  workable  thick- 
ness is  about  10  metres.  This  is  supposed  to  be  a  con- 
tinuation of  the  seams  at  Phan-Me.  Particular  im- 
portance is  attached  to  the  deposits  at  Phan-Me  from 
the  fact  of  its  proximity  to  extensive  deposits  of  iron 
ore  which  is  very  rich  and  pure.  The  creation  of  a 
large  metallurgical  enterprise  is  being  planned  for  the 
treatment  at  Thai-Nguyen  of  the  iron  ore  of  the  region 
with  coke  from  Phan-Me. 


The  Phu-Nho-Quan  mines  are  situated  about  7  kilo- 
metres from  Ninh  Binh,  which  is  about  150  kilometres 
from  Haiphong  and  accessible  to  ships  of  large  ton- 
nage. The  coal  contains  on  the  average  about  18%  of 
volatile  matter,  and  is  more  sulphurous  than  the  coal 
of  Phan-Me.  It  is  capable  of  supplying  a  good  combus- 
tible, particularly  when  it  is  mixed  with  the  hard  coals 
of  Tonkin  which  have,  as  has  already  been  said,  a  small 
content  of  sulphur.  A  great  number  of  outcrops  have 
been  found  and  the  few  workings  which  have  been 
put  in  hand  show  vertical  seams. 

Finally,  mention  should  be  made  of  the  existence  at 
Tonkin  of  numerous  deposits  of  Tertiary  coal,  notably 
along  the  valley  of  the  Red  River,  at  Coa  Bang,  Dong- 
Giao,  and  Tuyen-Quang.  The  coal  makes  a  good 
fuel.  That  at  Dong  Giao,  the  deposits  of  which  have 
to  day  been  abandoned,  yielded  from  one  layer  of  9 
metres  thickness  about  100,000  tons,  which  was  nearly- 
all  consumed  by  the  railways  of  the  protectorate. 
Similarly  the  railways  are  the  principal  clients  of  the 
mine  at  Tuyen-Quang,  opened  for  exploitation  in  1915, 
where  a  seam  of  an  average  working  thickness  of  8 
metres  is  being  exploited  and  is  supplying  a  good  en- 
gine coal  of  which  the  average  analysis  is  as  follows : 
Volatile  matter  35  to  40%,  fixed  carbon  45  to  50%, 
sulphur  1"5  to  2%,  ash  1  to  12%.  The  workings  were 
at  first  open-cut,  but  are  now  underground.  The  pro- 
duction of  this  mine  in  1916  was  12,000  tons  and  was 
expected  to  reach  15,000  tons  in  1917,  with  a  probable 
continued  expansion. 


ELECTROSTATIC   PRECIPITATION   OF  SILVER-REFINERY   FUME. 


Chemical  and  Metallurgical  Engineering  for  Sep- 
tember 15  contains  an  article  by  W.  G.  Smith  and  A. 
A.  Heimrod  describing  the  plant  at  the  silver  refinery 
of  the  United  States  Metal  Refining  Co.,  at  Chrome, 
New  Jersey,  used  for  precipitating  fume  by  the  Cot- 
trell  electrostatic  process. 

The  plant  is  installed  at  the  end  of  a  long  flue  sys- 
tem, in  the  course  of  which  is  a  large  settling  chamber, 
and  spraying  and  scrubbing  apparatus.  It  consists  of 
a  steel  frame  supporting  top  and  bottom  headers  of 
lead,  connected  by  means  of  lead  precipitator  pipes. 
Three  units  are  provided,  each  of  which  is  suitable  for 
handling  approximately  4,000cu.  ft.  of  gas  per  minute 
at  115°  to  150°F.  at  a  velocity  of  7  ft.  per  second 
through  the  pipes,  or  in  case  of  necessity  8,000  cu.  ft. 
per  minute  at  a  velocity  of  14  ft.  per  second  through 
the  pipes,  with  only  a  very  slight  decrease  in  efficiency. 
Each  precipitator  unit  is  8  ft.  8  in.  by  8  ft.  measured 
from  the  inside  of  the  precipitator-column  supports, 
and  has  an  overall  height  from  foundation  to  the  peak 
of  the  open  top  header  of  34  feet.  All  of  the  parts  of 
the  precipitator  that  come  directly  in  contact  with  the 
gases  are  made  entirely  of  the  best  electrolytic  lead, 
free  from  antimony.  It  has  been  found  that  the  gases 
containing  seleniousand  selenicacid  destroy  lead  which 
contains  as  low  as  0  1%  antimony,  so  no  lead  contain- 
ing antimony  was  used  in  the  construction.  Any  steel 
work  that  might  be  subjected  to  exposure  to  the  gases 
was' covered  with  lead  in  such  a  way  that  no  fume 
could  come  in  direct  contact  with  the  iron.  The  fumes 
and  gases  from  the  silver-refinery  furnaces  are  con- 
ducted into  the  bottom  header  through  an  inlet  at  each 
side  of  each  unit,  close  to  the  top  of  the  bottom  header 
chamber.  Each  of  these  mlets  is  provided  with  a 
liquid-seal  gas-tight  jug  damper  in  order  to  permit  the 
shutting  off  of  any  uriit  and  clearing  it  entirely  of  gas 
without  interfering  with  the  operation  of  the  remaining 
units,  thereby  giving  to  the  whole  installation  flexibil- 
ity  and    assuring  continuous  operation.      These  jug 


dampers  are  on  and  supported  by  the  top  of  the  2  ft. 
by  3  ft.  rectangular  bustle  pipe  extending  along  each 
side  of  the  precipitator  units.  This  bustle  pipe  is  in 
turn  supported  by  hanger  rods  from  the  main  structure. 
The  bottom  header  chamber  is  made  of  8  lb.  lead,  the 
end  walls  being  supported  by  lead  clips  fastened  to  the 
structural  steel  frame.  In  the  bottom  of  the  header 
box  a  6  in.  diameter  lead  drain  pipe  is  provided  in  order 
to  faci  lit  ate  the  flushing  out  of  the  collected  precipitated 
material  into  settling  tanks  alongside  the  precipitator. 
Ready  accessibility  to  the  bottom  header  is  provided 
by  means  of  doors,  which  can  be  easily  opened  to  in- 
spect the  electrode  systems. 

Each  precipitator  unit  has  30  collecting  electrode 
pipes  16  ft.  long.  Twenty-six  of  these  pipes  have  an 
internal  diameter  of  8  in.,  and  the  four  corner  pipes 
have  an  internal  diameter  of  11  in.  The  increased  di- 
ameter of  these  corner  pipes  permits  the  installation  of 
a  stiff  electrode  to  steady  the  discharge  electrode  sys- 
tem and  prevent  it  from  swinging  or  swaying  due  to 
irregularities  of  gas  flow  or  in  electrical  conditions. 
This  avoids  the  use  of  insulators  in  the  bottom  header 
and  thereby  eliminates  possibilities  of  insulator  leakage 
trouble  at  this  point.  The  precipitator  pipes  extend 
into  the  bottom  header  for  4  ft.  The  gas  inlets  are  so 
arranged  chat  the  gas  flows  in  near  the  top  of  the  bot- 
tom header  box,  circulates  around  the  pipes,  flows 
down  to  the  bottom,  then  up  through  the  pipes,  and 
discharges  into  the  top  header  box.  This  arrangement 
tends  to  break  up  any  irregularities  in  the  tlow  of  the 
incoming  gases,  equalizes  the  gas  pressure  in  the  bot- 
tom header,  tends  to  heat  all  of  the  pipes  to  a  uniform 
temperature,  and  thus  ensures  proper  distribution  of 
the  gases  in  the  various  pipes.  The  gases  passing 
through  the  electrical  field  are  cleaned,  and  are  dis- 
charged at  the  top  of  the  precipitator  into  tiie  topi' 
and  to  the  atmosphere.  The  solid  anil  liquid  particles 
carried  by  the  gas  are  collected  on  the  inside  surfaces 
of  the  collecting  electrode  pipes,  from  which  the  pre- 


310 


THE   MINING  MAGAZINE 


cipitate  is  periodically  washed  into  the  bottom  header 
by  means  of  a  washing  system  installed  in  the  top  header. 
This  cleaning  operation  is  performed  only  on  idle  units, 
the  gas  temporarily  being  diverted  to  other  units  and 
the  electric  power  line  switch  opened.  This  can  readily 
be  done,  as  high  voltage  selector  switches  have  been 
installed  in  the  electrical  house  whereby  a  precipitator 
unit  can  be  put  in  or  taken  out  of  service  without  dis- 
turbing the  operation  of  the  electrical  equipment  or 
gas  flow  to  the  remaining  units. 

The  top  header  of  each  precipitator  unit  is  lead-lined 
throughout  and  is  open  to  the  atmosphere  at  the  top. 
The  end  walls  of  these  headers  have  been  provided 
with  two  openings  to  allow  the  high-tension  framework 
to  pass  through  to  the  steel  insulator  compartments, 
where  it  is  supported  on  corrugated  pillar-type  insu- 
lators 3  ft.  high.  These  are  hooded  with  steel  hoods 
in  order  to  protect  the  insulators  from  moist  gas  and 
bad  weather  conditions. 

The  installing  of  the  collecting  electrode  pipes  was 
accomplished  by  passing  a  mandrel  through  the  pipes 
so  as  to  remove  any  irregularities  such  as  projections 
or  dents.  They  were  then  passed  through  the  lead- 
covered  steel  top-header  supporting  plate,  which  was 
drilled  to  allow  the  pipes  to  pass  through  freely  to  the 
second  steel  lead  covered  supporting  plate  9  ft.  9  in. 
below  the  top  header.  After  the  pipes  were  in  place 
they  were  burned  to  the  sheet- lead  covering  on  the 
supporting  plates  and  to  the  top  plate  of  the  lower 


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Section  of  Electrical  House 


Section  A-A  of  Precipitator 


Imuhrtor... 


Elevation  of  Electrical  House  Cross-Section  of  Precipitator 

Cottrell  Fume  Skttler  at  Chrome,  New  Jersey 


header,  thereby  making  the  pipes  hang  plumb  and 
assuring  a  tight  joint  around  pipes  where  they  enter  the 
bottom  header. 

The  discharge  electrode  system  of  each  unit  consists 
of.  first,  four  corrugated  pillar-type  insulators,  two  on 
each  side  of  the  precipitator  unit,  insulating  the  high 
tension  frame  from  ground  ;  these  insulators,  as  stated 
before,  are  protected  against  bad  atmospheric  condi- 
tions by  means  of  sheet-iron  hoods.  Second,  the  elec- 
trodes are  made  up  of  a  star  section  lead-covered  iron 
wire,  carefully  centred  in  the  pipes  and  supported  from 
2  in.  pipe  bus-bars.  The  corner  pipes  have  stiff  elec- 
trodes made  of  1  \  in.  lead-covered  extra  heavy  wrought 
iron  pipe.  Around  that  portion  of  the  electrode  that 
is  in  the  precipitator  pipe  is  a  spiral  of  star-section  lead- 
covered  iron  wire,  the  same  as  used  in  the  other  pipes. 
Third,  the  electrode  system  is  tied  together  at  the  bot- 
tom by  a  sway  frame  to  the  stiff  corner  electrodes,  and 
on  the  end  of  each  electrode,  in  order  to  hold  it  straight 
in  the  centre  of  the  pipe,  is  a  20  lb.  lead  weight. 

The  electrical  equipment  for  the  transformation  of 
the  available  power  supply  at  250  volts  direct  current 
to  the  required  potential  of  65,000  volts  is  placed  in  a 
building  close  to  the  base  of  the  precipitator.  The 
supply  lines  run  through  a  main  line  switch  and  fuses 
mounted  in  a  steel  cabinet  on  the  wall  and  from  this 
point  to  the  switchboard.  This  arrangement  makes  it 
possible  to  disconnect  entirelv  the  main  switchboard 
buses  and  all  auxiliary  wiring  from  the  power-supply 
lines.  The  switchboard  consists  of  two 
slate  panels,  each  having  a  main  and  a  lower 
section,  and  each  controlling  independently 
one  of  the  duplicate  sets  of  electrical  ap- 
paratus. The  lower  panel  sections  are  re- 
served for  the  motor  starter  face-plate,  man- 
ual operating  handle,  overload  and  under- 
voltage  trip  coils.  The  main  sections  of  each 
panel  have  mounted  upon  them  all  the  con- 
trol equipment  except  the  motor  starters  and 
high  tension  switching  devices.  On  each 
main  section  is  a  single  pole  circuit-breaker 
in  the  motor  circuit  (protecting  that  side  of 
the  circuit  not  protected  by  the  overload  coil 
on  the  motor  starter)  ;  a  main  line  motor 
switch  ;  a  generator  field  switch  and  a  field 
discharge  resistance  ;  a  generator  field  rheo- 
stat operating  handle  (with  rheostat  on  the 
back  of  the  panel)  ;  a  double  pole,  overload 
trip,  under  voltage  release,  circuit-breaker  in 
the  line  from  the  generator  to  the  transfor- 
mer ;  a  rheostat  switch  :  a  double  -  pole 
double-throw  reversing-switch  and  a  trans- 
former tap  switch  in  this  same  line  ;  and  a 
voltmeter  andan  ammeter  in  the  transformer 
circuit.  By  means  of  a  potential  plug  the 
voltage  may  be  measured  either  at  the  gen- 
erator terminals  or  the  transformer  termin- 
als, the  difference  being  the  voltage  drop 
across  the  line  rheostat,  plus  a  small  line 
drop. 

The  two  motor  generator  sets  consist  of  a 
40  h.p.,  220  volt.  150  amp.  motor,  and  a  25 
k.v.a.,  220  volt,  113  amp.  single-phase  60 
cycle  generator,  both  manufactured  by  the 
Westinghouse  Electric  &  Manufacturing  Co.. 
and  supplied  to  generate  the  alternating  cur- 
rent. The  mechanical  rectifiers,  directly  con- 
nected to  and  therefore  operated  in  synchron- 
ism with  the  motor  generator  set,  were  manu- 
factured and  supplied  by  the  Research  Cor- 
poration. Near  therectifiersare  thehigh  vol- 
tage transformers  rated  as  follows:  25  k.v.a.. 


£ 


NOVEMBER,     1919 


311 


200  volts  low  tension,  75,000,  70,000,  65,000,  60,000, 
55,000  volts  high  tension  ;  tO  cycles,  complete  with  oil 
gauge  and  choke  coils.  The  arrangement  of  the  ap- 
paratus is  such  that  the  high-tension  equipment  of  each 
set  is  completely  screened  off  from  the  other  set  and 
from  the  low-tension  apparatus. 

The  path  of  the  electric  power  is  from  the  generator 
at  220  volts,  singlephase,  60  cycles,  through  the  switch- 
board control  equipment  and  line  rheostat  to  the  trans- 
former at  the  same  frequency  but  at  reduced  voltage 
(line  rheostat  drop).  The  transformer  "  steps  up  "  the 
voltage  to  about  65,000  volts  and  furnishes  power  at 
this  voltage  directly  to  the  mechanical  rectifier  without 
going  through  any  switching  devices.  Choke  coils  in 
the  transformer  circuit  and  resistances  in  the  line  afford 
protection  against  surges.  The  rectifier  reverses  the 
polarity  of  one-half  of  each  complete  cycle  and  supplies 
unidirectional  current  at  about  65.000  volts  to  its  main 
high-tension  bus.  One  terminal  of  the  rectifies  is  per- 
manently grounded.  Each  rectifier  is  connected  di- 
rectly without  switching  devices  to  its  individual  high- 
tension  bus  The  three  lines  from  the  precipitator  units 
are  brought  in  through  the  wall  of  the  building  near 
the  roof  to  three  separate  switching  buses,  which  are 
so  arranged  that  by  means  of  a  grounded  mechanical 
remote  control  handle  near  the  motor  generator  sets 
any  or  all  of  the  three  precipitator  units  may  be  con- 
nected to  either  of  the  main  power  buses.  These 
switches  can  be  operated  with  the  buses  alive,  and  the 
change  over  from  one  unit  to  another  can  be  made  in 
a  very  short  time.  It  is  good  practice  to  reduce  the 
voltage  about  25%  before  undertaking  any  high-tension 
switching.  The  high-tension  switches  are  provided 
with  padlocks  so  that  a  mechanic  before  going  to  work 
on  a  precipitator  unit  can  lock  the  switch  in  an  open 
position,  take  the  key  with  him,  and  be  certain  that  vol- 
tage cannot  be  applied  to  the  unit  upon  which  he  is  work- 
ing, the  operator  meanwhile  being  free  to  manipulate 
the  two  other  precipitator  units  without  interference. 


The  precipitator  operates  as  close  to  100%  clearance 
as  any  one  can  wish  for,  and  this  condition  is  always 
maintained  on  account  of  the  high  values  in  the  fume 
recovered.  As  soon  as  this  precipitator  becomes  over- 
loaded with  the  precipitated  fume  in  the  precipitator 
pipes  the  operator  can  readily  detect  this  condition  by 
his  instruments  on  the  switchboard  and  by  the  general 
operation  and  appearance  of  the  spark  at  the  rectifier. 
The  high-tension  selector  switches  in  the  electrical 
equipment  house  are  then  operated,  to  cut  in  the  spare 
unit  ;  the  jug  dampers  on  the  inlets  to  the  units  are 
opened  or  closed  as  the  case  may  be  to  put  the  unit 
into  service  or  to  take  it  out.  The  precipitate  is  then 
washed  from  the  pipes  by  means  of  the  flushing  system. 
This  operation  varies,  due  largely  to  the  selenium  con- 
tent of  the  fume  ;  the  higher  the  percentage  of  selen- 
ium in  the  precipitated  fume  the  more  often  it  is  neces- 
sary to  take  a  unit  out  of  operation  to  clean  the  col- 
lecting and  discharge  electrodes.  The  recoveries, 
judging  from  the  short  time  the  precipitator  has  been 
in  operation,  will  be  even  greater  than  those  indicated 
by  the  preliminary  single  pipe  tests  based  on  which 
appropriations  for  the  construction  of  the  commercial 
installation  were  readily  made. 

Thepaper  contains  the  following  useful  bibliography 
relating  to  the  Cottrell  process  :  Problem  in  Smoke, 
Fume,  and  Dust  Abatement,  F.  G.  Cottrell,  Smith- 
sonian Reports,  1913.  Recent  Progress  in  Electrical 
Smoke  Precipitation,  F.  G.  Cottrell,  presented  before 
the  Second  Pan  American  Scientific  Congress,  Wash- 
ington, Dec.  27,  1915,  to  Jan.  8,  1916.  Cottrell  Pro- 
cesses of  Electrical  Precipitation,  Walter  A.  Schmidt, 
Trans.  Am.  Inst.  Chem.  Eng.,  vol.  8,  1915.  The 
Cottrell  Precipitation  Process  and  Its  Applicaticn  to 
Foundry  Dust  Problems,  H.  D.  Egbert,  American 
Foundrymen's  Association,  Milwaukee,  Oct.  7—11, 
1918.  Treatment  of  Silver  Furnace  Fume  by  the  Cot- 
trell Process,  C.  H.  Aldrich,  Trans.  Am.  Electrochem. 
Soc,  Vol.  28,  September,  1915. 


Gold-Zinc  Cyanide. — In  the  Journal  of  the  Chemi- 
cal, Metallurgical,  &  Mining  Society  of  South  Africa  for 
August,  W.  R.  Feldtmann  draws  attention  to  a  double 
cyanide  of  gold  and  zinc  which  has,  apparently,  not 
hitherto  been  recorded.  This  can  be  produced  in  two 
forms : 

(1)  When  solutions  of,  respectively,  one  equiv- 
alent of  ZnCl2  and  two  equivalents  of  KAuCy2  are 
mixed  and  allowed  to  stand  for  some  hours,  crystals 
deposit  which,  although  minute,  are  easily  identified 
under  a  low-power  microscope  as  hexagonal  prisms. 
These  are  nearly  colourless,  with  just  a  perceptible 
greenish  tinge.  They  form  slowly  in  dilute  solutions  ; 
for  instance,  from  a  mixed  solution  carrying  |%  of 
KAuCy2,  crystals  commenced  to  separate  in  half  an 
hour,  and  continued  to  deposit  for  at  least  two  days. 
Similar  crystals  are  obtained  by  adding  HC1  to  a  cold 
cyanide  solution  containing  gold  and  zinc  in  the  pro- 
portions above  indicated,  until  the  solution  is  just  acid 
to  methyl  orange.  Except  for  the  resulting  presence 
of  free  HCy,  this  amounts  to  the  same  thing  as  adding 
ZnCl2  solution  to  KAuCy2  solution.  For  KAuCy2  is 
a  neutral  salt,  and  it  has  been  found  that  K.2ZnCy4, 
in  dilute  solution,  requires  four  equivalents  of  HC1  to 
neutralize  it,  so  that  the  point  at  which  methyl  orange 
shows  commencing  acidity  is  the  point  at  which  all 
free  cyanide  has  been  decomposed  and  the  K2ZnCy.t 
has  been  converted  to  ZnCl2. 

(2)  If  a  solution  containing  two  equivalents  KAuCy2 
is  mixed  with  two  equivalents  KCy  and  then  with  four 
equivalents  of  HC1,  heated  to  boiling  point  and  allow- 
ed to  cool,  and  if  a  solution  of  one  equivalent  of  ZnCL 


is  then  added  and  the  mixture  allowed  to  stand  for  some 
hours,  a  slow  separation  of  crystals  again  takes  place. 
But  the  compound  produced  by  this  method  is  found 
to  be  composed  of  hexagonal  pyramids  or  pyramidal 
combinations,  in  which  the  prism  faces  are  absent. 
These  crystals,  also,  are  nearly  colourless  but,  in  bulk, 
have  a  perceptible  grey  or  lavender  tinge.  The  same 
pyramidal  crystals  can  be  formed  by  adding  to  the 
acidified,  heated,  and  re-cooled  gold  solution  contain- 
ing zinc  in  the  proportion  indicated,  provided  that 
sufficient  HC1  is  present  to  render  the  final  mixture 
just  acid  to  methyl  orange.  If  too  little  acid  has  been 
added,  insoluble  octahedra  separate,  but  carrying  an 
appreciable  amount  of  gold.  If,  before  the  pyramidal 
crystals  have  time  to  form  in  the  mixed  solutions  de- 
scribed above,  the  solutions  are  heated  to  boiling  point, 
no  pyramidal  crystals  appear,  but  only  hexagonal 
prisms ;  that  is,  the  prismatic  is  apparently  the  more 
stable  form  of  the  compound. 

Gold  and  zinc  were  separated  and  estimated  gravi- 
metrically  (the  cyanogen  being  arrived  at  by  difference) 
in  both  the  prismatic  and  the  pyramidal  forms  of  the 
gold-zinc  cyanide.  The  percentage  composition  was 
found  to  be  the  same  in  both  cases,  namely,  69%  gold 
and  11'4%  zinc,  corresponding  sufficiently  closely  to 
theempirical  formula  Au.jZnCy.!.  with  69  9%  gold  and 
11  6%  zinc.  In  their  general  chemical  characteristics 
the  two  forms  of  the  compound  have  not  be^n  found, 
so  far  as  observed,  to  differ  materially.  Nevertheless 
there  is  a  difference  in  origin,  a  difference  in  crystal 
habit,  and  a  consistent  difference  in  such  slight  tinge 
of  colour  as  the  crystals  show  in  bulk.       Collectively 


312 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


these  points  seem  to  indicate  that  this  is  a  case  of  iso- 
merism, and  not  merely  physical  isomerism  or  allo- 
tropy,  but  chemical  isomerism,  possibly  as  between 
Au2ZnCy4  and  ZnAu2Cy4,  with  gold  as  the  base  in 
the  prismatic  form  and  zinc  as  the  base  in  the  pyrami- 
dal form.  The  formation  of  the  prismatic  isomer  may 
be  expressed  as : 

ZnCl.2  +  2(AuCy,KCy)  =  2KCl  + 

(AuCy).2ZnCy2  (or  Au2ZnCy4). 
But  the  formation  of  the  pyramidal  isomer  cannot  be 
quite  analogous,  as  ZnCl.,  is  not  acted  on  by  HCy  ;  on 
the  contrary,  ZnCy2  is  decomposed  by  HC1.  The  re- 
action of  formation  cannot  therefore  be  : 

ZnCl2  +  2(AuCy,HCy)  = 

2HCl4-(AuCy)2ZnCy2. 
but  may  probably  be  correctly  represented  as  the  ac- 
tion of  aurocyanhydric  acid  on  ZnCL,  thus  : 

ZnCL  +  2HAiiCy2  =  2HCl4-ZnAu.2Cy4. 
It  should  be  noted  that  the  reaction  is  an  incomplete 
one,  but  the  exact  reason  for  this  has  not  been  ascer- 
tained. 

In  water,  cold  or  hot,  both  forms  of  crystals  are  in- 
soluble. They  are  slowly  soluble  in  strong  solutions 
of  alkaline  cyanides.  Cold  HC1,  even  if  fairly  con- 
centrated, only  attacks  them  slowly,  with  separation 
of  AuCy.  They  dissolve  readily  in  cold  solutions  of 
the  alkalis  and  in  ammonia.  If,  to  the  alkaline  solu- 
tion so  formed,  HC1  is  slowly  added,  zinc  hydrate  is 
precipitated,  which  on  further  addition  of  acid  redis- 
solves.  When  sufficient  HC1  has  been  added  to  render 
the  solution  just  acid  to  methyl  orange,  the  zinc-gold 
compound  separates  again  (slowly,  if  the  solution  was 
diluted  considerably),  but  only  in  the  prismatic  form, 
whether  the  crystals  dissolved  were  prisms  or  pyra- 
mids ;  that  is,  the  reaction  in  this  case  is  once  more  be- 
tween ZnCL  and  KAuCy9.  Sodium  sulphide  decom- 
poses both  crystals  with  separation  of  zinc  sulphide 
and  formation  of  alkaline  aurocyanide.  The  zinc  sul- 
phide retains  just  a  trace  of  gold  which  can  easily  be 
separated  by  treatment  with  dilute  HC1  and  filtering, 
the  zinc  being  reprecipitated  in  the  filtrate.  The  sodi- 
um sulphide  method  of  decomposition  was  found  to 
be  a  convenient  way  of  separating  the  metals  for  the 
purpose  of  analysing  the  zinc-gold  compound.  When 
digested  with  a  strong  solution  of  pota  sium  or  sodium 
carbonate  the  crystals  are  decomposed  with  formation 
of  zinc  carbonate,  the  gold  again  going  into  solution 
as  alkaline  aurocyanide. 

The  crystals  can  be  heated  at  considerably  above 
the  boiling  point  of  water  without  undergoing  any 
change.  When  the  temperature  is  gradually  increas- 
ed they  first  lose  cyanogen  and  become  blackened  with 
separated  carbon.  On  further  heating  they  become 
bright  again,  with  a  brassy  gold  colour,  without  loss 
of  crystal  form.  When  the  temperature  approaches 
red  heat  a  sudden  change  becomes  apparent,  a  red 
glow  passes  through  the  mass,  the  colour  changes  to 
a  broDzy  hue,  and  the  crystals  are  then  found  to  have 
fritted  and  lost  their  form. 

Diamond  Drilling. — The  September  Bulletin  of  the 
American  Institute  of  Mining  and  Metallurgical  Engi- 
neers contains  a  paper  by  O.  Hall  and  V.  P.  Row  de- 
scribing the  method  of  keeping  diamond  drill  holes 
straight  as  adopted  at  the  mines  of  the  Mond  Nickel 
Company,  Sudbury,  Ontario. 

The  Mond  Nickel  Co.  found  on  two  properties  that 
holes,  started  vertically,  were  out  as  much  as  400  ft.  at 
depths  of  1,200  to  1,800  ft.  Having  several  holes  to 
go  to  depths  of  2,500  to  3,000  ft.,  it  was  necessary  to 
find  a  method  of  controlling  curvature.  After  con- 
siderable expensive  experimentation,  the  company  has 
adopted  a  standard  practice  of  wedging  that  appears 


to  overcome  oneof  the  chief  limitationsof  the  diamond- 
drill.  Holes  that  warrant  the  expense  are  wedged  back 
to  vertical  or  back  to  a  straight  line  as  soon  as  they 
show  deflection  of  over  3°.  A  diagram  of  diverting 
wedges  is  shown  in  Fig.  1.  Each  wedging  requires 
the  use  of  a  wooden  plug,  a  drive  wedge  A,  a  pilot 
wedge  B,  a  deflecting  wedge  D,  a  special  clinometer 
C,  and  a  special  reaming  bit  B.  Wedging  is  possible 
in  any  hole  and  no  change  of  size  is  made,  that  is,  a  No. 
5  hole  remains  No.  5  size,  a  No.  1  hole  No.  1  size,  and 
a  No.  2  hole  No.  2  size.  The  dimensions  and  descrip- 
tions given  are  for  No.  1  holes. 

To  wedge  a  hole  at  any  point,  a  dry,  turned,  wooden 
plug  grooved  to  allow  water  to  pass  is  pushed  down 
with  the  rods  to  the  point  where  it  is  desired  to  branch 
the  hole,  and  allowed  to  swell.  A  drive  wedge  is  then 
dropped  into  the  hole  and  driven  into  the  wooden  plug, 
using  a  blank  bit  for  driving.  The  drive  wedge,  being 
cut  out  below  the  face,  usually  falls  with  the  face  of 
the  wedge  in  the  direction  of  the  dip,  but  in  every  case 
its  position  is  surveyed  carefully  by  using  the  special 
clinometer  C,  (rig.  2  Lines  are  cut  on  the  inside  of 
the  clinometer  parallel  to  and  in  the  plane  of  the  long 
axis  of  the  30°  bevelled  part  of  the  clinometer.  Lines 
indicating  this  plane  are  marked  on  the  sides  of  a  glass 
test-tube  with  a  small  carbon,  the  low  point  of  the 
bevel  face  being  indicated.  The  glass  tube  is  filled  to 
a  height  of  about  2  in  with  hvdrofluoric  acid  diluted 
witii  two  parts  of  water,  a  cork  put  in,  gummed  paper 
placed  over  the  cork  and  fastened  to  the  sides  of  the 
tube,  and  the  plane  marked  across  the  paper  so  that  it 
fits  the  clinometer  snugly  and  when  lowered  into  the 
clinometer  the  marks  coincide.  The  clinometer  is 
lowered  into  the  hole  and  allowed  to  set  30  minutes  to 
take  the  etching  ;  it  is  then  pulled  up,  the  tube  cleaned 
and  dried,  and  the  low  and  high  points  of  the  etching 
marked  when  the  tube  is  held  vertical  The  relative 
direction  of  the  face  of  the  drive  wedge  and  the  dip  of 
the  hole  are  indicated.  If  the  two  low  points  coincide, 
they  are  the  same,  and  it  is  onlv  necessary  to  set  the 
face  of  the  pilot  wedge  and  the  face  of  the  deflecting 
wedge  in  the  same  direction  and  lower  them.  If  the 
two  low  marks  do  not  coincide,  it  is  necessary  to  de- 
termine the  angle  between  them  and  to  rotate  the  pilot 
wedge  with  regard  to  the  deflecting  wedge,  to  bring 
the  deflecting  wedge,  when  in  place,  in  a  direction  op- 
posite to  the  dip  of  the  hole.  Strips  of  paper  wound 
around  the  test  tube  and  wedges  allow  marking  and 
measuring  the  arc  determining  the  angle.  If  the  dip 
is- small,  a  standard  dip  protractor  or  the  transit  and 
protractor  may  be  necessary  to  determine  the  low 
point  of  the  etching. 

A  ring  is  left  at  the  top  of  the  deflecting  wedge  to 
lower  it.  The  pilot  wedge  and  deflecting  wedge  proper- 
ly orientated  are  lowered  by  riveting  a  special  lower- 
ing plug  threaded  into  a  blank  bit  to  the  ring  with  a 
copper  rivet.  Neither  the  30°  face  of  the  drive  wedge 
nor  the  face  of  the  pilot  wedge  is  breught  to  a  thin 
point,  but  an  end  4- in.  thick  is  left.  This  provides  a 
surface  for  driving  the  drive  wedge  ;  also,  in  one  posi- 
tion, the  point  of  the  pilot  wedge  will  rest  on  the  point 
of  the  drive  #edge  and  on  being  rotated  ISO0  the  pilot 
wedge  will  drop  2  in.  into  its  place,  indicating  when 
the  two  are  in  their  proper  relation.  Shearing  of  the 
copper  rivet  gives  a  further  drop  of  3  in.  The  amount 
of  stretch  in  the  rods  must  also  be  taken  into  account 
in  working  at  depth;  1.500  ft.  of  No.  1  rods  have 
about  2  5  in.  of  slack.  When  the  deflecting  wedge.is 
in  place,  a  No  5  bit  and  core  barrel  are  used  and  a 
No  5  hole  drilled  to  a  point  3  or  4  ft.  below  the  wedge. 
The  curved  face  of  the  deflecting  wedge  is  No.  5  size, 
so  the  No.  5  bit  follows  the  wedge  without  cutting  into 


NOVEMBER,    1919 


313 


Grind  off  Shirr.  Edges 


-  Rioc  Reamed  Off 


-Deflecting  Wedge  D 


Clinometer,-  C 
Fig.  2.     Details  of  Wedges  and  Clinometer. 


Diagram  of  Diverting 
Wedge. 


|t.  AftertheNo.5drill- 
Jng,  the  wedge  and  de- 
flecting hole  are  reamed 
out  with  the  special 
reaming  bit  No.  5.  The 
small  part  of  this  is  No. 
5  size  and  acts  as  a  pilot. 
Diamonds  are  set  in  trie 
bevelled  part  to  ream 
the  wedge  and  hole  out 
to  No.  1  size.  After  do- 
ing this,  the  regular  No. 
1  rods  and  No.  1  bit  are 
used,  but  reaming  with 
the  No.  1  bit  is  started 
at  the  top  of  the  wedge 
to  make  sure  thereisam- 
ple  clearance  for  pass- 
ing up  and  down.  The 
No.  1  hole  is  continued 
as  a  No.  1  hole  below 
the  wedge. 

Wedging  was  first  tried 
in  a  vertical  hole  that 
had  been  abandoned  as  useless  at  1,100  ft.  The  hole  was 
branched  by  a  wedge  at  436  ft.  where  the  deflection 
was  5°,  and  by  using  17  wedges,  was  guided  to  a  depth 
of  over  2,400  ft.  with  a  deflection  under  24°.  The  cor- 
rection per  wedge  was  less  than  expected,  and  the  work 
indicated  that  it  would  have  paid  to  start  a  new  hole 
and  wedge  whenever  the  deflection  exceeded  3°.  The 
upper  part  of  the  hole  was  in  fissured  granite  or  gneiss  ; 
the  lower,  in  fissured  quartzite.  The  first  wedgings 
were  expensive  and  only  partly  satisfactory,  but  a  skil- 
ful setter  and  crew  corrected  the  difficulties,  making 
accurate  wedgings  without  difficulty  after  the  third 
wedging.  The  average  correction  per  wedge  was  2°. 
Two' subsequent  holes  in  norite,  greenstone,  and  gran- 
ite were  drilled  to  depths  of  over  2,500  ft.,  keeping  the 
deflection  within  5°  by  using  three  wedges  in  each. 
One  of  these  holes  had  deflected  to  5"  at  a  depth  of 
362  ft.  It  was  wedged  at  328,  472,  and  580  ft.,  bring- 
ing it  back  to  1°  10'.  The  other  was  out  2°  25'  at  a 
depth  of  700  ft.  A  wedge  brought  this  back  to  0°  35'. 
Though  new  to  the  work  the  setters  and  crews  on  the 
latter  holes  had  no  difficulties.  Thin  core  shells 
lowered  to  recover  lost  cores  should  be  lowered  slowly 
past  the  top  of  a  \tedge.     The  first  deflecting  wedges 


were  made  without  the  extra  foot  of  the  base  and  one 
gave  trouble  by  loosening. 

This  wedging  method,  in  addition  to  overcoming 
curvature,  can  be  used  to  branch  a  hole  for  any  pur- 
pose, for  securing  additional  records  of  strata  or  ad- 
ditional samples  of  the  vein  or  deposit.  The  applica- 
tion of  wedging  to  the  correction  of  curvature  appears 
to  overcome  one  of  the  chief  limitations  of  the  dia- 
mond-drill. 

Magnesite  in  the  United  States.— The  Mining  and 
Scientific  Press  for  August  30  contains  an  article  on 
the  magnesite  industry  of  the  United  States,  written  by 
W.  C.  Phalen,  mineral  technologist  to  the  Bureau  of 
Mines.  The  development  of  the  California  and  Wash- 
ington deposits  was  prompted  by  war  conditions,  for 
before  that  era  96  to  97%  of  the  supply  was  imported, 
chiefly  from  Austria.  The  home  production  of  3  to  4% 
came  entirely  from  California.  During  1917,  after  a 
fair  recovery  from  the  slump  which  the  industry  ex- 
perienced in  1915  as  a  result  of  the  cessation  of  imports 
and  beforehome  production  had  gained  much  headway, 
import  amounted  to  only  11  %  of  the  total  quantity  con- 
sumed, and  of  this  11%  a  portion,  which  was  high  in 
lime,  came  from  Canada.  From  a  pre-war  output  of 
about  10,000  tons  reckoned  as  "crude,"  production  in 
California  increased  to  211,000  tons  in  1917,  but  fell 
back  to  90.000  tons  in  1918.  Production  in  the  state 
of  Washington  began  in  December,  1916,  with  an  output 
of  715  tons,  increasing  to  105,000  tons  in  1917,  and  ap- 
proximately 130,000  tons  in  1918. 

Magnesite  is  widely  distributed  in  California,  occur- 
ring in  the  Coast  range  and  along  the  west  slope  of  the 
Sierra  Nevada.  Deposits  are  known  to  extend  from 
Mendocino  county  on  the  north  to  Riverside  county  on 
the  south,  a  distance  of  500  miles.  The  Coast  range 
counties  in  which  it  is  known  to  occur  are  Alameda, 
Mendocino,  Mapa,  San  Benito,  Santa  Clara,  Sonoma, 
and  Stanislaus;  it  isalsofoundin  F'resno,  Kern,  1 
Riverside,  Tulare,  and  Tuolumne,  13  counties  in  all. 
The  most  important  deposits  are  found  in  Tulare,  Santa 
Clara,  Napa,  and  San  Benito  counties.  The  greater 
part  of  the  magnesite  in  California  occurs  in  the  form 
of  veins  or  lenses  of  variable  length  and  thickness  in 
ftiassive  serpentine.  Some  of  the  magnesite  masses  are 
as  much  as  30  ft.  in  thickness,  and  from  this  thickness 
they  range  to  mere  stringers  and  gash  veins  too  thin  to 
woi  k .  The  Californian  magnesite  is  of  the  amorphous 
type.  • 


314 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


In  Washington,  the  mineral  is  crystalline  and  occurs 
as  massive  beds  in  a  sedimentary  series  in  which  are 
found  dolomite,  shale,  and  quartzite  into  which  basic 
igneous  rocks  have  been  intruded.  The  only  known 
deposits  are  within  a  radius  of  5  to  12  miles  south-west 
of  the  town  of  Chewelah,  in  Stevens  county,  or  about 
60  miles  north  of  Spokane. 

In  Washington  regular  quarrying  methods  are  em- 
ployed in  getting  out  the  ore.  Tunnels  are  run  into  the 
hill  at  convenient  points  and  rises  are  put  up  to  the 
quarry  floor.  The  ore  is  allowed  to  fall  through  such 
rises  into  small  cars,  which  are  trammed  by  hand  to 
the  surface.  In  California,  where  the  veins  are  often 
thick  and  steeply  dipping,  various  mining  methods  are 
employed,  depending  on  the  thickness  and  attitude  of 
the  veins. 

Soon  after  the  war  started,  nearly  every  important 
mine  in  the  West  established  a  calcining-plant,  where    . 
at  least  a  preliminary  burning  was  carried  out.     As  time 
went  on,  methods  employed  were  perfected  and  facili- 
ties for  calcination,  both  in  method  and  capacity  of 
furnaces,  are  now  comparable  with  those  used  in  Aus- 
tria before  the  War.     Calcination  is  effected  in  differ- 
ent types  of  kilns  :    (1)  bottle-shaped  kilns  ;    (2)  vertical 
kilns  resembling  lime-kilns;   and  (3)  rotary  kilns,   like 
those  used  in  the  manufacture  of  cement.     Distillate 
or  crude  oil  is  the  fuel  in  chief  use  in  California,  but 
coke  is  employed  at  one  plant.  The  distillate  is  sprayed 
with  air  or  steam  into  the  four  different  compartments 
of  the  bottle-shaped  kilns,  and  the  waste-heated  gases 
serve  to  heat  the  crude  ore  as  it  descends  from  the  in- 
take to  the  reverberatory  chambers,  where  actual  cal- 
cination takes  place.     Coke,  where  used,  is  mixed  di- 
rectlv  with  the  crude  magnesite,  and  its  content  of  ash, 
therefore,  has  to  be  as  low  as  possible.     At  most  plants 
there  is  good  economy  of  waste  heat,  and  action  is  practi- 
cally continuous  in  all  the  different  types  of  kilns.    At 
the  up-to-date  plant  of  the  Northwest  Magnesite  Co. 
at  Chewelah,  Washington,  five  rotary  kilns  are  installed 
and  a  sixth  is  on  the  ground  ready  to  be  set  up.    Pow- 
dered coke  is  the  fuel  used  and  the  capacity  is  60  to  65 
tons  of  dead-burned  magnesite  per  kiln  per  24  hours, 
making  a  total  of  325  tons  per  day  or  approximately 
10,000  tons  per  month.    When  the  sixth  kiln  is  installed 
this  will  be  increased  to  12,000  tons  per  month.     The 
American    Mineral    Production    Co..    operating   near 
Chewelah,   has  shipped  its  material  recently    to  the 
plant  of  the  International  Portland  Cement  Co.  near 
Spokane,  where  it  isdead-burned  in  165  ft.  rotary  kilns. 
In  general  it  mav  be  said  that  American  practice  is 
comparable  with  foreign  practice  so  far  as  rotary  kilns 
are  concerned.    The  action  in  the  rotary  kilns  is  con- 
tinuous.   The  capacity  of  the  kilns  varies  according 
to  the  different  types.    The  usual  practice  in  the  bottle- 
shaped  kilns  gives  15  to  20  tons  of  calcine  per  24  hours  ; 
in  125  ft.  rotarv  kilns,  60  to  75  tons  per  24  hours ;  and 
in  the  vertical  kilns,  7  tons  per  24  hours.     I  n  the  bottle- 
shaped  kilns  only  coarse  lump  magnesite  can  be  cal- 
cined ;   the  6ne  cannot  be  used  for  the  reason  that  it 
obstructs  the  draft.     In  rotary  kilns  all  sizes  may  be 
calcined,  fine  as  well  as  lump.     Calcination  yields  two 
products.     If  the  burning  is  carried  to  the  point  where 
3  to  4%  of  carbon  dioxide  is  left,  the  product  is  refer- 
red to  as  "  caustic  "  and  is  consumed  principally  in  the 
flooring  trade.     Greek  magnesite  was  extensively  used 
in  flooring  cement  prior  to  the  war,  and  Californian 
magnesite  is  now  being  used  in  part  for  this  purpose. 
If  burned   to  the  point  where  it  contains  only  h'\,  of 
carbon  dioxide  by  weight,  it  is  referred  to  as  dead- 
burned  ;  and  approximately  90%  of  the  total  consump- 
tion of  the  United  States  is  of  this  kind. 

The  calcining  capacity  of  the  Californian  plants  is 


estimated  at  10,000  tons  per  month.  In  Washington, 
considering  one  plant  alone,  there  is  a  calcining  capac- 
ity of  10,000  tons  per  month,  making  the  present  avail- 
able capacity  of  the  country  in  excess  of  20.000  tons 
per  month,  or  240,000  tons  per  year,  which  is  more  than 
ample  for  present  requirements. 

The  reserves  of  magnesite  in  Washington  are  of  much 
greater  magnitude  than  those  of  California.  If  the  an- 
nual consumption  of  raw  magnesitein  theUuited  States 
be  taken  as  350,000  tons,  the  home  supply  will  easily 
last  at  least  a  generation,  and  there  is  always  the  pos- 
sibility of  the  discovery  of  new  deposits.  No  deposits 
are  pure,  and  magnesite  for  the  trade  has  to  be  selected 
with  care,  but  in  this  respect  home  deposits  are  no  dif- 
ferent from  the  more  important  foreign  sources. 

Value  of  Graphite  Deposits. — In  the  Canadian 
Mining  Journal  lot  August  6,  Charles  Spearman,  a 
well  known  mineralogist,  discusses  the  factors  which 
govern  the  value  of  a  graphite  deposit.  The  value  of 
a  graphite  deposit  depends  firstly  upon  the  physical 
and  chemical  properties  of  the  contained  graphite  ; 
secondly,  upon  the  tonnage  and  tenor  of  the  ore  avail- 
able for  milling  purposes;  and  thirdly  upon  the  pro- 
cess of  refining  and  the  market. 

Graphite  differs  from  most  minerals  in  that  an  aver- 
age assay  sample  from  a  deposit  may  on  analysis  show 
a  bigb  content  and  yet  the  deposit  may  have  a  rela- 
tively low  value  when  measured  by  the  physical  prop- 
erties as  standardized  by  the  consumer.  The  bulk  of 
graphite  marketed  goes  into  the  manufacture  of  cruci- 
bles. This  grade  commands  the  highest  price,  and  the 
consumer  specifies  that  the  stock  shall  have  a  moder- 
ately thick  flake,  shall  pass  through  a  standard  16  mesh 
screen,  at  least  50",,  shall  pass  over  a  standard  50  mesh 
screen ,  and  the  whole  shall  pass  over  a  standard  90  mesh 
screen,  and  in  addition  shall  contain  at  least  from  85% 
to  90 "o  or  more  graphitic  carbon,  and  shall  be  free  from 
such  impurities  as  lime,  iron,  mica,  sulphur,  etc.  The 
foregoing  specifications  eliminate  all  the  finely  flaked 
or  so-called  amorphous  graphite  from  this  particular 
demand  and  classifies  it  with  the  lower  grades  of  graph- 
ite, with  which  the  market  is  usually  stocked  and  for 
which  consequently  prices  are  very  low.  It  is,  there- 
fore, important  that  the  deposit  shall  contain  distinctly 
flaky  graphite,  and  that  the  flakes  are  not  too  thin,  and 
of  such  dimensions  that  all  or  practically  all  shall  be 
larger  than  that  set  forth  in  the  specifications  of  the 
consumer  of  the  higher  grades.  The  higher  the  graph- 
ite carbon  content  of  such  a  deposit,  the  more  valu- 
able the  deposit. 

The  quality  of  the  graphite  in  a  deposit  should  be 
considered  from  the  chemical  as  well  as  from  the  physi- 
cal  standpoint.  If  the  flake  be  intimately  interlamin- 
ated  with  verv  thin  plates  or  scales  of  a  micaceous  de- 
composition-product or  other  impurities,  the  grade  of 
the  refined  graphite  may  be  low  if  the  ore  is  subjected 
to  ordinary  ore-dressing  just  sufficient  to  liberate  the 
composite  flake  from  the  surrounding  gangue.  Any 
attempt  at  further  refining  may  have  the  desired  effect 
chemically,  namely,  to  raise  the  graphite  carbon  con- 
tent, but  it  will  be  done  at  the  expense  of  lowering  the 
grade  phvsically  by  creating  a  thin  flake.  This  thin- 
flaked  refined  stock  causes  a  further  increase  in  volume 
per  unit  mass  of  the  refined  flake  and  thus  renders  it 
less  suitable  for  the  purpose  of  crucible  manufacture, 
and  in  addition  the  extra  refining  usually  creates  an  ab- 
normal quantity  of  fines  or  low-grade  stock.  There  are 
exceptional  cases  where  this  enclosed  foreign  matter 
has  been  noted  to  run  as  high  as  10°.,.  It  would  be 
almost  impossible  to  successfullv  treat  ore  from  such  a 
deposit  in  order  to  produce  crucible  stock,  as  it  would 
mean  the  elimination  of  all  the  rerrfaining  impurities. 


NOVEMBER,    1919 


315 


SHORT   NOTICES. 

Diesel  Engines  for  Mines. — In  the  Mining  and 
Scientific  Press  for  September  13,  C.  Legrand  de- 
scribes the  Diesel  engines  at  work  at  the  Burro  Moun- 
tain mines,  New  Mexico,  belonging  to  the  Phelps- 
Dodge  Corporation. 

Cementation. — The  Iron  &  Coal  Trades  Review 
for  October  3  reprints  a  paper  read  before  the  North 
Staffordshire  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers  by  A. 
Hassam  and  T.  T.  Mawson  describing  the  sinking  of  an 
iron-stone  mine  at  Chesterton,  Staffordshire,  where  the 
Francois  cementation  process  was  adopted  for  sinking 
through  water-bearing  strata. 

Mining  at  Braden. — In  the  Mining  and  Scientific 
Press  for  September  20,  Frank  Cameron  describes  the 
method  of  mining  at  the  Braden  copper  mine,  Chile. 

Alaska  Gastineau. — The  September  Bulletin  of  the 
American  Institute  of  Mining  and  Metallurgical  Engi- 
neers contains  a  paper  by  G.  T.  Jackson  on  mining 
methods  at  the  Alaska  Gastineau  gold  mine,  behind 
Juneau. 

Diamond  Mining. — The  South  African  Mining  & 
Engineering  Journal  for  September  6  describes  F. 
M.  Cox's  proposed  method  of  working  the  Vaal  river 
beds  by  means  of  caissons. 

Wire  Ropes. —In  the  issue  of  October  24,  the  Col- 
liery Guardian  commences  a  series  of  articles  on  fail- 
ures caused  by  defects  in  winding  ropes. 

Mining  Theodolite. — The  Colliery  Guardian  for 
October  10  describes  a  new  mining  theodolite  placed 
on  the  market  by  T.  Cooke  &  Sons,  Ltd.,  of  York. 

Colloids  and  Flotation. — The  Engineering  and 
Mining  Journal  ior  September  20  contains  a  review 
of  a  number  of  recent  articles  and  papers  on  the  effects 
of  colloids  on  flotation. 

Wulfenite. — Chemical  and  Metallurgical  Engi- 
neering for  September  15  contains  an  article  by  J.  P. 
Bonardi  on  the  treatment  of  wulfenite,  the  molybdate 
of  lead,  for  thte  production  of  molybdenum  and  its 
compounds. 

Electric  Zinc  Furnace. —The  September  Bulletin 
of  the  American  Institute  of  Mining  and  Metallurgical 
Engineers  contains  a  paper  by  Charles  H.  Fulton  on 
his  electric  furnace  for  smelting  zinc  ores. 

Glucinum,  or  Beryllium. — Chemical  and  Metal- 
lurgical Engineering  for  September  16  contains  a 
paper  by  J.  S.  Negru  on  glucinum,  its  minerals,  com- 
pounds, and  chemistry. 

White  Lead. — In  the  Chemical  Trade  Journal  for 
September  27,  James  Scott  describes  his  microscopical 
examination  of  white  lead. 

Shasta  County,  California. — In  the  Mining  and 
Scientific  Press  for  September  20,  Herbert  Lang  con- 
tinues his  account  of  metallurgical  work  in  Shasta 
county,  dealing  with  smelter  fume  and  flotation. 

Gold  Discoveries  at  The  Pas. — In  the  Canadian 
Mining  Journal  for  September  24,  J.  S.  De  Lury 
discusses  the  developments  of  the  gold  deposits  at 
Copper  Lake,  north-east  of  the  The  Pas,  Manitoba. 
In  the  issue  of  October  1,  R.  C.  Wallace  writes  on  the 
same  subject. 

Geology  at  the  Front. — The  Geographical  Journal 
for  October  reports  the  paper  read  before  the  Royal 
Geographical  Society  by  Captain  W.  B.  R.  King  on 
the  geological  work  on  the  Western  Front. 

Chromite  in  America. — The  September  Bulletin  of 
the  American  Institute  of  Mining  and  Metallurgical 
Engineers  contains  a  paper  by  J.  S.  Diller  on  chro- 
mite deposits  in  the  United  States. 

Larder  Lake,  Ontario. -The  Canadian  Mining 
Journal  for  September  17  contains  an  article  by  N. 
C.  Pearce  on  the  Larder  Lake  district.     As  recorded 


\in  the  October  issue  of  the  Magazine,  attention  has  been 
drawn  once  more  to  this  gold-mining  district  by  the 
activities  of  the  Associated  Gold  Fields  Mining  Co., 
for  which  C.  Daimpre  is  manager. 

Wasapika,  Ontario. — In  the  Canadian  Mining 
Journal  for  September  10  and  October  7,  R.  E.  Hore 
writes  on  recent  developments  in  the  Wasapika  gold 
district,  Ontario. 

Genesis  of  Quartz  in  Veins. — G.  J.  Bancroft,  in 
the  Mining  and  Scientific  Press  for  September  27. 

Oil  Prospecting. — In  Economic  Geology  for  Octo- 
ber, F.  H.  Lahee  writes  on  geologic  factors  in  oil  pros- 
pecting. 

Mineral  Oils. — At  the  October  meeting  of  the  Insti- 
tution of  Petroleum  Technologists,  Arnold  Philip  read 
a  paper  on  laboratory  tests  on  mineral  oils. 

Oil  in  West  Canada. — In  the  Canadian  Mining 
Journal  for  September  10,  N.  C.  Pearce  gives  an  out- 
line of  the  oil  developments  in  Alberta  and  the  North- 
west Territory. 

Scottish  Oil. — At  the  meeting  of  the  Mining  Institute 
of  Scotland  held  on  October  18,  H.  M.  Cadell  read  a 
paper  on  Scottish  Oil  Possibilities, 

Diamond  Cutting. —  TheTimes  Engineering  Supple- 
ment for  October  contains  an  article  on  the  diamond- 
cutting  industry  founded  by  Bernard  Oppenheimer  at 
Brighton,  Fort  William,  Wrexham,  and  Cambridge, 
where  wounded  soldiers  are  employed.  The  article 
gives  an  outline  of  the  technique  of  splitting,  cutting, 
and  polishing. 

Brown-Coal  Furnaces. — The  Industrial  Austra- 
lian &  Mining  Standard  for  August  21  describes  and 
illustrates  the  boiler  furnaces  at  the  Melbourne  elec- 
tric power  house,  in  which  Morwell  brown  coal  is 
burnt. 

RECENT    PATENTS  PUBLISHED. 

I-^"A  copy  of  the  specification  of  any  of  the  patents  men 
tioned  in  this  column  can  be  obtained  by  sending  6d.  to 
the    Patent,    Office,    Southampton    Buildings,   Chancery 
Lane,  London,  W  C.2.  with  a  note  of  the  number  and  year 
of  the  patent.  ; 

3,415  of  1918  (133,095).  NitrogeFcorpora- 
tion  and  J.  C.  Clancy,  Providence,  Rhode  Island. 
A  development  of  the  Bucher  method  of  producing 
cyanide  orcyanamide.  Claims :  (1)  The  processof  fixing 
nitrogen  in  the  form  of  cyanide  or  cyanamide  by  caus- 
ing free  nitrogen  to  react  upon  an  intimate  and  prefer- 
ably dry  mixture  of  alkali  carbonate,  hydrate,  or  the 
like,  with  coke,  charcoal,  or  like  carbonaceous  material, 
and  a  metallic  catalyst  in  finely  divided  condition, 
characterized  in  this,  that  after  an  alkali  cyanogen  com- 
pound has  been  formed  in  such  a  mixture,  it  is  extracted 
from  the  reaction  residues  by  liquid  ammonia,  and  the 
residues  are  returned  to  the  cyanide-forming  process 
for  further  treatment  with  free  nitrogen.  (2)  The  pro- 
cess according  to  claim  (1)  further  characterized  by  the 
fact  that  the  catalyst-containing  mixture  to  be  cyanized 
is  briquetted  prior  to  its  treatment  with  free  nitrogen. 

5,104  of  1918  (114,316).  E.  Bauer,  Zurich. 
and  O.  Nagel,  Vienna.  A  process  for  the  recoverv 
of  gold,  silver,  and  radium  from  sea- water  by  adsorp- 
tion, a  colloidal  solution  of  carbon  being  added,  and 
the  carbon  then  flocculated  by  means  of  a  positive  sol, 
such  as  a  sol  of  hydrated  ferric  oxide. 

10,072  and  10,073  of  1918  (133,559  and 
132,560).  H.  W.  Matheson,  Shawinigan  Falls. 
Quebec.  Methods  of  preparing  and  recovering  mer- 
cury and  its  compounds  in  connection  with  the  inven- 
tor's method  of  making  acetaldehvilc 

10,931  of  1918  (131,964).  N.  TESTRUP  and 
TechnoChemical  Laboratories,  i  id  ,  London. 
Continuous  furnace  used  in  producing  cyanides. 


316 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


11,688  of  1918(119,223).  G.  Rigg,  Melbourne. 
Desulphurizing  of  sulphide  ores  in  two  stages,  as  de- 
scribed in  the  Magazine  for  June,  1918. 

13,368  of  1918(131,998).  Electrolytic  Zixc 
(Jo.  of  Australasia,  Melbourne.  Improvements 
in  the  method  of  removing  cobalt  compounds  from 
zinc  solutions  before  electrolysis. 

13,793  of  1918  (132,842).  C.  DREYFUS  and 
J.  J.  Bloch,  Manchester.  Method  of  manufacturing 
permanganate  of  potash. 

14,246of  1918(132,023).  National  Lead  Co., 
New  York.  Mechanical  rabbling  for  Scotch  ore- 
hearths  used  in  smelting  lead  sulphide  ore. 

14,645  of  1918(119,038).  T.  M.  Chance,  Phila- 
delphia. In  concentrating  ores  or  washing  coal,  us- 
ing water  charged  with  particles  of  solids,  the  water 
thus  being  of  greater  specific  gravity  than  water  and 
so  affording  greater  separating  power.  This  method 
was  described  in  the  Magazine  for  August.  1918. 

15,122  of  1918  (119,244).  A.andM.  HlRSCH, 
New  York.  Manufacture  of  sparking  alloys  contain- 
ing cerium  or  lanthanum. 

15,431  of  1918  (132,855).  A.  C.  A.UDEN,  Lon- 
don. In  the  production  of  potash  salts  from  felspars, 
etc.,  roasting  a  mixture  of  the  material  with  lime  and 
salt,  and  then  treating  with  steam  in  a  closed  vessel, 
utilizing  the  residue  for  the  manufacture  of  cement. 

15,540  of  1918  (132,622).  F.  Gros  &  Bouch- 
ardy,  Paris.  Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of 
calcium  cyanamide  by  the  reaction  of  nitrogen  on  cal- 
cium carbide. 

15,830  of  1918  (119,867).  J.  G.  and  C.  J.  G. 
Aarts,  Dongen,  Holland.  Method  of  sulphatizing 
metallic  sulphide  ores  by  roasting  in  the  presence  of  a 
catalyst  such  as  oxide  of  iron,  which  transforms  the 
S02  to  SOa  and  thus  provides  the  acid  for  converting 
the  oxides  to  sulphates. 

15,862of  1918(1 19,659).  N.  BUSVOLD,  Holme- 
strand,  Norway.  Extraction  of  bismuth  and  its 
compounds  free  from  arsenic,  from  complex  ores. 

16,695*f  1918  (133,179),  K.  W.  Thompson, 
Leith,  anci  J.  Morrison.  Saltcoats,  Scotland  Im- 
proved method  of  coating  metal  surfaces  with  lead  or 
its  alloys. 

19,427  of  1918  (122,623).  Norske  Aktiesel- 
skab  for  Elfctrokemim<  [NDUSTRI,  Christiania, 
Norway.  Producing  pure  alumina  from  clays  by 
heating  to  a  red  heat,  and  treating  with  nitric  acid, 
and^educing  the  alumina  from  the  resulting  nitrate. 

20,292  of  1918  (132,411).  O.  S.  Whan  and 
W.  GROVER,  London.  An  aluminium  alloy  that  re- 
sists the  attack  of  sea  water,  containing  90%  or  over  of 
aluminium,  and  small  proportions  of  tin  and  copper, 
and  antimonv  or  bismuth. 

21,808  of  1918(132.693).  A.  GRAUEL,  Toronto. 
Method  of  extracting  potash  from  felspar,  by  heating 
the  latter  to  so  high  a  temperature  that  the  potassium 
distils  off. 

1,461  of  1919  (133,236).  E.  T.  Coldthorpe, 
Chicago.  In  ore-roasting  furnaces,  placing  the  ore  in 
cylindrical  containers  which  are  mounted  on  an  in- 
clined track,  whereby  the  ore  can  be  conveniently  re- 
moved and  cooled  at  the  end  of  the  roasting  operation. 

6,456  of  1919(127,555).  L.  W.  Ryan,  Chicago. 
Treatment  of  thorium  compounds,  with  sulphuric  acid 
at  a  high  temperature  so  as  to  convert  the  fluoride  in- 
to an  anhydrous  sulphate. 

6,985  of  1919  (132.724).  E.  A.  Leopard,  Lon 
don.  A  solder  for  aluminium  containing  55  to  65% 
tin,  26  to  35%  zinc,  and  7  to  14°0  aluminium. 

7,1  28  of  1919(132,984).  A.  B.  Clarke  and  H. 
H.    Gregg,   London.       Aluminium  alloy  containing 


small  amounts  of  lead,  bismuth,  and  tin  suitable  for 
use  in  making  cooking  utensils. 

7,418  of  1919  (132,985).  W.  G.  Watkins, 
Derby.  Improved  shapes  of  grinding  bodies  used  in 
tube  mills. 

8,585  of  1919  (129,624).  Lindsay  Light  Co., 
and  L.  \V.  Kyan,  Chicago.  Separation  of  thorium 
compounds  from  monazite  by  reaction  with  hydro- 
fluoric acid. 

11,187  of  1919  (126,628).  P.  DESACHY,  Paris. 
Improvements  in  method  of  simultaneously  making 
zinc  sulphide  and  barium  sulphate  in  the  manufacture 
of  paint. 

NEW   BOOKS 

|*"Copies  of  the  books,  etc.,  mentioned  below  can  be  obtained 
through  the  Technical  Bockshoj>  of  Tlie  Mining  Magazint 
723,  Salisbury  House,  London  Wall,  K.C.2. 
Summary  of  Progress  of  the   Geological  Survey  of 

Great  Britain  for  1918.    Published  by  the  Ordnance 

Survey  Office,  Southampton.     Price  2s.  6d. 

This  volume  gives  an  account  of  the  activities  of  the 
Geological  Survey  during  the  vear  1918,  and  includes 
a  list  of  the  more  important  reports  made  by  the  Sur- 
vey to  other  Government  departments  on  matters 
which  arose  during  the  war.  Among  the  other  sub- 
jects dealt  with  are  accounts  of  the  oil  shale  resources 
of  Scotland,  the  potash-bearing  rocks  of  North  Wales, 
cannel  in  Great  Britain,  the  ores  of  lead  and  zinc  in 
Scotland,  and  the  bauxitic  fireclay  of  Ayrshire.  There 
are  also  appendixes  dealing  with  the  faunal  characters 
and  correlation  of  the  concealed  Mesozoic  rocks  in 
Kent,  the  fossil  plants  from  the  Coal  Measures  of  cer- 
tain of  the  Kent  bdrings,  palaontological  notes  on  the 
Donnington  bore-hole,  as  well  as  accounts  of  borings 
at  \\  interbourne,  Gloucestershire,  Abbey  Mills  near 
Holywell,  Ktlnsea,  Yorkshire,  and  Gosmore,  Hert- 
fordshire. 

Cobalt  :  Its  Occurrence,  Metallurgy,  Uses,  and 
Alloys  By  C.  YV.  Drury.  Toronto:  The  Ontario 
Bureau  of  Mines. 

Low-Grade  Mines  Commission.  Statement  of  evi- 
dence submitted  by  the  South  African  Institute  for 
Medical  Research.  Johannesburg:  The  Transvaal 
Chamber  of  Mines. 

Base  Metal  Resources  of  South  Africa.  By  W. 
Yersfeld.  Pretoria:  Department  of  Mines  and  Indus- 
tries. 

Metallurgy  of  Zinc.  A  Bibliography  on  the  Boast- 
ing, Leaching,  Smelting,  and  Electrometallurgy  of 
Zinc.  Rolla,  Missouri  :  The  School  of  Mines  and 
Metallurgy. 

Investments  Account  Book.  By  II  A  Randall. 
Price  8s.  6d.  net.     London  :   The  Financial  Tunes. 


COMPANY    REPORTS 

Burma  Corporation. — This  company  holds  nearly 
all  the  shares  of  Burma  Mines,  Ltd.,  which  works  the 
rich  lead  zinc-copper-silver  ore  deposit  at  Bawdwin, 
Upper  Burma,  particulars  of  which  have  been  given 
on  several  occasions  in  the  Magazine.  The  report  for 
1918  shows  that  the  amount  realized  from  sales  of  lead 
and  silver  was  /913.696,  against  £769,571  for  the 
previous  year,  and  the  total  receipts  £l, 008, 244,  against 
£796,227.  The  operating  expenditure  in  Burma 
amounted  to  /591.277  in  1918,  against  /479,< 
1917,  which,  notwithstanding  the  greatly  increased  cost 
of  supplies  and  the  innumerable  difficulties  in  working 
caused  by  the  war  conditions  still  prevailing  as  well  as 
by  an  epidemic  of  cholera  and  influenza,  shows  a  satis- 
factory decrease  in  the  ratio  of  expenditure  to  the  total 


NOVEMBER,    1919 


317 


receipts,  the  figures  being  for  1918  59%  against  6024% 
for  1917.  The  amount  receivable  by  the  corporation 
from  BurmaMines,Ltd.,was£l81,480against£l44, 108 
for  the  previous  year.  The  greater  part  of  this  amount 
has  been  advanced  to  Burma  Mines,  Ltd.,  to  meet 
capital  expenditure,  increasing  the  total  advances  made 
by  the  corporation  at  December  31,  1918,  to  £585,004. 
Developments  at  the  mine  have  continued  satisfactory, 
and  the  ore  reserves  at  the  end  of  1918  were  4,404,000 
tons,  assaying  24  1  oz.  silver  per  ton,  26'2%  lead,  and 
18"4%  zinc.  The  work  during  the  year  on  the  Shan 
lode  has  developed  a  fair-sized  copper  ore-body,  high 
in  silver,  and  the  reserves  include  283,000  tons  of  this 
copper  ore,  assaying  21  '6  oz.  silver,  14'2%  lead,  8'7% 
zinc,  and  10'2%  copper.  The  tonnage  developed  dur- 
ing the  year  amounted  to  324,869  tons,  a  considerable 
amount  when  taking  into  consideration  the  large  foot- 
age of  driving  and  cross  cutting  necessary  to  connect 
the  Chinaman  and  Shan  ore-bodies  and  to  block  out 
the  ore.  These  two  ore-bodies  are  now  connected  by 
good  haulage- ways  on  the  653  ft.,  430ft.,  and  300ft. 
levels.  The  northern  extension  of  the  Shan  lode  as 
far  as  developed  has  turned  into  copper  ore,  high  in 
silver,  and  from  the  indications  below  and  on  the  sur- 
face it  is  believed  that  any  ore-bodies  to  the  north  will 
also  be  of  this  nature.  The  country  to  the  north  is  very 
favourable.  The  "Gold  Hole,"  which  con  tains  a  copper 
ore-body,  is  still  1,400ft.  north  and  800ft.  east  of  the 
most  northerly  working.  During  1918  the  smelter  and 
refinery  produced  18,641  tons  refined  lead  and  1,970,614 
oz.  refined  silver.  In  the  first  half  of  the  year  the  esti- 
mated production  of  lead  was  nearly  attained,  and  the 
production  of  silver  was  exceeded,  but  unfortunately 
operations  were  entirely  upset  by  cholera  and  influenza 
epidemics  which  started  in  August,  and  the  effects  of 
which  in  the  operations  of  the  smelter  lasted  to  the 
latter  part  of  November.  The  board  have  recently 
discussed  the  question  of  increasing  the  smelter  out- 
put with  R.  G.  Hall,  the  resident  manager,  who  came 
to  England  for  the  purpose.  After  discussion  with 
Lawrence  Addicks,  the  consulting  engineer,  it  has  been 
decided  that  an  entirely  new  and  modern  lead-smelt- 
ing plant  and  reduction  works  of  a  capacity  to  produce 
60,000  tons  of  lead  and  5,000,000  oz.  of  refined  silver 
per  year  should  be  erected  at  Namtu.  Plans  of  the 
new  smelter  and  refinery  are  now  in  progress,  and  the 
preliminary  steps  in  connection  with  the  erection  of  the 
plant  have  already  been  taken.  Owing  to  the  careful 
consideration  and  investigation  necessary  on  account 
of  the  introduction  of  anew  industry  to  Indian  labour 
and  conditions,  progress  with  the  Indian  zinc  smelting 
works  has  not  been  rapid.  Plans  for  a  plant  to  deal 
with  10,000  tons  of  spelter  and  30,000  tons  of  sulphuric 
acid  per  year  have  now  been  got  out.  The  preliminary 
steps  have  been  taken  for  the  erection  of  works  at 
Jamshedpur,  adjacent  to  the  works  of  the  Tata  Iron 
and  Steel  Company,  the  sub-lessors  of  the  site,  and 
tenders  are  now  being  invited  for  the  supply  of  the 
necessary  plant  and  machinery.  Steps  are  being  taken 
for  the  formation  of  a  new  company  in  India  to  take 
over  the  Bawdwin  mine  from  Burma  Mines,  Ltd.  The 
new  company  will  be  incorporated  under  the  Indian 
Companies  Acts,  and  will  have  a  capital  of  18,000,000 
shares  of  10  rupees  each,  of  which  13,531,182  will  be 
issued  fully  paid  to  Burma  Mines,  Limited,  as  the  pur- 
chase price,  the  remainder  being  held  in  reserve. 
These  arrangements  when  carried  through  will  entitle 
the  shareholders  in  Burma  Corporation  to  receive  14 
shares  in  the  Indian  company  for  each  share  in  the 
corporation.  Referenceto  thecorporation's  new  smelt- 
ing campaign  is  made  in  the  Editorial  columns. 

Renong  Dredging. — This  company  was  formed  in 


1908  to  acquire  alluvial  tin  deposits  on  the  Renong  and 
Pakchan  rivers,  in  the  Western  States  of  Siam.  As 
has  previously  been  recorded  in  these  pages,  the  com- 
pany is  the  pioneer  of  the  English  tin-dredging  enter- 
prises in  the  East,  and  the  credit  is  due  chiefly  to  E. 
T.  McCarthy  for  its  inception.  F.  W.  &  R.  Payne  are 
the  consulting  engineers,  and  Frank  Nicholls  is  general 
manager.  The  report  for  the  year  ended  June  30 
shows  that  No.  3  dredge  resumed  operations  in  De 
cember,  as  it  was  then  not  necessary  to  conserve  spares 
any  further.  Dredges  Nos.  1  and  2  were  not  at  work 
for  2  and  2J  months  respectively  during  overhauls,  and 
they  were  also  out  of  commission  during  part  of  the 
influenza  epidemic  in  October  and  November.  The 
total  ground  treated  by  the  three  dredges  was  1 ,577,374 
cu.  ydj,  and  the  total  output  of  tin  concentrate  759 
tons,  equal  to  1  08  lb.  per  yard.  The  receipts  were 
£122,248,  and  the  net  profit  £41,300,  out  of  which 
£3,750  has  been  distributed  as  preference  dividend,  and 
£21,816  as  ordinary  dividend,  the  latter  being  at  the 
rate  of  25%.  The  company  is  examining  a  new  area 
of  dredging  ground  in  Selangor,  Federated  Malay 
States. 

Kinta  Tin  Mines. — This  company  was  formed  in 
1900  to  acquire  alluvial  tin  properties  on  the  eastern 
side  of  the  Kinta  valley,  Perak,  Federated  Malay  States. 
W.  A.  Luning  is  the  chairman  and  Osborne  &  Chappel 
are  the  managers.  Satisfactory  dividends  have  been 
paid  regularly.  Five  years  ago  the  company  joined 
with  Gopeng  in  a  scheme  for  obtaining  water  at  higher 
pressure  from  the  Kampar  River.  The  report  for  the 
eighteen  months  ended  December  31,  1918,  shows  that 
742  tons  of  tin  concentrate  was  won,  realizing  £121,663, 
and  that  the  working  profit  was  £85,738.  From  this 
profit  £46,880  was  deducted  for  depreciation,  income 
tax,  and  excess  profits  duty.  The  shareholders  have 
received  £36,000,  being  at  the  rate  of  30%,  free  of  in- 
cometax,  for  the  ISmonths.  Thecompany  has  recently 
acquired  an  interest  in  theTyndrum  Mines,  Ltd.,  which 
works  lead-zinc  mines  in  Perthshire,  Scotland. 

Philippine  Dredges. — This  company  was  formed  in 
Melbourne  in  1912  to  acquire  alluvial  gold  ground  on 
the  Paracale  river,  Luzon,  Philippine  Islands.  The 
company  also  owns  a  majority  of  the  shares  of  the 
Paracale  Bucket  Dredging  Co.,  operating  ground  ad- 
joining. John  Mc  Whee  is  chairman,  and  William 
Telford  is  manager.  The  report  for  the  year  ended 
October  31,  1918,  has  just  arrived  in  this  country.  This 
shows  that  the  two  dredges  of  the  Philippine  Dredges 
Co.  treated  527,606  yards  and  490,376  yards,  winning 
4,894  oz.  and  2,1 12  oz.  respectively.  The  two  dredges 
of  the  Paracale  Co.  treated  259,373  yards  and  555,287 
yards,  winning  1,405  oz  and  3,961  oz.  respectively 
The  profits  from  the  company's  dredges  were  £7,705 
and  the  dividends  received  from  the  Paracale  Co.  were 
£4,853.  After  the  payment  of  administration  and  other 
expenses,  the  divisible  profit  was  £4,183.  Dividends 
absorbed  £8,730,  or  5%,  being  parti v  paid  out  of  the 
profits  brought  forward  from  the  previous  year.  Opera- 
tions were  greatly  impeded  by  inability  to  effect  repairs, 
and  since  the  close  of  the  year  under  review  one  o(  the 
I  'hilippine  Co.'s  dredges  and  one  of  the  1  'aracale  ; 
dredges  have  suspended  operations  until  necessary  re- 
pairs are  made. 

Broken  Hill  Proprietary. — Cabled  information  re 
lating  to  the  accounts  for  the  year  ended  May  31  was 
published  in  the  September  Magazine.  The  printed 
report  is  now  to  hand.  Operations  at  Broken  1  till  wen- 
hindered  by  shortage  of  coal  caused  by  a  strike  of 
engmc-drivers  at  the  port,  and  afterward  by  the  gen 
eral  strike  which  started  on  May  5  and  still  conn 
The  output  of  zinc- lead-silver  ore  was  142,488  tons, 


318 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


including  22,061  tons  of  silicious  ore  sent  direct  to  the 
Associated  Smelters.  The  lead  concentrator  treated 
120,095  tons  of  ore  for  a  yield  of  19,339  tons  of  con- 
centrate averaging  5735%  lead  and  27'63oz.  silver 
per  ton.  The  zinc  flotation  plant  treated  211,438  tons 
of  tailing  for  a  yield  of  48,579  tons  of  zinc  concentrate. 
The  whole  of  the  current  slime,  136,906  tons,  was 
treated  at  the  Bradford  flotation  plant,  where  15,263 
tons  of  lead  concentrate,  averaging  55  7%  lead  and 
83  2  oz.  silver,  and  35,135  tons  of  zinc  concentrate, 
averaging  51  08%  zinc,  were  produced.  Details  of 
the  company's  iron  and  steel  business  at  Newcastle  and 
of  the  dividends  have  already  been  given  in  our  pages. 
The  accounts  do  not  deal  with  the  Broken  Hill  and 
Newcastle  businesses  separately. 

New  Modderfontein. — The  property  worked  by  this 
company  has  good  claim  to  be  considered  the  premier 
mine  of  the  Hand  at  present.  The  report  for  the  year 
ended  June  30  last  shows  that  1,016,017  tons  was  raised, 
and,  after  the  rejection  of  waste,  920,500  tons  averag- 
ing 10'6dwt.  per  ton  was  sent  to  the  stamps.  The 
yield  of  gold  by  amalgamation  was  324,394  oz.  and  by 
cyaniding  158,203  oz.,  making  a  total  of  482,597  oz., 
worth  £2, 018, 902,  or  43s.  lOd.  per  ton  milled.  The 
working  cost  was  £929,011  or  20s.  2d.  per  ton,  leaving 
a  working  profit  of  £l, 089. 891  or  23s.  8d.  per  ton. 
Owing  to  the  southern  shaft  and  the  new  treatment 
plant  coming  into  operation  the  tonnage  was  236,000 
greater  than  during  the  previous  twelve  months  and 
the  profit  ;£ 256,500  higher.  The  shortage  of  labour 
has,  however,  prevented  the  working  of  the  new  plant 
to  its  full  capacity.  The  dividends  absorbed  £875,000, 
being  at  the  rate  of  62i%.  The  reserve  is  estimated 
at  8,854,300  tons  averaging  8  5  dwt.  Owing  to  scarcity 
of  labour,  development  has  been  considerably  restricted, 
but  in  view  of  the  large  reserve  this  class  of  work  is 
not  pressingly  required.  From  an  inspection  of  the 
figures  for  the  content  of  the  reserve  and  the  ore  mined 
during  the  last  few  years,  it  is  clear  that  the  recent  de- 
velopments have  added  much  high-grade  ore. 

Nourse  Mines. — This  company  was  formed  in  1894 
as  the  Nourse  Deep,  and  operates  a  property  in  the 
central  Rand.  The  control  is  with  Rand  Mines,  Ltd. 
Mining  is  rendered  difficult  by  an  unusual  number  of 
dykes  and  faults.  The  report  for  the  year  ended  June 
30  shows  that  519,009  tons  was  raised,  234,843  tons 
coming  from  the  Main  Reef  Leader,  218,110  tons  from 
the  South  Reef,  and  66,056  tons  from  the  Main  Reef. 
After  the  rejection  of  11%  waste,  457,800  tons  averag- 
ing 6'65  dwt.  gold  per  ton  was  sent  to  the  stamps.  The 
yield  by  amalgamation  was  97,144  oz.  and  by  cyanid- 
ing 50,902oz.,  making  a  total  of  148,046oz.,  worth 
£619,228,  or  27s.  Id.  per  ton.  The  working  cost  was 
£607,937,  or  26s.  7d.  per  ton.  The  reserve  is  estimated 
at  1,526,100  tons  averaging  6'8dwt.,  the  position  as 
compared  with  the  previous  year  being  virtually  un- 
changed as  regards  both  tonnage  and  assay-value. 
Plans  have  recently  been  completed  for  developing  the 
south-eastern  section  of  the  mine.  The  Eastern  South 
Nourse  No.  1  shaft  is  to  be  re-equipped  and  sunk  an 
additional  depth  of  1,000ft.  to  3,500ft.  Eventually 
all  hoisting  operations  will  be  concentrated  at  the  two 
South  Nourse  shafts. 

Glynn's  Lydenburg. — This  company  was  formed  in 
1895  to  acquire  a  gold  mine  on  the  Sabie  river  near 
Pilgrim's  Rest,  in  the  Lydenburg  district  of  the  Trans- 
vaal. The  control  is  with  the  Central  Mining  group, 
and  G.  C.  Damant  is  manager.  The  report  for  the 
year  ended  July  31  last  shows  that  operations  continued 
to  suffer  from  the  effects  of  the  floods  in  the  previous 
year,  and  that  the  influenza  epidemic  also  had  an  ad- 
verse effect.     The  output  in  consequence  showed  a  de- 


crease, while  the  costs  increased.  The  total  ore  treated 
was  37,982  tons  averaging  9'5dwt.  per  ton.  The  yield 
by  amalgamation  was7,142oz.,andbycyanide9.724oz., 
making  a  total  of  16,866  oz.  worth  £70,309,  or  37s.  per 
ton.  The  working  cost  was  £63,321,  or  33s.  4d.  per 
ton,  leaving  a  working  profit  of  £6,988,  or  3s.  8d.  per 
ton.  The  shareholders  received  £8,500,  or  5%.  The 
ore  reserves  stand  at  108,546  tons  averaging  9'4  d  wt. ,  as 
compared  with  138,928  tons  averaging  9'8dwt.  the 
vear  before.  The  decrease  is  due  to  comparatively 
little  development  having  been  done. 

Willoughby's  Consolidated. — This  company  was 
formed  in  1894  to  consolidate  various  land  and  mining 
interests  in  Rhodesia  controlled  by  the  late  Sir  John 
Willougbby.  The  control  is  with  the  British  South 
Africa  Company.  The  only  dividend  was  one  of  5% 
paid  in  1910.  The  report  for  the  year  1918  shows  that 
at  the  Eiffel  Blue  mine  14,502  tons  of  ore  yielded  gold 
worth  £23.614.  This  mine  is  now  nearing  exhaustion. 
The  royalty  derived  from  the  tributing  of  the  Conne- 
mara  and  other  mines  was  £510.  The  company  holds 
interests  in  the  Matabele  Queen's  and  Eileen  Alannah 
companies.  The  property  of  the  former  has  been 
abandoned  and  that  of  the  latter,  after  being  closed 
in  June,  1918,  was  reopened  later  in  the  year  on  a 
smaller  scale.  The  company's  revenue  from  mining 
operations,  after  payment  of  all  expenses,  was  £3,097, 
the  total  revenue,  chiefly  from  land  and  farms,  etc., 
was  £33,534,  and  the  net  profit  was  £l5, 616  Against 
the  profit  has  to  be  put  £14,000,  the  amount  written  off 
for  bad  debts  in  London. 

Niger  Company.  — This  company  was  formed  in  1882 
as  the  National  African  Co.,  and  from  1S86  to  1900 
held  a  Royal  Charter  empowering  it  to  govern  the 
territories  in  the  basin  of  the  River  Niger,  West  Africa. 
In  the  latter  year  the  British  Government  took  over 
the  administration,  and  the  company  continued  the 
general  mercantile  business.  Tin  mining  is  one  of  the 
company's  many  interests.  Most  of  the  tin  land  is 
worked  by  other  companies,  which  pay  royalty,  but 
certain  properties  are  operated  by  the  company,  under 
the  management  of  Laws,  Rumbold  &  Co.  The  re- 
port for  1918  shows  that  mines  worked  by  the  company- 
produced  530  tons  of  tin  concentrate,  out  of  Nigeria's 
total  production  of  about  8,000  tons.  The  company 
has  acquired  controlling  interests  in  the  Ribon  Valley 
and  Zuma  Tin  Areas  companies,  and  in  several  smal- 
ler mining  companies.  The  company's  profits  for  the 
year  were  £374,115,  of  which  £123,490  came  from  min- 
ing business  and  £250,625  from  general  trade. 

Pena  Copper  Mines. — This  company  was  formed  in 
London  in  1900  to  acquire  a  pyrites  mine  in  the  south 
of  Spain  that  had  for  a  few  years  previously  been 
worked  by  a  Belgian  company.  Small  dividends  were 
paid  from  1903  to  1906.  John  F.  Allan  is  consulting 
engineer.  The  report  for  the  year  1918  shows  that, 
owing  to  difficulties  in  connection  with  freights  and 
marketing  pyrites,  the  output  and  deliveries  were  much 
under  normal.  The  amount  of  ore  raised  was  91,827 
tons,  as  compared  with  160,121  tons  the  year  before. 
The  ore  added  to  the  leaching  heaps  was  49,493  tons, 
and  the  remainder  was  prepared  for  export.  The  ship- 
ments totalled  72,023  tons,  comprising  5,458  tons  of 
cupreous  ore,  24,822  tons  of  non-cupreous  ore,  and 
41,742  tons  of  washed  ore.  The  production  of  fine 
copper  in  precipitate  was  554  tons.  The  pro6t  and 
loss  account  showed  a  working  profit  of  £20.925,  but 
against  this  had  to  be  charged  £17,495  for  administra- 
tion, taxes,  etc.,  and  £10,384  for  interest  on  loans 
raised  on  mortgage.  The  reserve  of  proved  ore  at  the 
end  of  1918  was  3,454,718  tons,  as  compared  with 
3,730,022  tons  the  year  before. 


The  Mining  Magazine 


W.   F.   WHITE,  Managing  Director. 


Edward  Walker,  M.Sc,  F.G.S.,  Editor. 


Published  on  the  15th  of  each  month  by  The  Mining  Publications,  Ltd., 
at  Salisbury  House.  London  Wall,  London,  E.C.2. 

Telephone:  London  Wall  8938.     Telegraphic  Address :  Olinoclase.     Codes:  McNeill,  both  Editions. 


[420,  Market  Street.  San  Francisco. 
Branch  Offices:    \  300.  Fisher  Bdg..  Chicago. 

(.2.222,  Equitable  Building,  New  York. 


Subscription  \  UK'  and  Cap-ada,  12s.  per  annum  (Single  Copy  Is.  3d.) 
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Vol.  XXI.    No.  6.       LONDON,   DECEMBER,    1919. 


PRICE 
ONE   SHILLING 


CONTENTS. 


Editorial 
Notes 


North  of  England 


PAGE 

353 


320 


Chances  in  West  Australia  321 

An  outline  is  given  of  geological  instructions  given 
to  prospectors  in  West  Australia  by  the  Gov- 
ernment geologists. 

Magmalic  Waters  322 

The  editor  discusses  Dr.  Morrow  Campbell's 
theory  of  the  origin  of  tin  and  wolfram  deposits. 

Sulman   on   Flotation 323 

An  account  is  given  of  Mr.  H.  L.  Sulman's  his- 
toric paper  on  the  theory  of  flotation  read  before 
the  Institution  of  Mining  and  Metallurgy  last 
month. 

The  Conservation  of  Oil  324 

Admiral  Dumas  has  made  drastic  suggestions  as 
regards  the  waste  and  unnecessary  use  of  oil 
fuel  and  petrol,  and  recommends  that  their  use 
should  be  regulated  by  licence. 

Review  of  Mining  325 

Articles 

The  China  Clay  Industry  of  the  West 
of  England Henry  F.  Collins  329 

China  Clay  is  one  of  the  most  important  mineral 
products  of  the  United  Kingdom.  The  author 
describes  its  geological  occurrence  and  minera- 
logical  characteristics,  the  methods  of  mining 
and  preparation  for  market,  and  the  economic 
questions  involved  in  its  disposal. 

The  Minerals  of  Anatolia 

Norman  M.  Penzer  337 

The  author  gives  particulars  of  the  mineral  de- 
posits of  part  of  Asiatic  Turkey,  about  which 
little  is  known  in  this  country,  though  the  Ger- 
mans compiled  records  some  years  ago. 

Water  in    Rock    Magmas    and  Veins 
/.   Morrow  Campbell  344 

The  author  discusses  the  theory  of  water  in  mag 
mas,  and  the  action  of  inagmatic  waters  in  bring 
ing  tin  and  wolfram  to  the  surface. 

News  Letters 

Toronto    350 

Porcupine;  Kirkland  Lake  :  Cobalt;  Gowganda. 

Melbourne    351 

West  Australian  Base  Metals. 
6—4 


The  Commission  ;  The  Mines  ;  Lead. 

Camborne     355 

Geevor  Tin  Mines;  Non-Ferrous  Mines  Commis- 
sion ;  Strike  of  Miners  at  Dolcoath  ;  Tincroft ; 
Suggested  Amalgamation  of  Cornish  Scientific 
Societies;  Tin  Flotation  Process  at  East  Pool. 

Letter  to  the  Editor 

Spelling  Reform W.  H.  Shockley  357 

Personal 358 

Trade  Paragraphs    358 

Metal  Markets  359 

Statistics  of  Production 362 

Prices  of  Chemicals   365 

Share  Quotations 366 

The  Mining  Digest 

Theory  of  Flotation //.  /.    Sulman  367 

The    Premier   Gold-Silver    Mine,    Northern 

British  Columbia  Charles  Bunting  368 

Mineral  Resources  of  West  Australia 

C.  M.   Harris  370 

Lead  in  South  Africa Dr.  W.  Versfehi  372 

Potash  Salts  in  South  Africa 

G.  E.  B.  Frood  &   A.  L.  Hall  373 

Goodchild  on  Ore  Deposits  ....F.  P.  Mennell  374 

Pitchblende  in  Ontario Cyril  \V .  Knight  374 

Aluminium  from  Labradorite L.  Hawkes  375 

Short  Notices  375 

Recent  Patents  Published 376 

New  Books   

"The  Mineral  Industry  Vol.  27,  1918"* 376 

Schoeller  &  Powell's  "Analysis  of  Minerals     376 


and   Ores  of   the  Rarer  Elements". 

A.J.   Chapman 


376 


Company  Reports  377 

British  Broken  Hill  ;  Frontino  &  Bolivia:  Gaika  Gold:  Gee- 
vorTiri  Mines;  Huelva  Copper  &  Sulphur :  Middleburg  Steam 
Coal  >V  Coke  ;  Naraguta  (Nigeria'  Tin  Mines  ;  North  Anantapur 
Gold  Mines;  North  Broken  Hill;  I'restea  Block  A:  Scottish 
Spitsbergen;  Tombov  Gold  Mines;  Weardale  Lead. 


EDITORIAL 


WE  are  glad  to  welcome  once  more  the 
Camborne  School  of  Mines  Magazine, 
which  has  resumed  publication.  Most  of  the 
reading  matter  is  naturally  of  the  social  order, 
and  helps  to  preserve  the  esprit  de  corps;  even 
the  technical  article,  "  Hints  to  Would-be 
Mine  Surveyors,"  deals  with  the  human  side 
of  the  business.  All  old  students  should  get 
into  touch  with  the  editor,  Mr.  S.  R.  Prisk. 

AS  recorded  last  month,  the  publication  of 
l  our  New  York  technical  contemporaries 
was  suspended  at  the  end  of  September  owing 
to  a  strike  of  machine-room  hands  in  the  print- 
ing department.  The  publishers  have  made 
new  plans  for  production."  The  Engineering 
and  Mining  Journal  is  now  printed  at  San 
Francisco,  and  the  issue  of  October  4  is  to 
hand.  Chemical  and  Metallurgical  Engi- 
neering, which  has  been  converted  from  a 
semi-monthly  to  a  weekly,  is  printed  at 
Cooperstovvn,  New  York  State. 

ABNORMAL  credits,  both  public  and  pri- 
i.  vate,  have  caused  British  and  Continen- 
tal paper  to  drop  to  a  discount  in  the  United 
States  and  other  producing  countries.  Con- 
sequently gold  and  silver  are  at  a  premium. 
Goldisnow  worth  105s.  per  oz.,  and  silver  75d., 
in  paper.  The  decrease  in  the  output  of  these 
metals  is  a  factor  in  the  situation,  and  as  re- 
gards gold  a  continual  decrease  is  to  be  ex- 
pected. The  available  sources  of  silver  are 
severely  restricted,  Mexico,  Broken  Hill,  and 
the  argentiferous  copper  producers  in  America 
all  giving  anxiety  to  the  buyers. 

THE  average  British  citizen  takes  little 
or  no  interest  in  the  political  questions 
of  the  Overseas  Dominions.  It  is  not  surpris- 
ing therefore  that  most  folks  here  are  quite 
unaware  of  the  plans  for  giving  the  people  of 
India  a  large  share  in  the  government  of  their 
country.  Yet  this  rearrangement  of  responsi- 
bility for  the  welfare  of  that  great  empire  is  a 
step  of  supreme  importance.  It  is  not  too 
much  to  say  that  its  success  depends  entirely 
on  the  good  will  of  every  section  of  the  com- 
munity. There  have  been  many  signs  of  dis- 
content with  the  measure  among  certain  Ang- 
lo-Indians, particularly  in  the  civil  services. 
The  gravity  of  the  situation  and  the  possible 
serious  effects  of  such  unrest  are  fortunately 
recognized  by  many  men  connected  with  India. 
In  particular  it   may  be   mentioned   that  Sir 


Thomas  Holland  has  decided  to  renounce  a 
new  appointment  in  England  and  return  to 
India  with  the  express  purpose  of  inspiring 
the  services  to  accept  the  situation  and  adopt 
a  public-spirited  attitude.  Sir  Thomas  has 
done  much  for  India  in  the  past,  chiefly  in 
connection  with  the  development  of  her  min- 
eral resources.  His  present  action  will  still 
further  increase  the  nation's  gratitude  to  him. 

THE  importance  of  the  mining  geologist 
is  being  gradually  recognized.  The  latest 
example  of  this  new  order  of  things  is  to  be 
found  in  the  appointment  of  Mr.  V.  H.  R. 
Murrav  as  underground  manager  of  the  Gold- 
en Horse-Shoe  mine.  Mr.  Murray  knows  the 
mine  well,  for  he  has  hitherto  been  the  sur 
•  and  geologist  to  the  company.  He  stands 
high  in  the  estimation  of  his  fellow  engineers, 
as  is  evidenced  by  the  fact  that  he  has  been 
elected  honorary  secretary  of  the  newly  form- 
ed West  Australian  Committee  of  the  Insti- 
tution of  Mining  and  Metallurgy. 

BY  the  time  these  lines  are  in  print,  the 
second  volume  of  Mr.  E.  T.  McCarthy's 
"Incidents  in  the  Life  of  a  Mining  Engineer" 
will  have  been  published.  This  book  will  form 
an  appropriate  Christmas  gift  among  mining 
engineers  and  their  friends.  Many  will  <on- 
sider  the  second  volume  of  even  greater  inter- 
est than  the  first,  for  the  particular  reason  that 
it  covers  experiences  of  more  recent  date.  His 
outspoken  disclosures  as  to  the  false  cry  of 
"Chinese  Slavery"  on  the  Rand  may  be  men- 
tioned as  an  attractive  feature  of  the  new  rem- 
iniscences. As  before,  the  profits  accruing 
will  be  devoted  to  St.  Dunstan's  Hostel  for 
Blinded  Soldiers.  That  institution  benefited 
by  nearly  ^"800  from  the  proceeds  of  the  first 
volume,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  an  even 
greater  amount  will  be  forthcoming  from  the 
second.  The  price  is  15s.,  by  post  15s.  6d., 
but  buyers  might  well  send  Mr.  McCarthy 
a  guinea  m  order  to  swell  the  profits. 

PROMOTERS  of  public  companies  do  not 
always  issue  a  prospectus,  but  form  a  mar- 
ket privately  instead.  Thus  the  buyer  of  shares 
has  nothing  to  go  on  except  rumour  or  his 
personal  belief  in  the  promoter.  Of  course, 
the  promoters  of  many  prospectusless  com- 
panies are  beyond  reproach  ;  the  only  griev- 
ance against  them  is  that  their  respectability  is 
aped  by  men  of  less  account.     The  new  regu- 


320 


DECEMBER,    1919 


321 


lation  of  the  Committee  of  the  Stock  Exchange 
requiring  all  such  companies  to  advertise  de- 
tails in  at  least  two  leading  London  morning 
papers  before  leave  to  deal  in  the  shares  is 
granted,  will  be  generally  welcomed  by  inves- 
tors. According  to  the  new  rule,  the  directors 
have  to  assume  responsibility,  collectively  and 
individually,  for  the  information  advertised. 
Hitherto  nobody  has  been  responsible  for  state- 
ments made  in  connection  with  the  sale  of  this 
class  of  share.  The  details  to  be  published 
must  include  statements  by  the  chairman  or 
secretary  relating  to  the  following  items  :  the 
capital,  authorized  and  issued  ;  borrowing 
powers  and  the  extent  to  which  they  have  been 
exercised  ;  date  and  particulars  of  incorpora- 
tion ;  names  and  addresses  of  directors,  bank- 
ers,auditors, and  secretary  ;  objects  of  the  com- 
pany, and  nature  of  its  business  or  particulars 
of  property  acquired  ;  material  conditions  re- 
lating to  the  formation  of  the  company  and 
the  flotation  of  the  issue.  By  means  of  this 
welcome  reform,  many  hole-and-corner  mak- 
ings of  markets  will  be  rendered  impossible, 
and  the  stopper  will  also  be  put  on  the  plans 
of  some  of  the  more  eminent  houses  who  sail 
close  to  the  wind. 

DURING  the  past  few  months  the  Eon- 
don  daily  press  has  published  a  num- 
ber of  brief  paragraphs  announcing  marvel- 
lous discoveries  of  gold  in  the  region  of  the 
earth  vaguely  known  to  journalists  as  the 
Great  North- West.  Some  of  these  paragraphs 
have  referred  to  a  new  Klondyke,  and  others 
have  located  the  deposits  in  Alaska.  Owing 
to  the  scantiness  of  information  coming 
through  to  London,  it  has  not  been  possible 
hitherto  to  trace  the  rumours  to  their  source. 
This  month,  however,  reliable  news  is  to  hand, 
and  particulars  are  given  in  another  part  of 
the  issue.  The  mine  that  has  caused  the  sen- 
sation is  known  as  the  Premier,  and  it  is  situ- 
ated in  British  Columbia,  at  the  head  of  the 
Portland  Canal,  which  here  forms  the  inter- 
national boundary  between  Canada  and  Al- 
aska. The  Treadwell  mines  are  250  miles  to 
the  north-west,  and  the  Anyox  copper  mine 
is  50  miles  to  the  south.  The  chief  minerals 
in  the  ore  are  auriferous  pyrites  and  argentite, 
and  the  values  of  the  gold  and  silver  contents 
are  about  equal.  The  method  of  treatment 
would  appear  to  consist  of  concentration  and 
smelting.  As  consignments  of  picked  ore  have 
been  shipped  to  smelters,  and  seeing  that  the 
Guggenheims  are  acquiring  control,  this  view 
of  the  commercial  nature  of  the  ore  may  be 
held  to  be  correct.     The  history  of  the  de- 


velopment of  the  deposit  affords  one  more  ex- 
ample of  the  romance  of  mining.  Several 
pioneers  had  been  precious  near  the  rich  ore 
without  knowing  it.  Thus  is  attention  again 
drawn  to  two  axioms  of  mining:  optimism  and 
perseverance  are  requisite  to  success ;  and  it 
is  as  hard  to  strike  a  bonanza  as  to  hit  an 
enemy's  aeroplane  on  a  dark  night. 


ANNOUNCEMENT  has  been  made  that 
l  the  Geological  Survey  of  Great  Britain 
has  been  transferred,  for  administrative  pur- 
poses, from  the  Board  of  Education  to  the  De- 
partment of  Scientificand  Industrial  Research. 
Attention  has  often  been  drawn  in  these  pages 
to  the  anomalous  position  of  the  Geological 
Survey.  The  new  move  may  prove  helpful, 
but  there  is  no  particular  reason  for  indulging 
in  any  such  hope.  The  present  position  with 
regard  to  the  minerals  of  the  country  and  the 
empire  seems  to  be  if  anything  more  compli- 
cated than  ever.  The  care  of  the  industry  is 
now  under  six  different  departments.  The 
Imperial  Mineral  Resources  Bureau  has  been 
formed  to  collect  statistics  andrecordsthrough- 
out  the  world  ;  the  Home  Office  is  responsible 
for  the  regulation  of  mining  operations  in  this 
country  ;  the  Mineral  Resources  Department 
of  the  Ministry  of  Munitions  has  been  made  a 
department  of  the  Board  of  Trade,  and  the 
reports  on  mineral  deposits,  prepared  by  so 
many  practical  mining  men,  are  pigeon-holed 
instead  of  being  handed  over  to  the  Geological 
Survey  or  the  new  Bureau  ;  the  Survey  is,  as 
now  announced,  under  the  Department  of 
Scientific  and  Industrial  Research;  the  Im- 
perial College  of  Science  and  Technology  is  un- 
der the  Board  of  Education  ;  and  the  Imperial 
Institute,  a  publisher  of  a  number  of  excellent 
handbooks  on  economic  minerals,  is  controlled 
by  the  Colonial  Office.  No  doubt  all  or  most 
of  the  above  will  be  transferred  eventually  to 
a  Department  of  Mines  :  the  sooner  the  better. 

Chances  in  West  Australia. 

When  Mr.  C.  M.  Harris  introduced  his 
paper  on  Prospecting  in  West  Australia  at 
the  October  meeting  of  the  Institution  of 
Mining  and  Metallurgy,  he  gave  an  outline  of 
the  advice  which  experienced  mining  geolo- 
gists could  give  to  prospectors  as  to  the  coun- 
try deserving  particular  attention  within  the 
limits  of  that  State.  Though  the  information 
Mr.  Harris  gave  was  intended  primarily  for 
the  benefit  of  the  prospector,  it  will  be  of  con- 
siderable help  here  in  following  the  news  of 
discoveries  and  developments  in  the  field  or 
on    the    mine  and    in   judging  of  the  general 


322 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


influence  of  these  discoveries.  We  there- 
fore quote  from  his  remarks  herewith.  The 
mineral  deposits  of  the  State,  particularly 
the  gold  deposits,  are  mainly  associated 
with  greenstone  rocks,  although  the  gran- 
ite magma  probably  played  a  large  part  in 
the  introduction  of  gold  and  other  metals. 
Thus  prospecting  is  likely  to  be  successful  if 
it  is  devoted  to  the  greenstone  areas,  particu- 
larly those  portions  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
the  granite,  and  where  the  rocks  have  been 
sheared  and  altered.  Many  of  the  lines  of 
shearing  are  now  occupied  by  quartz  lodes  and 
jasper  bars.  The  greenstones  of  economic  im- 
portance may  be  classified  into  two  divisions. 
The  first  division  consists  of  fine-grained  ba- 
saltic dolerites,  now  largely  represented  by 
epidiorites and  still  morealtered  forms.  These 
are  among  the  oldest  rocks  of  the  State,  and 
are  well  developed  at  Kalgoorlie,  where  the 
more  altered  forms  are  known  as  calc-schist. 
They  carry  auriferous  lodes,  which  are,  how- 
ever, not  as  rich  or  consistent  in  their  gold 
content  as  those  of  the  second  group,  which 
consist  of  plutonic  dolerites  of  coarse  or  medi- 
um grain.  These  latter  rocks  form  the  greater 
portion  of  the  greenstone  areas  of  the  State. 
They  are,  like  those  of  the  first  group,  largely 
represented  by  epidiorites,  but  are  of  much 
coarser  grain.  By  far  the  greatest  proportion 
of  the  gold-bearing  lodes  are  found  in  the  rocks 
of  this  division.  In  the  second  group  should 
also  be  included  the  ultra- basic  rocks  such  as 
the  peridotites  and  their  derivatives,  the  ser- 
pentines. These  are  fine-grained  dark  green 
or  almost  black  rocks,  softer  than  the  fine- 
grained epidiorites.  So  far  few  auriferous 
lodes  have  been  found  in  these  ultra- basic 
rocks,  most  of  those  that  have  been  found  be- 
ing in  the  Eastern  goldfields.  These  rocks, 
however,  should  be  examined  for  asbestos, 
magnesite,  and  copper  ores.  The  greenstones, 
particularly  those  of  the  second  division,  are 
in  many  localities  intersected  by  porphyrite. 
Although  the  main  areas  of  the  porphyrite 
appear  to  contain  few  lodes,  the  neighbourhood 
of  the  smaller  dykes  should  be  well  prospected. 
These  dykes  are  common  at  Kalgoorlie,  where 
they  seem  to  be  closely  associated  with  the 
lode  formations.  Gold  is  found  in  other 
country  than  the  greenstones.  For  instance, 
the  lodes  at  Westonia  occur  in  a  lens  of  gneiss, 
which  consists  of  a  foliated  quartz-mica-horn- 
blende rock,  intermediate  between  a  quartz 
dolerite  and  a  basic  granite.  Lodes  carrying 
gold  in  profitable  quantities  are  seldom  found 
in  the  granites,  but  the  aplite  and  pegmatite 
dykes,  and  the  marginal  portions  of  the  granite 


as  well  as  the  lodes  themselves  should  be  ex- 
amined for  molybdenite,  wolfram,  scheelite, 
bismuth,  tin,  and  the  rarer  minerals. 

Magmatic  Waters. 

In  an  article  entitled  "  Water  in  Rock  Mag- 
mas and  Veins,"  published  in  this  issue,  Dr.  J. 
Morrow  Campbell  returns  to  the  subject  of  the 
origin  of  tin  and  wolfram  ores,  and  discusses 
also  some  aspects  of  Mr.  W.  H.  Goodchild's 
theory  of  the  evolution  of  ore  deposits  from 
igneous  magmas.  These  two  themes  of  his 
article  are  no  doubt  entirely  distinct,  yet  they 
form  a  consecutive  argument  in  connection 
with  the  matter  immediately  in  hand.  As  re- 
gards the  function  of  the  water  in  magmas,  the 
author  is  sceptical  of  it  ever  having  been  an 
original  constituent,  but  holds  that  it  entered 
its  composition  after  a  sufficient  degree  of  cool- 
ing had  been  reached,  the  water  being  in  fact 
meteoric  water  which  percolated  downward 
through  crevices.  His  argument  is  that  at  the 
original  high  temperatures  of  the  earth  no  hy- 
drate could  exist.  We  are  not  sure  that  we 
follow  this  line  of  thought,  for  it  would  appear 
that  the  sulphur  constituent  of  the  magma 
would  also  have  to  be  considered,  and  there  can 
hardly  be  any  doubt  that  both  water  and  sul- 
phur would  be  held  in  combination  by  the  pres- 
sure of  overlying  material.  Dr.  Campbell  goes 
much  farther  back  in  the  history  of  the  world 
than  Mr.  Goodchild.and  takes  a  universal  mag- 
ma instead  of  a  local  one.  Though  not  fully 
following  Dr.  Campbell,  we  must  confess  that 
the  usual  theories  of  magmatic  waters  leave 
much  to  the  imagination,  when  water  is  sup- 
posed to  have  been  an  original  constituent. 
On  the  other  hand,  when  the  appearance  of 
magmatic  waters  is  assumed  to  be  the  last  stage 
of  an  expiring  local  volcanism,  there  is  less 
difficulty  in  accepting  the  idea,  especially  from 
Dr.  Campbell's  point  of  view.  It  is  well,  in 
the  study  of  all  these  questions,  to  keep  an  open 
mind.  We  are  discussing  the  action  of  forces 
of  which  little  or  nothing  is  known, andtheories 
must  never  be  taken  as  being  more  than  tenta- 
tivesuggestions  containing  here  and  theresome 
grain  of  truth.  With  this  attitude  of  mind 
uppermost,  a  perusal  and  study  of  Dr.  Camp- 
bell's outline  of  the  history  of  the  earth  will 
prove  helpful. 

As  regards  the  second  theme  in  his  article, 
it  may  be  said  that  Dr.  Campbell  is  frankly 
an  iconoclast  when  the  pneumatolytic  theory 
of  the  origin  of  tin  is  in  the  arena.  In  his  pre- 
vious paper,  published  in  the  issue  of  February 
last,  he  proved  the  existence  of  soluble  tin 
compounds,  and  he  was  therefore  able  to  argue 


DECEMBER,    1919 


323 


that  the  oxides  of  these  metals  were  carried  in 
solution  by  the  quartz-water  mother  liquor  at 
high  temperatures.  His  theory  is  that  the 
water  did  not  reach  the  granite  magma  until 
comparatively  late  in  its  history,  and  that  the 
quartz- water  leached  the  tin  and  wolfram  from 
the  magma  and  redeposited  them  around  its 
periphery.  The  champions  of  pneumatolysis 
are  disconcerted  by  the  fact  that  at  Tavoy  the 
tin  veins  carry  no  tourmaline,  the  mineral  on 
which  the  pneumatolytic  theory  mainly  rests, 
while  fluor-spar  and  apatite  are  very  rarely 
seen.  This  fact  gives  Dr.  Campbell  an  open- 
ing for  his  theory,  and  other  geologists  familiar 
with  conditions  at  Tavoy  have  also  suggested 
alternative  explanations. 


Sulman  on  Flotation. 

When  Mr.  H.  F.  Picard  was  elected  presi- 
dent of  the  Institution  of  Mining  and  Metal- 
lurgy last  March  we  said  that  a  thousand  years 
hence  the  text-books  will  still  refer  to  the  Sul- 
man-Picard- Ballot  patent,  and  that  the  name 
of  the  new  president  will  in  this  way  be  pre- 
served, long  after  the  rest  of  us  have  been  for- 
gotten. This  prophecy  of  the  happy  preser- 
vation of  the  names  has  been  made  an  absolute 
certainty  by  the  publication  of  a  treatise  on  the 
theory  of  flotation  by  Mr.  H.  Livingstone  Sul- 
man, the  treatise  taking  the  form  of  a  paper 
read  before  the  Institution.  The  paper  occupies 
a  hundred  pages,  and  to  those  unacquainted 
with  modern  physics  it  is  undoubtedly  stiff 
reading ;  but  it  is  simplicity  itself  compared 
with  the  larger  and  more  complete  exposition 
of  the  problem  which  Mr.  Sulman  and  his  co- 
workers have  in  hand.  The  principles  on  which 
froth  flotation  is  founded  are  not  usually  under- 
stood by  the  average  engineer, as  wasevidenced 
by  the  confessions  of  several  speakers  at  the 
meeting.  Molecular  forces,  surface  tension, 
adsorption,  colloid  chemistry,  and  such  like 
phenomena  are  outside  the  usual  rangeof  study 
of  the  practical  man,  and  are  as  much  in  the 
nature  of  a  mystery  to  him  as  Einstein's  theory 
of  the  universe.  He  is  accustomed  only  to  big 
forces  and  is  unaware  of  the  existence  of  small 
molecular  actions.  Though  he  often  sees  the 
bubbles  and  even  the  balanced  spoon  attracted 
to  the  side  of  his  tea-cup,  and  watches  the 
spherules  of  water  run  along  the  clear  surface 
of  a  fountain  basin,  he  does  not  comprehend 
their  meaning.  Many  engineers  will  not  feel 
called  upon  to  undertake  a  new  line  of  thought, 
but  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  coming  gen- 
eration,especially  the  University  students, will 
have  to  familiarize  themselves  with  the  minute 
forces  of  nature.     Those  who  desire  to  obtain 


an  insight  into  the  general  principles  cannot 
do  better  than  take  Mr.  Sulman's  paper  as  a 
text- book,  for,  besides  being  sound  in  its  science, 
it  shows  at  once  the  practical  application  of  the 
principles  to  commercial  enterprise. 

Among  the  speakers  contributing  to  the  dis- 
cussion were  Professors  Truscott,  Carpenter, 
Louis,  and  Boys,  while  Professor  Edwin  Edser, 
who  has  been  a  collaborator  of  Mr.  Sulman's 
during  the  last  few  years,  elucidated  several 
points  raised  in  the  discussion.  Among  other 
things,  Mr.  Edser  said  that  the  action  of  the 
lungs  in  expelling  particles  of  dust  was  essen- 
tially that  of  a  froth-flotation  cell,  and  he  ad- 
vised that  the  problems  of  miners'  phthisis 
might  receive  some  aid  from  the  flotation  ex- 
pert. There  were  a  number  of  points  in  the 
paper  which  deserved  more  attention  than  they 
could  possibly  receive  during  the  limited  time 
available.  One  of  these  is  the  explanation  of 
the  fact  that  all  materials  are  floatable  to  a 
greater  or  less  degree,  and  that  substances  can 
be  arranged  in  order  of  relative  floatability  in 
the  same  way  that  they  can  be  placed  in  electro- 
positive and  electro-negative  order.  Quartz 
can  be  floated,  and  fluor-spar  and  barite  are 
non-metallic  minerals  that  easily  rise.  Cop- 
per carbonates  are  now  being  successfully 
floated  at  Bwana  M'Kubwa,  as  was  recorded 
in  the  last  issue  of  the  Magazine.  Cassiterite 
is  also  floatable,  but  it  is  difficult  to  obtain  a 
clean  separation  from  gangue  minerals  which 
rise  with  it.  During  the  last  month  or  two, 
however,  the  East  Pool  engineers  have  found 
a  suitable  selective  reagent,  as  recorded  else- 
where in  this  issue. 

The  meeting  was  unusually  well  attended  ; 
in  fact  the  room  of  the  Geological  Society  was 
packed  to  overflowing.  1 1  was  easy  to  see  that 
everybody  had  a  high  personal  regard  for  the- 
author,  and  the  meeting  was  truly  a  great  tri- 
umph for  him.  And  here  it  is  appropriate  for 
us  to  say  that  the  reading  of  the  paper  has  been 
delayed  many  years  owing  to  the  litigation  in 
connection  with  Minerals  Separation's  patents. 
In  the  meantime  other  investigators  have  pub- 
lished views  and  theories,  and  they  and  their 
friends  have  prided  themselves  that  they  knew 
more  of  the  physics  of  the  process  than  the 
original  patentees.  But  though  Mr.  Sulman 
never  wrote  anything  on  the  subject,  he  was 
immersed  in  study  and  research  from  the  be- 
ginning. A  dozen  years  ago  the  present  wri- 
ter saw  a  book  which  Mr.  Sulman  had  ready  for 
publication.  All  the  diagrams  figuring  in  the 
paper  were  in  this  book,  as  well  as  the  word 
"  hysteresis,"  which  Professor  Boys  said  the 
other  night  was    invented    three    years   ago. 


324 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


Naturally  much  research  has  been  done  since 
then,  and  the  services  of  the  principles  of  col- 
loid chemistry  and  adsorption  have  been  requi- 
sitioned. But  the  fact  remains  that  Mr.  Sui- 
man  was  a  pioneer  in  the  scientific  study  of  the 
physics  of  the  process  as  well  as  an  inventor 
of  the  successful  process. 

Now  that  every  one  has  accepted  flotation  as 
an  accomplished  fact,  it  is  almost  impossible 
to  believe  that  in  the  early  days  the  proposed 
methods  were  received  with  incredulity.  In 
America,  particularly, the  processes  were  prac- 
tically ignored.  Many  eminent  authorities 
there  looked  askance  at  the  English  inventors, 
and  regarded  them  as  charlatans  on  the  level 
of  gold-brick  merchants  and  bunco-steerers. 
The  present  writer  sent  an  article  on  oil  flota- 
tion to  the  Engineering  and  Mining  Journal 
in  1899,  but  the  late  Richard  P.  Rothwell  re- 
turned it  with  the  comment :  "  Heavy  minerals 
don't  float ;  do  not  write  articles  for  the  H.  .V 
M.J.  after  a  champagne  lunch." 

The  Conservation  of  Oil. 

The  membersof  the  Institutionof  Petroleum 
Technologists  who  attended  the  meeting  held 
on  November  18  were  treated  to  a  type  of  ad- 
dress unusual  among  the  staid,  scientific  and 
engineering  societies.  Admiral  Dumaspresen- 
ted  a  paper  on  the  conservation  of  the  world's 
resources  of  oil.  His  language  rode  the  whirl- 
wind ;  he  belaboured  everybody  for  laxity  and 
ineptitude  on  every  possible  score  ;  and  in  his 
capacity  for  interjecting  "  damns,"  "  for  God's 
sakes,"  and  "  to  hell  withs,"  he  fairly  outdis- 
tanced Lord  Fisher.  His  theme  throughout 
the  paper  was  waste  :  waste  in  mining,  waste 
in  storing,  waste  in  refining,  waste  in  distribu- 
tion, waste  in  use,  and  waste  of  brains  all  the 
way  through.  It  was  a  heavy  indictment,  and 
the  leaders  of  the  oil  trade  and  oil  technology 
who  formed  the  audience  at  first  sat  aghast. 
Before  he  had  finished,  however,  it  dawned  upon 
his  hearers  that,  though  his  language  was  full 
of  the  breezy  exaggerations  of  the  naval  com- 
mander, there  was  a  sound  foundation  of  com- 
mon sense  in  his  remarks.  For  ourselves,  we 
consider  the  paper  worth  preserving  if  only  for 
his  admission,  in  his  capacity  as  secretary  of 
the  Royal  Commission  on  Oil  Fuel  and  En- 
gines, that  there  is  a  shocking  waste  of  fuel  oil 
and  petrol  in  the  military,  naval,  and  air  ser- 
vices. No  doubt,  also,  the  producers  will  for- 
give him  for  his  severe  criticisms  of  their 
methods,  seeing  that  he  was  equally  ready  to 
flog  the  backs  of  the  offenders  in  his  own  De- 
partments. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  examine  Admiral  Du- 


mas' statements  in  detail,  for  all  oil  men  are 
fully  aware  of  the  many  wastes  that  occur. 
The  most  serious  of  all,  of  course,  arises  from 
the  promiscuous  drilling  of  wells;  but  here,  un- 
fortunately, the  efforts  of  the  capitalist  in  im- 
pressing governments  with  the  necessity  of 
controlling  the  drilling  campaigns  are  usually 
met  with  the  cry  of  "monopolist"  and  "profi- 
teer," and  the  agitation  on  the  part  of  the 
producers  for  economy  is  thus  unwarrantably 
stultified.  Similarly,  we  need  not  examine  the 
Admiral's  diatribe  with  regard  to  the  alleged 
lack  of  oil  instruction  at  the  Universities,  ex- 
cept to  express  the  hope  that  he  will  be  able  to 
induce  the  oil  kings  to  endow  a  chair  of  eco- 
nomic geology  at  Cambridge. 

The  most  important  of  the  Admiral's  pleas 
was  that  oil  and  petrol  should  never  be  used 
when  any  other  fuel  or  method  of  locomotion 
is  available.  He  deplores  joy-riding,  and  in- 
cludes in  this  term  a  great  many  applications 
of  oil  and  petrol  not  usually  associated  with 
this  reprehensible  practice.  He  goes  so  far  as 
to  say  that  the  use  of  oil  or  petrol  should  be 
severely  restricted,  and  that  it  should  be  the 
subject  of  licence  to  be  granted  by  some  cen- 
tral authority. 

I'ndoubtedly  the  world's  oil  resources  are 
far  and  away  less  than  those  of  coal,  and  geo- 
logical inquiry  does  not  lead  to  any  optimistic 
expectation  of  indefinite  continuance  of  dis- 
covery. Possibly  alcohol  may  prove  to  be  a 
successor  to  petrol,  and  both  light  and  heavy 
oils  may  eventually  be  made  from  coal  and 
other  deposits  on  a  commercial  scale.  Pow 
dered  coal  has  many  of  the  advantages  of  oil 
in  connection  with  steam-raising,  though,  as  it 
must  be  used  almost  immediately  after  com 
munition, owing  to  the  tendency  tospontaneous 
combustion,  it  would  not  be  applicableon  board 
ship.  There  is  another  alternative  fuel  to  which 
attention  should  be  devoted, that  introduced  by 
Mr.  Lindon  \Y.  Bates,  and  known  as  colloidal 
fuel.  Brief  notice  was  made  of  this  fuel  in 
our  issue  of  May  last,  when  we  mentioned  that 
it  had  been  applied  in  the  American  Navy. 
Mr.  Bates  finds  that  petroleum  will  easily  hold 
in  permanent  suspension  35%  of  pulverized 
coal,  and  that  this  mixed  fuel  can  be  used  in 
the  ordinary  oil-burners  of  steam-raising  fur- 
naces. Such  a  fuel  could  be  safely  stored  on 
shipboard, and  would  thus  have  the  advantages 
of  oil  without  the  disadvantages  of  pulverized 
coal.  Its  use  would  undoubtedly  be  an  im- 
portant factor  in  the  conservation  of  oil  sup- 
plies. We  commend  it  to  the  attention  of 
Admiral  Dumas  and  of  the  leaders  in  the  mer- 
cantile marine  of  this  country. 


REVIEW  OF  MINING 


Introduction. — The  financial  position  of 
the  country,  in  connection  particularly  with 
foreign  exchange,  and  the  increase  in  prices 
of  silver  and  gold,  have  occupied  chief  position 
of  interest  during  the  past  month.  Exports 
of  manufactures  from  this  country  are,  how- 
ever, gradually  increasing  month  by  month, 
so  that  the  outlook  is  improving.  The  lagging 
of  development  at  mines  during  the  war  is 
beginning  to  show  its  effects,  the  case  of  the 
Mysore  mine  being  an  outstanding  example. 
The  demonstration  of  the  flotation  of  cassit- 
erite  on  a  commercial  scale  at  East  Pool  is  a 
promising  item  in  metallurgical  progress.  The 
Mexican  political  situation  has  received  in- 
creased attention  and  American  intervention 
is  once  more  discussed.  In  the  meantime  Eng- 
lish companies  operatingor  intending  to  extend 
their  activities  in  that  country  do  not  appear 
to  be  greatly  worried  by  adverse  conditions. 
The  prices  of  tin,  lead,  and  zinc  show  a  steady 
advance. 

Transvaal. — The  labour  problem  continues 
to  exercise  all  the  ingenuity  of  the  recruiting 
agents,  who  are  anxious  to  stem  the  steady 
though  slow  decline.  The  offering  of  a  bonus 
to  those  renewing  on  the  expiration  of  their 
terms  has  had  no  results.  The  Association 
is  now  trying  to  induce  the  natives  to  make 
their  period  of  absence  three  months  instead 
of  six.  But  the  great  drawback  to  the  natives 
endeavouring  to  make  themselves  more  effi- 
cient still  exists,  that  is  to  say,  the  little  scope 
offered  them  to  improve  their  position  and 
wage-earning  capacity. 

Arrangements  are  being  made  for  the  re- 
opening of  the  Sheba  group  of  gold  mines  at 
Barberton.  A  new  company  is  to  be  formed, 
with  a  capital  of  ,£"330,000,  divided  into 
1,200,000  shares  of  5s.  each.  Of  these  shares, 
1,084,954  are  to  be  issued  credited  with  4s. 
paid  and  offered  to  present  shareholders,  share 
for  share.  The  issue  has  been  underwritten  at 
5%  on  the  liability  of  Is.  per  share,  so  the  com- 
pany will  start  with  ,£'50,000  of  new  capital. 

The  Witbank  Colliery  Co.  is  about  to  capital- 
ize its  reserve,  which  was  formed  out  of  past 
profits  and  put  back  into  the  business.  Fortius 
purpose  140,000  new  shares  of  £\  are  to  be 
created,  and  issued  as  a  bonus  to  present  share- 
holders. The  capital  will  thereby  be  raised 
from  ,£"210,000  to  ^35J,000.  The  company 
has  paid  dividends  of  25  to  30%  for  some  years, 
and  the  reserve  of  coal  is  sufficient  to  last  30 
years. 


Diamonds. — The  Minister  of  Mines  of  the 
Unicn  of  South  Africa  has  announced  that  con- 
trol of  the  African  output  of  diamonds  has  been 
arranged  between  the  four  groups  of  producers 
with  the  approval  of  the  Union  Government 
and  representatives  of  South-West  Africa. 
Under  this  arrangement  the  world's  markets 
will  be  supplied  by  De  Beers  as  regards  51%, 
the  Premier  18%,  Jagersfontein  10%,  and  the 
South-West  Protectorate  21%.  The  disposal 
of  the  diamonds  is  to  be  effected  through  a 
London  syndicate.  The  Minister  stated  that 
the  sales  of  South-West  diamonds  were  at 
present  at  the  yearly  rate  of  ,£"2, 500, 000. 

The  prosperity  of  the  diamond  trade  is  ex- 
emplified by  the  results  at  De  Beers  during  the 
twelve  months  ended  June  30.  The  sale  of 
diamonds  brought  an  income  of  ;£~5,849,552, 
and  ;£"2, 740,000  was  distributed  as  dividends, 
being  40%  on  the  preference  shares  and  80% 
on  the  deferred  shares.  This  rate  of  deferred 
dividend  is  the  highest  yet  paid.  At  the  pres- 
ent time  the  diamond  trade  is  showing  a  con- 
tinuous advance,  and  the  profits  to  the  De 
Beers  and  other  companies  are  increasing  still 
further. 

The  venture  of  Mr.  Bernard  Oppenheimer 
in  founding  diamond-cutting  works  in  Great 
Britain,  where  wounded  soldiers  are  employed, 
has  been  highly  successful.  A  company  called 
the  Bernard  Oppenheimer  Diamond  Works, 
Ltd.,  is  being  formed,  the  capital  being 
^"1,300,000.  This  capital  has  been  subscribed 
by  Lewis  &  Marks  (Diamond  Branch),  Ltd., 
but  400,000  of  the  shares  are  being  taken  at 
par  by  the  South  African  Diamond  Corpora- 
tion. To  provide  the  funds,  200,000  new  shares 
of  £\  each  are  being  issued  by  the  corporation 
and  are  offered  to  shareholders  at  £2  each. 
Over  500  men  are  employed  at  Mr.  Oppen- 
heimer's  works  at  Brighton,  and  ultimately  the 
number  is  to  be  increased  to  1,500.  The  other 
works  are  at  Wrexham  and  Fort  William,  and 
there  is  a  training  centre  at  Cambridge.  This 
scheme  was  inaugurated  in  the  middle  of  1917, 
and  the  profit-earning  stage  began  in  February 
last. 

Rhodesia. — The  output  of  gold  during  Oc- 
tober was  reported  at  £.204,184,  as  compared 
with  ,£"223,7 19  in  September.  Comparison 
with  October  of  last  year  is  not  helpful,  as  the 
influenza  epidemic  was  then  at  its  height.  In 
October  1917,  the  output  was  ,£"289,978,  in 
October  1916,  ,£"325,608,  and  October  1915, 
^"339,967.     Globe  &  Phoenix  is  an  unsettling 


325 


326 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


feature  of  the  Rhodesian  market,  both  ore 
treated  and  assay-value  being  down,  for  the 
reason  given  last  month.  Other  outputs  in 
Southern  Rhodesia  during  October  were  :  sil- 
ver 13,009  oz.,  coal  47,153  tons,  copper  234 
tons,  asbestos  936  tons,  diamonds  24  carats, 
arsenic  37  tons,  and  chrome  ore  204  tons. 

Congo.  —The  chief  business  at  the  annual 
meeting  of  Tanganyika  Concessions,  held  on 
the  3rd  of   this  month,  was  the  granting  of 
sanction  to  create    1,200,000   new  shares,  of 
which  1,000,000  are  to  be  offered  to  share- 
holders at  the  rate  of  one  share  for  every  share 
now  held.     This  issue  has  been  underwritten 
by  the  Imperial  and  Foreign  Corporation,  of 
which    Mr.    Herbert    Guedalla    is  chairman. 
This  underwriting  of  the  issue  was  secured  for 
the  company  by   Sir   Cecil    Budd,  managing 
director   of    the    British    Metal    Corporation, 
which  handles  the  output  of  the  mines.     The 
funds  raised  by  this  issue  will   be  devoted  to 
redeeming  the  debentures.     Another  item  of 
rearrangement  of  financial  interests  effected  at 
the  meeting  consisted  in  the  issue  of  200,000 
shares  to  Mr.   Robert  Williams,  the  founder 
and  mainstay  of  the  company,  in   exchange 
for  his  rights  to  amounts  equal   to    10%  of  all 
cash  and  other  assets  distributed  among  share- 
holders.    The  company  has  received  during 
the  past  year  ^521,354  in  the  form  of  divi- 
dends paid   by  the    Union   Miniore   du    Haut 
Katanga.     The  production   of  copper  during 
the  first  ten  months  of   1919  has  been  18,339 
tons,  and  the  estimated  total  for  the  complete 
year  is  22,000  tons.     Many  adverse  conditions 
have  combined  to  prevent  the  output  reaching 
the  expected  figure,  30,000  tons.     The  con- 
centration plant  totreat  4,000  tons  of  low-grade 
ore  per  day  is  expected  to  be  ready  for  work 
this  time  next  year.      The  test  plant  for  leach- 
ing and  electrolytic  precipitation  is  under  con- 
struction. 

West  Africa. — The  output  of  gold  during 
October  was  ;£"9 1,352,  as  compared  with 
^"100,401  in  September.  The  low  figure  is 
due  to  a  strike  at  Ashanti  Goldfields,  owing  to 
the  disinclination  of  the  workers  to  take  paper 
currency  instead  of  the  silver  to  which  they 
are  accustomed.  The  output  was  ,£"22,914, 
as  compared  with  ^"36,102  in  September. 

The  report  of  the  Ashanti  Goldfields  Cor- 
poration for  the  year  ended  September  30 
shows  that  85,566  tons  of  ore  was  treated  for 
an  output  of  97,717  oz.  of  gold,  being  a  yield 
of  22'84  dwt.  per  ton.  The  figures  for  tonnage 
and  output  were  19,886  tons  and  10,673  oz.  re- 
spectively less  than  those  of  the  previous  year, 
the  fall  being  due  chiefly  to  the  influenza  epi- 


demic during  the  latter  part  of  1918.     On  the 
other  hand   the  yield  per   ton    was  2'28dwt. 
higher.     The  total  income  was  ,£"429,271,  and 
the  working  profit  £l  1 3,384.    After  deducting 
cost  of  development  ,£"20,701,  royalty  ,£"20,903, 
and  depreciation,  etc.,  ^"19,363,  there  remained 
a  netprofit  of  ^152,396.  The  dividendsabsorb- 
ed  ^165,458,  being  at  the  rate  of  75%.     The 
working  cost  per  ton   of   ore  was  59s.  4d.,  or 
5s.  per  ton  higher  than  during  the   previous 
year.     Development  has  maintained  the  ton- 
nage of  reserve,  but  the  grade  is  lower.     On 
the  deepest  level,  the    18th,  the  ore-body  is 
much  wider  than  above,  the  average  being  34 
ft.,  at  two  places  the  width  being  over  50  ft., 
but  the  assay-value   is   lower  here  than  the 
average  of  the  mine,  being  19*8  dwt.  as  far  as 
developed.     The  average   content   of  the  ore 
reserve  is  accordingly  down  by  1  dwt.  per  ton. 
( )n  September   30  the  reserve   was   529,500 
tons  averaging  27'26dwt.       The  Ayeinm  and 
Justice's  mines  have  not  been  worked  during 
the  year  owing  to  the  grade  of  their  ore  being 
too  low  for  present  costs.     Mr.  W.  K.  Feldt- 
mann,  the  consulting  engineer,  reports  that  the 
main  shaft  requires  repair,  and  that  provision 
must  be  made  to  treat  more  ore  in  order  to  coun- 
teractthe  effect  on  the  profits  of  the  lower  grade 
of  the  ore  in  the  bottom  levels.     It  is  necessary 
also  to  provide  additional  suction  gas  engines, 
owing  to  the  increasing  difficulty  of  obtaining 
supplies  of  firewood  for  the  steam  plant.     To 
provide  funds  for  this  expenditure,  the  direc- 
tors are  issuing  the  remaining  shares,  146,943, 
of  par  value  4s.      The  price  of  issue  will  be 
8s.  per  share,  and  the  offer  will  be  made  first 
to  shareholders.     As  the  shares  have  stood  in 
the  market  recently  at  from  22s.  to  25s.,  the 
present  issue  will  form  an  acceptable  bonus  to 
shareholders.     The  report  states  that  the  op- 
tion on  the  Mamkwadi  tin  concessions  extends 
until  April  1,  1920. 

Australasia. — The  strikes  at  Broken  Hill 
and  Kalgoorlie  continue,  and  the  labour  ques- 
tion is  as  difficult  as  ever.  It  is  obvious  that 
the  loyal  men  returned  from  the  war  must  be 
supported  by  the  employers  against  the  dis- 
affected indifferents  who  have  no  inclination 
to  duty  towards  their  country  or  to  the  general 
community. 

The  Celebration  Lease  on  Block  50,  Hamp- 
ton Plains,  has  been  acquired  by  Messrs.  Lionel 
Robinson,  Clark  &  Co.,  and  a  company,  to  be 
known  as  Hampton  Celebration  (W.A.),  Ltd., 
is  being  formed  in  London  to  work  the  prop- 
erty. The  capital  is  to  be  ,£"250,000.  The 
purchase  price  is ,£"50,000 in  cash  and  ^"100,000 
in  shares ;  ^"25,000  in  shares  will  be  paid  the 


DECEMBER,     1919 


327 


promoters  for  guaranteeing  the  issue,  and 
/T75,000  will  be  available  in  cash  as  working 
capital.  The  directors  will  be  Sir  Newton 
Moore,  William  Clark,  J.  H.  Cordner- James, 
W.  W.  Slater,  and  K.  S.  L.  Harding.  Cable 
messages  state  that  the  average  assay-value  of 
the  ore  in  the  shaft  down  to  the  100  ft.  level  is 
£5.  10s.  per  ton.  In  the  north  and  south  drives 
along  the  east  wall  of  the  lode  the  ore  averages 
78s.  for  the  length,  64  ft.  In  a  cross-cut  driven 
9  ft.  west  from  the  face  of  the  south  drive  the  ore 
averages  67s.,  and  in  a  similar  cross-cut  from 
the  north  drive  it  averages  63s.,  in  both  cases 
ore  still  showing  in  the  face.  Slavin  &  Evers' 
lease  on  Block  48  has  been  acquired  in  Ade- 
laide, where  it  has  been  floated  as  the  "  White 
Hope." 

The  reconstructed  Bullfinch  Proprietary  has 
secured  four  leases  at  Wombola  on  Hampton 
Plains,  situated  about  ten  miles  south-east  of 
the  Celebration  Lease,  Block  50.  The  Hamp- 
ton Uruguay  Co.,  which  owns  Block  48  on 
which  Slavin  &  Evers'  Lily  of  the  Valley 
lease  is  situated,  has  engaged  Mr.  C.  S.  Hon- 
man,  lately  Government  Field  Geologist,  to 
make  an  inspection  with  a  view  to  securing 
claims  for  the  company.  Mr.  Honman  states 
that  he  is  not  greatly  impressed  with  the  finds 
on  Block  48  other  than  Slavin  &  Evers'. 

The  amount  of  ore  smelted  at  Mount  Lyell 
during  the  year  ended  September  30  was 
176,569  tons,  of  which  1 16,375  tons  came  from 
the  Mount  Lyell  mine  and  60,194  tons  from 
the  North  Lyell ;  in  addition  7,890  tons  of 
concentrate  was  smelted.  The  output  of  blis- 
ter copper  was  5,377  tons,  containing  5,314 
tons  of  fine  copper,  266,864  oz.  silver,  and 
5,538  oz.  gold.  The  net  profit  was  ,£"130,232, 
of  which  ,£"128,919  has  been  distributed  as 
dividend,  being  at  the  rate  of  10%.  At  the 
North  Lyell  mine,  high-grade  ore  is  still  being 
developed  on  the  850  ft.  level  north,  and  on 
the  925  ft.  level  the  results  of  drilling  and  de- 
velopment indicate  the  continuity  of  the  ore. 
The  reserve  at  Mount  Lyell  is  1,910,388  tons, 
and  a^North  Lyell  960,242  tons. 

India. — For  the  last  year  or  two  it  has  been 
known  that  developments  at  the  Mysore  mine 
had  been  yielding  no  great  amount  of  better 
grade  ore,  and  that  the  reserves  of  this  quality 
of  ore,  particularly  those  in  Tennant's  section, 
had  practically  come  to  an  end.  The  mine  has 
in  factgraduallychanged itscharacteristics,and 
it  may  now  be  reckoned  as  a  deep  low-grade 
property.  After  over  thirty  years  of  remark- 
able prosperity,  nearly  nine  millionpoundshav- 
ing  been  distributed  as  dividend  out  of  a  total 
yield  of  nearly  twenty  million  pounds,  the  mine 


becomes  once  more  a  prospect.  It  is  proposed 
now  to  raise  more  capital  by  issuing  610,000 
new  shares  at  par,  10s.,  thus  doubling  the 
nominal  capital  of  the  company.  With  the 
funds  thereby  raised  further  shaft-sinking  will 
be  undertaken,  and,  in  addition,  lateral  explora- 
tion will  be  conducted  on  a  systematic  scale. 
Thispolicy  has  been  rendered  necessary  largely 
by  the  serious  curtailment  of  development  dur- 
ing the  years  of  the  war.  High  temperatures, 
want  of  ventilation,  and  rock- bursts  have  also 
been  hindrances.  The  engineers  point  out 
that  the  "  mine  has  from  time  to  time  encoun- 
tered zones  of  impoverishment  which  have  in 
due  course  given  place  to  high-grade  ore.  For 
some  time  past  the  deeper  levels  have  shown 
a  repetition  of  the  variableness  of  quartz-reef 
mining  and  have  been  producing  ore  of  lower 
grade,  while  the  reef  has  been  of  less  width 
than  in  the  upper  levels.  These  features  have 
been  particularly  in  evidence  during  a  period 
when  the  prosecution  of  developments  to  a 
greater  depth  in  the  principal  sections  of  the 
mine,  and  especially  at  Ribblesdale's,  where 
the  indications  afford  much  hope  that  a  new 
pay-shoot  has  been  encountered,  has  been  un- 
avoidably retarded,  thereby  lessening  for  the 
time  the  possibilities  of  fresh  discoveries  being 
made." 

Malaya. — The  Malayan  Tin  Dredging  Co. 
reports  that  the  construction  of  two  new  dredges 
is  being  proceeded  with.  The  capital  neces- 
sary was  obtained  earlier  in  the  year,  when 
59,000  shares  were  subscribed  at  £l.  3s.  each. 
The  output  of  tin  concentrate  during  the  year 
ended  June  30  was  702  tons,  obtained  by  four 
dredges,  which  treated  3,256,540  cu.  yd.  of 
ground.  The  yield  per  yard  was  just  under 
\  lb.  The  profit  for  the  year  was  ,£"40,497,  out 
of  which  ,£"33,200  has  been  distributed  as  divi- 
dend. Additional  land  covering  18  acres  has 
been  bought,  making  the  total  area  1,583  acres, 
of  which  210  acres  has  been  worked  out. 

The  Pahahg  Consolidated,  during  the  year 
ended  July  31,  milled  236,100  tons  of  ore,  from 
which  1,815  tons  of  tin  concentrate  was  ex- 
tracted, against  187,300  tons  and  1,993  tons 
the  previous  year.  Advantage  of  the  high 
price  of  tin  was  taken  in  order  to  work  blocks 
of  ore  that  would  not  otherwise  be  payable. 
The  output  of  alluvial  tin  concentrate  was  215 
tons.  The  profits  for  the  year  were  ^"68,4 14, 
as  compared  with  ,£"161,113  the  year  before. 
Willink's  lode  was  cut  on  the  900  ft.  level,  and 
drives  east  and  west  have  been  commenced. 
The  lode  so  far  proved  along  115  ft.  averages 
2\  to  3%  over  5  ft. 

British  Guiana. — The  official  report  of  the 


328 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


Land  and  Mines  Department  for  1918  shows 
that  the  output  of  gold  was  valued  at  ,£"89,762, 
a  fall  of  about  £18,000  as  compared  with  1917. 
The  royalty  on  gold  won  by  dredging  has  been 
abolished,  and  a  charge  of  5%  on  the  profits 
substituted.  The  output  of  diamonds,  obtained 
by  river  washing,  was  14,196  carats,  estimated 
to  be  worth  £29,515. 

Cornwall. — The  most  important  event  in 
Cornwall  during  the  past  month  was  the  public 
demonstration  of  the  flotation  process  applied 
to  tin  ores.  As  mentioned  by  our  Camborne 
correspondent  a  few  months  ago,  the  members 
of  the  engineering  staff  at  East  Pool,  headed 
by  Mr.  M.  T.  Taylor,  superintendent,  and  Mr. 
J.  \V.  Partington,  chemist,  have  lately  devo- 
ted much  time  to  research  on  this  line.  It  is 
known  that  cassiterite  is  amenable  to  treat- 
ment by  flotation,  but'  the  reagents  hitherto 
tried  have  not  secured  satisfactory  differential 
action  between  it  and  the  gangue  minerals. 
The  experiments  conducted  by  Minerals  Sepa- 
ration on  Cornish  ores  did  not  get  sufficiently 
good  results  to  make  the  process  a  commer- 
cial success.  The  East  Pool  engineers  have 
found  a  reagent  which  secures  an  effective  flo- 
tation of  the  cassiterite  without  bringing  up 
the  quartz  and  other  gangue  minerals.  Their 
reagent  floats  the  wolfram  also  and,  of  course, 
the  sulphides.  The  concentrate  is  refloated 
to  remove  the  sulphides,  and  the  cassiterite 
and  wolfram  are  separated  magnetically.  At 
the  present  time  the  output  of  one  Holman 
stamp,  25  tons  30  mesh,  is  going  direct  to  the 
flotation  cells,  where  over  90%  of  the  tin  con- 
tent is  recovered.  Our  readers  will  no  doubt 
canvas  the  question  as  to  how  the  East  Pool 
process  stands  towards  Minerals  Separation. 
The  plant  and  process  are  of  the  agitation- 
froth  type,  and  thus  come  presumably  under 
the  Minerals  Separation  master  patent;  the 
Taylor- Partington  patent  covers  the  use  of  a 
particular  reagent  for  effecting  a  particular 
separation.  While  it  is  true  that,  theoretically, 
the  flotation  of  cassiterite  is  no  new  thing,  it 
is  equally  true  that  its  effective  commercial 
flotation  is  a  distinct  novelty. 

United  States. — The  Garred-  Cavers  meth- 
od of  employing  pulverized  coal  in  blast  fur- 
naces has  been  adopted  at  the  Garfield  smelter 
of  the  American  Smelting  &  Refining  Co.,  and 
at  the  Midvale  plant  of  the  United  States 
Smelting,  Refining,  &  Mining  Co.  At  the 
latter  plant  lead  ores  are  being  treated,  and 
one-third  of  the  coke  is  replaced  successfully 
by  pulverized  coal. 

Minerals  Separation  has  brought  an  action 
against  the  Nevada  Consolidated  for  infringe- 


ment of  patent,  and  is  asking  for  a  return  of 
all  gains  and  profits  during  the  past  four  years 
over  and  above  those  that  would  have  accrued 
from  ordinary  water-concentration.  Thiscom- 
pany  uses  the  Callow  cell  for  flotation,  and 
claims,  as  did  the  Miami,  that  this  cell  is  not 
an  infringement.  The  Miami  suit  never 
went  to  the  Supreme  Court,  but  there  still  i> 
some  intention  of  taking  it  there. 

Spitsbergen. — The  Northern  Exploration 
Co.,  has  published  Mr.  William  Selkirk's  con- 
clusions with  regard  to  the  properties  at  Spits- 
bergen. Of  the  much  advertised  iron  ore  de- 
posits at  Recherche  Bay  he  says:  "  1  do  not 
think  they  are  of  any  economic  importance." 
Thus  is  the  great  bubble  burst ! 

Siberia. — The  operating  companies  of  the 
Urquhart  group,  namely,  the  Irtysh,  Kyshtim, 
Tanalyk,  and  Russo-Canadian  Corporations, 
are  to  be  amalgamated  into  one  big  company, 
the  Russo-Asiatic  Consolidated,  which  will 
have  a  capital  of  £  12,000,000.  The  shares  to 
be  immediately  issued  in  exchange  for  present 
shares  total  £8,456,972,  divided  respectively 
among  the  four  companies  as  follows  : 
£3,442,838,  £2,520,000,  £725,982,  and 
£1,768,152.  Each  shareholder  in  the  first 
three  companies  will  receive  two  new  shares 
for  every  one  now  held,  and  those  in  the  Russo- 
Canadian  will  receive  one  new  share  for  each 
preference  share  and  one-half  of  a  new  share 
for  each  common  share.  The  new  company 
will  assume  liability  for  the  Irtysh  and  Tana- 
lyk debentures  and  the  Irtysh  options.  In 
assessing  the  value  of  the  Irtysh,  Kyshtim,  and 
Tanalyk  shares  for  exchange,  the  averages  of 
the  market  quotations  during  the  last  five  years 
have  been  taken.  As  regards  the  shares  of  the 
Russo  Canadian, the  basis  is  thecash  resources 
£830,000,  and  the  share  capital  of  the  Pros- 
pecting Company,  a  Russian  company  owning 
extensive  mining  areas  in  the  Steppes.  The 
Russo  Canadian,  it  will  be  remembered,  was 
formed  when  Sperling  &  Co.  took  a  financial 
interest  in  the  group,  and  besides  raising  capi- 
tal, it  had  the  function  of  holding  the  shares  in 
the  Russian  companies  owned  by  the  three 
English  operating  companies,  the  object  being 
to  create  a  Canadian  voting  trust  that  would 
prevent  Germans  buying  the  control.  This 
danger  is  now  past,  and  finance  can  safely  re- 
turn to  more  normal  lines.  The  present  con- 
solidation is  a  big  one,  probably  the  biggest  on 
record  in  mining.  The  arrangement  will  cer- 
tainly simplify  the  process  of  applying  new 
capital  to  the  various  ventures,  and  it  will 
strengthen  the  group  in  securing  and  maintain- 
ing its  mining  rights. 


THE   CHINA  CLAY   INDUSTRY   OF 

•  THE  WEST   OF   ENGLAND. 

By   HENRY    F.   COLLINS,   A.R.S.M.,  Assoc.M.Inst.C.E.,  M.Inst.M.M. 

(Continued  from  the  November  issue,  page  215). 


IN  the  first  article,  appearing  in  the  Novem- 
ber issue  of  the  Magazine,  I  gave  an  ac- 
count of  the  occurrence  of  china  clay  in  the 
West  of  England  and  of  the  methods  of  min- 
ing. The  present  article  is  devoted  to  the 
purification  of  the  clay  and  its  preparation  for 
market. 

Purification. — Arrived  at  surface,  the 
clay  water  passes  in  a  wide  shallow  stream 
through  several  series  of  long  narrow  channels 
built  either  of  wood  or  of  masonry.  A  com- 
mon size  for  each  channel  is  2  ft.  wide  by  9  in. 
deep  by  20  ft.  long  ;  the  number  of  channels  in 
each  series  may  vary  from  6  up  to  30,  accord- 
ing to  the  volume  of  the  clay  stream  to  be 
dealt  with.  The  number  of  series  may  vary 
from  four  to  six.  In  the  first  series,  called 
"  drags,"  the  stream  runs  with  sufficient  veloc- 
ity to  keep  in  suspension  all  but  the  fine  sand. 
In  the  second  and  following  series,  called 
'  micas,"  it  is  spread  out  over  a  greater  area 
and  allowed  to  run  more  sluggishly,  with  the 
result  that  it  deposits  the  finest  sand  and  the 
flakes  of  mica  carried  up  to  this  point  in  sus- 


pension. Movable  wooden  slats  or  traps, actu- 
ated by  a  lever,  act  as  dams  to  control  the 
depth  and  velocity  of  the  parallel  streams  in 
each  series  of  channels,  and  so  control  the  pro- 
portion and  fineness  of  the  sediment  deposited. 
At  intervals  the  flow  of  clay  water  is  inter- 
rupted, and  the  sediment  is  scoured  from  the 
micas  "  and  run  into  separate  pits,  whence, 
after  deposition  of  only  the  coarser  particles  in 
a  separate  series  of  "drags,"  the  resulting 
product  forms  an  inferior  grade  of  clay  called 
"  mica-clay,"  or  simply  "  mica."  Fig.  6  shows 
a  series  of  '  mica-drags  "  or  "  micas  "  built  of 
stone  in  the  old-fashioned  way.  Fig.  7  is  an 
end  view  of  part  of  a  long  series  of  "  micas  " 
built  of  wood. 

For  the  purpose  of  cleaning,  each  channel 
of  the  series  is  provided  with  a  plug-hole  open- 
ing into  a  launder,  channel,  or  pipe,  running 
crossways  underneath,  through  which  the  de- 
posited mica  is  run  into  its  own  separate  pits. 

The  coarser  part  of  the  fine  sand  raised  with 
the  clay  water  is  ofien  separated  in  one  or  more 
spitzkasten  before  it  passes  to  the  first  series 


Fig.  6.     Old-fashioned  "Micas"  built  ok  Stone. 
(Photo,  English  China  Clays,  Ltd.,  Sf.  Austell). 

329 


330 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


of  "  drags."  The  bottom  discharge  from  such 
spitzkasten  may  be  either  intermittent  or  con- 
tinuous. In  the  latter  case,  provided  the  wash- 
ing in  the  pit  is  sufficiently  well  regulated  to 


clay  of  good  quality,  suitable  for  inferior  grades 
of  paper,  &c,  may  be  produced  from  nearly 
the  whole  series  of  "  mica-drags."  %  other 
cases  two  sorts  of  mica-clay  are  produced,  the 


u  f, 

-  2 

-  x 
Z~ 

-  U 

-  „ 
Z    g 

-;  -~ 
oJ  < 
"*  '_> 

o  •* 
Z   - 

9* 


yield  a  stream  of  nearly  uniform  composition, 
the  product  from  the  first  series  of  "  drags  " 
(which  is  suitable  only  for  brickmaking)  may 
be  comparatively  small  in  amount,  and  a  mica- 


inferior  kind  carrying  some  fine  sand. 

At  the  head  of  the  "  micas,"  and  frequently 
at  the  tail  also,  fine  wire-cloth  screens  are  em- 
ployed to  separate  grass,  fibres  of  timber,  and 


DECEMBER,    1919 


331 


Fig.  8.     Row  of  Settling  Pits. 
(Photo,  English  China  Clays,  Ltd.,  St.  Austell). 


other  extraneous  vegetable  matter.  These  are 
in  some  cases  revolving ;  in  other  cases  fixed 
screens  are  employed,  cleaned  automatically 
by  revolving  brushes. 

In  order  to  completely  settle  out  the  mica 
flakes,  the  clay  stream  should  not  contain  more 
than  3  to  4%  solids,  but  as  this  is  not  an 
economical  consistency  for  pumping  it  is  best 
to  use  as  little  water  as  possible  in  washing,  so 
as  to  pump  a  clay  stream  with  5  to  10%  solids, 
and  dilute  with  clean  water  at  the  head  of  the 
"  micas." 

Settling  Pits. — The  stream  of  purified 
clay  water  from  the  "  micas  "  runs  through 
wooden  launders  or  earthenware  pipes  to  the 
settling  pits,  partly  dug  out  of  the  ground  and 
partly  built  up.  These  are  almost  always  circu- 
lar,lined  with  masonry ,  from  25  to40  ft.  in  diame- 
ter, andfrom  8  to  10  ft. deep.  These  were  former- 
ly lined  with  "drystone"  granite  masonry, built 
with  moss  in  the  joints  instead  of  mortar,  and 
backed  with  sand,  but  nowadays  the  masonry 
is  more  generally  built  with  mortar,  and  the 
pits  are  often  cement-lined.  At  the  side  oppo- 
site to  the  entrance  of  the  clay  water  a  narrow 
"  hatch  "  or  sluice-gate  is  fixed,  towards  which 
the  whole  floor  of  the  pit  slopes  slightly  ;  this 
is  provided  with  plug-holes  which  are  kept 
closed,  except  those  near  the  top  through  which 
the  clear  water  overflows.  The  pits  are  used 
for  settlement  intermittently,  the  stream  being 
divided  among  such  proportion  of  them  as  will 
allow  of  complete  settlement  of  the  clay  before 


reaching  the  overflow  plug-hole.  When  each 
pit  becomes  filled  to  within  say  a  foot  from  the 
top  with  clay  slurry  of  the  consistency  of  clot- 
ted cream,  and  containing  say  60  to  70%  of 
water,  the  entering  stream  is  shut  off,  the  plank 
slide  or  gate  is  raised,  and  the  whole  contents 
of  the  pit  are  discharged,  with  a  little  help  from 
long-handled  wooden  rabbles  or  "  shivers,"  in- 
to rectangular  storage  tanks  at  a  lower  level 
and  above  that  of  the  drying  kilns.  Fig.  8 
shows  a  series  of  large  circular  settling  pits. 

Storage  Tanks. — Like  the  pits.the  "tanks" 
were  in  general  formerly  built  of  drystone  gran- 
ite masonry,  backed  with  sand  and  mica-clay, 
andchinked  withmoss,the  flooronly  being  care- 
fully paved  with  flat  granite  stones  bedded  in 
mortar.  In  most  of  the  newer  works,  however, 
the  tanks  are  lined  with  cement,  and  a  few  are 
roofed  over  to  prevent  contamination  of  the 
clay  by  dust  and  chimney  smuts  or  other  foreign 
matter  carried  by  the  wind.  Their  size  varies 
in  different  works,  but  they  run  generally  from 
100  to  180  ft.  long,  by  40  to  60  ft.  wide,  and  6 
to  9  ft.  deep.  Each  tank  is  provided  with  ;i 
wide  door  or  hatchway  leading  to  the  kiln,  and 
closed  with  slats  of  heavy  plank.  In  these 
tanks  further  settlement  takes  place,  anda  little 
more  water  is  drawn  off  by  means  of  plug-holes. 
Finally,  upon  removal  of  the  top  slats  of  the 
hatch,  some  of  the  thick  slurry  nearest  to  it 
can  be  run  directly  into  the  "dry,"  while  the 
bulk  of  it  is  loaded  into  wooden  waggons  on 
movable  sections  cf  tramway,  which  are  run 


332 


THE     MINING     MAGAZINE 


Fig    9.     Row  of  Storage    Tanks. 

[Photo,  English  China  Clays,  Ltd  .  St.  Austell' 

through  the  door  or  hatch  on  to  a  "  traveller  " 
or  travelling  bridge.  This  is  a-four-wheeled 
platform  or  truck,  carried  at  each  side  of  the 
"pan"  by  longitudinal  rails  upon  which  its 
four  wheels  run,  and  it  is  worked  up  and  down 
the  "  dry"  either  by  a  small  motor,  or  more 
frequently  by  hand,  so  as  to  facilitate  even  dis 
tribution  of  the  clay  over  the  whole  area  of  the 
pan,  the  distribution  being  completed  by  means 
ofNvooden  "shivers." 

Fig!  9  shows  a  row  of  storage  tanks  full  of 
clay  behind  a  "dry."  Where,  as  in  this  case, 
the  configuration  of  the  ground  is  suitable  for 
building  the  tanks  high  above  the  level  of  the 
"  dry,"  the  wet  clay  is  delivered  from  the  tanks 
to  the  pan  by  means  of  inclined  launders  or 
shoots,  which  saves  at  least  part  of  the  tram- 
ming. 

DRYING  Kilns. — These  are  long  roofed 
sheds,  situated  in  front  of  the  storage  tanks, 
and  with  frontage  either  to  railway  sidings  or 
to  a  road,  the  former  being  obviously  prefer- 
able. Longitudinally  they  are  divided  into  two 
parts,  one  being  the  "  pan "  or  drying-kiln 
proper,  and  the  other, at  a  lower  level,  the  "  lin- 
hay  "  or  storage  shed. 

Fig.  10  gives  a  general  view  of  a  long  line 
of  drying-kilns  with  railway  sidings,  and  Fig. 
1 1  shows  a  tank  full  of  clay  being  trammed  into 
the  "  dry." 

The  floor-or  "  pan  "  of  the  "  dry  "  is  from 
200  to  350  ft.  long,  and  from  1 2  to  18  ft.  wide. 


The  extra  length  was  de- 
signed with  the  object  of 
economizing  fuel,  but  this 
end  is  best  served  byattend- 
ing  to  the  combustion,  as 
will  be  seen  later.  In  mod- 
ern practice,  "drys"  of  only 
200  to  250  ft.  long  give  the 
best  results;  as  to  width, 
1  5  ft.  takes  a  little  more  la- 
bour than  12  ft.,  but  pro- 
vides greater  drying  capac- 
ity for  a  given  outlay  ;  18  ft. 
has  proved  too  wide  for  con- 
venience in  handling. 

The  "  pan  "  is  formed  of 
fire-clay   tiles  about    12  in. 
long    by    1 8 in.  wide;   thev 
vary  in  thickness  from   A\ 
or     5  in.     at     the     furnace 
end     to    2  in.    or   2\  in.    at 
the    stack     end,    and    are 
made  either   with  a  plain- 
cheeked  or  a  tongue -and - 
groove  joint.    They  rest  up 
on    thin  walls  of   firebrick, 
4;  in.  wide,  forming  the  flues,  which  are  usu- 
ally 14in.   wide,  and  decrease  in  depth  from 
1  8  in. at  thefurnaceendto9  in.atthestack.  The 
furnaces  for  kilns  of  14  and   15  ft.   wide  are 
usually  three  in  number,  each   feeding  either 
three  or  four  flues  according  to  the  width  of 
the    "  pan  "  ;   they  burn    ordinary  long-flame 
coal,  and  nowadays  are  provided  with  doors  to 
the  ashpits  for  better  control  of  the  draught, 
which  is  provided  by  a  chimney  stack  from  50 
to  150  ft.  high.     The  wet  clay  is  spread  upon 
the  floor  in  a  layer  varying   from  10  to  12  in. 
thick  at  the  fire  end,  down   to  5  or  7  in.  thick 
at  the  stack  end;   in  drying,  the  clay  shrinks 
down  to  thicknesses  of  about  9  in.  and   4£m. 
respectively.      At  the  hot  end  the  clay  dries  out 
in  24  hours,  while  at  the  other  end  it  takes  at 
least  3  or  4  days  ;  in  the  very  long  kilns  6  or  7 
days.      When  about  half  dry  the  mass  of  clay 
is  scored  part  way  through  by  means  of  a  heavy 
sharp-edged  hook  or  "cutter,"  to  prevent   it 
fromcracking  into  irregular  blocks, and  in  order 
to  form  rectangular  ones  about  12  in.  by  6  in., 
by  5  in.  to  9  in  thick.     These,  when  dry,  are 
thrown  off  the  "  pan  "  by  hand,  and  stacked  in 
the  "  linhay  "  at  the  side,  from  which  they  are 
loaded  by  hand  and  shovel,  either  into  railway 
trucks,  or  into  3-ton  four-wheeled  road  waggons 
if  transport  is  by  road.     The  fuel  consumption 
for    drying  clay  ranges  from  8    to    14% ;  an 
average  would  be  10  to  11%. 

Fig.   12  shows  the  pan  of  one  of  the  drys, 


DECEMBER,     1919 


333 


with  bed  of  half-dried  clay  upon  it,  which  has 
just  been  scored  into  rectangular  blocks  by  the 
"cutter."  Fig.  13  shows  clay  being  loaded 
from  the  "  linhays  "  into  railway  trucks. 

Piping  to  Drys. — -The  deposits  of  clay  are 
situated  upon  the  moors  within  the  limits  of 
the  granitic  outcrops,  and  at  a  distance  usually 
of  many  miles  from  the  nearest  seaport ;  some- 
times, though  nowadays  not  often,  they  are 
miles  away  from  even  a  railway  siding.  At 
most  modern  clay  undertakings,  therefore,  the 
drying  of  the  clay  is  effected  close  to  the  ship- 
ping port,  or  to  a  convenient  railway  siding, 
in  order  to  save  both  the  uphill  haulage  of  coal 
and  the  much  more  considerable  downward 
transport  of  the  clay  itself  by  road.  The  puri- 
fied and  thickened  clay  pulp  is  carried  from  the 
works  to  the  "  dry  "  (always  downhill),  in  a 
pipe-line  of  ordinary  8  in.  to  10  in.  stoneware 
drainpipes  with  cement  joints,  the  grade  being 
kept  as  regular  as  the  configuration  of  the 
ground  will  admit.  In  order  to  avoid  choking 
and  settlement  of  clay  at  specially  low  joints 
where  the  flow  is  checked,  thepulp  is  thickened 
to  a  solid  content  of  only  12  to  20%,  and  the 
pipe  is  not  run  more  than  half  full,  except  at 
occasional  syphons  over  streams,  &c.  Under 
these  conditions,  with  a  fall  of  not  less  than 
1  ft. in  100  and  care  being  taken  to  flush  out  the 
pipe  with  clean  water  at  night,  or  whenever 
from  any  cause  the  stream  of  pulp  is  tempor- 
arily stopped,  no  difficulty  is  experienced  with 
choking,  even  in  pipe  -  lines  of  five  or  six 
miles  in  length.  At  the  lower  end  of  the  pipe- 
line the  stream  runs  into  large  rectangular 
tanks,  which  serve  forboth  settlingand  storage, 
and  frequently  hold  from  1,000  to  2,000  tons 
apiece;  the  handling  and  drying  of  the  clay  is 
then  effected  as  usual. 
In  order  to  thicken 
the  clay  stream  from  a 
content  of  3h  or  4%  sol- 
ids, which  gives  the  best 
result  in  the  "  micas," 
up  to  the  12  to  20%  solid 
contents  required  for 
the  pipes,  and  with  the 
object  of  conserving 
water  (often  scarce) 
for  use  over  again  in 
washing,  the  purified 
pulp  from  the  "micas" 
has  to  be  thickened  for 
transport.  This  is  best 
effected  in  conical  pits, 
30  to  40  ft.  diameter  at 
the  top,  the  sides  be- 
ing   vertical    for    say 


2\  ft.  and  thence  deepening  to  15  ft.  at  the 
centre,  where  a  valve  of  the  conical-plug  type 
is  fixed,  discharging  into  a  tunnel  below  the 
pit.  By  means  of  this  pit  and  valve  the  con- 
stant discharge  can  be  controlled  so  as  to  carry 
any  desired  percentage  of  solids.  Fig.  14shows 
a  range  of  conical  bottom-discharge  settling 
pits  employed  for  thickening  clay  pulp  for  con- 
tinuous delivery  to  the  pipe-line.  At  some 
works  it  is  preferred  to  use  an  ordinary  type 
of  circular  or  rectangular  pit  with  discharge  at 
one  side.  In  such  cases  discharge  is  effected 
intermittently,  each  pit  being  allowed  to  fill  in 
succession,  as  in  the  ordinary  way  of  working 
when  pits  are  close  to  the  storage  tanks  of  the 
"dry,"  and  the  contents  are  then  flushed  out 
into  the  transporting  pipe-line  with  the  aid  of 
a  small  stream  of  water  under  pressure  from 
a  1  in.  or  fin.  nozzle. 

Recent  Improvements.  (1)  Filter- 
Presses.—  At  several  works  filter-presses  have 
been  tried  for  reducing  the  quantity  of  water 
to  be  expelled  in  the  kilns,  and,  therefore,  the 
fuel  consumption,  which,  with  coal  at  from  £2 
to  50s.  per  ton,  is  a  serious  item  of  cost.  At 
its  ordinary  consistency  for  transfer  by  means 
of  waggons  from  the  tanks  to  the  "  dry,"  the 
clay  slurry  contains  at  least  50%  of  water,  and 
often  more.  By  means  of  Johnson  filter-pres- 
ses, filled  by  pumps  working  at  90  lb.  pressure, 
the  proportion  of  water  in  the  cakes  can  be  re- 
duced toaboutone-half  of  this,  with  a  nearly  cor- 
responding saving  in  the  theoretical  fuel  con- 
sumption for  drying.  The  presses  have  46 
leaves  4  ft.  square  and  take  a  charge  equal  to  30 
cwt.  of  dry  clay, which  is  turned  out  in  cakes  lh 
in.  thick.  Each  completed  operation  takes  half 
an  hour,  so  that  the  output  of  two  presses 
worked  alternately  by  two  men   upon  8  hour 


Fig 


11.     Tramming  Wet  Clay  to  Drying  Kiln. 

{Photo.  English  China  Clays.  Ltd.,  St.  Austell) 


334 


THE    MINING     MAGAZINE 


Fig.  12.     Clay  Kiln,  showing  - 

(Photo,  English  China 

shifts  (6  men  altogether)  is  about  400  tons  per 
week.  The  slurry  for  delivery  to  the  presses 
has  to  be  diluted  from  50%  to  80%  water  for 
handling  by  the  pumps.  Difficulty  was  ex- 
perienced in  handling  and  drying  the  cakes  as 
they  leave  the  press ;  this  has  been  overcome 
by  feeding  into  a  horizontal  pug-mill  which 
turns  out  wire-cut  blocks  12  in.  by  9  in.  sec- 
tion and  10  in.  long,  weighing  about  80  1b. 
when  dry  ;  these  are  loaded  upon  a  tipping 
tray  carried  upon  an  electrically  driven  travel- 
ler for  distribution  upon  the  "  pan  "  of  the 
"dry."  The  fuel  economy  is  not  so  great  as 
might  be  expected  from  the  reduced  percent- 
age of  water  in  the  clay,  on  account  of  the  low 
heat  conductivity  of  the  material,  and  because 
some  heat  appears  to  be  lost  up  the  cracks 
between  the  blocks.  The  labour  cost  is  great- 
er than  for  the  ordinary  drying  process,  and 
the  extra  cost  of  this,  together  with  that  of  fuel 
for  the  pumps,  and  wear  and  tear  of  presses, 
replacement  of  cloths,  etc.,  goes  far  to  offset 
the  saving  of  fuel  in  drying. 

Drying. — Great  economy  of  fuel  in  the  dry- 
ing operation  has  been  recently  effected  by  the 
West  of  England  Company  (now  English 
China  Clays,  Ltd.)  through  attention  to  the 
proper  combustion  of  the  fuel,  and  elimination 
of  all  excess  draught  of  cold  air  through  the 
furnaces.     The  result  of  much  careful  experi- 


CORING    INTO    K'Mi  INGUL  \K    BLOCKS. 
Clays.  Ltd  .  St  Austell). 

menting,  with  analyses  of  the  Hue  gases,  show- 
ed that  the  greatest  source  of  avoidable  loss 
of  heat  in  the  drying  operation  consisted  in 
the  passage  through  the  furnace  of  a  volume 
of  air  far  in  excess  of  that  required  to  effect 
perfect  combustion  of  the  fuel  consumed.  A 
second  source  of  loss,  especially  after  firing 
up,  was  attributable  to  imperfect  combustion 
of  the  fuel,  and  escape  of  CO  from  the  furnace 
before  it  hadtnnetoburnto  CO...  Accordingly, 
the  ash-pits  are  now  kept  permanently  closed 
(except  for  cleaning),  pans  of  water  are  kept 
below  in  order  to  generate  some  steam,  and 
the  only  air  supplied  under  the  grate  is  pre- 
heated by  passage  through  auxiliary  Hues  in 
the  brickwork,  while  currents  of  secondary 
air,  also  preheated,  are  supplied  through  ap- 
propriate holes  in  the  crown  of  the  furnace 
arch,  in  order  to  burn  CO  just  over  the  bridge. 
Slide  dampers  are  placed  in  every  air  current, 
and  draught  and  temperature  indicators  in  the 
flue  at  the  base  of  the  stack  make  records 
hourly.  The  results  are  controlled,  not  only 
by  these,  but  by  automatic  CO..  recorders  at 
the  base  of  the  stack,  which  analyse  the  waste 
gases  and  record  the  percentage  of  CO..  in 
them  every  ten  minutes.  By  these  various 
means  perfect  combustion  of  the  fuel  is  assur- 
ed, with  a  total  supply  of  air  not  more  than 
double  that  theoretically  requited.     The  heat 


DECEMBER,    1919 


335 


is  carried  much  farther  down  the  flues,  so  that 
the  hot  part  of  the  "  pan,"  upon  which  a  charge 
of  clay  can  be  finished  and  renewed  every  24 
hours,  is  extended  down  the  "  dry  "  to  nearly 
double  its  former  length,  and  the  volume  and 
the  temperature  of  the  waste  gases  passing  up 
the  chimney  are  both  reduced  to  about  one- 
half.  The  net  result  is  to  diminish  the  fuel 
consumption  by  between  30  and  50%  accord- 
ing to  whether  the  previous  practice  in  the  dry" 
was  fairly  good  or  bad. 

Atseveral  works  aluminium  sheets  i  in.  thick 
have  beensubstitutedforthe2in.fire-tilesat  the 
stack  end  of  the  long  drying  kilns.  Being  good 
conductors,  the  small  amount  of  available  heat  in 
these  gases  is  more  readily  transmitted  to  the 
clay  on  the  "  pan  "  through  these  sheets  than 
through  the  tiles,  with  the  result  that,  instead 
of  taking  5  to  7  days  to  dry  out  with  tiles,  the 
clay  at  the  far  end,  with  these  sheets,  can  be 
dried  in  3  days.  The  cost  of  the  aluminium 
sheets  is  of  course  heavy,  and  figures  are  as 
yet  lacking  as  regards  their  durability  and 
wear  and  tear,  but  the  economy  in  fuel  and 
somewhat  increased  output  of  clay  are  thought 
by  some  to  justify  the  experiment.  Better 
results,  however,  in  the  very  long  kilns  (300  to 
350  ft.)  are  likely  to  result  from  cutting  them 
into  two,  erecting  a  short  stack  near  the  cen- 
tre instead  of  a  high  one  at  one  end,  and  pro- 
viding furnaces  at  both  ends,  the  combustion 
in  which  is  properly  controlled,  following  the 
practice  at  the  West  of  England  kilns  at  Nan- 
pean,  where  several  of  the  very  large  drys 
have  been  cut  down 
in  the  manner  de- 
scribed. 

Settling. — In- 
stead of  settling  out 
first  the  fine  sands 
and  "  mica  "  in  the 
usual  channels,  and 
then  settling  the 
clay  in  pits,  an  at- 
tempt has  been 
made  to  separate 
both  at  the  same 
time  by  centrifugal 
force  in  cylindrical 
containers,  into 
which  the  clay 
stream  is  introduc- 
ed at  the  top.  Sand 
and  mica  settle 
first, near  the  topof 
the  vessel ,  while  the 
clay  settles  near 
the  bottom,  where 
6—5 


the  effluent  clear  water  is  thrown  off.  Up  to 
the  present  time  no  commercial  success  has 
attended  this  method. 

Electrolytic  Purification.  —  It  has  been 
proposed  to  improve  the  colour  of  clay  discol- 
oured from  the  presence  of  iron  oxide  by  passing 
a  continuous  current  of  electricity  at  from  60 
to  100  volts  through  the  slowly  moving  stream 
of  clay  slip  passing  sideways  through  a  trough 
of  semi-cylindrical  section.  The  anode  con- 
sists of  a  metallic  drum  revolving  slowly  with- 
in the  trough,  while  the  cathode  is  a  half-cylin- 
der of  wire  netting  suspended  within  it,  con- 
centrically with  the  anode,  and  only  half  an 
inch  away  from  it.  The  clay  stream,  charged 
with  some  mineral  electrolyte,  flows  slowly  be- 
tween the  electrodes.  The  principal  harmful 
impurities,  oxides  of  iron  and  titanium,  being 
electro-positive,  pass  through  the  wire  netting, 
and  collect  underneath  it,  whence  they  are  re- 
moved by  means  of  a  continuous  worm  dis- 
charge, while  the  purified  clay,  being  electro- 
negative, attaches  itself  to  the  drum,  from  the 
top  of  which  a  fixed  knife  removes  it  in  the 
form  of  a  coherent  slab  about  half  an  inch 
thick.  The  process,  designed  originally  for 
the  purification  of  Continental  clays  of  inferior 
quality  in  order  to  fit  them  for  the  manufacture 
of  high-tension  insulators,  does  not  appear  to 
be  required  for  best  English  china-clays,  which 
are  purer  without  such  treatment  than  the 
Continental  clays  referred  to  after  treat- 
ment. It  has  been  suggested  that  the  colour 
of  inferior  Cornish  china-clays   could  be  so 


Fig.   13.     Lo 


.AY    FROM    "LlNHAYS"    INTO    RAILWAY     TRUCKS. 
nglish  China  Clays.  Ltd.,  St.  Austell). 


336 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


much  improved  by  electrolytic  treatment  of 
similar  nature,  as  to  enable  them  to  be  graded 
as  of  much  higher  quality.  So  far,  however, 
it  does  not  appear  that  the  improvement  effec- 
ted in  the  quality  of  the  clay  and  its  selling 


the  common  generally  speaking  the  yellowest. 
The  proportion  of  the  pre-war  output  of  china- 
clay  recognized  as  of  "best  "  quality  was  not 
more  than  15%  of  the  total,  more  than  one- 
half  of  the  total  output  being  classed  as  "  me- 


?   .« 

H    'S-  3 

£  j  i 

Olil  " 

y-  b.  "- 

Z  -  u 

£«J 

W   =  -^ 

id  a  •* 

a.  &  « 

<  = 

I  H 

in  5 

5  i 

•  c 

6 


price  is  likely  to  be   sufficient   to  compensate 
for  the  heavy  extra  cost. 

Classification  of  Clays.— In  the  trade, 
china-claysareroughlydivided  into  twoclasses, 
"  potting  "  and  "  bleaching  "  ;  in  each  category 
threegrades  are  recognized, "best,"  "medium," 
and  "common,"  based  mainly  on  the  colour, 
the  best  clay  being  of  course  the  whitest,  and 


dium,"  for  which  reason  that  grade  was  again 
informally  sub-divided  into  "  good  medium,' 
"medium,"  and  "low  medium." 

The  yellow  colour  of  common  clays  in  their 
condition  is  generally  due  to  iron  oxide.  Such 
is,  however,  by  no  means  invariably  the  case, 
and  a  yellowish  tinge  (particularly  in  clays 
graded  as  medium)  frequently  arises  wholly  or 


DECEMBER,    1919 


337 


in  part  from  some  form  of  peaty  or  organic 
matter,  which  upon  burning  disappears,  leav- 
ing the  clay  dead  white.  In  such  cases  the 
slight  tinge  of  colour  in  the  raw  clay  is  no 
detriment  when  it  is  intended  for  '  potting." 
To  some  extent  potting  clays  may  be  used  in- 
discriminately for  bleaching,  and  vice  versa  ; 
this  is  largely  the  case  in  foreign  markets,  par- 
ticularly in  the  United  States.  As  regards 
the  home  trade,  however,  the  distinction  is 
nevertheless  real  enough,  particularly  as  re- 
gards "best  clays,"  although  the  reasons  for 
such  a  distinction  between  the  two  classes  are 
often  obscure.  Chemical  analysis  shows  that 
but  little  difference  often  exists  in  their  ulti- 
mate composition  between  many  '  best  pot- 
ting "  and  "best  bleaching"  clays.  In  gen- 
eral it  may  perhaps  be  said  that  most  of  the 
"  best  potting  "  clays  average  1  or  lj%  higher 
in  silica  and  lower  in  alumina,  while  the  per- 
centages of  lime  and  alkalies  may  be  a  little 
higher,  although  in  any  case  low.  There  is, 
however,  no  absolute  guide  as  to  the  "  pot- 
ting "  quality  of  clays  to  be  derived  from 
chemical  analysis,  for  the  clays  numbered  4 
and  5  in  the  list  of  analyses  already  quoted, 
which  represent  the  two  extremes  of  compo- 
sition amongst  British  china-clays,  happen  to 
be  both  "  potting  "  clays,  although  used  by  dif- 
ferent potting  firms,  doubtless  in  combination 
with  verydifferentproportions  of  other  ingredi- 
ents. Potting  clays  in  their  raw  condition  are, 
speaking  generally,  somewhat  less  dead-white 


than  the  more  highly  esteemed  of  the  bleach- 
ing clays,  although  they  must  "fire"  white. 
When  dry  they  are  often  more  powdery,  and 
when  wet  often  become  more  plastic,  although 
by  no  means  invariably  so.  Speakinggenerally, 
it  may  be  said  that  good  potting  clays  are 
found  nearest  to  the  unaltered  granite,  and 
are  associated  with  a  certain  amount  of  un- 
altered orthoclase  felspar.  The  possibility  is 
suggested  that  the  greater  suitability  of  such 
clays  for  that  particular  purpose  may  arise 
either  from  a  slight  lack  of  completeness  in 
the  decomposition  of  the  orthoclase  felspar,  or 
in  an  originally  somewhat  greater  proportion 
of  plagioclase,  indicated  by  a  slightly  higher 
percentage  of  alkalies  and  alkaline  earths  in 
the  clay.  Possibly  it  may  be  due  in  part  to  an 
average  coarser  grain  of  the  particles,  reflec- 
ted in  a  general,  though  by  no  means  invari- 
able, greater  rapidity  of  settling.  It  is  note- 
worthy that  some  of  the  highest  grades  of 
bleaching  clay  appear  to  settle  very  slowly, 
and  the  slurry,  when  of  a  given  degree  of  vis- 
cosity, contains  in  fact  a  higher  percentage  of 
water  than  that  found  in  other  china-clays 
when  of  the  same  consistency,  so  that  more 
fuel  and  more  time  is  consumed  in  drying. 
This  may  be  due  either  to  an  average  smaller 
size  of  the  individual  particles  of  the  clay,  or 
to  some  difference  in  their  surface  condition, 
and  their  affinity  for  water. 

{To  be, continued). 


THE  MINERALS  OF  ANATOLIA 

By  NORMAN    M.   PENZER.  B.A..  F.G.S. 

The  author  gives  particulars  of  the  mineral  deposits  of  parts  o(  Asiatic  Turkey,  about  which 
little  is  known  in  ihis  country,  though  the  Germans  compiled  records  some  years  ago. 

(Concluded  from  November  issue,  page  283.) 


Mining  Laws. — The  Turkish  mining  laws 
have  formed  one  of  the  many  obstacles  put  in 
the  way  of  the  prospective  miner  in  Anatolia. 
From  time  to  time  the  laws  have  been  revised, 
but  have  only  undergone  trilling  alterations, 
and  have  always  presented  numerous  compli- 
cations and  endless  trouble  in  obtaining  conces- 
sions. The  most  recent  mining  law  is  dated 
March  26,  1906,  and  applies  alike  to  Ottoman 
subjects  and  foreigners.  The  law  was  revised 
in  1913,  but  nothing  of  importance  was  added. 

The  application  for  a  concession  passes 
through  the  hands  of  the  "  Vali,"  the  "  Mutes- 
sarif,"  the  "  Caimacan,"  and  finally  of  the 
"  Nadir  "  of  the  "  Nahie  "  where  the  mine  is 
actually    situated.     The    Nadir    consults   the 


Council  of  the  district,  and  the  application  then 
goes  slowly  back  to  where  it  started,  and  then 
to  the  Administrative  Council  of  the  Vilayet. 
The  Council  examines  specimens  of  the  ore  of 
the  mine  for  which  the  concession  is  required, 
listens  to  what  opponents  have  to  say,  and 
finally  submits  the  concession  for  the  approval 
of  the  Minister.  Even  this  is  not  the  end  of 
it,  for  the  Minister  passes  it  to  the  State  Coun- 
cil, then  to  the  Council  of  Ministers,  and  lastly 
it  is  submitted  for  Imperial  sanction. 

It  is  superfluous  to  say  that  the  question  of 
baksheesh  plays  a  large  part  in  the  transac- 
tions, especially  in  the  "  Nahie  "  where  the 
mine  is  situated. 

The  Local  Council,  as  soon  as  they  are  con- 


338 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


suited  about  a  concession,  begin  to  imagine 
that  there  is  great  wealth  hidden  underground 
which  they  should  naturally  keep  to  themselves. 
Other  inhabitants  get  up  a  systematic  opposi- 
tion, and  it  is  here  that  the  use  of  well-distri- 
buted baksheesh  is  of  the  greatest  assistance. 
The  Foreign  Office  Report  on  the  mining 
industries  in  Turkey,  mentioned  in  the  biblio- 
graphy, states  that  the  discoverer  of  a  mine  or 
deposit  obtains  a  prospecting  licence,  available 
for  a  period  of  two  years.  Should  his  further 
workings  during  this  period  give  satisfactory 
results,  he  applies  for  a  "  Firman,"  or  Imperial 
concession,  which  is  only  accorded  after  in- 
quiries and  formalities  of  a  more  orless  lengthy 
duration,  depending  chiefly  upon  the  reputed 
value  of  the  mine,  and  the  ability  of  the  appli- 
cant to  influence  the  decision  of  the  authorities 
in  whose  hands  the  matter  lies.  Once  a  fir- 
man conceding  a  mine  has  been  obtained,  the 
rights  acquired  are  transferable  to  the  conces- 
sionaire's heirs,  as  well  as  to  private  individuals 
or  to  companies.  The  latter  have  to  submit, 
like  all  holders  of  real  property  in  Turkey,  to 
Ottoman  law.  Transfers  of  mining  conces- 
sions are  only  made'at  the  Ministry  of  Mines 
and  Forests;  no  other  deed  is  valid. 

The  lands  comprised  within  the  limits  of  the 
concession  are  subject  to  a  fixed  annual  pay- 
ment, calculated  on  the  area  of  land  covered 
by  the  firman. 

The  minerals  actually  exported  have  to  pay 
a  proportional  tax  (royalty)  varying  from  5  to 
20%,  calculated  upon  the  price  fixed  by  the 
concession.  A  customs  duty  of  1%  ad  va- 
lorem is  also  levied. 

In  the  case  of  minerals,  of  which  the  price 
fluctuates  according  to  the  output,  a  bill  of  sale, 
legalized  by  the  Ottoman  Consul  at  the  port  of 
discharge,  has  to  be  procured  by  the  conces- 
sionaire and  presented  to  the  Mining  Depart- 
ment after  delivery  of  the  exported  quantity. 
The  selling  price  of  most  minerals  is  agreed 
upon  on  the  basis  of  given  terms  which  vary 
according  to  their  nature.  The  shipper  usually 
provided  75%  of  the  total  value  against  bill  of 
lading  and  insurance  policy. 

Besides  the  taxes  above  mentioned,  the 
State  often  reserves  for  itself  the  right  of  a 
third  of  the  net  receipts  in  the  terms  of  the 
concession  or  interests  on  the  disbursement  of 
a  fixed  sum,  or  a  certain  percentage  of  the  re- 
ceipts for  the  Treasury  coffers  for  the  Munici- 
pality or  the  poor. 

It  has  been  suggested  that  it  is  more  economi- 
cal to  ask  for  several  concessions  at  the  same 
time,  in  order  to  avoid  useless  and  repeated 
expense. 


It  is  not  appropriate  to  enter  into  full  de- 
tails of  the  mining  laws  here,  as,  owing  to  the 
present  state  of  affairs,  there  will  have  to  be 
new  mining  laws  made  by  the  different  nations 
taking  responsibility  for  the  future  of  the  Turk- 
ish Empire. 

Railways. — The  following  details  regard- 
ing the  railways  of  Asia  Minor  may  be  taken 
as  being  correct  up  to  July  of  this  year.  Por- 
tions of  one  of  the  most  important  systems 
come  far  outside  the  country  which  has  been 
treated  from  a  mineralogical  point  of  view,  and 
extend  as  far  as  Baghdad.  There  are  (exclu- 
sive of  the  Syrian  Kailways)  2,444  miles  of 
line  in  Asiatic  Turkey,  which  are  divided  as 
follows  : 


(1)  The  Anatolian  Railway 

Haidar  Pasha  to  Angora. 
Eski-shehr  to  Konia. 
Hamidie  to  Adabazar. 

(2)  The  Smyrna-Aidin  Railway 

Smyrna  to  Egerdir. 
Smyrna  to  Budja. 
Kasimir  to  Sevdi  Keui. 
Torbali  to  Odemish  and  Tire. 
Balachik  to  Sokia 
Gonjeli  to  Denizli. 
Sutledj  to  Cbivril. 

(3)  1  •i^hdad  Kadway  : 

Konia  via  Adana  and  Aleppo  to 
Nisibin. 
alidad  to  Qalat  Shergat. 
Baghdad  to  Quraitu. 

(4)  Chemin  de  Per  Smyrna-Cassaba 

et  Frolongement  : 
Smyrna  to  Afium  Karahissar. 
Magnesia    to  I'anderma. 
Smyrna  to  Bnrnabad. 

(5)  The  Mersina,  Tarsus  &  Adana 

Railway. 

(6)  The  Mudania-Brusa  Railway. 


Miles 

358 
•83 

10 


S2.0 


650 

187 


\7(,k 

I  ! 

25 


Total     2.444 

Of   the  above  railways,   without    counting 
those  built  during  the  war,  and  in  1914,   31 
were  controlled  by  the  Turkish  Government, 
36"8%  by  the  Germans,  07%  by  the  French, 
and  10"5%  by  the  English. 

Konia,  which  is  the  beginning  of  the  Bagh- 
dad Railway,  can  be  said  to  be  the  dividing 
point  of  the  railways  now  under  allied  military 
control.  The  railways  west  of  Konia,  includ 
ing  the  Smyrna  system  (both  the  Aidin  and 
Cassaba  lines),  are  under  the  general  control 
of  the  Inter-Allied  Commission  which  has  its 
headquarters  at  Constantinople,  and  a  branch 
sitting  at  Smyrna.  The  control  officers  of 
these  lines  are  all  British,  but  they  work  un- 
der the  authority  of  the  Inter-Allied  Commis- 
sion. In  the  case  of  the  Smyrna-Aidin  rail- 
way the  line  is  absolutely  British,  and  has  its 
head  office  in  London.     The  railways  east  of 


DECEMBER,     1919 


339 


Map  Showing  the  Railways  of  Asia  Minor. 


Konia  are  administered  by  the  British  under 
the  authority  of  the  G.O.C.  Egypt,  by  means 
of  the  branch  sitting  at  Aleppo. 

The  following  notes  on  the  different  railways 
may  be  of  interest. 

(1)  The  Anatolian  Railway. — The  Is- 
mid-Angora  concession  was  granted  by  the 
Turks  to  one  Kualla,  Director  of  the  YVurt- 
tembergische  Vereins  Bank  of  Stuttgart  on  be- 
half of  the  Deutsche  Bank.  This  concession 
provided  for  the  purchase  of  the  Haidar  Pasha- 
Ismid  line.  Construction  was  completed  on 
December  31,  1892.  This  was  the  beginning 
of  the  original  scheme  forthe  Baghdad  railway, 
which  was  later  abandoned.  In  order  to  con- 
vey the  coal  from  the  Heraclean  basin  a  branch 
line  was  started  from  Adabazar  to  Boli,  and 
the  Germans  started  building  from  Zunguldak 
towards  Boli. 

Beyond  Angora  an  extension  toward  Yuzgat 
was  begun  in  1914.  The  line  was  to  be  built 
as  a  4  ft.  8i  in.  gauge  railway,  but  no  rails  for 
this  gauge  being  available  a  Decauville  has 
been  laid  down.  This  is  complete  for  45  miles 
close  to  the  Kizil  Irmak  river.  Embankments, 
culverts,  etc.,  are  complete  for  125  miles,  from 
whence  onwards  nothing  has  been  done.  The 
ultimate  aim  is  to  link  up  Angora  with  Sivas 
and  Erzeroum.  The  company  was,  of  course, 
in  reality  German.  After  the  Baghdad  route 
via  Angora  was  abandoned,  the  line  to  Bagh- 
dad from  Eskishehr  to  Konia  was  built. 


(2)  The  Smyrna-Aidin  Railway. — This 
is  the  oldest  railway  in  Anatolia.  The  original 
concession  was  granted  to  a  British  group  in 
1856.  In  1888  the  concession  was  extended 
on  condition  that  on  its  expiration  the  Turkish 
Government  might  buy  out  the  company.  In 
1914  this  agreement  was  cancelled  for  a  new 
one,  and  the  various  concessions  of  the  com- 
pany were  consolidated.  The  renewed  con- 
cession expires  in  1999.  Just  prior  to  the  war 
the  proposed  extensions  of  this  railway  were 
as  follows: 

(a)  Aidin  to  Marmarice,  via  Mughla. 

(b)  Afium  Karahissar  to  Adalia,  via  San- 
dukli,  Dineir,  and  Buldur. 

(c)  A  line  joining  the  lakes  of  Egerdir  and 
Beyshehr. 

(3)  Baghdad  Railway. — Although  the 
Baghdad  railway  is  often  considered  as  start- 
ing at  the  Bosphorus,  its  true  starting-point  is 
Konia.  The  concession  for  the  railway  was 
granted  in  1889  to  the  Anatolian  Railway  Com- 
pany in  the  first  instance,  but  was  transferred 
to  the  Societe  Imperiale  Ottomane  du  Chemin 
de  Fer  de  Bagdad.  This  latter  company  was, 
like  the  former,  under  the  control  of  the 
Deutsche  Bank.  The  concession  included  a 
clause  which  gave  the  right  to  the  company  to 
work  all  mines  found  within  20  miles  of  the 
line.  The  war  naturally  proved  disastrous  to 
the  railway.  The  branch  line  from  Toprak 
Kale  to  Alexandretta  was  dismantled  by  the 


340 


THE    MINING     MAGAZINE 


Turks  during  the  war,  and  various  sections  in 
the  Taurus  Mountains  were  incomplete.  The 
line  is  now  complete  as  far  as  Nisibin,  which 
lies  between  Mosul  and  Diarbekr.  Starting 
now  from  Baghdad  the  line  runs  north  past 
Samarra  to  Qalat-Shergat.  These  two  sections, 
therefore,  form  the  Baghdad  railway.  There 
is  a  branch  line  from  Baghdad  to  Quraitu  on 
the  Persian  frontier.  Other  branches  were 
built  by  the  British  during  the  war,  and  are  be- 
ing dismantled.  A  through  metre-gauge  line 
is  being  constructed  from  Basra  to  Baghdad. 

(4)  Chemin  de  Fer  Smyrna-Cassaba 
ET  PROLONGEMENT. — This  railway  was 
leased  to  a  Franco- Belgian  syndicate  in  1893, 
the  British  concessionaires  who  obtained  the 
original  concession  in  1863  being  bought  out. 
The  company  was  authorized  to  extend  the 
main  line  from  Alashehr  to  Afium  Karahissar. 
The  Soma-Panderma  branch  was  opened  in 
1912.  Among  the  proposed  new  branches  may 
be  mentioned  Ushak  to  Gedi/.,  and  Balikesri 
to  the  mines  near  Balia. 

(5)  The  Messina,  Tarsus,  and  Adana 
Railway. — The  concession  for  this  line  was 
granted  in  1883  to  a  Turkish  company,  and 
after  being  under  British  and  French  control, 
passed  in  1906  into  the  hands  of  the  Deutsche 
Bank.  As  the  object  of  the  Deutsche  Bank 
was  to  secure  an  outlet  to  the  sea  for  the  Bagh- 
dad railway,  it  obtained  by  degrees  five-sixths 
of  the  share  capital. 

(6)  The  Mudania-Brusa  Railway  — 
The  concession  for  this  line  was  granted  in 
1891  to  a  Franco- Belgian  group  for  99  years. 
Various  proposals  of  extension  have  been  made, 
but  German  opposition  proved  too  strong.  The 
line  is  narrow  gauge. 

In  1913  14,  concessions  were  granted  to  an 
Italian  group  for  the  building  of  railways  with 
centres  at  Makri  and  Adalia.  All  develop- 
ments have  of  course  been  held  up. 

In  addition  to  the  proposed  extensions  al- 
ready mentioned  are  the  following  : 

1.  Chanak     (on    the     Dardanelles)     to 

Smyrna. 

2.  Angora-Yuzgat-Sivas-  Erzeroum. 

3.  Samsun-Sivas. 

4.  Sivas-Kharput-Mardin. 

5.  Ada  Bazar- Boli-Kavsa. 

6.  Yuzgat-Kaisariya. 

Bibliography. 

The  following  bibliography  on  Asia  Minor, 
although  far  from  complete,  contains  under 
various  headings  the  chief  works  and  articles 
for  about  the  last  eighty  years.  With  regard 
to  the  "geology  "  section,  references  are  only 


given  from  1900  onward,  but  two  or  three  im- 
portant works  of  earlier  date  will  be  found  in 
the  "  general  "  section.  It  is  obvious  from  this 
bibliography  what  a  minute  percentage  of  the 
works  and  articles  published  are  English,  and 
the  huge  percentage  German.  There  is  not  a 
single  comprehensive  English  article,  let  alone 
a  book,  on  the  mineral  wealth  or  geology  of 
Asia  Minor.  In  recent  years  Dr.  Oswald  has 
written  some  very  useful  books  on  the  geology 
of  Armenia.  It  would  be  a  great  work  if  he 
would  cover  the  whole  of  the  late  Turkish  Em- 
pire. In  France  there  are  only  about  two  good 
books  dealing  with  the  minerals  in  any  length, 
those  by  Cuinet  (1892)  and  Verney  &  Damb- 
mann  (1900). 

The  bibliography  is  divided  up  as  follows: 
(1),  General  Works;  (2),  Geology;  (3),  Coal; 
(4),   Meerschaum  ;  (5),  Miscellaneous. 

I.   General  Works. 
1842.      HAMILTON.      Researches  in  Asia  Minor.     Lon- 
don. 
1867  69.     TCHIHATCHEFF.     <  icologie  de  1'  Asie  Mine 
ure.     Morgand,  Paris.     3  vols.  8  vo.  with  coloured 
map. 
1876.       BlTTNER     (A),    NEUMAYR    (M    .    TELLER    (F). 

Geologische  Arbeiten  in  Orient. 
1877'.     BURNABY  (F).     On  Horseback  through  Asia 

Minor 
1878.     Geary  (G).     Through  Asiatic  Turkey.     Lon- 
don. 

1885.  GEORGIADES.  Smyrna  et  l'Asie  Mineure. 
Paris. 

1886.  HEYD.  Historie  du  Commerce  du  Levant  an 
Moyen  Age.      Furcy-Keynaud.      Paris. 

1887.  BRACHET(D).  Mt-moiresur  une  Mission  faite 
en  1884  pour  l'Etude  des  Eaux  Minerales  de  la 
Turquie.     Paris. 

1890.     Ramsay   (Sir   W.   M.).     The  Historical  (ieo- 

graphy  of  Asia  Minor. 
1S92.      Berard.      Rapport  sur   l'Egypte    et    sur    la 

Turquie.      Lvons. 
1892.     DERNBURG(F).     AufDeutscher  Bahn  in  Klein 

Asien.      Berlin. 
1892.  et  seq      Foreign  Office.     Consular  Reports. 
1892.      Ro'/gon.     Smyrna.     Paris. 
1892.     Kaehger    (K).     Klein  Asien,    ein  Deutsches 

Kolonizationsfeld.     Berlin. 
1894.     Baudin       Ahd-ul-Hamid  II,  et  les  Progres  de 

la  Turquie.     Paris. 

1894.  Courau.  La  Locomotive  en  Turquie^' Asie. 
Paris. 

1895.  CUINET  (V).     La  Turquie  d'Asie.     Paris. 

1896.  Goltz  (C.  Vonder).  Anatolische  Ausflunge. 
Reisebilder.     Berlin. 

1896.  NAUMANN  (E).  Die  Grundlinien  Anatoliens. 
Geogr.  Zeitschrift  d'Hettner. 

1896.  Toula  (Fi.  Ueber  die  Auffindung  einer  Mus- 
chelkalkfauna  am  Golfe  von  Ismid,  NJ.f.Biin.,  1. 
p.  149.  2,  p.  137;  ibid.  Beitr.  Paliiont.  Oestcrr- 
Ung.  x..  p.  153-191. 

1897.  RAMSAY  (SIR  W.  M.).  Impressions  of  Turkey. 
London. 

1898.  Toula  (F).  Fine  Geologische  Reise  nach 
Kleinasien,  mit  Beitragen  von  E.  Kayser  und  A. 
Rosiwal.  Beitr.  Pal.  OestUng. 

1899.  Toula     (F).     Fine  Geologische    Reise    nach 


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341 


Kleinasien,  N.J.f.Min.,  1,  pp.  63-70. 
1900.     Verney  (N)  et.     Les  Puissances  Etrangeres 

dans  le  Levant,  en  Syrie,  et  en  Palestine.     Paris  and 

Lyons. 

Mensuel  de  la  Chambre  de  Commerce 
Francaise  de  Constantinople.     Con- 
1900,  et  seq.  stantinople. 

Mensuel  de  la  Chambre  de  Commerce 
Francaise  de  Smyrna.     Smyrna. 
1903.    Foreign  Office  Report.    Mining  Industries 

and  Forestry  in  Turkey.    Miscell.    Series,    No.  589, 

May,  1903. 
1908.       Nettancourt-Vaubecourt    (J.   de).      Les 

Grandes  Routes  de  l'Asie  Mineure.     Leroux,  Paris. 
1911.     Pears  (Sir  Edwin).      Turkey  and  its  People. 

London. 
1911.     Pech    (E).     Manuel  des  Societes  Anonymes 

Fonctionnant  en  Turquie.   5th  edit.   Constantinople. 
1911.     Garnett  (L.  M.).     Turkey  of  the  Ottomans. 
1911.     Ferriman  (Z.  D.)     Turkey  and  the  Turks. 
1912-13.     Journal  of  the  British   Chamber  of  Com- 
merce at  Constantinople. 
1913.     Miller  (W).      The  Ottoman  Empire,  1801- 

1913.     Cambridge  Hist.  Series. 

1913.  Ilitch  (A).  Le  Chemin  de  Fer  de  Bagdad. 
Riviere,  Paris. 

1914.  Brown  (P.  M.).  Foreigners  in  Turkey  . 
Juridical  Status.     Princeton. 

1914.  Schmidt  (H).  Das  Eisenbahnwesen  in  der 
Asiatischen  Tiirkei.      Berlin. 

1915.  Sykes  (Sir  M.).  A  Short  History  of  the 
Turkish  Empire.     The  Caliph's  Last  Heritage. 

1915.  Philippson  (A).  Reisen  und  Forschungen 
im  Westlichen  Kleinasien.      (5  parts).     Gotha,  1915. 

1915.  Lenchard  (R).  Paphlagonia ;  Reisen  und 
Forschungen  im  Nordlichen  Kleinasien.     Berlin. 

1916.  Woods  (H.  C).  Communications  in  Asiatic 
Turkey.     Field.  Mar.  25,  1916.     pp.  482  4. 

1916.  Mauferthius  (S).  Voies  Ferrees  Asie 
Mineure  et  le  Bagdad  Bahn.  Science  et  Vie,  Mar. 
1916.     pp.  325-36. 

1916.  Childs  (W.  J.).  Along  the  Black  Sea  Coast 
of  Asia  Minor.  Blackwood's  Mag.,  April  1916. 
pp.  468  80. 

1917.  Childs  (W.  J).  Across  Asia  Minor  on  Foot. 
London. 

1917.  Ramsay  (Sir  W.  M.).  The  Intermixture  of 
Races  in  Asia  Minor.     Proc.  Brit.  Acad.     Vol.  7. 

1917.  Woods  (H.  C).  The  Baghdad  Railway  and 
its  Tributaries.     Journal  R.  Geog.  Soc,  July  1917. 

1917-18.     La  Revue  de  Turquie.     Lausanne,  1917. 

1918.  Hawley  (W.  A.).     Asia  Minor. 

1919.  Money  (R.  I.).  The  Irrigation  of  the  Konia 
Plain.     Jour.  R.  Geog.  Soc,  Nov.,  p.  298. 

II.    Geology. 

1900.  Schaffer  (F.  X.).  Geologische  Studien  im 
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Wien,  cix.,  pp.  498-525. 

1901.  Schaffer  (F.  X).  Zur  Geotektonik  des 
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.  132-137  (map). 

1901.  Schaffer  (F.  X).  Geologische  Studien  im 
Siidostlichen  Kleinasien  und  in  Nordsyrien.  Anz 
K.  Akad.  Wissensch.,  Wien,  ex.,  pp.  5-18,  figs,  and 
map. 

1901.  Schaffer  (F.  X.).  Neue  Geologische  Studien 
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1905.  Bukowski  (G.  V.).  Ueber  die  Tertiarabla- 
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Wissensch.,  Wien,  1905,  pp.  52-55. 


1906.  Toula  (F).  Zusammenstellung  der  Neuesten 
Geologischen  Literatur  uber  die  Balkan-halbinsel 
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1907.  Philippson  (A).  Ein  Gletscheram  Erdschias- 
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1909.  Kessier  (P).  Zum  Geologischen  Aufbau  der 
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1910.  Endriss  (W).  Quer  durch  die  Bithynische 
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236-240 ;  pts.  xxxi-xxxii.  (map)  ;  and  lx-lxi. 

1910.  Philippson  (A).  Reisen  und  Forschungen 
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geol.  map. 

1911.  „  No.  172,  pp.  1-100,  pis.  i-ix. 
and  geol.  map. 

1911.  Forbes  (W.T.M.).  AGeologicalRidethrough 
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pp.  61-82,  figs,  and  map. 

1911.  Berg  (G).  Geologische  Beobachtungen  in 
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1912.  Philippson  (A).  Die  Neogenbecken  Klein- 
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III.    Coal. 

1S52.  Schlehan.  VersucheinerGeognost.  Beschr. 
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Nord-Kiiste  von  Kleinasien.  Zeit.  d.  Geol.  Ges., 
iv.,  96-142. 

1854.  Garella  et  Huyot.  Rapport  sur  les  Mines 
de  Houille  d'Heraclee.  Annates  des  Mines,  5th 
series,  vi.,  p.  173-234. 

1856.  Poole  (H).  On  the  Coal  of  the  North-west- 
ern Districts  of  Asia  Minor.  Quart.  Joum.  Geol. 
Soc. 

1892.  D'  Harveng.  Le  Bassin  Houiller  d'Hera- 
clee. 

1894.  Freydies-Dubrelil.  htude  sur  le  Bassin 
Houiller  d'Heraclee.      Lyons. 

1895-6.  Ralli  (G).  Le  Bassin  Houiller  d'Herac- 
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151-267. 

1896.  Douvillk  (H).  Constitution  Gdologique  des 
Environs  d'Heraclee.  Comptes  Rendus,  exxii., 
part  1,  pp.  678-680. 

1896.  HOLTZER  (P).  Le  Bassin  Houiller  d'Hera- 
clee.    Bui,  Soc.  Ind.  Mm.,  3rd  ser.,  x,  p.  773-823. 

1898.  Krenke  (G).  The  Coal  Mines  of  Asia  Minor. 
Colliery  Guardian,  lxxvi.,  p.  73. 

1899-1901.  Zeili.kk  (R).  Etude  sur  la  Flore  Fos- 
sile  du  Bassin  Houiller  d'Heraclee.  Soc.  Geol.  de 
France,  Mem.  de  Paleont.,  xiii.  et  ix,  No.  21,  91  p. 

1902.  Muck.  Recherches  de  Charbon  sur  la  Cote 
de  la  Mer  Noire.  Org.  d.  Ver.  d.  Bortechn,  No.  8, 
pp.  3-4. 

1902.  Stassinopoulos.  Le  Bassin  Houiller 
d'Heraclee.  Bull.  No.  189  et  259  Ch.  Com.  /•>. 
Constantinople,  48  p. 

1903.  Simmersback  (B).  Das  Steinkohlenbecken 
von  Heraklea  in  Kleinasien.  Zeitschr.  f.  Prakt. 
Geol.,  xi.,  pp.  170-17J. 

1905-6.  De  Launay  (L).  La  Formation  Charbon- 
neux  Infracretacee  des  Balkans.  Ann.  des  Mines, 
Mar.  1905,  Aug.  1906. 

1911.  De  Launay  (L).  La  Gcologie  et  les  Riches 
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1913.     De  Launay    (L).      Traite   de  Metallogenie  ; 

Gites  MineYauxet  Metallifereres.    3  vols.     Paris  and 

Li6ge.  • 

1913.     Coal  Resources  of   the  World.     Inter 

national  Geological  Congress.  Toronto. 
1919.     Kirsopp  (J).     The  Coal  Resourcesof  the  Near 

East.     The  Near  East.     Oct.  10,  1919,  p.  393. 

IV.    Meerschaim. 

1849.  Smith  (John  L.).  Chrome  and  Meerschaum 
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285-6. 

1851.  Smith  (John  L).  On  the  Geology  and  Gen- 
eral Character  of  the  Meerschaum  in  the  Plains  of 
Eski-Shehr  (Asia  Minor).  Proceedings  of  the 
American  Association,  1851,  p.  270. 

1895.  Bellert  (D).  L'Ecume  de  Mer  en  Asie 
Mineure.  Revue  de  Science,  Paris,  Section  4,  iii  , 
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1897.  Weinschenk  (K).  Meerschaum  von  Eski- 
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pp.  574-6. 

1907.  SERBIN  (A.).  Merskum.  Naturen,  Bergen, 
xxxi.,  pp.  117-121. 

1909.  Katzer  (F).  Ueber  den  Bosnischen  Meer 
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65-88. 

1911.  REINHARDT  (A.).  Ueber  Meerschaum  und 
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V.  Misi  us. 

1850.  DUFRENCY(0  I  A.  P.).  Note  sur  des  Crist- 
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1850.  DUFRENOY  (().  P.  A  P.).  Kapport  sur  un 
M^moire  de  M.  Laurence  Smith  ayant  pour  Objet 
l'Etude  du  Gisement  de  l'Emeri  de  l'Asie  Mineure, 
et  des  Mineraux  qui  y  sont  associes.  Comptes 
Rendus,  xxxi  ,  pp.  611-617. 

1894.     CoULANT  (E.).       Cenni   sul    Borato  di   Calce 
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142. 

1902.  ANONYMOUS.  The  Mineral  Industry  of  Tur- 
key.    Quarry,  viii.,  pp.  508-511. 

1903.  Achiardi  (G.  d').  Notizie  sul  Giacimento 
Cinabrifero  di  Kara-Barun  dell'  Asia  Minore.  Atti 
Soc.  Tosc.  Sci.  Nat.,  xiii  ,  pp.  173-6. 

1904.  Flett  (J.  S).  Notes  on  the  Collection  of 
Rock  Specimens  made  by  Col.  T.  English  in  Euro- 
pean Turkey  and  Asia  Minor.  Q.J.G.S.,  lx.,  pp. 
276-277. 

1906.  SCHMEISSER  (K.).  Bodenschatzeund  Bergbau 
Kleinasiens.  Zeit.  t.  Prakt.  Geol.,  xiv.,  pp.  186- 
196. 

1908.  Cesaro  (G.).  Tellure  Natif  des  Mines  de 
Balia.  (Asia  Mineure).  Bull.  Acad.  Roy.  Belg.. 
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1908.  SlMMERBACH  (B.).'  Die  Mineralvorkommen 
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Kurdistan,  und  Arabistan.  Zeit .  f.  Berg,  Hiitt., 
&  Salinenwesen,  lvi.,  pp.  417-4 J 1 . 

1910.  Anonymous.  The  Mineral  Resources  of  Asia 
Minor.     Mining  Journal,  xci.,  pp.  1202-3. 

1912.  Coulant(.YI.E).  Notesur  lesMinesdeCuivre 
d'Arghana,  Vilayet  de  Diabekir  (Asie  Mineure). 
Ann.  Mines,  mem.  ser.  2,  ii,  pp.  281-293. 

1912.  Coulbeaux.  Gisements  de  Borate  de  Chaux 
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94-315. 

1912  Bauer  (M.  H).  Opal  von  Simav  im  Nord- 
lichen  Kleinasien.     Centralbl.  f.  Min.,  pp.  511-512 


1916.     Anonymous.     Mineral  Wealth  of  Asia  Minor. 
The  Near  East.     May  26. 


Glossary. 

The  following 

glossary  includes  nearly  all 

words  contained 

in  names    occurring    in   the 

foregoing  article 

and  maps. 

Ada 

Island 

Afium  (Afion) 

Opium 

Aghaj  (Aghach) 

Tree 

Aghyz  (Aghizi) 

Mouth,  outlet 

Ak 

White 

Akar 

Flowing  (of  water) 

Ala 

High 

Alt 

Lower  or  under  side 

Ano 

Upper 

Ashaghv 

Lower 

Bagh 

Vineyard 

Bair 

Spur 

Bash 

Head 

Bazar 

Market 

Biyuk 

Great 

Bel 

Pass  over  a  mountain  range 

Bey 

Gentleman,  master 

Boghaz 

Gorge,  strait 

Boz 

Crey  ;  bare  (of  mountains) 

Bulak 

Spring 

Burun  (Burnul 

(lit.  "nose"),  Spur,  promon 

tory 

Chai 

River 

Chair 

Meadow 

Chatal 

Split,  forked 

Cheshme 

Fountain,  spring 

Chiftlik 

Farm 

( 'luikur 

Hole,  low-lying 

Dagh 

Mountain 

Dam 

(flat)  Roof 

Dede 

<  .randfather,  deified  ancestor 

Hole 

Demir 

Iron 

Derbend  (Devrent) 

^s,  police  station  in  a  pass 

Dere 

Valley,  stream 

Divan 

Summer  quarters 

Duden 

Subterranean     passage     (for 

stream) 

Duz 

Flat,  level 

Egri  (Eyri) 

Crooked,  bent 

Elma 

Apple 

Euzu 

Brook- 

Eski 

Old 

Euyuh 

Tumulus 

Gedik 

Pass,  clearing 

G61  (Geul) 

Lake 

Giimush 

Silver 

Giizel 

Beautiful 

Hagios  (Gk) 

Saint 

Hammam  (Ilamam) 

Bath-house,  bath,  hot  spri»g 

Hissar 

Castle,  fort 

Ilije 

Hot  spring 

Irmak 

River 

Iskele  (Skala) 

Landing-place, railway  station 

Jebel 

Mountain 

Kahve 

Coffee  house 

Kale 

Castle,  fort,  ruin 

Kapu 

Gate,  defile 

Kara 

Black 

Karakol 

Police  station 

Kassaba 

Small  market  town 

Kato  (Gk) 

Lower 

Kaya 

Hock 

Kel 

Bald,  bare 

DECEMBER,     1919 


343 


Khan  (Han) 

Khan,  caravanserai 

Serai 

Palace 

Khoja 

Master,  teacher 

Shehir 

(Shehr, 

Shahr) 

Town,  city 

Kilisse 

Church 

Sirt 

Crest 

Kiraz  (Kirez) 

Cherry 

Sivri 

Sharp,  pointed 

Kdi  (Keui) 

Village 

Su 

Water,  river 

Kol 

Arm,  branch 

Tash 

Stone 

Kiiprii  ((Keupri) 

Bridge 

Teke  (Tekie,  Tekke) 

A  monastery  for  dervishes 

Kiichiik 

Little,  lower 

Tepe 

Hill 

Kul 

Servant,  slave 

Toz 

Dust 

Kule 

Tower,  blockhouse 

Tuz 

Salt 

Kush 

Bird 

Uj 

End,  point 

Kyssa 

Short 

Ulu 

Large 

Liman  (Gk) 

Harbour,  bay 

Ushak 

Servant,  knave,  peasant 

Maden 

Mine,  metal 

Viran  1 

Veran, 

Veren) 

Ruined,  ruins 

Mai 

Treasure 

Yagh 

Oil 

Meidan 

Open  space,  square  (in  a  town) 

Yaila 

Summer    village,     mountain 

Merkez 

Market,  administrative  centre 

pasture 

Mezar 

Grave 

Yaka 

Bank,  border 

Muhajjir 

Moslem,  immigrant 

Yedi 

Seven 

Odun 

Wood 

Yel 

Wind 

Oren  (or  Euren,  Evren, 

Yeni 

New 

Viran) 

Ruins 

Yeshil 

Green 

Orman 

Wood,  forest 

Yilan 

Serpent 

Orta 

Middle 

Yokarj 

■  (Yukari) 

Upper 

Ova 

Plain,  meadow 

Yrmak 

(Jrmak) 

River 

Punar  (Bunar) 

Spring,  fountain 

Zei'tin 

(Zei'tun, 

Zaitun) 

Olive 

Saman 

Straw 

Ziaret 

Sacred,  tomb 

WATER   IN   ROCK  MAGMAS  AND   VEINS. 

By  J.    MORROW   CAMPBELL,   D.Sc,   M.Inst.M.M. 

The  author  discusses  the  theory  of  water  in  magmas,  and  the  action  of  magmatic  waters 
in  bringing  tin  and  wolfram  to  the  surface. 


Introduction.— The  author's  work  on 
"  The  Ore  Minerals  of  Tavoy,"  reprinted  in 
The  Mining  Magazine  in  February,  was  made 
public  first  as  a  semi-popular  lecture,  and  for 
this  reason  was  limited  in  scope  and  length. 
Certain  new  ideas  regarding  the  origin  of 
water  in  magmas  were  put  forward  and  dis- 
belief in  the  pneumatolytic  origin  of  cassiter- 
ite  and  wolfram  expressed,  but  the  observa- 
tions and  arguments  in  support  of  these  theses 
were  not  fully  stated. 

The  work  of  Mr.  W.  H.  Goodchild  on  "  The 
Evolution  of  Ore  Deposits  from  Igneous  Mag- 
mas "  demonstrates  how  essential  water  is  in 
the  genesis  of  ores,  but  he  does  not  deal  with 
the  source  from  which  it  is  derived. 

Mr.  Coggin  Brown  cited  Gautier's  figures  as 
quoted  by  F.  W.  Clarke  in  "  Data  of  Geo- 
chemistry "  as  to  the  vast  amount  of  water  con- 
tained in  a  cubic  kilometre  of  granite.  We  are 
concerned  firstly  with  the  source  of  such  water 
andof  that  given  off  by  magmas  and  from  which 
ores  are  deposited. 

The  Vertical  Range  of  Meteoric 
Water  in  the  Earth's  Crust. — It  is  curi- 
ous to  observe  how  much  fashion  seems  to 
limit  the  views  of  even  scientific  men.  Sand- 
berger's  theory   of   lateral  secretion  was  for 


many  years  believed  by  most  geologists.  It 
was  then  accepted  that  meteoric  water  traversed 
the  pores  of  practically  all  rock  to  a  depth  of 
thousands  of  feet.  Deep  shafts  and  bore-holes 
revealed  the  fact  that  below  the  first  few  hun- 
dred feet  water  does  not  in  general  penetrate 
theearth'scrustin  appreciablequantity.  Then, 
under  the  lead  mostly  of  American  economic 
geologists,  the  fashion  changed  to  that  of  be- 
lieving the  crust  to  be  practically  impermeable, 
that  meteoric  water  cannot  get  deep  down  at 
all,  and  that  water  found  at  great  depths  is 
juvenile — of  magmatic  origin.  It  is  now  con- 
sidered heterodox  to  even  suggest  that  meteoric 
water  can  be  a  factor  in  the  genesis  of  primary 
ores. 

The  Genesis  of  Rock  Magmas'.— In 
order  to  deal  adequately  with  the  subject  we 
must  go  back  further  than  Mr.  Goodchild  does. 
He  commences  with  what  he  calls  "  primary 
rock  magma."  This  he  assumes  as  being 
evolved  periodically  over  large  areas  beneath 
the  earth's  crust  by  direct  oxidation  of  elemen- 
tal Mg,  Ca,  Fe,  Al,"  &c. 

Matter,  as  we  know  it,  was  primarily  in  the 
state  of  gas ;  most  of  this  by  cooling  passed 
through  a  liquid  condition  before  the  world  took 
the  solid  form  in  which  we  believe  the  bulk  of 


344 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


it  at  present  exists.  The  rigidity  of  the  earth 
forces  us  to  assume  the  interior  to  be  solid. 
We  know  its  density  is  much  greater  than  that 
of  the  outer  crust,  therefore  we  assume  it  to 
be  composed  largely  of  the  denser  elements, 
that  is,  metals.  Of  the  interior  we  have  no 
exact  knowledge  and,  for  present  purposes, 
speculation  as  to  its  composition  is  unprofit- 
able. We  are  concerned  only  with  the  outer 
crust,  say  10  miles  in  depth.  This  is  composed 
largely  of  substances  which  were  the  last  to 
pass  from  the  gaseous  and  liquid  to  the  solid 
condition.  As  a  matter  of  fact  we  are  dealing 
with  the  light,  more  fusible  and  volatile  odds 
and  ends,  so  to  speak,  left  over  after  the  great 
bulk  of  the  matter  composing  our  globe  had 
solidified. 

The  temperature  at  which  this  crustal  ma- 
terial assumed  the  liquid  state  was  very  high. 
A  sea  consisting  almost  entirely  of  anhydrous 
oxides  enveloped  the  globe  and  outside  it  an 
atmosphere  enormous  in  volume  compared  with 
that  of  to-day.  As  the  temperature  fell  the 
atmosphere  decreased  in  volume  by  combina- 
tionof  its  constituentswith  the  liquid  envelope  ; 
then  this  solidified.  The  temperature  descen- 
ded to  the  boiling-point  of  water,  then  the  sea 
formed.  Much  of  the  surface  water  had  al- 
ready been  absorbed  by  the  crustal  solids,  as 
greedy  to  unite  with  it  now  as  they  were  in- 
capable of  doing  so  when  in  the  gaseous  con- 
dition. The  ocean  and  the  atmosphere  will 
ultimately  disappear  and  another  solid,  dead 
planet  will  revolve  in  space. 

While  the  material  deposited  in  this  liquid 
crustal  layer  must  have  been  uniform  over  the 
whole  surface,  vast  disturbances  in  underlying 
previously  solidified  layers  which  took  place  as 
cooling  proceeded  resulted  in  the  admixture 
locally  of  non-oxidized,  less  fusible,  and  denser 
material  with  that  of  the  normal  crust.  It  is 
probably  in  this  way  that  the  heavier  metals 
have  been  brought  up  within  our  reach. 

At  very  high  temperatures  oxides  cannot  ex- 
ist ;  therefore  it  is  probable  that  the  interior  of 
the  earth  is  devoid  of  oxygen.  Oxides  account 
for  fully  98%  of  the  crust,  and  of  all  matter 
within  our  reach  nearly  half  is  oxygen.  There 
cannot  possibly  be  water  in  the  interior. 

The  affinity  of  oxides  for  water  diminishes 
with  increase  of  temperature  ;  therefore  crus- 
tal matter  when  first  formed  was  practically 
anhydrous.  Moreover,  it  was  not  fully  oxi- 
dized, for  it  solidified  largely  out  of  contact 
with  oxygen  and  at  a  temperature  at  which 
many  oxides  cannot  exist. 

The  crust  thus  consists  of  a  very  thin  sur- 
face layer  well  oxidized  and  hydrated,  its  affin- 


ity for  oxygen  and  water  practically  satisfied. 
Below  this  we  should  find  combined  water  in 
the  rocks  diminish  to  zero  at  a  comparatively 
small  depth  and  the  affinity  for  water  increase. 
Similarly  the  affinity  for  oxygen  increases  as 
we  go  down,  but  oxides  would  be  found  at  very- 
much  greater  depths  than  combined  water. 

Substances  having  affinity  for  one  another 
will,  under  favourable  conditions,  combine  with 
one  another  with  evolution  of  heat. 

It  is  with  a  deeper  layer  of  the  crust — a  zone 
of  rock  having  a  strong  affinity  for  both  oxy- 
gen and  water — that  Mr.  Goodchild  starts. 
This  is  assumed  to  be  at  such  a  temperature 
that  the  oxidation  of  certain  elements  in  it 
generates  sufficient  heat  to  cause  its  liquefac- 
tion over  large  areas. 

It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  material 
which  yields  Goodchild's  "  primary  rock  mag- 
ma "  was  itself  in  the  liquid  condition,  and  is 
the  differentiated  result  of  the  solidification  of 
primeval  liquid  rock.  It  is  not  possible  for 
rock  which  has  solidified  from  the  liquid  state 
to  resume  that  state  without  the  introduction 
of  a  new  factor.  Oxidation  is  postulated,  but 
where  is  oxygen  to  come  from  ?  We  cannot 
imagine  any  means  by  which  this  element,  as 
such,  could"  get  access  to  such  depths.  Bui 
water  would  be  even  more  effective  ;  its  descent 
is  quite  conceivable,  in  fact  it  appears  to  be 
the  only  possible  factor. 

Water  in  such  a  situation  may  be  absorbed 
or  dissociated ;  in  the  latter  event  the  oxygen 
is  taken  up  in  oxidation  and  the  hydrogen  oc- 
cluded ;  in  either  case  heat  is  evolved  and 
liquefaction  would  ensue. 

Let  us  take  the  simplest  possible  case  and 
consider  we  are  dealing  with  the  very  first 
primary  rock  magma  formed  from  primitive 
material  in  the  world's  history.  The  water 
necessary  could  not  come  from  below  or  any 
other  place  but  the  surface.  Meteoric  water 
certainly  was  the  means  by  which  the  first  rock 
magma  came  into  existence,  and  there  is  every 
reason  to  accept  it  as  the  factor  determining 
the  formation  of  rock  magmas  in  general  ;  it 
provides  the  simplest  rational  explanation. 

We  now  have  reasonable  proof  that  the 
rocks  of  the  earth's  crust  are  practically  im- 
permeable to  water,  and  therefore  large  vol- 
umes of  water  do  not  reach  great  depths  by 
that  route.  We  have  strong  evidence  that  they 
do  descend,  so  we  are  forced  to  conclude  that 
they  pass  down  fissures  and  cracks  in  the  rocks. 

There  are  numerous  known  instances  of 
earthquakes  having  produced  fissures  many 
miles  in  length  and  open  many  feet  in  width 
at  the  surface.       The  centre  of  such  distur- 


DECEMBER,    1919 


345 


bances  is  known  to  be  situated  at  great  depths, 
and  the  fissures  produced  probably  persist  to 
almost  as  great  depths.  Meteoric  water  passes 
down  these  fissures  ;  it  would  be  folly  to  argue 
otherwise. 

Mr.  Goodchild  says  on  page  57  of  his  work  : 
"  The  fundamental  magmatic  unit  .  .  .  (is)  an 
immense  body  of  magma  or  intercrustal  reser- 
voir derived  from  the  metallosphere  by  direct 
oxidation  and  injected  into  the  lithosphere." 
There  cannot  be  a  sharp  line  dividing  the 
lithosphere  and  the  metallosphere.  There 
must  be  a  zone  of  intermediate  composition, 
the  metallic  content  in  which,  from  the  litho- 
sphere down,  is  probably  represented  by  a 
curve,  flat  at  first,  but  becoming  steep  as  the 
metallosphere  is  approached.  From  the  point 
where  metals  are  first  found  (the  bottom  of 
the  lithosphere)  down  to  the  level  where  oxides 
are  no  longer  found  (the  top  of  the  metallo- 
sphere) must  be  several  thousands  of  feet.  All 
this  material — lithosphere,  intermediate  zone, 
and  metallosphere — is  the  result  of  differenti- 
ation of  liquid  primeval  matter.  The  several 
layers  from  below  upward  Assumed  the  solid 
condition  at  temperatures  gradually  diminish- 
ing. At  a  later  and  still  cooler  stage  portions 
of  the  metallosphere  are  assumed  to  become 
liquid  again.  In  order  that  this  may  be  pos- 
sible, either  an  increase  in  temperature  must 
take  place  or  some  substance  from  without 
must  be  added  that  lowers  the  melting  point. 
We  argue  that  water  is  the  only  substance  that 
could  gain  access. 

The  assumption  that  a  primary  magma  may 
be  of  ultra-continental  dimensions  conflicts  so 
strongly  with  the  known  rigidity  of  the  earth 
that  one  has  good  reason  to  be  sceptical.  It 
seems  difficult  to  understand  wherein  lies  the 
imperiousness  of  the  necessity  for  postulating 
that  which  to  many  geologists  must  appear  so 
improbable. 

On  page  60,  Mr.  Goodchild  suggests  that  a 
succession  of  concentrations  took  place  before 
such  magmas  as  that  which  yielded  the  Sud- 
bury ore  deposits  came  into  existence.  If  we 
assume  the  ingress  of  water  in  limited  quan- 
tity at  successive  periods  along  the  same  line 
of  weakness  this  repeated  concentration  is  ex- 
plained. 

Overhead  magmatic  stoping  is  the  simplest 
and  most  rational  explanation  of  the  formation 
of  volcanic  vents  and  pipe  openings  such  as 
those  filled  with  diamondiferous  kimberlite  in 
South  Africa  or  the  smaller  ones  in  Australia 
filled  with  wolfram-bearing  rock.  Boron  and 
fluorine  are  given  credit  for  such  work  ;  they 
doubtless    helped,    but    probably   the   role  of 


water  passing  downward  to  the  magma  was 
more  important.  Magmatic  stoping  of  this 
type  would  be  produced  most  readily  by  the 
deeper-seated  hotter  magmas.  Such  would 
be  very  likely  to  work  their  way  upward  along 
the  passage  by  which  water  goes  down.  The 
old  argument  that  so  much  heat  would  be  ab- 
sorbed in  vaporization  of  the  water  as  to  bring 
the  process  to  a  standstill,  even  if  it  ever  start- 
ed, is  based  on  inadequate  knowledge.  Water 
passing  down  a  fissure  thousands  of  feet  in 
depth  must  necessarily  at  all  points  be  only 
slightly  below  the  temperature  of  the  adjacent 
rock.  Below  certain  depths  it  is  a  gas.  It 
is  not  improbable  that  at  the  magma  there  is, 
so  to  speak,  a  vis  a  tergo  (but  in  the  reverse 
direction  of  that  in  plants)  drawing  the  vapour 
downward  to  union  with  the  magma.  This 
force  would  equally  tend  to  draw  the  magma 
upward.  Goodchild's  work  demonstrates  that 
water  combining  with  certain  compounds  such 
as  FeO  in  a  magma,  though  dissociated,  means 
evolution  of  heat  and  increased  liquidity  ow- 
ing to  the  absorption  of  hydrogen.  Thus  rock- 
sufficiently  hot  to  combine  with  water  has  its 
temperature  raised  by  it  while  cooler  rock  loses 
heat.  Water  passing  down  deep,  therefore, 
transfers  heat  from  upper  to  lower  levels. 

The  phenomena  of  volcanism  are  entirely 
consistent  with  this  theory.  The  position  of 
volcanoes  is  very  frequently  near  the  sea, 
where  fissuring  of  the  strata  would  admit 
water  in  practially  unlimited  quantity,  or  along- 
known  lines  of  weakness.  The  enormous  vol- 
umes of  aqueous  vapour  and  of  hydrogen  dis- 
charged by  volcanoes  are  certainly  derived 
from  water. 

We  know  there  is  evidence  of  the  sublima- 
tion of  silicates  in  volcanic  vents.  This  in- 
volves a  temperature  of  at  least  3,500°C,  and 
it  is  not  probable  that  heat  in  the  magma  is 
less  intense.  Our  knowledge  of  the  behaviour 
of  crustal  material  in  the  molten  condition 
above  the  temperature  at  which  silicates  may 
be  sublimed  at  surface  pressure  is  so  scanty 
that  there  is  no  use  in  speculating  as  to  what 
takes  place  in  the  direction  of  differentiation  in 
such  magmas. 

Compared  with  the  above  the  acid  sub-mag- 
mas from  which  cassiterite  and  wolfram  segre- 
gated were  cool. 

Magmatic  Differentiation. — Weshall 

touch  on  magmatic  differentiation,  but  speci- 
ally with  reference  to  the  acid  products  and 
more  particularly  with  the  phenomena  in  this 
connection  observed  in  the  Tavoy  District. 

The  cooling  of  a  rock  magma  yields  pro- 
ducts of  four  general  types  : 


346 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


(1)  Anhydrous  basic  rocks,  such  as  gabbro 
and  basalt. 

(2)  Rocks  of  intermediate  type,  such  as  sy- 
enite and  andesite. 

(3)  Hydrated  acid  rocks,  such  as  granite  and 
rhyolite. 

(4)  A  watery  highly  acid  mother-liquor. 
We  are  ignorant  of  the  percentage  of  each 

type  an  average  magma  yields.  We  do  not 
know  either  the  minimum  percentage  of  water 
necessary  for  the  existence  of  a  magma  or  the 
maximum  amount  it  can  absorb.  The  per- 
centage of  water  in  the  solid  products  we  know 
approximately,  but  have  no  idea  of  the  amount 
expelled  in  the  mother-liquor.  It  is  not  con- 
ceivable that  the  solid  material  from  which  the 
magma  formed  could  have  held  in  combination 
all  the  water  contained  in  its  solid  differenti- 
ates and  a  considerable  surplus  as  well.  The 
water  came  from  outside. 

Since  it  is  the  mother-liquor  that  deposits 
minerals  in  veins,  it  is  of  interest  to  know  as 
much  as  possible  about  it.  It  is  always  highly 
silicious;  sometimes  it  apparently  consists  of 
little  else  but  silica  and  water,  at  others  all  the 
constituents  of  granite  are  present  in  it.  The 
cause  of  variation  in  the  nature  of  the  solids 
carried  is  not  evident ;  it  may  be  due  to  con- 
centration, but  certainly  not  to  temperature. 
If  very  dilute  owing  to  admixture  with  water 
it  probably  can  carry  silica  only,  the  other 
granitic  constituents  being  insoluble  except  in 
a  more  concentrated  silica-water  mixture. 

The  principal  solid  products  deposited  by 
this  liquor  on  cooling  are  quartz  and  pegma- 
tite. Either  or  both  of  these  are  invariably 
found  above  a  granite  batholith  ;  hence  we 
may  regard  the  amount  as  a  rough  criterion 
of  the  amount  of  water  ejected  from  the  whole 
or  any  portion  of  a  batholith.  Judging  in  this 
way  the  amount  varies  within  wide  limits. 
This  suggests  that  the  granite  portion  of  a  mag- 
ma  contains  different  amounts  of  water  at  dif- 
ferent parts,  and  consequently  that  the  absorp- 
tion of  water  by  the  granite  sub-magma  may 
be  local  in  character  and  variable. 

The  primary  magma  admittedly  contained 
water.  It  was  liquid  for  a  prolonged  period 
and  therefore  the  ore  minerals  were  at  one 
time  fairly  evenly  distributed  through  it.  The 
fact  that  the  tin  and  tungsten  minerals  are 
almost  entirely  contained  in  the  silicious  dif- 
ferentiates proves  that  they  are  more  soluble 
in  the  acid  than  in  the  basic  portion.  Since 
the  acid  mother-liquor  extracts  most  of  these 
metals  from  the  granitic  portion,  it  follows  that 
they  are  more  soluble  in  the  former.  The  es- 
sential constituents  of  the   mother-liquor  are 


silica  and  water;  therefore  it  is  practically 
certain  that  these  metals,  or  rather  their  oxides, 
are  soluble  in  a  quartz-water  mixture  at  ele- 
vated temperature  and  that  on  cooling  it  deposits 
them  as  cassiterite,  wolfram,  and  scheelite. 

Now  this  liquid  differentiate  of  magmatic 
cooling  is  generally  supposed  to  segregate  be- 
low the  granite  which  forms  a  solid  roof  over 
it  until  burst  by  pressure  from  below,  when  it 
escapes  upward.  This  would  seem  the  nor- 
mal position  for  it  if  the  magma  received  no 
increment  of  water  after  differentiation  com- 
menced. There  is  abundant  evidence,  how- 
ever, in  the  Tavoy  District  that  the  aqueous 
portion  did  not  segregate  below  the  granite. 
It  appears  to  have  been  held  to  a  great  extent 
in  a  band  of  granite  a  few  hundred  feet  thick 
at  the  upper  margin,  at  the  stage  when  it  was 
only  partly  solidified,  in  much  the  same  way  that 
water  is  held  in  a  sponge.  This  can  be  ex- 
plained only  by  a  steady  influx  of  meteoric 
water  and  its  absorption  locally  at  points  on 
the  periphery.  At  these  points,  the  sub-mag- 
ma being  more  watery  than  elsewhere,  tin  and 
tungsten  minerals  \vould  collect. 

When  the  granite  itself  carries  these  min- 
erals it  is  in  a  layer  on  the  periphery  and  never 
lower  down. 

Meteoric  Water  in  Relation  to  Ore 
\  1  ins  vnd  Mineralized  Granite. — The 

Tavoy  tin  and  wolfram-bearing  veins  all  occur 
near  the  periphery  of  the  granite  bathohths 
either : 

(1)  entirely  in  the  metamorphic  rocks, 

(2)  partly  in  these  and  partly  in  granite,  or 

(3)  entirely  in  granite. 

Kanbauk  Mine  is  an  example  of  type  (l)  of 
wolfram  occurrence.  In  no  mine  of  this  type 
where  ore-bearing  veins  are  found  over  500  ft. 
up  vertically  above  the  granite  does  the  ore 
persist  as  far  down  as  the  contact. 

Hermyingyi  Mine  is  an  example  of  the 
second  type.  Here  numerous  rich  veins  in 
the  sedimentaries  extend  down  past  the  con- 
tact into  the  granite,  but  the  average  tenor  of 
vein-stuff  above  the  contact  is  considerably 
higher  than  it  is  below.  At  the  same  time  the 
average  amount  of  ore  in  respect  of  both  num- 
ber and  width  of  veins  diminishes  in  depth. 

As  regards  type  (3),  there  are  many  mines 
in  which  veins  payable  in  the  granite  are  quite 
worthless  in  the  overlying  metamorphic  rocks. 
In  several  such  occurrences,  notably  in  the 
drainage  area  of  the  Talaingya  (Kalonta  and 
Byauk)  Chaung,  the  granite  itself  at  and  for 
some  distance  below  the  contact  carries  not 
only  cassiterite  but  wolfram,  scheelite,  bis- 
muthinite,    and    probably    molybdenite    also. 


DECEMBER,     1919 


347 


Granite  has  not  been  observed  to  carry  these 
minerals  except  in  places  where  ore-bearing 
quartz  veins  are  also  found  in  it,  and  where  the 
extensions  of  these  veins  above  the  contact 
are  barren.  Even  in  such  situations  it  is  the 
exception  for  granite  to  be  ore-bearing.  Mag- 
netite and  ilmenite  are  also  found  in  granite 
in  association  with  the  more  valuable  minerals, 
but  usually  alone. 

Aplite  dykes  carrying  both  cassiterite  and 
wolfram  have  been  observed  in  several  areas, 
both  in  the  granite  itself  and  in  sedimentaries 
hundreds  of  feet  above  the  contact.  They  are 
much  too  low-grade  to  be  of  any  commercial 
value. 

The  great  majority  of  wolfram  occurrences 
exhibit  numerous  quartz  veins  only  a  few  hun- 
dred feet  long,  parallel  to  one  another  and  nar- 
row in  width.  In  several  instances  in  the 
metamorphic  rocks  veins  are  so  numerous  that 
considerable  quantities  of  weathered  rock  in 
situ  have  been  remuneratively  worked  by 
ground  sluicing. 

It  is  only  rarely  that  isolated,  single,  wol- 
fram-bearing veins  occur.  One  such  yfelded 
some  very  rich  pocket,s,  but  not  one  has  prov- 
ed of  real  value.  In  general  the  veins  are  in 
parallel  series  within  strictly  circumscribed 
areas  outside  which  no  Assuring  has  taken 
place.  The  vein  filling  is  principally  quartz, 
but  almost  if  not  quite  invariably  mica,  usual- 
ly muscovite,  occurs  in  varying  quantity. 
This  mineral,  with  or  without  quartz,  is  often 
found  completely  enclosed  in  cassiterite  crys- 
tals and  more  rarely  in  wolfram.  Whenever 
a  number  of  parallel  veins  occur  close  to  one 
another  they  are  invariably  mineralized. 

Pegmatite  occurs  in  veins,  filling  cracks  and 
fissures  in  granite  and  more  rarely  in  sedimen- 
tary rocks ;  also  as  lenses  in  veins  otherwise 
consisting  essentially  of  quartz,  and  there  is 
usually  a  fairly  sharp  line  separating  it  from 
the  quartz.  Pegmatite  of  this  (high  tempera- 
ture) type  is  not  coarse-grained  and  is  very 
often  highly  mineralized.  Zinba  Mine  yields 
very  fine  specimens  (from  lenses  in  quartz 
veins)  containing  wolfram,  scheelite,  molyb- 
denite, bismuthinite,  pyrite,  and  chalcopyrite. 

Pegmatite  of  a  totally  different  type  is  also 
found.  It  occurs  as  a  layer  along  the  granite 
contact.  This  often  contains  tourmaline,  but 
does  not  carry  tin  ore  or  wolfram.  It  not  in- 
frequently merges  into  almost  pufe  quartz 
of  characteristic  mammillary  structure,  each 
prominence  consisting  of  radiating  quartz  crys- 
tals. In  one  locality  this  has  developed  in 
successive  layers  to  a  thickness  of  over  200  ft. 
The  two  types  of  pegmatite  belong  to  differ- 


ent periods.  The  former  develops  early,  and 
is  always  associated  with  wolfram  or  tin  ; 
whereas  the  latter  or  contact  type  is  of  later 
origin  and  is  rarely  found  on  ore-bearing  areas. 

To  summarize,  we  find  aplite  dykes,  peg- 
matite veins,  and  patches  of  granite  on  the 
upper  margin  of  batholiths  all  carrying  tin  ore 
and  wolfram,  but  only  in  the  vicinity  of  min- 
eralized quartz  veins.  Tin  and  tungsten  min- 
erals usually  occur  within  small  circumscribed 
areas  and  the  veins  containing  them  are  nar- 
row, numerous,  and  parallel  to  one. another  ; 
or- there  may  be  two  series  differently  orien-  , 
ted  crossing  in  the  same  area.  When  aplite 
dykes  exist  they  always  occupy  the  oldest  fis- 
sures. 

These  phenomena  seem  to  be  explicable 
only  on  the  hypothesis  that  meteoric  water 
reached  the  granitic  portion  of  the  magma  in 
varying  quantity  and  at  definite  points  during 
the  differentiation  period. 

The  material  forming  aplite  dykes  was  ejec- 
ted at  a  period  when  the  magma  contained  an 
amount  of  water  not  much  in  excess  of  that 
necessary  to  keep  it  fluid.  When  more  water 
was  absorbed,  liquor  yielding  mineralized  peg- 
matite and  quartz  was  expelled,  and  when  the 
temperature  had  fallen  below  that  at  which 
the  liquor  could  carry  heavy  ore  minerals  in 
solution,  barren  quartz  veins  and  contact  peg- 
matite came  into  existence. 

Quartz  veins  in  tin  and  wolfram-bearing 
granite,  while  ore-bearing  up  to  the  contact, 
are  barren  immediately  they  enter  the  sedi- 
mentaries. This  indicates  that  the  latter  have 
never  been  raised  to  a  temperature  sufficiently 
high  to  permit  the  magmatic  liquid  to  retain 
the  ores  in  solution  in  them  ;  all  were  deposit- 
ed in  veins  in  the  granite.  Cooling  was  for 
some  reason  so  rapid  that  the  upper  layer  of 
the  granite — a  concentrated  tin  and  tungsten 
solution — solidified, retaining  the  metals,  while 
lower  portions  remained  liquid  long  enough  to 
allow  the  ore  minerals  to  be  squeezed  out  in 
solution  in  the  mother-liquor  from  which  they 
were  deposited  in  veins  in  the  granite  above. 
This  represents  the  extreme  of  low  tempera- 
ture conditions  where  the  ore  minerals  never 
escape  from  the  batholith. 

The  extreme  of  high  temperature  conditions 
is  represented  by  mines  such  as  Kanbauk  and 
the  Kadwe  series.  In  the  latter,  wolfram- 
bearing  aplite  dykes  occur  hundreds  of  feet  up 
in  the  sedimentary  rocks.  These  strata  have 
all  been  heated  to  a  point  sufficiently  high  to 
allow  the  upward  passage  through  them  of 
the  ore-bearing  solution  which  deposited  its 
wolfram  fully  500  ft.  above  the  granite.     At 


34* 


THE     MINING    MAGAZINE 


this  extreme  we  find  all  the  ore  expelled  in 
solution  from  the  batholith  and  deposited  hun- 
dreds of  feet  above  in  veins  in  overlying  rocks. 

The  part  of  the  magma  which,  when  solidi- 
fied, we  find  in  aplite  dykes  and  mineralized 
granite  formed  at  the  upper  margin  and  seems 
to  have  been  the  result  of  concentration  of  the 
metals  around  points  where  meteoric  water 
reached  the  magma.  With  the  extreme  of  high 
temperature  this  ore-bearing  magma  was  forced 
up  for  hundreds  of  feet  through  fissures  in 
overlying  beds,  whereas  with  the  extreme  of 
low  temperature  it  was  further  enriched,  and 
solidified  in  situ. 

Tin  and  tungsten  minerals  at  Tavoy  appear 
to  have  been  gradually  leached  and  collected 
in  small  well-defined  areas  (or  more  rarely 
along  lines)  on  the  granite  periphery,  at  which 
surface  water  entered,  and  that  the  conditions 
at  those  points  determined  the  mode  and  posi- 
tion in  which  the  ores  developed. 

PNEUMATOLYSIS. — This  theory  has  been 
very  much  overworked,  since  it  is  a  convenient 
method  of  explaining  processes  of  an  obscure 
nature.  It  has  also  been  fashionable, and  there- 
fore has  a  numerous  following,  most  of  whom 
have  not  troubled  to  either  doubt  or  prove  its 
applicability.  The  principal  reason  why  it  has 
held  the  field  as  explaining  the  origin  of  tin  ore 
in  veins  is  due  to  the  fact  that  tourmaline, 
fluorite,  apatite,  and  other  boron,  fluorine,  and 
chlorine-bearing  minerals  have  practically  in- 
variably been  found  in  close  association  with 
cassiterite.  These  elements  form  gaseous  com- 
pounds with  tin  which  may  carry  it  upward 
from  magmas  to  veins,  whereas  its  transport 
in  aqueous  solution  was  regarded  as  impossible. 

The  Tavoy  veins  that  carry  cassiterite  show 
very  little  fluorite,  apatite  is  rarely  seen,  and 
tourmaline  is  unknown.  Many  veins  carrying 
no  ore  minerals  contain  not  only  fluorite  but 
tourmaline  in  large  quantities.  These  phe- 
nomena have  perturbed  followers  of  the  pneu- 
matoly  tic  theory,  who  have  suggested  sulphides, 
lVx.,  as  carriers  or  mineralizers,  but  still  appear 
to  believe  that  the  fluorides,  &c,  occurring  else- 
where have  a  genetic  connection  with  the  cas- 
siterite that  accompanies  them. 

Since  it  is  evident  from  the  phenomena  of 
Tavoy  veins  that  cassiterite  develops  in  veins 
and  elsewhere  without  the  agency  of  fluorine, 
etc.,  it  must  be  admitted  that  there  is  good 
reason  to  believe  the  association  of  tourmaline, 
fluorides,  etc.,  with  cassiterite  to  be  fortuitous 
and  not  genetic.  There  can  hardly  be  two 
modes  of  origin  of  cassiterite,  one  for  Tavoy 
and  another  elsewhere. 

The  pneumatolytic  theory  has  not  been  used 


so  much  to  explain  the  origin  of  tungsten 
minerals  as  of  cassiterite,  and  this  is  largely 
because,  until  lately,  few  people  have  troubled 
to  study  the  genesis  of  the  former. 

Since  cassiterite  and  wolfram  occur  in  veins 
together  quite  commonly,  and  as  there  cer- 
tainly is  very  little  difference  between  the  tem- 
peratures at  which  they  are  deposited  (wolfram 
havingbeen  proved  in  somecases  to  be  a  higher 
temperature  mineral  than  cassiterite),  it  is  evi- 
dent that  if  cassiterite  is  of  pneumatolytn 
origin,  wolfram  must  of  necessity  be  also;  they 
are  quite  obviously  homogenetic. 

All  the  evidence  provided  by  Tavoy  deposits 
indicates  that  both  tin  and  tungsten  minerals 
were  segregated  from  the  magma  and  borne 
thence  in  silico-aqueous  solution  to  the  posi- 
tions in  which  we  find  them.  On  the  other 
hand  many  of  the  phenomena  are  quite  irre- 
concilable with  theintroduction  of  these  miner- 
als in  the  gaseous  condition;  for  instance,  the 
presence  of  cassiterite  and  wolfram  as  primary 
minerals  in  granite,  aplite,  and  pegmatite,  also 
the  existence  of  mica  inside  cassiterite  and 
wolf  Am  crystals,  the  latter  completely  sur- 
rounding it. 

Pneumatolysis  involves  the  carrying  of  sub- 
stances in  the  form  of  gas  along  with  water, 
also  in  the  gaseous  condition,  from  the  magma 
to  some  point  where  the  temperature  is  low 
enough  to  permit  the  two  gases  to  react  with 
one  another  and  produce  a  solid  which  is  de- 
posited near  this  point,  the  carrier  being  liber- 
ated to  combine  in  accordance  with  local  con- 
ditions ;  it  does  not  return  to  its  point  of  de- 
parture, that  is,  it  brings  only  one  load.  What- 
ever carrier  may  be  postulated  for  tin,  the  other 
gas  was  water,  and,  in  order  that  the  process 
may  work,  both  the  tin  compound  and  water 
must  remain  in  the  gaseous  condition  as  long 
as  they  are  moving  upward.  This  means  that 
the  temperature  throughout  the  pneumatolytic 
system  must  be  above  the  critical  point  of 
water.  This  point  rises  with  increased  pre>- 
sure,  and  we  are  safe  in  assuming  that  in  posi- 
tions where  tin  oxide  could  be  deposited  the 
critical  point  of  water  is  not  below  350°.  \\  e 
know  that  both  wolfram  and  cassiterite  as 
fluids  pass  up  vein  fissures  entirely  in  sedi- 
mentary rocksof  ten  over  500  ft.  vertical.  Pneu- 
matolysis would  require  all  this  rock  to  be 
heated  up  to  over  350C  It  is  not  possible  to 
believe  that  this  has  taken  place,  because  pro- 
longed heating  in  the  presence  of  water  at  such 
a  temperature  would  produce  intense  local 
metamorphism  of  the  country  rock.  There  is 
no  evidence  of  this.  The  only  change  to  be 
observed  is  on  the  vein  walls  which,  in   the 


DECEMBER,     1919 


349 


argillaceous  sedimentaries,  are  often  silicified 
to  a  depth  of  perhaps  half  an  inch.  Even  in 
places  where  the  mineralized  veins  are  very 
numerous  and  only  a  few  inches  apart,  the  in- 
tervening rock  shows  no  signs  of  me tamorphism, 
not  differing  in  any  way  from  that  far  distant 
from  veins. 

In  some  cases  intense  local  metamorphism, 
resulting  in  the  formation  of  crystalline  (anda- 
lusite  and  mica)  schists,  is  to  be  observed  near 
the  granite  contact,  but  even  there  it  is  the  ex- 
ception rather  than  the  rule.  Andalusite  schist 
has  often  been  found  near  the  contact,  but  far 
below  the  level  of  ore-bearing  veins.  Where 
the  granite  itself  is  mineralized,  the  sedimen- 
taries in  contact  with  it  show  no  signs  what- 
ever of  local  metamorphism. 

These  facts  lead  us  to  believe  that  the  tem- 
perature of  deposition  of  these  ores  in  veins  in 
the  sedimentaries  was  below  that  at  which 
pneumatolysis  would  be  possible. 

Pneumatolysis  failing,  our  only  alternative 
is  to  accept  the  silica- water  mother-liquor  as 
the  vehicle  in  which  tin  and  tungsten  minerals 
were  both  concentrated  locally  in  the  granite 
or  carried  upward  to  veins  perhaps  a  thousand 
feet  above. 

Vein  Fissuring. — We  have  seen  that  the 
acid  magmatic  differentiate  on  solidification 
often  contains  much  more  water  than  it  can 
combine  with,  and  also  a  quantity  varying 
greatly  in  different  cases.  This  is  discharged 
upward  through  fissures  produced  by  expansion 
within  the  magma.  The  phenomena  of  the 
occurrence  of  products  derived  from  this 
mother-liquor  prove  that  the  superabundance 
of  water  existed  principally  in  the  upper  margin 
of  the  granite  and  notably  in  areas  in  which 
mineralized  veins  occur.  In  the  same  areas 
mineralized  aplite  dykes  and  pegmatite  occur, 
and  not  elsewhere,  but  at  other  places  isolated 
barren  quartz  veins  and  sheets  of  pegmatite 
are  found.  The  mother-liquor  which  carried 
the  ore  minerals  came  from  the  surface  of  the 
magma,  not  from  low  down.  At  the  time  this 
was  ejected  the  temperature  was  fairly  high, 
but  the  magma  could  not  have  contained  sur- 
plus water  at  any  other  part ;  otherwise  the 
ore  minerals  could  not  have  been  concentrated 
exclusively  at  the  surface.  The  fact  that  the 
same  magma  at  a  later  stage  gave  off  consider- 
able further  volumes  of  water  indicates  that 
this  must  have  been  absorbed  subsequently  to 
the  extrusion  of  the  ore-bearing  mother-liquor, 
and  at  a  temperature  too  low  to  permit  it  carry- 
ing tin  and  tungsten  in  solution. 

These  phenomena  seem  to  indicate  that  the 
granite  sub-magma  absorbed  water  at  its  sur- 


faceat  certain  points  atseveral  different  periods 
before  its  solidification,  and  at  the  points  of 
absorption,  while  the  temperature  was  still 
sufficiently  high  to  permit  ore  minerals  to  be 
carried  in  solution,  pressure,  being  greater  than 
at  other  parts,  caused  fissuring  in  small  iso- 
lated areas. 

While  in  general  the  strike  of  the  ore-bear- 
ing veins  conforms  with  that  of  the  axis  of  the 
batholiths  there  are  many  exceptions.  It  is 
not  uncommon  to  find  two  series  of  parallel 
veins  differently  oriented  in  the  same  area  in 
addition  to  aplite  dykes.  This  indicates  that 
fissuring  took  place  three  times  during  the 
period  when  wolfram  was  being  expelled  in 
solution. 

If  the  force  producing  fissuring  within  the 
batholith,  as  is  generally  supposed,  was  deep- 
seated,  it  is  not  possible  for  a  number  of  paral- 
lel veins  all  within  a  circle  of  less  than  400  ft. 
radius  and  at  a  known  vertical  distance  of  about 
600ft. above  the  granite  periphery  tobeformed. 
The  force,  moreover,  must  have  been  intense 
and  concentrated  within  a  very  small  area 
around  a  point  or  along  a  short  line. 

Persistence  of  Wolfram  in  Depth.— 
A  feature  having  an  important  bearing  on  dis- 
cussion of  the  persistence  in  depth  of  the  Ta- 
voy  wolfram  veins  that  has  not  yet  been  noted 
is  that  the  great  majority  of  valleys  in  the  dis- 
trict are  tectonic  and  in  only  a  minor  degree 
the  result  of  erosion. 

It  has  been  assumed  that  because  the  out- 
crop of  a  vein  is  seen  to  be  continuous  from 
the  summit  to  the  base  of  a  granite  hill  several 
hundred  feet  high,  it  persists  for  an  equal  verti- 
cal depth.  It  does  not.  The  explanation  is 
that  the  slope  of  the  hill-side  down  which  the 
outcrop  runs  is  usually  practically  parallel  to 
and  not  far  below  the  original  granite  peri- 
phery, the  overlying, sedimentaries  and  only  a 
very  little  granite  having  been  removed  by 
denudation.  Near  the  bottom  of  such  hills,  in 
every  case  investigated  by  the  writer,  sedi- 
mentary rocks  were  found  at  no  great  distance. 

Persistence  to  a  depth  of  1,000  ft.  has  not 
yet  been  proved  in  any  Tavoy  vein  and,  while 
possible  in  only  a  few  cases,  is  improbable. 
In  the  great  majority  of  the  veins  already 
opened  up  values  disappear  at  small  depth. 
With  a  few  exceptions  very  little  profit  has 
been  yielded  by  veins  at  a  depth  ot  20 
Unfortunately  it  must  be  admitted  that  not 
only  experience  in  the  mines  but  deductions 
from  the  phenomena  of  the  occurrence  of  the 
ores  compel  us  to  regard  the  mineralized  zone 
in  the  Tavoy  District  as  being  of  small  verti- 
cal extent. 


350 


THE     MINING     MAGAZINE 


NEWS  LETTERS. 

TORONTO. 

November  12. 
Porcupine. — Production  at  this  camp  is 
still  curtailed  by  labour  shortage,  owing  to 
which  the  leading  mines  are  operating  con- 
siderably below  capacity.  It  is  estimated  that 
2,000  men  could  easily  find  employment  in  the 
district.  In  order  to  meet  the  difficulty  the 
Hollinger  Consolidated  and  the  Mclntyre  are 
installing  mechanical  shovelling  machines  to 
load  the  cars  after  blasting.  This  is  the  first 
time  that  these  machines  have  been  employed 
in  Canada  for  underground  work.  The  Dome 
has  succeeded  in  considerably  reducing  the 
cost  of  production  owing  to  its  improved  equip- 
ment for  ore  handling.  With  a  working  force 
of  about  300  men  it  is  treating  about  1,000 
tons  of  ore  per  day,  and  working  at  about  two- 
thirds  capacity.  Mill-heads  are  understood  to 
average  about  $8  per  ton,  and  it  is  strongly 
anticipated  that  the  payment  of  dividends  will 
be  resumed  in  January.  Preparationsare  being 
made  to  draw  ore  from  the  stopes  on  the  Dome 
Extension  for  treatment  at  the  Dome  mill. 
Two  stopes  are  on  the  600  ft.  level,  oneof  which 
shows  the  ore-body  to  have  a  width  of  about 
100  ft.,  and  the  other  somewhat  less.  The 
main  shaft  of  the  Mclntyre  is  down tothe  1,500 
ft.  level,  at  which  depth  rich  ore  occurs.  De- 
velopment work  on  the  1,125  ft.  level  has  open- 
ed up  an  ore-shoot  920  ft.  long  and  30  ft.  in 
width,  carrying  $18  to  the  ton.  The  shaft  on 
the  Big  Dyke  will  be  sunk  to  the  300  ft.  level. 
The  Gold  Reef  has  increased  its  capital  from 
$1,000,000  to  $3,000,000.  At  the  Davidson 
the  main  vein  has  been  cross-cut  at  the  oOO  ft. 
level,  and  is  reported  to  show  increased  enrich- 
ment. The  shaft  will  be  continued  to  a  depth 
of  1,000  ft.  Good  ore  is  being  opened  up  on 
three  veins  of  the  Clifton- Porcupine  on  the 
100  ft.  level. 

KlRKLAND  Lake. — The  strike  of  miners 
was  formally  called  off  on  October  15;but  for 
some  time  previous  many  of  the  men  had  been 
returning  to  work,  and  activity  was  speedily 
resumed.  The  Lake  Shore,  Kirkland  Lake, 
and  Teck  Hughes  have  secured  all  the  labour 
they  require.  The  shaft  of  the  Lake  Shore  is 
to  be  put  down  from  its  present  depth  of  400 
ft.  to  600  ft.  The  mill  of  the  Kirkland  Lake 
is  operating  at  capacity,  treating  about  150 
tons  per  day.  The  main  shaft  is  being  put 
down  to  the  700  ft.  level.  The  Crown  Reserve 
has  resumed  work  on  the  Canadian  Kirkland, 
on  which  it  holds  an  option.  On  the  Kirkland 
Bidgood  eleven  veins  have  been  discovered, 


varying  in  width  from  a  few  inches  to  2  ft., 
some  of  them  carrying  promisinggold contents. 
The  construction  of  the  big  mill  of  the  Wright- 
Hargreaves  will  not  be  proceeded  with  this 
year.  Diamond-drilling  will  be  started  imme- 
diately on  the  Greene- Kirkland,  and  test  pits 
sunk  on  veins  found  on  the  surface.  A  shaft 
is  being  sunk  on  the  Kirkland-Combine,  where 
diamond-drilling  has  encountered  ore  at  300  ft. 
Cobalt. — Stimulated  by  the  high  price  of 
silver,  production  shows  a  considerable  in- 
crease. It  is  estimated  that  the  mines  of  the 
district  are  producing  at  the  rate  of  upwards 
of  S40,000  in  value  in  every  24  hours.  Labour 
conditions  are  more  favourable  than  inthegold- 
mining  camps,  and  plenty  of  efficient  workers 
are  available.  The  Nipissing  has  established 
a  new  high  record,  producing  at  the  rate  of 
about  $500  per  hour.  Underground  work  is 
almost  back  to  normal,  though  some  of  the 
lower  levels  have  yet  to  be  unwatered.  Dur- 
ing October  the  production  of  ore  had  an  esti- 
mated value  of  $575,247,  and  shipments  of 
bullion  and  residue  from  Nipissingandcustoms 
ore  had  an  estimated  net  value  of  $680,208. 
The  La  Rose  Consolidated  has  greatly  improv- 
ed its  position  latterly.  Eour  of  the  company's 
properties  are  producing  both  high  and  low- 
grade  ore,  and  some  important  finds  have  been 
made,  including  a  7  in.  high-grade  vein  on  the 
100  ft.  level  of  the  University  property.  The 
Nipissing  Extension  (formerly  the  Farah)  is 
being  unwatered  preparatory  to  activedevelop- 
ment.  A  new  vein  has  been  found  on  the  sur- 
face. At  the  Beaver  a  vein  carrying  4,500  oz. 
ore  has  been  found  on  the  200  ft.  level  and 
another  carrying  2,500  oz.  to  the  ton  at  the 
700  ft.  level.  A  discovery  of  high  grade  ore 
has  been  made  at  the  Silver  Clifl  mine,  which 
is  operated  under  lease  by  the  Northern  Cus- 
toms Co. 

GOWGANDA. — This  district  is  attracting 
much  attention  among  mining  men  on  account 
of  recent  important  discoveries,  the  latest  of 
which  is  a  6  in.  vein  on  the  Castle,  stated  to 
yield  very  high  assays."  The  Trethewey,  of 
Cobalt,  has  completed  arrangements  for  taking 
over  the  Castle,  giving  the  shareholders  of  that 
company  one  share  in  the  Trethewey  for  every 
two  shares  of  the  Castle.  The  Trethewey  has 
also  taken  an  option  on  the  Major  property, 
including  112  acres  underlying  Miller  Lake. 
The  Camburn,  Collins,  McDonald,  and  other 
new  prospects  are  being  actively  developed. 
Hitherto  transportation  difficulties  have  stood 
in  the  way  of  the  development  of  the  district, 
but  these  will  shortly  be  overcome  by  the  con- 
struction of  a  light  railway,  of  the  type  used 


DECEMBER,    1919 


351 


in  the  war  zone,  between  Elk  Lake  and  Gow- 
ganda. 

Boston  Creek. — The  Miller  Independ- 
ence has  decided  to  construct  a  first-class  road 
from  Boston  Creek  station  to  the  mines.  A 
new  vein  has  been  encountered  in  the  shaft, 
stated  to  assay  $56  to  the  ton.  The  Boston 
McCrea  will  carry  on  active  development 
through  the  winter.  A  shaft  is  being  put  down 
to  the  100  ft.  level.  A  company  is  being  formed 
to  develop  the  Kennedy  group  of  claims  north 
of  the  Boston  McCrea,  where  the  surface  veins 
have  given  good  assays. 

MELBOURNE. 

September  25. 

West  Australian  Base  Metals.  — 
Last  month  I  gave  some  particulars  of  the 
agitation  in  West  Australia  for  the  establish- 
ment of  a  State  smelting  plant  at  Geraldton, 
the  object  to  be  gained  being  the  avoidance  of 
the  high  charges  of  the  eastern  smelters  and 
the  cost  of  freight.  It  will  be  remembered  that 
the  new  law  prohibits  the  shipment  of  ores  to 
other  parts  of  the  world.  A  report  on  the 
matter  has  been  made  by  the  State  Mining 
Engineer,  Mr.  A.  Montgomery,  and  as  the 
question  is  of  considerable  importance,  I  quote 
his  views  at  some  length. 

Mr.  Montgomery  points  out  that  the  North- 
ampton lead-bearing  district  is  quite  fifty  miles 
in  length,  and  that  the  lead  mines  are  scattered 
over  a  large  area.  The  ore  is  usually  in  some- 
what small  lodes,  individually  not  capable  of 
supplying  enough  ore  to  keep  a  smelting  works 
in  action,  and  will  therefore  best  be  dealt  with 
at  a  common  smelting  centre.  The  ore  is 
mainly  galena,  much  of  which  is  high  grade, 
and  easily  separated  by  hand  picking,  while 
the  second-class  ore  can  be  concentrated  easily 
and  cheaply  to  a  high-grade  product.  It  is 
much  more  economical  to  concentrate  the 
lower-grade  ore  on  the  mines,  and  smelt  only 
the  concentrates  therefrom,  than  to  smelt  the 
same  ore  as  it  comes  from  the  mine.  A  con- 
centration plant  at  each  mine,  or  centrally  situ- 
ated in  each  group  of  mines,  is  therefore  the 
first  requisite  for  treating  the  ore  successfully, 
not  a  smelting  plant. 

With  regard  to  the  argument  that  the  pro- 
vision of  a  State  smelter  will  so  stimulate  the 
production  of  the  lead  ore  that  plenty  will  be 
available  for  keeping  the  works  going,  Mr. 
Montgomery  says  that  this  argument  has  been 
used  with  equal  confidence  over  and  over 
again  in  connection  with  State  batteries,  water- 
supply  questions,  railways,  and  so  on,  but  that 
it  is  difficult  to  find  a  case  in  which  it  has  been 
6—6 


justified.  The  Northampton  field  is  capable 
of  a  very  greatly  increased  production  of  lead, 
and  if  the  mines  were  adequately  worked  there 
would  be  no  fear  of  supplies  of  ore  falling 
short  of  the  demands  of  a  much  larger  smelt- 
ing furnace  than  any  at  present  under  contem- 
plation ;  but  before  that  stage  is  reached  there 
must  be  company  organization  of  the  field,  and 
extensive  development  with  the  aid  of  sub- 
scribed capital  expenditure.  This  is  not  yet 
in  sight.  If  it  should  come  about  that  a  num- 
ber of  companies  were  formed  to  work  the 
Northampton  lodes,  it  does  not  necessarily 
follow  that  they  would  make  use  of  a  local 
smelter,  if  one  were  established.  Under  ex- 
isting conditions  the  export  of  lead  has  been 
prohibited,  and  the  Federal  Government  has 
expressed  their  intention  of  having  all  Austra- 
lian lead  ores  smelted  in  Australia.  But,  says 
Mr.  Montgomery,  we  must  look  forward  to 
happier  times  when  the  export  of  ore  may  be 
again  permitted. 

Prior  to  the  war  and  the  prohibition  of  lead 
ore  export,  the  Fremantle  Trading  Co.,  al- 
though they  had  smelting  works  of  their  own, 
preferred  to  export  their  ore  to  be  smelted  in 
England,  where  smelting  could  be  done  much 
more  cheaply  than  in  Australia.  If  free  ex- 
port at  pre-war  rates  were  to  become  possible 
now,  the  ore  would  again  be  exported.  The 
same  considerations  of  the  best  markets  avail- 
able would  make  other  owners  of  lead  mines 
follow  the  same  course  and  export  their  ore 
instead  of  smelting  it  in  Australia.  To  see 
why  they  should  do  so  we  have  to  return  to 
the  consideration  that  the  most  profitable  pro- 
duct of  the  mines  is  dressed  or  concentrated 
lead  ore,  not  crude  ore,  and  that  the  material 
to  be  shipped  will  average  fully  70%  lead.  The 
Australian  consumption  of  lead  is  not  great, 
and  the  bulk  of  the  metal  will  have  to  be  ex- 
ported to  Europe  in  any  case.  The  question 
of  freights  narrows  itself  to  a  comparison  of 
the  relative  costs  of  freight  of  100  tons  of  lead 
ore  as  against  70  tons  of  metallic  lead,  and  as 
the  latter  is  the  more  valuable  material  the 
charge  for  freight  will  probably  be  somewhat 
greater  per  ton.  Outside  of  the  freights  the 
smelting  costs  in  Australia  come  into  direct 
comparison  with  those  in  England.  The  fig- 
ures to  be  compared  are,  therefore :  cost  of 
smelting  100  tons  of  lead  ore  in  Western 
Australia,  plus  cost  of  shipping  70  tons 
of  lead  therefrom  to  England,  against  cost 
of  shipping  100  tons  of  lead  ore  to  England, 
plus  cost  of  smelting  100  tons  of  lead  ore 
there.  Even  suppose  that  the  prohibition 
of  export  of  lead  ore  to  Europe  be  continued. 


352 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


the  same  consideration  comes  in  when  com- 
paring local  smelting  in  West  Australia  with 
smelting  in  the  Eastern  States  of  the  Com- 
monwealth. A  company  selling  its  concen- 
trates would  have  to  compare  :  cost  of  smelt- 
ing 100  tons  lead  ore  in  W.A.,  plus  cost  of 
shipping  70  tons  lead  to  foreign  market  for  sale, 
against  cost  of  sending  100  tons  lead  ore  to 
Eastern  States,  plus  cost  of  smelting  100  tons 
lead  ore  in  Eastern  States,  plus  cost  of  ship- 
ping 70  tons  lead  ore  from  Eastern  States  to 
foreign  market  for  sale. 

It  is  to  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  rates  of 
freight  from  the  Eastern  States  are  usually  de- 
cidedly lower  than  those  from  West  Australia, 
even  by  the  same  vessels.  The  advantage  of 
smelting  in  W.A.,  if  smelting  costs  were  equal, 
is  therefore  somewhat  less  than  the  extra  cost 
of  shipping  from  W.A.  to  the  Eastern  smelt- 
ing works,  and  the  latter  are  undoubtedly  able 
to  smelt  more  cheaply  than  can  be  done  in 
West  Australia.  If  the  competition  for  ore 
were  to  become  at  all  keen,  it  might  very 
easily  come  about  that  mine-owners  at  North- 
ampton could  obtain  shipping  rates  to  the 
Eastern  smelters  and  smelting  rates  which 
would  render  it  impossible  for  the  West  Aus- 
tralian smelting  works  to  compete. 

The  fact  is  that  concentrated  lead  ore  is  a 
marketable  commodity  almost  as  readily  sale- 
able as  the  lead  extracted  from  it,  and  that 
the  real  question  for  consideration  is  whether 
local  smelting  will  give  a  more  profitable  re- 
turn than  shipping  the  concentrates.  Under 
immediately  existing  terms  of  smelting  in  the 
Eastern  States  there  appears  to  be  a  good 
deal  of  advantage  in  smelting  locally,  and 
probably  this  would  continue  if  sufficiently 
large  smelting  works  could  be  maintained  in 
operation  ;  but,  if  competition  were  to  become 
keen  between  the  larger  works,  it  might  easily 
come  about  that  the  local  smelter,  if  a  small 
one,  could  not  hold  its  customers.  So  far  as 
can  be  ascertained  the  smelting  and  purchase 
tariffs  of  the  two  principal  public  lead-smelt- 
ing establishments  in  Eastern  Australia,  the 
Sulphide  Corporation's  works  at  Cockle  Creek, 
and  the  Associated  Smelters'  works  at  Port 
Pirie,  have  not  been  altered  seriously  from 
those  quoted  in  the  Departmental  bulletin  on 
"  Sale  of  Ores  and  Minerals  "  issued  early  in 
1917,  although  increase  in  wages  and  prices  of 
coal  and  coke  will  doubtless  have  made  them 
somewhat  higher  now  than  then.  Taking  an 
average  Northampton  ore  of  70%  lead  and 
London  value  of  lead  at  £10  per  ton,  the  costs 
of  smelting  at  the  above  two  works  and  the 
Fremantle  smelting  works  would  be  as  fol- 


lows, according  to  the  tariffs  explained  in  the 
bulletin : 

Per  ton  of  Ore 

£     s.  d. 

Associated  Smelters 8   12  8 

Sulphide  Corporation 8     2  9 

Fremantle  Smelter 8     2  0 

These  charges  are  the  amount  to  be  deducted 
from  the  full  assay-value  of  the  ore  at  ^"30  per 
ton  of  lead,  inclusive  of  all  allowances,  losses, 
deductions,  etc.  The  figure  of  £6.  5s.  5d.  per 
ton  of  ore,  quoted  in  the  bulletin,  for  lead  ship- 
ments to  Great  Britain  in  1915,  is  very  nearly 
on  the  same  basis  as  the  above,  and  may  be 
fairly  compared  with  them.  Shipping  and 
agency  charges  from  Fremantle,  however, 
have  to  be  added,  about  £2.  18s.  6d.  per  ton, 
thus  making  the  total  cost  £9.  3s.  lid.  per 
ton.  Taking  into  account  that  the  shipping 
charges  from  Fremantle  to  the  Associated 
Smelters  and  Sulphide  Corporation,  including 
wharfage,  agency,  insurance,  freight,  and  land- 
ing charges  have  rarely  been  under  £l  per 
ton,  the  real  comparison  would  be  : 

Per  ton  of  Ore 
d. 

Associated  Smelters 10   12     8 

Sulphide  Corporation  10     2     9 

Smelters  in  England 9     3   11 

Fremantle  Smelter 8     2     0 

In  accordance  with  their  agreement  with 
the  Government  the  Fremantle  Trading  Co. 
supply  their  figures  of  working  costs,  in  sum- 
mary form,  every  month  confidentially  to  the 
Mines  Department,  but  not  for  publication. 
From  these  it  is  known  that  the  profit  on  treat- 
ing lead  ores  for  the  public  is  not  large,  and 
is  not  more  than  a  very  reasonable  allowance. 
The  demand  for  a  local  smelter  at  Geraldton 
is  founded  on  a  mistaken  idea  that  the  Fre- 
mantle Trading  Company  is  making  large 
profits  out  of  the  smelting,  which  their  figures 
show  is  not  the  case  at  all ;  on  an  unworthy 
and  unfounded  suspicion  that  they  do  not  give 
their  customers  a  fair  deal,  which  has  never 
been  substantiated  in  the  slightest ;  on  local 
interest  in  desiring  to  have  a  large  wages-ex- 
pending industry  in  Geraldton  rather  than  in 
Fremantle  ;  and  on  want  of  knowledge  of  the 
real  costs  of  smelting  and  marketing  lead. 
When  the  smelting  charge  is  quoted  as  £\. 
7s.  6d.  per  ton,  as  in  the  British  case  quoted  in 
the  bulletin,  it  is  somewhat  startling  to  a  seller 
to  find  that  the  charges  at  the  smelting  works 
are  really  £6.  5s.  5d.  per  ton,  as  therein  shown, 
and  it  is  apt  to  be  forgotten  that  it  will  cost 
the  seller  £2.  18s.  6d.  per  ton  to  get  his  ore 
into  the  smelter's  hands  from  Fremantle. 
Similarly,  the  bulletin  shows  that  the  Sulphide 


DECEMBER,    1919 


353 


Corporation's  smelting  charges  were  being 
stated  as  about  45s.  per  ton  of  ore,  while  their 
actual  total  charges,  reckoned  against  the  full 
assay-value  of  the  ore,  were  from,  say,  £l . 
15s.  to  £9.  7s.  6d.  per  ton.  Smelting  charges 
are  variously  expressed  by  smelters,  and  in 
order  to  see  what  they  really  are  it  is  always 
necessary  to  work  out  an  actual  instance,  com- 
paring the  full  assay-value  per  ton  of  ore  with 
the  value  as  calculated  on  the  smelter's  tariff. 
The  difference  of  the  two  values  is  the  real 
cost  of  smelting  and  realization.  It  should 
not  be  forgotten  that  the  smelter  has  to  send 
his  lead,  for  the  most  part,  to  foreign  markets, 
and  has,  therefore,  to  pay  expenses  of  trans- 
port and  sale,  not  reckoned  upon  by  the  seller 
of  the  ore.  Owing  to  the  time  which  elapses 
between  the  date  of  purchase  of  the  ore  and 
the  date  on  which  the  smelter  gets  paid  for  the 
lead  made  from  it,  the  item  of  interest  is  also 
quite  a  serious  one,  though  commonly  thought 
to  be  of  little  moment. 

Mr.  Montgomery  concludes  by  saying  that 
at  the  present  time  there  is  not  room  for  more 
than  one  lead-smelting  works  in  West  Austra- 
lia, and  the  one  which  has  been  running  for 
some  years  deserves  to  be  encouraged.  It 
could  deal  with  double  as  much  ore  as  it  now 
gets,  and  could  then  reduce  its  costs  appreci- 
ably. There  is  no  sound  reason  for  believing 
that  the  establishment  of  a  State  smelter  at 
Geraldton  would  be  of  any  advantage  to  the 
producers  of  ore,  if  worked  on  a  proper  basis 
of  paying  its  way.  The  great  savings  expect- 
ed to  be  made  do  not  exist. 

NORTH   OF   ENGLAND. 

The  Commission. — It  is  not  difficult  to 
guess  the  nature  of  the  evidence  furnished  by 
the  mine  proprietors  in  support  of  the  case 
which  they  put  before  the  Commission  inquir- 
ing into  the  position  of  the  non-ferrous  mines 
of  the  country,  and  it  is  perhaps  interesting  and 
even  informing  to  recapitulate  the  points  upon 
which  stress  naturally  would  be  laid.  What 
was  said  on  behalf  of  the  Lake  Country  mines 
applied  in  the  main  to  the  industry  in  other 
parts  of  the  North  of  England.  All  the  mines 
are  working  on  a  subnormal  scale,  and  could 
rapidly  increase  their  outputs,  and  would  en- 
gage additional  labour  if  the  bonus  were  im- 
mediately granted  on  the  terms  of  the  general 
application.  The  North  of  England  has  in- 
creased its  percentage  to  some  extent  in  recent 
years,  and  is  the  principal  producer  of  zinc 
concentrates.  The  rapid  advances  in  rates  of 
wages  granted  in  coal  and  iron-ore  mining  were 
imposed  on  the  lead  and  zinc  mines  without 


any  application  from  the  men,  but  because  the 
Government  had  paid  these  higher  wages  to 
the  coal  and  iron-ore  mines,  quite  failing  to 
appreciate  the  difference  of  the  conditions. 
There  is  no  doubt  that  a  general  slackness  has 
resulted  throughout  the  industry,  accompanied 
by  complete  uncertainty  as  to  the  future  in  the 
minds  of  the  owners.  It  has  been  quite  im- 
possible to  lay  out  any  considered  policy  of 
working,  the  decisions  of  the  Government  be- 
ing promulgated  without  notice  and  without 
consultation. 

Active  steps  are  being  taken  to  open  up  the 
Brundholme  mines  under  the  direction  of  Mr. 
Borlase,  who  is  sinking  an  exploratory  shaft 
to  the  depth  of  30  fathoms.  The  adjoining 
property,  Threlkeld,  is  being  developed,  and 
has  a  small  regular  output,  under  the  super- 
vision of  Mr.  Anthony  Wilson.  A  new  area  of 
bearing  ground  has  been  discovered  and  will 
necessitate  considerable  modification  of  the 
present  plant.  This  mine  will  be  a  producer 
on  a  fairly  large  scale,  say,  1,000  tons  per  an- 
num within  two  years.  Force  Crag  mine  is 
going  to  work  on  a  much  larger  scale  with  a 
produce  of  barytes,  galena,  and  flotation  zinc 
concentrates.  The  old  lodes  in  the  Newlands 
valley  are  being  thoroughly  explored  under  Mr. 
Bennett  Johns,  and  Thornthwaite  has  started 
a  scheme  of  development  in  the  hope  of  loca- 
ting new  areas  of  bearing  lode  north  and  south 
of  the  present  workings.  There  are  several 
abandoned  mines  in  the  Keswick  district  which 
have  potentialities  and  which  would  be  tried  in 
favourable  conditions.  There  is  in  addition 
the  large  Caldbeck  area  where  a  company  was 
practically  formed  but  fell  through  because  of 
the  uncertainty  of  the  future.  With  any  set- 
tled policy  these  mines  should  work  again,  as 
they  have  only  been  superficially  exploited. 

Water  power  is  an  important  factor.  Green - 
side  is  run  by  an  excellent  combination  of  water 
power  and  electricity.  Nenthead  has  a  system 
of  hydraulic  air  compression  and  the  finest 
steam-power  plant  in  the  district ;  Threlkeld 
has  no  water  power  and  uses  a  gas  engine  ; 
Brundholme  has  a  moderate  water  supply  : 
Force  Crag  has  water  and  a  producer  gas  plant ; 
Thornthwaite  has  a  good  but  rather  intermit- 
tent water  supply,  and  also  steam  and  gas 
engines;  the  best  source  of  water  power  is  in 
the  Caldbeck  area,  where  there  is  enough  sup- 
ply from  the  River  Caldew  to  run  the  whole 
series  of  mines.  There  is  a  difficulty  in  the 
long  distance  to  markets,  Brand's  Spelter 
Works  being  the  nearest  for  zinc  concentrates, 
and  St.  Helen's  for  galena.  Any  higher  basis 
of  railway  rates  would  be  a  serious  matter. 


354 


THE     MINING    MAGAZINE 


Generally  the  mines  are  worked  with  great 
economy,  and  the  dressing  installations  are 
fairly  up-to-date,  but  rather  run  down  by  lack 
of  sufficient  repairs  during  and  since  the  war. 
It  will  take  some  time  to  get  this  put  right. 
For  instance,  the  tables  at  Thornthwaite  re- 
quire replacing  and  a  new  slime  plant  is  re- 
quired at  Threlkeld.  Force  Crag  might  re- 
place its  present  Elmore  plant  with  a  more 
modern  type,  and  there  are  possible  improve- 
ments at  Nenthead.  The  great  thing  is  to 
give  some  security  for  markets  and  price  and 
to  relieve  the  industry  from  the  intolerable 
burdens  which  now  hamper  it. 

No  accurate  forecast  can  be  made  of  the 
cost  of  working.  For  instance,  at  Force  Crag, 
where  a  rating  appeal  has  just  been  settled, 
the  company  has  to  accept  an  assessment  for 
rates  upon  its  dead  rent  of  ^200 ;  with  a 
rate  of  say  9s.  in  the  £,  an  annual  payment  of 
^90  has  to  be  paid  in  rates.  This  may  seem 
a  small  matter,  but  in  exploratory  work  it  adds 
considerably  to  the  risk,  and  should  not  be  pay- 
able. The  Committee  should  realize  that  in 
starting  to  open  up  a  mine  there  is  no  absolute 
certainty  that  a  deposit,  rich  enough  to  pay  for 
the  working,  will  be  found.  Such  exploratory 
ventures  must  be  carried  out  by  individuals, 
generally  with  small  capital.  A  substantial 
capital  cannot  be  made  possible  until  the  de- 
posit is  successfully  located,  and  then  it  is  only 
partly  proved.  A  long  period  of  investigation 
should  be  the  preliminary  to  any  erection  of 
permanent  plant,  but  this  is  generally  avoided 
by  starting  a  small  dressing  floor  in  order  to 
obtain  some  revenue.  The  dead  rent  and 
rates  are,  of  course,  a  factor  in  the  policy  that 
almost  invariably  obtains. 

There  are  extensive  deposits  of  galena  and 
blende  in  the  Keswick  district,  and  these  could 
be  found  and  worked  if  a  well  thought  out 
scheme  were  adopted.  The  cost  would  be 
heavy,  but  the  reward  would  be  large.  The 
Thornthwaite-  Brandlehow  series  of  veins  have 
only  been  scratched,  and  it  issaid  that  they  bear 
in  other  places  than  where  worked  at  present, 
or  in  the  past  byothers.  In  addition  to  this  dis- 
trict, there  is  an  enormous  area  on  the  Caldbeck 
Fells.  This  has  generally  been  exploited  down 
to  the  water  level  and  only  for  lead  and  copper 
ores.  The  mines  were  abandoned  about  70 
years  ago,  but  neither  blende  nor  barytes  were 
then  of  any  value,  and  as  the  lodes  contain  a 
mixture  of  the  three  minerals  only  one  prod- 
uct of  three  was  recovered.  A  very  large  pro- 
duction could  be  obtained  of  all  these  miner- 
als with  some  small  amount  of  copper.  There 
is  then  the  Patterdale  area  where  mines  other 


than  Greenside  were  worked,  and  all  these 
could  be  managed  from  one  office.  There  is 
also  a  small  group  near  to  Appleby.  The 
galena  is  associated  with  barytes,  now  a  pay- 
able proposition,  and  the  Silver  Band  mine  is 
being  started  at  the  present  time. 

The  question  may  arise  as  to  what  prospect 
there  may  be  of  increasing  production,  and  of 
reducing  the  costs  without  reducing  the  wages. 
The  Government  has  fixed  the  present  rates 
until  September,  1920,  and  until  that  date  no 
modification  of  the  basis  can  be  considered. 
If  successful  mining  is  to  be  carried  out,  la- 
bour must  cordially  co-operate,  and  to  gain 
this  it  may  be  advisable  to  give  the  employees 
some  clearer  idea  of  the  situation.  There  are 
so  many  expenses  beyond  actual  mechanical 
operations  that  a  definite  course  of  education 
would  have  to  be  undertaken  before  the  posi- 
tion could  be  rightly  understood.  The  actual 
divisible  profit  is  so  much  smaller  than  the 
nominal  profit  that  some  definite  basis  should 
be  arrived  at,  in  which  the  interests  of  the 
shareholders  are  properly  protected,  and  after 
this  the  actual  workers  of  all  classes  should 
participate  in  such  margin  as  remains.  If  la- 
bour has  already  extracted  the  maximum  that 
the  industry  can  afford,  there  is  no  room  for 
sharing  profits.  There  should  be  a  reasonable 
basis  of  wages,  ample  depreciation  on  plant, 
ample  amortization  of  buildings,  land,  shafts, 
and  development,  a  minimum  rate  of  interest 
on  capital,  and  the  amount  payable  to  men 
should  not  be  subject  to  income  tax. 

THE  Mines. — The  developments  at  Threl- 
keld mine  are  proceeding  very  satisfactorily. 
The  main  Horse  Level  is  being  steadily  ex- 
tended, and  this  week  a  very  good  rib  of  lead 
was  cut,  giving  about  three  tons  to  the  fathom. 
This,  of  course,  will  be  thoroughly  payable  at 
the  present  price  of  lead,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped 
that  this  run  of  ore  may  extend  for  some  con- 
siderable distance.  The  stopes  are  also  im- 
proving as  they  go  up.  The  proprietors  have 
agreed  to  provide  additional  capital  for  the 
purpose  of  carrying  the  developments  on  at  a 
much  greater  speed,  in  order  to  get  the  mine 
opened  out  by  next  year.  At  Thornthwaite 
mines,  the  higher  price  of  lead  has  enabled  the 
company  to  engage  a  few  extra  men  and  the 
output  should  increase  somewhat  in  the  next 
few  months.  At  Force  Crag  matters  are  look- 
ing better.  The  developments  underground 
appear  to  be  of  a  favourable  nature,  and  within 
a  month  or  two  the  output  of  blende  will  prob- 
ably rise  to  a  fairly  substantial  tonnage.  With 
regard  to  the  Nenthead  mines,  work  there  has 
very  largely  been  suspended. 


DECEMBER,    1919 


355 


Lead. — The  price  of  lead  has  now  reached 
a  figure  which  will  enable  mines  to  work  at 
a  profit,  and  there  should  be  a  distinct  revival 
in  this  branch  of  the  industry.  There  is  a 
world-wide  shortage  of  lead  and  the  price  will 
go  up  further.  At  the  present  rate  of  exchange 
lead  cannot  be  bought  in  America  to  compete 
with  the  present  level  of  prices  here,  the  Span- 
ish output  is  being  absorbed  by  Italy  and 
France,  and  the  Australian  output  has  tem- 
porarily ceased.  The  present  level  of  lead  of 
course  affects  the  blende  mines  to  the  extent 
of  their  proportion  of  galena  to  the  whole  out- 
put of  concentrates.  As  an  example,  above 
one-third  of  the  output  from  Thornthwaite 
mine  is  lead,  and  a  rise  in  price  of  £3  on  ga- 
lena equals  £\  per  ton  on  the  whole  output. 

CAMBORNE. 

Geevor  Tin  Mines. — The  result  of  the 
development  work  carried  out  in  these  mines 
and  described  in  the  mine  manager's  reports 
dated  August  8  and  October  31,  1919,  respec- 
tively, would  appear  to  justify  the  confidence 
of  Mr.  Wethered  that  Geevor  in  the  not  far 
distant  future  will  rival  East  Pool  in  the  matter 
of  production.  We  cannot  recall  reading  the 
report  of  a  Cornish  mine  where,  to  judge  from 
the  reports  of  Mr.  W.  C.Williams,  such  con- 
sistently payable  values  have  been  secured 
from  practically  all  the  lode  developments. 

The  development  for  the  year  ended  March 
31,  1919,  amounted  to  3,267  ft.,  all  of  which, 
with  the  exception  of  280  ft.,  was  on  lode. 
From  eleven  different  ends,  as  recorded  in  the 
reports,  the  assay-value  averages  42  lb.  black 
tin  over  a  width  of  3  ft.  The  ore  reserves  are 
estimated  at  144,000  tons,  or  over  five  years' 
supply  for  the  present  mill,  but  the  manager 
is  very  confident  that  the  7th  level  will  open  up 
large  supplies  of  ore,  and  also  that  the  western 
section  of  Geevor  (which  will  be  tested  from 
the  Victory  shaft  now  being  sunk)  and  Wheal 
Carne  (now  being  unwatered)  will  furnish  con- 
siderable quantities  of  ore  of  at  least  average 
milling  value.  It  would  be  interesting  to  know 
the  average  assay-value  of  the  ore  reserve  re- 
ferred to.  In  the  absence  of  this  information, 
in  view  of  the  fluctuating  price  of  the  metal, 
and  also  of  the  operating  cost,  the  figure  of 
quantity  is  of  little  value.  On  the  hypothesis 
that  his  anticipations  will  be  realized,  the  man- 
ager expresses  the  opinion  that  the  monthly 
capacity  of  the  mine  is  8,000  tons,  with  an  esti- 
mated yield  of  120  tons  of  black  tin  (average 
recovery  33  lb.  per  ton).  Mr.  Williams  is 
evidently  a  courageous  as  well  as  an  optimistic 
man.    We  hope  his  anticipations  may  be  rea- 


lized, but  for  our  own  part  we  would  rather  see 
the  ore  actually  blocked  out  before  increasing 
the  milling  power  to  the  extent  named.  How- 
ever, there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  develop- 
ments of  the  past  year  have  been  most  satis- 
factory, and  from  the  expressed  opinions  of 
engineers  who  have  visited  the  property  (the 
report  of  Mr.  Josiah  Paull  is  given  elsewhere 
in  this  issue),  we  have  confidence  that,  given 
the  present  price  of  tin  and  working  costs,  the 
mine  will  make  a  good  showing  and  warrant 
the  increased  capital. 

For  the  twelve  months  ended  March  31  last, 
the  tonnage  milled  was  25,919,  from  which 
was  produced  439  tons  of  tin  oxide,  or  a  re- 
covery of  37*9  lb.  per  ton.  The  average  price 
realized  was  ^174,  or  in  all  ^76,514.  The 
operating  cost  at  the  mine  figures  at  37s.  4d. 
per  ton,  but,  in  addition,  administration  costs 
were  Is.  5d.,  and  debenture  interest,  income 
tax,  and  depreciation  equalled  6s.  8d.  per  ton, 
so  that  the  total  cost  works  out  at  45s.  5d.  per 
ton.  The  net  profit  was  ^"17,854.  The  finan- 
cial position,  as  judged  by  the  balance  sheet, 
did  not  justify  the  payment  of  the  further  divi- 
dend recommended,  but  presumably  this  was 
to  be  provided  out  of  the  profits  earned  since 
March  31  last,  although  it  was  not  made  clear. 
We  would  suggest  that  the  accounts  might 
easily  be  presented  earlier  another  year.  It  is 
not  as  though  the  mine  were  situated  in  the 
Antipodes. 

At  the  meeting,  the  shareholders  agreed  to 
increase  the  capital  from  ^90,000  to 
^"180,000,  and  as  the  shares  are  to  be  issued 
at  5s.  premium,  this  means  the  provision  of 
the  substantial  sum  of  ^135,000,  so  that  the 
company  for  the  first  time  will  be  adequately 
provided  with  funds.  In  view  of  the  proposed 
heavy  capital  expenditure,  the  lords  have 
agreed,  for  12  months  at  least,  to  reduce  the 
royalties  from  one  twenty-fourth  to  one-forti- 
eth of  the  value  of  the  mineral  produced. 

Non-Ferrous  Mines  Commission. — 
The  Commission  has  now  completed  the  work 
of  hearing  the  evidence  relating  to  the  tin- 
mining  industry.  The  members  recently  paid 
a  brief  visit  to  some  of  the  mines  to  enable 
those  Commissioners  who  had  little  first- hand 
knowledge  of  the  industry  to  gain  some  in- 
formation on  the  spot.  No  further  concrete 
proposals  as  to  the  nature  of  the  assistance 
desired  appear  to  have  been  submitted  by  the 
later  witnesses,  unless  indeed  the  suggestion 
of  Mr.  Oliver  Wethered  that  a  loan  should  be 
made  by  the  Government  at  a  low  rate  of  in- 
terest with  repayment  deferred  for  at  least 
twenty- five  years    is    so    regarded.     On  one 


356 


THE    MINING     MAGAZINE 


point  all  the  witnesses  seem  agreed,  and  that 
is  that  owing  to  conditions  brought  about  by 
the  war,  the  development  of  the  mines  got 
very  much  in  arrear,  with  a  resultant  fall  in 
the  produce.  As  anticipated  in  the  last  issue, 
the  Commissioners  have  agreed  to  prepare  and 
present  an  interim  report  dealing  with  the  tin- 
mining  industry,  and  we  can  now  only  possess 
our  souls  in  patience  and  hope  that  they  will 
be  able  to  produce  recommendations  that  will 
be  of  practical  value  to  the  industry  and  at  the 
same  time  of  such  a  nature  as  will  command 
the  support  of  the  Government. 

Strike  of  Miners  at  Dolcoath. —  For 
some  time  past  the  question  of  short  time  has 
been  before  the  Joint  Industrial  Council  as  a 
result  of  complaints  by  the  employers.  The 
remedy  suggested  by  the  representatives  of  the 
Unions  was  that  the  employers  should  insist  on 
all  their  men  becoming  members  of  the  respec- 
tive Unions  ;  thus  the  recalcitrant  ones  could 
be  dealt  with  by  the  Union  concerned.  Verbal 
agreement  appears  to  have  been  made  with 
Mr.  J .  Harris, of  the  Workers'  Union,  that  trib- 
uters  should  work  23  shifts  per  month.  On 
this  understanding,  the  management  of  Dol- 
coath issued  a  notice  that  if  tributers  would  not 
agree  to  work  this  number  of  shifts  per  month, 
no  contracts  would  be  made.  The  result  was 
that  the  underground  men  came  out  on  strike 
as  a  protest,  they  holding  the  opinion  that  20 
shifts  per  month  were  as'  many  as  could  be 
reasonably  expected  in  a  deep  and  hot  mine 
like  Dolcoath.  When  one  considers  the  na- 
ture of  the  work  and  present-day  conditions  in 
other  industries,  there  is  a  good  deal  to  be  said 
from  the  men's  point  of  view.  Greater  output 
is  absolutely  necessary  if  the  mines  are  to  con- 
tinue, but  the  managements  should  aim  at 
higher  efficiency  on  the  lesser  number  of  shifts. 
This  is,  of  course,  more  difficult  in  the  case  of 
tributers  than  with  men  on  ordinary  contract 
work,  although  our  own  experience  is  that  it 
is  the  latter  class  of  men  who  are  the  greatest 
delinquents.  However,  we  should  certainly  not 
hold  that  a  fixed  minimum  number  of  attend- 
ances underground  wasa  way  likely  necessarily 
to  lead  to  increased  output.  As  a  result  of  the 
strike,  the  manager  of  Dolcoath  appears  tohave 
withdrawn — temporarily,  at  any  rate — the  no- 
tice which  caused  the  trouble.  The  Union  offi- 
cials seem  to  have  got  into  hot  water  for  their 
share  in  the  matter,  and  they  are  now  busily 
engaged  in  trying  to  convince  the  membersthat 
no  such  agreement  was  approved  by  them. 

TlNCROFT. — It  is  very  satisfactory  to  be  as- 
sured officially  that  "receipts  and  expenditure 
about  balance  "  at  this  mine.    This  is  mainly 


due  to  the  improved  prices  for  both  tin  and 
arsenic,  but  the  shareholders  will  be  encour- 
aged by  the  improvement  in  ore  values  at  the 
bottom  of  the  mine,  as  indicated  in  the  last 
issue. 

The  report  and  statement  of  account  for  the 
half-year  ended  June  30  last  will  not  be  issued, 
but  one  for  the  full  year  will  be  published 
early  in  1920.  It  is  a  pity  to  have  spoilt 
the  sequence  of  half-yearly  reports,  just  be- 
cause the  account  would  not  have  made  palat- 
able reading.  This  is  usually  the  resource  of 
the  "  wild  cat  "  variety  of  company,  and  we 
are  sorry  to  see  Tincroft  adopt  the  procedure. 
The  tight  financial  condition  of  the  company 
at  the  time  was  no  secret  locally. 

Sugi  rESTED  Amalgamation  i  >fC<  irnish 
SCIENTIFICS<  hii/1  U.S.  Mr.  Horton  Bolitho 
has  recently  suggested  that  the  Cornish  scien- 
tific societies  should  pool  their  resources  by 
means  of  amalgamation,  or  that,  failing  this, 
there  should  in  future  be  greater  co-operation 
by  means  of  frequent  conferences  of  the  execu- 
tives controlling  the  various  organizations.  We 
are  much  impressed  with  the  advantages  of 
such  a  scheme  from  the  point  of  view  of  over- 
lapping, and  also  of  increased  research  work. 
At  present  there  are  in  existence  the  Royal 
Geological  Society  of  Cornwall,  the  Royal 
Institution  of  Cornwall,  and  the  Royal  Corn- 
wall Polytechnic  Society.  The  transactions  of 
each  deal  very  largely — indeed  principally — 
with  geological,  mineralogical,  and  mining 
problems,  and  while,  doubtless,  each  of  the 
societies  would  be  loth  to  lose  its  separate 
identity,  research  work  would  distinctly  benefit 
by  amalgamation. 

Tin  Fl<  >tation  Process  at  East  Pool. 
— Most  hopeful  statements  have  recently  been 
made  by  Mr.  C.  A.  Moreing  (of  Messrs.  Be- 
wick, Moreing  &  Co.,  general  managers  of 
East  Pool  &  Agar,  Ltd.),  and  by  Mr.  M.  T. 
Taylor,  the  superintendent  of  the  mines,  as  to 
flotation  of  tin  oxide  in  the  uncalcined  feed 
coming  direct  from  the  stamp  batteries.  The 
reagent  used  in  this  process  is  the  discovery 
of  Messrs.  M.  T.  Taylor,  the  superintendent, 
and  J.  W.  Partington,  the  chief  chemist  of  the 
company,  and  they  have  applied  for  patents. 
The  experimental  plantwhich  has  been  erected 
deals  with  20  to  25  tons  of  ore  per  day  and  a 
recovery  of  75  to  80%  has'been  secured,  which 
compares  with  12  to  73%  by  ordinary  concen- 
tration methods.  In  the  laboratory,  an  extrac- 
tion of  93%  has  been  secured,  and  the  difference 
is  explained  by  Mr.  Taylor  as  due  to  the  fact 
that  there  is  no  re-treatment  yet  of  the  tails  in 
the  experimental  unit.     Mr.  Taylor  describes 


DECEMBER,    1919 


357 


the  process  as  follows :  The  ore  passes  from 
the  mill,  is  lifted  into  dewaterers,  the  pulp  then 
flowing  into  eight  flotation  boxes.  A  propel- 
ler is  revolving  at  about  a  thousand  revolutions. 
Air  is  admitted  through  a  pipe  ingeniously 
placed  in  front  of  the  boxes  which  gives  the 
desired  subaeration.  The  reagent  is  admitted 
at  various  points  along  the  boxes,  at  the  points 
most  advantageous.  All  metallic  concentrates 
rise  and  float  over  the  boxes  into  the  concen- 
trate launder,  and  then  pass  on  to  the  concen- 
trate bin.  Then  a  burning  process  takes  place 
for  the  removal  of  arsenic  and  sulphur,  tin 
and  wolfram  being  left  for  magnetic  separa- 
tion.   

LETTER  to  the  EDITOR 

Spelling  Reform. 

The  Editor  : 

Sir — Now  that  the  Simplified  Spelling 
Society  is  circulating  a  petition  for  a  Royal 
Commission  on  spelling  reform  and  is  ar- 
ranging for  a  conference  to  which  American 
representatives  are  to  be  invited,  your  editorial 
in  the  May  Magazine  is  of  timely  interest. 
But  it  does  seem  a  pity  that  your  conviction  of 
the  "  absurdities,  irregularities,  and  exceptions 
to  rule  "  of  our  spelling  did  not  lead  you  to 
adopt  a  few  reformed  spellings  and  thus  show 
your  practical  sympathy  with  those  scholars 
who  are  working  for  reform,  instead  of  decid- 
ing to  do  nothing  until  a  perfect  spelling  has 
been  developed  or  a  universal  language  adopted. 
The  prejudice  against  spelling  reform  is  so  in- 
tense that  even  the  slightest  help  is  welcomed. 
Even  if  the  universal  language  is  adopted, 
English  «will  still  live.  And,  as  has  been 
pointed  out  by  Dr.  Collins  in  the  Scientific 
Monthly  for  April,  1918,  with  a  reformed  spell- 
ing and  some  grammatical  changes,  English  it- 
self has  an  excellent  chance  of  becoming  a 
universal  language  ;  it  is  already  spoken  by 
more  people  and  more  widely  distributed  than 
any  other  European  tongue.  Its  utility  for 
commercial  correspondence  is  appreciated  by 
the  Japanese  steamship  companies  in  San 
Francisco,  for  they  use  it  in  corresponding  with 
their  home  offices  in  preference  to  Japanese. 

No  matter  what  happens,  English  is  certain 
to  be  taught  to  many  billions  of  children  before 
it  is  replaced  by  anything  more  perfect.  It  is 
the  welfare  of  these  children  for  which  the 
spelling  reformers  are  working.  At  this  very 
instant  theremustbe something  like  30,000,000 
children  who  are  having  their  respect  for  the 
intelligence  of  their  ancestors  diminisht  and 
their  reasoning  powersdemoralized  by  learning 
the  inconsistencies  of  our  spelling.     Compared 


with  German  children  ours  take  a  year  longer 
to  learn  to  read  and  spell,  a  grievous  handicap 
in  this  competitive  age. 

With  use  the  weird  appearance  of  the  re- 
formed spellings  will  pass  away  and  our  pres- 
ent spelling  will  appear  weird.  Hav  now  looks 
weird,  but  on  reflection  it  seems  plain  that  the 
requiring  of  every  one  to  write  the  final  "  e  "  in 
have  merely  to  remind  us  of  the  fact  that  some 
500  years  ago  our  ancestors  used  to  pronounce 
the  word  in  two  syllables,  is  a  weirder  proceed- 
ing than  to  write  hav,  which  represents  the 
present  pronunciation.  The  retentionof "  ugh" 
in  such  words  as  though,  tJirough,  uselessly 
marks  a  vanisht  gutteral  and  is  equally  weird. 

Why  not  adopt  some  of  the  following  words 
to  show  the  sincerity  of  your  belief  that  reform 
is  needed?  You  might  adopt:  yu,  wil,  spel, 
wel,  ar,  iz,  liv,  giv.  Mr.  Sidni  Bond  has  pointed 
out  that  these  spellings  are  likely  to  be  un- 
changed in  any  system  of  reformed  spelling. 
If  these  words  do  not  appeal  to  you  you  might 
try  tho  (though),  thru  (through),  or  sulfur  and 
derivatives  now  used  by  the  American  Insti- 
tute of  Mining  &  Metallurgical  Engineers,  in- 
cluding catalog  and  program. 

Many  authors  who  believe  in  spelling  reform 
are  debarred  from  showing  their  belief  by  the 
rigid  rules  of  editors.  A  professor  of  mineral- 
ogy has  complained  to  me  that  American  scien- 
tific journals  will  not  follow  his  spelling.  Why 
not  allow  authors,  who  so  desire,  to  use  re- 
formed spellings  that  are  already  admitted  into 
our  larger  dictionaries — the  Standard,  for  ex- 
ample. In  order  to  assist  the  editor  and  proof- 
reader such  spelling  could  be  underscored  in 
red  ink.  Spellings  so  markt  have  been  printed 
in  the  Bulletin  of  the  A.I.M.M.E.  with  no 
special  damage  as  far  as  heard  from. 

Much  information  on  spelling  reform  is  to 
be  found  in  the  handbook  of  Simpler  Spelling 
now  being  issued  by  the  Simplified  Spelling 
Board,  of  No.  1  Madison  Avenue,  New  York  ; 
this  will  be  sent  free  to  all  applicants.  The 
Simplified  Spelling  Society,  No.  44,  Russel 
Street,  London,  W.C.,  has  a  large  number  of 
pamflets  for  free  distribution. 

W.  H.  Shockley. 

Palo  Alto,  California, 
September  17. 

[Acting  on  Mr.  Shockley's  hint  relating  to 
the  difficulty  experienced  by  authors  in  induc- 
ing editors  to  adopt  their  spelling,  we  have  re- 
laxed our  rules  and  have  followed  copy  in  re- 
producing this  letter.  Though  considering  it 
advisable  at  present  to  adhere  to  the  Oxford 
Dictionary,  we  have  no  desire  to  stand  in  the 
way  of  spelling  reformers. — Editor.] 


358 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


PERSONAL 


H.  Foster  Bain's  address  will  be  "care  of  Thomas 
Cook  &   Son,  Rangoon,"  for  the  next  three  months. 

Charles  A.  Banks  has  left  for  British  Columbia. 

G.  C.  Barnard  has  gone  to  Jalisco,  Mexico. 

W.  J.  Barnett  is  back  from  South  America. 

Dr.  J.  Mackintosh  Bell  has  returned  to  practice 
as  mining  engineer  and  geologist  and  has  opened  an 
office  in  Lumsden  Buildings,  Toronto. 

Edward  W.  Berry  and  J.  T.  mngewald,  Jr., 
professors  of  geology  in  the  Johns  Hopkins  University, 
have  returned  from  a  visit  to  Peru,  Bolivia,  and  Chile. 

A.  E.  Bidlake  has  left  on  his  return  to  the  Abbon- 
tiakoon  mine,  West  Africa. 

J.  Coggin  Brown  is  here  from  Burma. 

J.  W.  Collis,  who  was  for  2\  years  with  the  Lon- 
don office  of  the  Allis-Chalmers  Manufacturing  Co., 
has  joined  S.  Thornley  Mott  &  Vines,  Ltd.,  British 
agents  for  the  Marion  Steam  Shovel  Co.,  of  Ohio. 

H.  O.  Creighton  has  left  for  Nigeria. 

Thomas  F.  Donnelly  has  left  New  York  for  a 
lengthy  tour  of  mining  districts  in  Souih  America. 

A.  \V.  Freeman  has  returned  to  Sydney  from  the 
Federated  Malay  States. 

B.  L.  Gard'ner  left  on  December  3  for  West 
Africa  to  take  up  an  appointment  with  the  Ashanti 
Goldfields  Corporation. 

D.  Gibson  left  for  French  West  Africa  on  Novem- 
ber 29. 

C.  M.   Harris  is  leaving  for  Australia  on  the  20th 

inst. 

John  Henderson  has  left  for  Ipoh,  Perak. 

Sir  Thomas  H.  Holland  has  left  for  India. 

H.  C.  Hoover  has  accepted  nomination  to  the 
presidency  of  the  American  Institute  of  Mining  and 
Metallurgical  Engineers. 

J.  Underwood  Jarvis  has  left  for  French  West 
Africa. 

R.  R.  Jewell  has  left  for  West  Africa. 

L.  J    Mayrhs  has  left  for  India. 

Dr.  E.  T.  Mellor  is  returning  to  the  Rand. 

F.  P.  Mennell  is  engaged  in  exploration  work  at 
the  Rhodesia  Broken  Hill  lead  zinc  mine. 

Frank  Merricks  has  b?en  nominated  by  Council 
for  the  presidency  of  the  Institution  of  Mining  and 
Metallurgy  for  the  year  1920-21. 

H.  R.  Cope  Morgan  has  left  for  Jos,  Nigeria. 

John  Morgan  has  joined  the  board  of  the  Colom- 
bian Mining  &  Exploration  Company. 

William  Motherwell  has  returned  to  San 
Francisco  from  Mysore. 

P.  N.  Nissen  left  for  Canada  on  December  6. 

John   Pope  left  for  South  Africa  on  November  21. 

Sir  Richard  Redmayne  has  resigned  as  Chief 
Inspector  of  Mines. 

Robert  H.  Richards  has  been  joined  in  business 
by   Professor  Charles   E.    Locke.     The  firm   will  be 
known  as  Richards  &  Locke,  and  the  offices  will  be  at 
69,  Massachusetts  Avenue,  Cambridge.  Mass 
William  Spalding  is  expected  from  Spain. 
S.  J.  Speak  is  back  from  the  United  States. 

E.  Gibbon  Spilsbury  has  gone  from  New  York  to 
Brazil  to  study  the  question  of  establishing  steel  works 
in  that  country. 

W.  H.  Stentiford  has  been  elected  president  of 
the  Chartered  Institute  of  Secretaries. 

F.  O.  Stephenson  has  returned  to  South  Africa 
after  demobilization,  to  resume  his  duties  as  local 
manager  for  Head,  Wrightson  &  Co..  Ltd. 

A.  B.  Watson  has  left  for  West  Africa. 

David  Wilkinson   is    to    succeed  C.    D.    Leslie 


as  consulting  engineer  to  theConsolidated  Gold  Fields. 
Ernest  Williams  has  completed  his  work  with 
the  Mineral  Resources  Department,  and  is  back  at  his 
office,  806,  Salisbury  House,  London,  E.C.2. 

S.  R.  Jameson,  consulting  engineer  to  the  Sir  Abe 
Bailey  group,  died  at  Salisbury,  Rhodesia,  early  in 
October.  He  was  a  nephew  of  Dr.  Jim  and  was  born 
in  Cape  Province.  Before  joining  Sir  Abe  Bailey,  he 
was  one  of  Sir  George  Farrar's  engineers. 

John  H.  Darby,  of  Brymbo,  Wrexham,  who  died 
on  October  26,  was  one  of  the  leading  iron  metallur- 
gists in  Great  Britain,  being  identi6ed  particularly  with 
the  development  of  the  basic  open-hearth  steel  process 
and  the  by-product  coke-oven.  For  several  years  he 
wasmanageroftheBroughton,  l'las  Power, and  Brymbo 
collieries,  and  subsequently  took  up  the  management 
of  the  Brymbo  Iron  and  Steel  Works.  In  1884  he  in- 
troduced at  these  works  the  then  new  basic  open- 
hearth  process,  and  the  process  has  been  ever  since 
successfully  carried  out  there.  He  was  the  inventor 
of  a  method  of  re-carbonizing  steel  without  spiegel  or 
ferro-  manganese,  a  process  which  was  largely  used  for 
many  years  in  the  manufacture  of  rails  and  sections. 
In  1893  he  installed  a  by-product  coking  plant  on  the 
Semet-Solvay  system  at  the  Brymbo  works,  this  be- 
ing the  first  of  its  kind  to  be  worked  in  conjunction 
with  iron  and  steel  works  in  this  country. 

TRADE   PARAGRAPHS 

John  Browning,  146  Strand,  London,  W.C.,  has 
sent  us  a  catalogue  of  petrological  and  other  micros- 
copes, and  spectroscopes  and  spectrometers. 

The  Climax  Rock  -  Drill  &  Engineering 
Works,  Ltd.,  of  Camborne,  and  4  Broad  Street  Place, 
London,  EC.  send  us  a  pamphlet  giving  the  latest  de- 
tails ot  their  various  drills. 

Tin  Western  Wheeled  Scraper  Co.,  of  n.uro- 
ra.  Illinois.  U.S.A.,  send  us  a  brochure  on  concrete 
road  building.  Their  system  and  plant  will  be  applic- 
able to  advantage  at  many  mines. 

Robert  J.  Cook  &  Hammond,  of  47-49  Tothill 
Street,  Westminster,  are  putting  on  the  market  the 
protractors  invented  by  T.  G.  Bocking.  These  pro- 
tractors will  be  found  of  use  to  the  min%  surveyor. 
They  occupy  much  less  room  than  the  ordinary  pro- 
tractor without  suffering  in  accuracy  and  detail. 

The  Cambridge  Scientific  Instrument  Co., 
Ltd  ,  of  Cambridge,  announce  the  absorption  of  the 
business  of  Robert  W.  Paul,  of  Cambridge  and  New 
Southgate,  London.  The  name  of  the  company  is  to 
be  changed  to  the  Cambridge  and  Paul  Instrument 
Co.,  Ltd. 

Bruce  Peebles  &  Co.,  Ltd.,  of  Edinburgh,  send 
us  their  pamphlet  13C,  which  describes  the  firm's 
medium  and  low-speed  alternators.  This  gives  a  full 
specification  of  the  machines,  together  with  lists  of  rat- 
ings for  50  and  25  cycle  alternators  for  all  pressures 
from  200  to  6,600  volts.  A  rule  is  given  for  working 
out  the  ratings  of  machines  of  other  periodicities.  The 
weights  and  dimensions  are  given  in  inches  and  hun- 
dredweights, and  also  in  millimetres  and  kilograms. 

The  Metropolitan-Vickers  Electrical  Co., 
Ltd  .  formerly  the  British  Westinghouse  Co.,  Ltd  ,  of 
TraffordPark.  Manchester. send  usa  number  of  pamph- 
lets. One  of  these  gives  acomplete  description  of  their 
Rateau-type  mixed  pressure  steam  turbines,  and  an- 
other of  static  transformers  for  use  with  electric  fur- 
naces. Othersdeal  with  transformers forcolliery  plants, 
electric  drives  for  tools,  oil  switches,  voltage  regula- 
tors, electric  meters,  etc. 


DECEMBER,    1919 


359 


George  Kent,  Ltd.,  of  199/201  High  Holbor 
London,  W.C.I,  send  us  a  number  of  publications  re- 
lating to  the  Venturi  meter.  Among  recent  installa- 
tions is  one  at  the  Gopeng  Consolidated.  Here  there 
are  three  30  in.  meters,  with  an  automatic  valve  which 
controls  the  water  supply  of  each  of  the  three  meters,  so 
that  each  of  the  three  mines  supplied  are  able  to  regu- 
late the  supply  of  water  to  which  they  are  entitled. 
The  Venturi  meter  is  also  applied  at  many  gold  mines 
for  measuring  the  flow  of  slime  ;  the  meter  is  never 
choked  or  clogged  by  solids  in  suspension. 

The  Birmingham  Small  Arms  Co.,  Ltd.,  of 
Birmingham,  and  the  Daimler  Co..  Ltd.,  of  Coven- 
try, have  collaborated  in  producing  a  handsome  book 
recording  their  war  work.  The  book  deals  with  the 
Lee-Enfield  rifle,  the  Lewis  gun,  motor  cycles,  Daim- 
ler cars,  aeroplanes  and  their  engines,  tractors,  tanks, 
and  shells.  The  compilation  of  the  book  has  been  in 
the  hands  of  George  H.  Frost, and  theprinting  has  been 
done  by  Albert  Frost  &  Sons,  the  printers  of  this  Maga- 
zine, a  firm  which,  as  our  readers  are  obviously  aware, 
turn  out  excellent  work. 

W.  H.  Dorman  &  Co.,  Ltd.,  of  Stafford,  and  3  St. 
Bride's  House,  London,  E.C.4,  are  now  opening  a 
campaign  for  the  "  Wave-Transmission  "  rock-drill  and 
caulking  tool,  invented  by  George  Constantinesco,  of 
Bucharest,  and  developed  by  Walter  Haddon,  chair- 
man and  managing  director  of  Dorman's.  We  gave  an 
account  of  this  drill  in  the  issue  of  March,  1917.  The 
application  of  "  wave-transmission  "  to  mining  has  been 
in  abeyance  during  the  last  two  or  three  years,  as  Messrs. 
Haddon  and  Constantinesco  have  been  fully  occupied 
in  war  work,  in  particular  applying  the  principle  to 
the  timing  of  gun-fire  between  the  blades  of  aeroplane 
propellers.  We  intend  to  give  further  information  re- 
lating to  the  rock-drill  in  an  early  issue. 

Chas.  Butters  &  Co.,  Ltd.,  of  New  York  and 
London,  have  recently  put  on  the  market  a  new  flota- 
tion machine,  known  as  the  Jones-Belmont  Cell, 
invented  by  A.  H.  Jones,  of  the  Belmontgroup  of  mines, 
Nevada.  The  cell  is  constructed  of  cast-iron,  sheet 
steel,  or  concrete  as  conditions  may  require.  It  com- 
bines the  advantages  of  both  mechanical  and  pneu- 
matic agitation,  and  is  so  constructed  that  uniform  cir- 
culation of  pulp  is  assured  at  all  points.  The  advan- 
tages of  mechanical  agitation  are  secured  through  in- 
troducing pulpbetweentwoconesof60°slope,  delivering 
to  the  bottom  of  acentral  barrel,  having  both  impellers 
and  baffles,  which,  in  addition  to  emulsifying,  also  acts 
as  a  pump  discharging  pulp  from  the  top  of  the  barrel 
with  a  swirling  motion  over  a  circular  fabric  blanket. 
At  the  outer  edge  of  this  blanket,  pulp  is  either  returned 
between  the  two  60°  cones  over  about  nine-tenths  of 
their  periphery  to  the  bottom  of  the  impeller-barrel, 
discharged  to  the  next  cell,  or  run  off  as  tailing.  These 
operations  are  regulated  by  an  automatic  float-actuated 
valve,  which  ensures  a  number  of  complete  circulations 
of  pulp  through  the  impeller- barrel  and  over  the  blanket 
in  each  cell  before  being  discharged.  By  this  means 
the  sulphides  are  allowed  every  possible  opportunity 
for  emulsification  and  frothing,  and  complete  circulation 
is  ensured.  Considered  as  a  pneumatic  machine,  the 
device  possesses  many  advantages.  The  pulp  zone 
above  the  blanket  has  only  a  shallow  depth,  requiring 
low  air-pressure  to  ensure  satisfactory  results  and  a 
short  upward  travel  of  sulphides  to  reach  the  froth  zone. 
The  delivery  of  pulp  close  to  the  blanket,  and  with  con- 
siderable velocity  across  it,  tends  to  turn  over  both 
gangue  and  sulphides  many  times  during  each  passage, 
allowing  every  opportunity  for  the  sulphide  content  to 
become  disengaged  from  the  gangue  and  join  the  froth. 
The  decided  swirl  of  the  pulp  over  the  blanket  tends  to 


carry  the  froth  toward  the  periphery  by  centrifugal 
force,  delivering  it  to  a  launder  at  the  rim  in  a  free,  con- 
tinuous flow.  The  machine  does  not  require  the  use  of 
surplus  gathering  oil  to  make  and  sustain  the  froth 
across  the  cell  to  the  point  of  delivery,  and  so  avoids 
difficulties  in  breaking  down  a  heavy  froth  in  the  subse- 
quent operations  of  thickening  and  dewatering.  In 
actual  use  the  machine  has  never  developed  any  circu- 
lating difficulties  in  handling  gangue  that  is  ground  fine 
enough  to  free  its  sulphide  content  for  flotation  ;  neither 
have  the  heavier  sands  accumulated  on  the  blanket.  A 
series  of  eight  machines,  handling  hard  quartz  ground 
to  pass  60-mesh,  was  closed  down  for  twelve  hours 
without  any  other  precaution  than  shutting  off  the 
power  and  feed.  On  starting,  no  excess  power  was  re- 
quired to  free  the  impeller,  and  the  pulp  was  in  perfect 
circulation  in  five  minutes,  the  machines  accomplishing 
a  regular  delivery  of  froth.  All  irregularities  of  feed 
are  compensated  by  a  float-actuated  valve  which  en- 
sures a  constant  pulp-level.  Adjustment  of  the  pulp- 
level  and  air  can  readily  be  made  to  suit  changes  in 
conditions.  Five  Jones-Belmont  cells,  four  being 
roughers,  and  one  a  cleaner,  handle  from  200  to  500 
tons  per  day,  depending  upon  the  character  of  ore,  sul- 
phide content,  and  dilution  of  pulp.  Each  cell  requires 
a  maximum  of  2\  h.p.  under  full  load.  The  normal 
air-consumption  is  120  cu.  ft.  per  cell  per  minute. 


METAL  MARKETS 

Copper. — This  market  has  been  rather  quiet  during 
the  past  month  so  far  as  actual  business  in  refined  metal 
is  concerned.  The  consumption  of  course  has  been  in- 
terfered with  in  America  to  a  certain  extent  by  the  steel 
strike,  but  to  a  more  important  extent  possibly  by  the 
coal  strike,  and  no  doubt  by  the  general  labour  unrest 
there.  On  this  side  of  the  Atlantic  the  amount  of 
copper  going  into  actual  consumption  has  been  much 
reduced  by  the  moulders'  strike.  Meanwhile  the  large 
producers  in  America  have  been  steadily  accumulating 
supplies  owing  to  there  being  a  very  slow  sale  for  their 
products.  It  now  appears  that  in  spite  of  the  curtail- 
ed production,  and  much  talk  about  the  big  consump- 
tion that  was  going  on,  the  actual  fact  is  that  the  sur- 
plus supplies  were  increasing.  It  is  evident  that  the 
large  selling  interests  have  realized  that  they  must  cut 
down  their  selling  prices.  In  view  of  the  fact  that  the 
average  cost  of  production  in  the  United  States  is  only 
a  little  over  16  cents  per  lb.,  and  the  large  interests 
were  endeavouring  to  obtain  for  their  metal  something 
like  21>\  cents,  no  one  will  have  great  sympathy  with 
them  now  that  they  have  found  it  necessary  to  reduce. 
At  the  time  of  writing  the  price  there  has  declined  to 
about  18£  cents,  and  there  is  no  sign  of  buyers  coming 
forward  on  any  important  scale.  As  soon  as  a  price 
level  is  reached  which  proves  attractive  to  buyers  it 
seems  probable  that  a  large  business  will  be  done,  as 
there  is  no  doubt  that  important  quantities  of  copper 
are  required  in  the  world,  and  it  then  seems  likely  that 
an  upward  reaction  will  follow.  So  far  as  the  standard 
market  is  concerned,  business  has  only  been  moder- 
ately active,  and  latterly  prices  there  have  been  de- 
pressed in  sympathy  with  electrolytic. 

Average  price  of  cash  standard  copper  :  November 
1919,  £98.  19s.  9d  :  October  1919,  £103  lis.  ;  Novem- 
ber 1918,  £122.  5s.  ;  October  1918,  £)22  5s. 

Tin.— This  market  has  as  usual  seen  some  varying 
fortunes  during  the  period  under  review,  but  on  the 
whole  it  can  only  be  said  that  prices  have  been  very 
well  maintained  in  spite  of  sundry  circumstances  which 
might  have  been  looked  upon  as  discouraging.  In  the 
early  part  of  the  month  the  outbreak  of  the  coal  strike 


360 


THE    MINING   MAGAZINE 


Daily  London  Metal  Prices:   Official  Closing 

Copper,  Lead,  Zinc,  and  Tin  per  Long 


COPPE 

R 

Standard  Cash 

Standard  (3  mos  ) 

Electrolytic 

Ingots 

Electrolytic 

Best  Selected 

Wire-Bars 

Nov. 

£ 

_ 

d. 

£ 

s. 

d. 

£ 

s. 

d.  £ 

s. 

d 

£ 

s. 

d 

£ 

s. 

d. 

£ 

s. 

d.  £ 

s. 

d 

£ 

s.  d.  £ 

s.  d. 

11 

100 

15 

0  to 

101 

0 

0 

102 

0 

0  to  102 

5 

n 

112 

0 

0 

to 

117 

0 

0 

115 

0 

0  to  117 

0 

0 

112 

0  OtolB 

0  0 

12 

100 

15 

0  to 

101 

0 

0 

102 

0 

0  to  102 

5 

0 

112 

0 

0 

to 

117 

0 

0 

115 

0 

0  to  117 

0 

o 

112 

0  Oto  113 

0  0 

n 

100 

10 

0  to 

100 

15 

0 

102 

0 

0  to  102 

5 

i) 

112 

0 

0 

to 

117 

0 

0 

115 

0 

0  to  117 

0 

0 

112 

0  Oto  113 

0  0 

14 

100 

7 

6  to 

100 

12 

o 

101 

15 

0  to  102 

0 

o 

112 

0 

0 

1.. 

117 

0 

0 

115 

0 

0  to  117 

ii 

1 

112 

0  Oto  113 

0  0 

17 

99 

15 

0  to 

100 

(i 

0 

101 

0 

0  to  101 

5 

( 

112 

0 

0 

to 

117 

0 

0 

115 

ii 

Oto  117 

0 

o 

112 

0  Oto  113 

0  0 

18 

9« 

15 

0  to 

99 

ii 

0 

100 

5 

0  to  100 

10 

0 

112 

0 

0 

to 

116 

0 

0 

114 

0 

0  to  116 

o 

0 

112 

0  Oto  113 

0  0 

19 

97 

15 

0  to 

98 

0 

0 

99 

0 

0  to  99 

15 

0 

111 

0 

0 

lo 

115 

(' 

0 

113 

0 

0  to  115 

0 

0 

112 

0  Oto  113 

0  0 

20 

97 

0 

0  to 

97 

5 

0 

98 

5 

0  to  98 

10 

0 

111 

0 

0 

to 

115 

0 

0 

113 

0 

0  to  115 

0 

0 

112 

0  Oto  113 

0  0 

21 

98 

10 

0  to 

98 

15 

0 

99 

15 

0  to  100 

0 

0 

111 

0 

0 

lO 

115 

0 

0 

113 

0 

OtO  115 

0 

f 

112 

0  0  to  113 

0  0 

24 

98 

15 

0  to 

99 

0 

0 

100 

5 

0  to  100 

10 

0 

111 

0 

0 

lo 

115 

0 

0 

113 

0 

Oto  115 

0 

0 

112 

0  Oto  113 

0  0 

25 

97 

5 

0  to 

97 

10 

0 

98 

le' 

0  to  99 

0 

0 

109 

ii 

0 

to 

113 

0 

0 

111 

0 

0  to  113 

0 

c 

109 

0  Oto  110 

0  c 

26 

95 

10 

0  to 

95 

15 

0 

97 

0 

0  to  97 

5 

0 

109 

0 

0 

lo 

1 1-2 

0 

0 

111 

0 

0  to  1 12 

0 

( 

109 

0  Oto  110 

0  0 

27 

94 

to 

0  to 

'•4 

15 

0 

96 

5 

0  to  96 

10 

0 

107 

0 

0 

to 

109 

0 

0 

107 

0 

0  to  109 

0 

0 

109 

0  0  to  110 

0  0 

28 
Dec. 

I 

95 

5 

0  to 

95 

10 

0 

96 

15 

Oto  97 

0 

( 

106 

0 

0 

to 

109 

0 

0 

107 

0 

0  to  109 

0 

0 

104 

0  0  to  105 

0  0 

97 

0 

0  to 

97 

5 

0 

98 

10 

Oto  98 

15 

0 

105 

0 

0 

to 

107 

0 

0 

105 

0 

0  to  107 

0 

0 

104 

0  Oto  105 

0 

2 

97 

15 

0  to 

os 

0 

0 

99 

5 

0  to  99 

10 

( 

106 

0 

0 

to 

108 

0 

0 

106 

0 

0  to  108 

0 

0 

106 

0  0  to  107 

0  0 

3 

98 

5 

0  to 

98 

10 

0 

99 

10 

Oto  99 

15 

0 

107 

0 

0 

to 

108 

0 

0 

107 

0 

0  to  108 

0 

0 

100 

0  Oto  107 

0  0 

4 

99 

10 

0  to 

99 

15 

0 

100 

15 

0  to  101 

0 

0 

108 

0 

0 

In 

no 

0 

0 

0 

0  to  110 

0 

0 

106 

0  0  to  107 

0  0 

5 

101 

0 

0  to 

101 

5 

0 

102 

10 

0  to  102 

15 

( 

108 

0 

0 

to 

110 

0 

0 

108 

0 

0  to  110 

o 

0 

108 

0  Oto  109 

0  0 

8 

101 

10 

0  to 

101 

15 

II 

103 

2 

6  to  103 

7 

1 

110 

0 

0 

tO 

in 

0 

0 

no 

0 

0  to  111 

0 

0 

108 

0  0  to  1O0 

0  0 

9 

101 

lil 

0  to 

101 

15 

0 

103 

" 

0  to  103 

5 

0 

110 

0 

0 

t.. 

112 

0 

0 

110 

0 

Oto  112 

0 

0 

109 

0  Otolll 

0  0 

in  America  was  instrumental  in  somewhat  depressing 
values  on  this  side,  in  view  of  the  assumption  that  the 
American  demand  would  be  considerably  curtailed. 
Very  soon,  however,  values  recovered,  and  indeed 
America  seems  to  have  continued  to  take  an  interest 
in  the  market  here  during  nearly  the  whole  period  of 
the  labour  trouble  there.  Of  course  the  stoppage  on 
that  side  allowed  certain  quantities  of  tin  to  accumu- 
late which  must  now  be  uSted  up,  but  in  spite  of  that 
America  has  continued  more  or  less  steadily  to  buy 
here.  In  some  quarters  the  view  is  taken  that  the 
United  States  has  not  bought  much  for  delivery  be- 
yond January  next,  and  a  well-sustained  demand  is 
anticipated.  Meanwhile  a  rather  better  inquiry  has 
developed  from  the  Continent,  and  some  business  is 
said  to  have  been  done  with  Germany.  Values  in  the 
East  have  been  pretty  well  maintained,  although  it  is 
sometimes  difficult  to  compare  these  with  prices  in  the 
London  market  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  cable  delays 
do  not  permit  of  London  advices  reaching  the  East 
until  they  are  several  days  late.  It  seems  possible 
that  the  heavy  rise  in  silver  will  be  instrumental  in 
further  keeping  up  costs  of  production  in  the  East,  and 
this  may  assist  in  preventing  any  material  decline  in 
values  of  this  metal.  Makers  of  English  tin  are  well 
sold,  and  prompt  delivery  is  comparatively  scarce. 
The  price  of  that  description  rules  round  about  the 
same  level  as  standard.  There  is  no  sign  yet  of  China 
liquidating  her  supplies,  while  Batavia  seems  still  to 
be  very  firm  in  her  ideas  of  price. 

Average  price  of  cash  standard  tin  :  November  1 919, 
£283.  13s.  7d.  ;  October  1919,  £279.  4s  lid.;  No- 
vember 1918,  £317.  7s.  7d.  ;  October  1918,  £335.  10s. 

Lead. — This  market  has  seen  a  great  deal  of  activ- 
ity during  the  month  of  November,  dealings  on  'Change 
amounting  to  practically  record  proportions.  There 
is  no  gainsaying  the  fact  that  much  of  the  business 
done  there  is  for  speculative  account,  and  for  that 
reason  the  market  may  not  be  considered  fundamen- 
tally sound,  because  re  selling  is  bound  to  appear  soon- 
er or  later,  when  a  reaction  may  possibly  be  seen.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  future  of  supplies  is  uncertain  and 
difficult  to  forecast.  Spain  seems  to  have  little  to  spare 
for  this  country,  and  the  same  might  be  said  of  America, 
while  the  rates  of  exchange  naturally  militate  against 


any  cheap  metal  being  procurable  from  the  latter 
country.  As  regards  Australia,  a  good  deal  depends 
of  the  strike  situation.  So  far,  the  strike  still  goes  on, 
although  there  seems  to  be  a  rather  more  hopeful  feel 
ing  about  in  regard  to  it.  As  it  is,  however,  the  stocks 
in  this  country  are  diminishing,  and  speculators  seem 
to  have  taken  the  view  that  higher  prices  were  inevit- 
able To  a  certain  extent  they  have  assisted  in  bring- 
ing this  event  about,  and  at  the  moment  no  material 
decline  seems  probable,  as  even  if  the  Australian  strike 
were  settled  it  would  be  some  time  before  supplies 
would  be  available  for  shipment.  Of  course  thero  are 
at  the  moment  certain  stocks  in  the  country  which  are 
being  gradually  brought  here.  The  demand  from  con- 
sumers here  has  been  very  good,  partly  from  the  elec- 
trical trade,  and  quite  a  good  demand  has  also  been 
seen  for  export. 

Average  price  of  soft  pig  lead  :  November  1919, 
£34.  16s.  Id.  ;  October  1919,  £28.  15s.  lid.  ;  Novem- 
ber 1918,  £31.  12s.  4d  ;   October  1918, 

LTER. — This  market  has  also  seen  a  good  deal 
of  activity  during  the  past  month,  and  dealings  on 
'Change  have  been  at  times  quite  important,  while 
prices  have  generally  been  firm.  A  satisfactory  trade 
has  been  done  with  galvanizers  for  both  prompt  and 
forward  delivery,  but  so  far  as  can  be  ascertained  the 
consuming  trades  do  not  seem  to  be  entirely  covered 
and  will  still  have  to  make  further  purchases  for  de- 
livery during  the  first  quarter  of  next  year.  Should 
the  opposite  prove  to  be  the  case,  it  may  mean  that 
speculative  re-sales  would  be  instrumental  in  affecting 
values,  but  up  to  the  present  such  liquidations  have 
been  very  well  absorbed,  and  whatever  may  happen  in 
the  market  here  there  seems  no  doubt  that  this  country 
must  remain,  for  a  time  at  least,  dependent  on  America 
for  supplies.  Meanwhile  the  demand  for  the  metal  in 
that  country  seems  anything  but  good,  owing  to  the 
steel  strike.  On  the  other  hand,  the  cost  of  produc- 
tion there  is  not  very  much  below  the  present  selling 
price,  so  that  a  material  decline  in  values  there  can 
hardly  be  expected,  while  the  adverse  rate  of  exchange 
makes  the  parity  of  American  valueshereactuallyabove 
prices  which  have  been  ruling  on  the  Metal  Exchange, 
although  from  time  to  time  the  fluctuations  of  the  two 
markets  of  course  make  it  possible  to  buy  in  America 


DECEMBER,    1919 


361 


Prices  on  the  London  Metal  Exchange. 

Tons  ;  Silver  per  Standard  Ounce. 


Lead 

Standard  Tin 

Silver 

Zinc 

(Spelter) 

Soft  Foreign 

English 

Cash 

3  mos. 

Cash 

Forward 

£   s. 

d.   £    s. 

d. 

£ 

s. 

d. 

£ 

s. 

d.   £ 

s. 

d. 

£ 

s. 

d.   £    s. 

d. 

£ 

s. 

d.  £ 

s. 

d- 

Nov. 

33  15 

0  to  34  2 

6 

34 

15 

() 

46 

5 

0  to  46 

15 

0 

278 

10 

0  to  278  15 

0 

279 

0 

0  to  279 

5 

0 

681 

66l 

11 

34  12 

6  to  34  15 

0 

35 

10 

0 

47 

10 

0  to  48 

5 

0 

281 

15 

0  to  282  0 

0 

282 

15 

0  to  283 

0 

0 

69 

661 

12 

34  10 

0  to  34  15 

0 

35 

10 

0 

47 

15 

U  to  48 

5 

0 

281 

15 

0  to  282  0 

0 

183 

5 

0  to  283 

10 

0 

69 

66i 

13 

34  7 

6  to  34  12 

6 

35 

10 

0 

47 

15 

0  to  48 

0 

0 

283 

10 

0  to  283  15 

0 

284 

12 

6  to  284 

17 

6 

68 

654 

14 

34  5 

0  to  34  10 

0 

35 

10 

0 

47 

5 

0  to  47 

15 

0  283 

15 

0  to  284  0 

0 

284 

15 

0  to  285 

0 

0 

69 

67 

17 

34  7 

6  to  34  5 

0 

35 

0 

0 

47 

0 

0  to  47 

10 

0  283 

5 

0  to  283  10 

0 

284 

5 

0  to  284 

10 

I 

70 

68i 

18 

34  10 

0  to  34  7 

6 

25 

10 

0 

46 

15 

0  to  47 

5 

0 

282 

10 

0  to  282  15 

0 

284 

0 

0  to  284 

5 

0 

70* 

68* 

19 

35  12 

6  to  35  12 

6 

36 

10 

0 

46 

15 

0  to  47 

5 

c 

283 

0 

0  to  285  5 

0 

284 

15 

0  to  285 

0 

0 

71i 

69£ 

20 

36  7 

6  to  36  7 

6 

57 

5 

0 

47 

0 

0  to  47 

10 

0 

284 

15 

0  to  285  5 

0 

286 

5 

0  to  286 

10 

0 

73*. 

7ll 

21 

37  0 

0  to  37  0 

0 

37 

15 

0 

47 

10 

0  to  48 

0 

0,  288 

15 

0  to  289  0 

0 

290 

0 

0  to  290 

15 

( 

75* 

73g 

24 

36  12 

6  to  36  15 

6 

37 

15 

0 

48 

0 

0  to  48 

10 

0|  292 

10 

0  to  292  15 

0 

294 

0 

0  to  294 

5 

0 

76 

73| 

25 

36  7 

6  to  36  10 

0 

37 

10 

0 

48 

0 

0  to  48 

10 

01  295 

5 

0  to  295  10 

0 

296 

15 

0  to  297 

0 

0 

75S 

73 

26 

36  17 

6  to  36  15 

0 

37 

1? 

0 

48 

0 

0  to  48 

10 

0|  295 

10 

0  to  295  15 

0 

296 

15 

0  to  297 

0 

0 

74 

711 

27 

37  10 

0  to  37  12 

6 

38 

10 

0 

48 

5 

0  to  48 

15 

0|  296 

0 

0  to  296  5 

0 

:97 

10 

0  to  297 

15 

0 

72! 

7l| 

28 

Dec. 

1 

38  0 

0  to  33  5 

0 

39 

0 

0 

48 

17 

6  to  49 

7 

6  295 

0 

0  to  295  5 

0 

295 

15 

0  to  297 

0 

0 

73*. 

72* 

39  5 

0  to  39  7 

6 

40 

0 

0 

49 

7 

6  to  50 

0 

0 

294 

15 

0  to  295  0 

0 

296 

0 

0  to  296 

5 

c 

73| 

72| 

2 

39  7 

6  to  39  7 

6 

40 

5 

0 

50 

10 

0  to  51 

5 

0 

294 

10 

0  to  294  15 

0 

296 

5 

0  to  296 

10 

0 

741 

731 

3 

39  12 

6  to  39  15 

0 

40 

10 

0 

51 

0 

0  to  51 

10 

0 

296 

15 

0  to  297  0 

0 

298 

5 

0  to  298 

10 

( 

75 

73i 

4 

40  2 

6  to  40  5 

0 

41 

0 

0 

51 

15 

0  to  52 

5 

0 

298 

10 

0  to  298  15 

0 

300 

0 

0  to  300 

5 

0 

74 

72* 

5 

40  10 

0  to  40  12 

6 

41 

10 

0 

55 

7 

6  to  53 

17 

6 

304 

5 

0  to  304  10 

0 

505 

10 

0  to  305 

15 

0 

751 

74J 

B 

40  10 

0  to  40  15 

0 

41 

10 

0 

53 

10 

0  to  54 

5 

0 

308 

5 

0  to  308  10 

0 

309 

10 

0  to  309 

15 

0 

75 

73§ 

9 

and  sell  here  at  a  profit.  There  is  no  decision  yet  in 
regard  to  the  question  of  smelting  in  this  country. 
The  period  during  which  works  received  a  subsidy  ex- 
pired early  in  November,  and  while  they  are  under- 
stood to  be  working  up  existing  stocks  in  this  country, 
no  decision  has  been  announced  as  to  the  future  policy 
of  smelting  here,  and  as  to  the  disposal  of  the  Austra- 
lian zinc  concentrates.  Presumably  this  may  be  ex- 
pected before  long.  A  little  spelter  has  come  in  here 
from  Belgium  and  also  from  Germany.  There  does 
not  seem  to  be  any  pressure  of  offers  from  the  latter 
country,  and  it  does  not  look  as  if  this  country  can  ex- 
pect to  get  supplies  to  any  extent  from  Germany  in  the 
immediate  future. 

Average  price  of  spelter  :  November  1919,  £46.  17s. 
3d.  ;  October  1919,  £43.  18s.  ;  November  1918,  £52. 
7s.  7d.  ;  October  1918,  £52. 

Zinc  Dust. — Prompt  supplies  have  been  none  too 
plentiful,  and  prices  have  been  firm.  Australian  high- 
grade  (88  to  92%  metallic  zinc)  has  been  steady  at  £75 
per  ton  c.i.f.  U.K. 

Antimony. — The  market  has  been  steady,  the  price 
of  English  regulus  keeping  at  £47.  10s.  per  ton.  Busi- 
ness has  been  reported  in  foreign  at  £44  c.i.f.  U.K.  for 
arrival  early  in  1920. 

Arsenic. — This  market  has  been  firm  and  the  price 
stands  about  £65  to  £67  for  white  delivered  London. 

Bismuth. — 12s.  6d.  per  lb   nominal. 

Cadmium. — 6s.  3d.  per  lb. 

Aluminium. — £150  per  ton  for  the  home  trade.  It 
is  reported  that  representatives  of  an  American  alu- 
minium concern  recently  arrived  in  Japan  to  discuss 
with  certain  interests  there  as  to  the  formation  of  a 
company  of  which  the  Americans  would  hold  half  the 
shares,  and  the  Japanese  the  remainder.  It  appears 
that  negotiations  are  being  conducted  with  the  Japa- 
nese Government  as  to  water-power  rights. 

Nickel. — Higher  at  £215  for  the  home  trade  and 
£220  for  export. 

Cobalt  Metal. — 10s.  6d.  per  lb. 

Cobalt  Oxide. — 7s.  to  8s.  per  lb. 

Platinum. — 510s.  per  oz.  nominal. 

Palladium. — 500s.  per  oz.  nominal. 

Quicksilver. — Firmer  at  £23.  10s.  per  bottle. 

Selenium. — 12s.  to  15s.  per  lb. 


Tellurium. — 95s.  to  100s.  per  lb. 

SulphateofCopper. — £41  to  £43  per  ton. 

Manganese  Ore. — Firm  at  2s.  3d  per  unit  c.i.f. 
U.K.  for  Indian. 

Tungsten  Ores. — Wolframite  (65%)  and  scheelite 
(65%)  32s.  6d.  per  unit. 

Molybdenite. — 85%,  75s.  to  80s.  per  unit. 

Silver. — This  market  has  been  extraordinarily 
strong  owing  to  the  shortage  of  supplies  and  active  buy- 
ing, chiefly  on  the  part  of  China.  The  price  of  stan- 
dard bars  touched  the  record  high  level  of  76d.  on  No- 
vember 25.  At  the  end  of  that  month  the  price  stood 
at  72|d.  for  spot  bars,  the  market  having  eased  off  on 
the  announcement  that  the  American  Government  had 
decided  to  release  silver  dollars  for  shipment.  It  has 
since  firmed  up  again,  however. 

Corundum. — No  quotation. 

Graphite.— 80%.  £35  to  £40  c.i.f.  U.K. 

Chrome  Ores. — 48-50%  Cr.203,  about  £S  per  ton. 

Iron  &  Steel. — As  in  the  past,  one  of  the  chief  fea- 
tures in  the  Cleveland  pig-iron  market  has  been  the 
shortage  of  foundry  grades.  Forge  iron  was  of  course 
more  or  less  plentiful,  while  as  regards  hematite,  busi- 
ness moved  fairly  freely.  The  moulders'  strike  has 
continued  to  drag  on,  and  although  it  is  to  be  hoped 
an  early  settlement  will  be  arrived  at,  there  is  at  pres- 
ent no  particularly  bright  prospect  of  it  in  sight.  Per- 
haps the  most  favourable  sign  is  that  the  moulders  in 
Scotland  who  were  to  have  come  out  on  strike  on  No- 
vember 26  changed  their  minds  and  have  remained  at 
work.  An  interesting  point  in  regard  to  the  situation 
is  that  pig  iron  may  now  be  exported  without  the  neces- 
sity of  procuring  a  licence.  Unfortunatelv  the  inquiry 
from  abroad  is  mostly  for  foundry  iron,  and  there  is 
practically  none  available  for  shipment  after  home  re 
quirements  are  met.  In  regard  to  manufactured  iron 
and  steel,  business  continues  to  be  very  active.  An 
enormous  inquiry  is  met  with  both  for  home  and  over- 
seasmarkets,  but  works  are  already  so  very  fully  booked 
that  much  of  the  business  cannot  be  placed.  Fortu- 
nately the  bricklayers'  strike  which  stopped  certain 
operations  at  steel  works  in  Scotland  is  now  over,  but 
some  large  steel  works  in  the  North  of  England  have 
been  forced  to  close  owing  to  the  shortage  of  railway 
wagons. 


362 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


STATISTICS. 


Production  of  Gold  in  the  Transvaal. 

E'se~  Total        Par  Value 

where 


January.  1919  662.205 

February 621.188 

March.  694.825 


April 
May    •• 

June   

July    

August  

September 
October 


676.702 
706.158 
682.603 
705.523 
681.717 
680.359 
705.313 


B54 
540 
554 

242 
B<7 
776 
"71 
952 
1  9 
,409 


676.059 
636.728 
712.379 
694.944 
724,9^5 
70?. 379 
725.497 
706.669 
698.558 
723.722 


Transvaal  Gold  Outputs. 


35.768.688 

2.871.718 

2.704.647 
3.025.992 
2.951.936 
3.079.583 
2.983,515 
3.081,713 
3.001.739 
2.967,287 
3,074,174 


Natives  Employed  in  the  Transvaal  Mines. 


July  31,  1918  

August  31    

September  30    •• 

October  31  

November  30 

December  51  ■•• 
January  31,  1919 

February  28    

March  31 

April  30    

May  31 

June  30 

July  31 

August  31     

September  30 

October  31  


Coal 
mines 


11.790 
11.950 
12.108 
11.824 
11,826 
11.811 


11.8*8 

11.868 
11,168 
11.906 
12.232 
12,544 
12.453 
12.450 
12. 39^ 
12.691 


Diamond      ToU) 


mines 


5.011 
4.954 
4.889 
4.749 
4.016 
3.180 


3.539 
4.26» 
5.080 
5.742 
5.939 
5.831 
5.736 
5.655 
5.294 
4.492 


195.213 
196.294 
196.395 
189.726 
176.117 
167.637 
175.986 
188.491 
191.868 
192.915 
191.547 
190.880 
191. 1-02 
188.949 
186.806 
184.682 


Cost  and 

Compiled  from  official 

Chamber  of  Mines.     The 

60%  of  the  working  profit 


Profit  on  the  Rand. 

statistics  published  by  the  Transvaal 

profit  available  for  dividends  is  about 


July,  1918.- 

August 

September  . 

October  

November  •• 
December- 


Year  1918 


January,  I919-- 

February  

March 

April 

May 

June     

July  

August    

September--- 


Tons 
milled 


„.  ..    IWork'glWork'g 
cost        profit 
per  ton   per  ton 


per  ton 


2.167.869 
2.158.431 
2,060.635 
2.015.144 
1.899.925 
1.855.C9I 


24.922.763 


1,942.329 
1.816.352 
2.08!. 469 
1.993.652 
2,099.450 
2  032  169 
2.134,668 
2.036.128 
2.019,109 


s.    d. 

27  10 


*.  d 

21  2 

21  7 

22  0 

22  5 

23  1 
23  0 


21     7 


s.  d. 

6  6 

6  3 

5  10 

5  3 

5  1 

5  6 


Total 
working 
profit 


£ 

702.360 
676.146 
600.330 
531.774 
480.102 
507.860 


6     0 


28     5       22  11 
28    6   I    22  10 


5  8 
5  6 
5  6 
5  9 
5  10 

5  10 

6  0 
5  5 
5     7 


7.678.129 


547,793 
498.204 
573.582 
573.143 
608.715 
592.361 
611.118 
551.203 
560.979 


Production  of  Gold 

n  Rhodesia 

and  West 

Africa. 

Rhodesia. 

West  Africa. 

1918 

1919 

1918 

1919 

£ 
253.807 
232.023 
230,023 
239,916 
239.205 
225,447 
251.740 
257.096 
247.885 
136.780 
145,460 
192.870 

£ 

211,917 
220,885 
225.808 
213.160 
218.057 
214,215 
214.919 
207  339 

£ 

107.863 
112.865 
112.605 
117,520 
126.290 
120.273 
117.581 
120.526 

£ 
104.063 
112.616 
112.543 

109.570 

Mav 

100.827 

Inrvp 

106.612 

102.467 

103.112 

September  ••■ 

223.719            115.152 
204.184              61.461 

—  108.796 

—  112,621 

100.401 
91.352 

November    ... 
December    ■■■ 

Total 

2.652,250 

2.154.203     1    1.333.553 

1.043.563 

Aurora  West   

Bantjes 

Barrett 

Brakpan    

City  &  Suburban   

City  Deep 

Cons.  I.anglaagte 

Cons.  Main  Reef   

Crown  Mines  

Durban  Roodepoort  Deep- 

East  Rand  P.M. 

Ferreira  Deep 

Geduld 

Geldenhuis  Deep  

Ginsberg  

Glynn's  Lydenburg  

Goch  

Government  G.M.  Areas    • 

Heriot    

Jupiter  

Kleinfontein    

Knights  Central 

Knights  Deep 

Langlaagte  Estate 

Luipaard's  vlei 

Meyer  &  Charlton 

Modderfontein   

Modderfontein  B  

Moddeifontein  Deep   

New  Unified    

Nourse  

Primrose  

Princess  Estate 

Randfonttin  Central 

Robinson     

Robinson  D-ep 

Roodepoort  United  ..' 

Rose  Deep    

Simmer  &  Jack  

Simmer  Deep 

Springs 

Sub  Nigel     

Transvaal  G.M.  Estates ... 

Van  Ryu    

Van  Ryn  Deep   

Village  Deep  

Village  Main  Reef  

West  Rand  Consolidated 
Witwatersrand  (Knights) 

Witwatersrand  Deep   

Wolhuter 


October.  1919 


Treated 


Tons 
12.350 


42.000 
23.648 
60.000 
42.400 
46.100 

182.000 
21.900 

134.000 
33.400 
44.600 
45.400 

3.112 
14.400 
126,000 
11.000 
26.300 
51.000 
23.000 
84.900 
38.520 
18.230 
14.700 
78.000 
59.000 
44.400 
11.500 
40.200 
17. K0 
20.000 
150.000 
43.700 
57.300 
23.500 
52.000 
51.200 
50  800 
39.600 
9.700 
15.890 
32.100 
50.700 
48.500 
18.800 
32.000 
31,350 
28.400 
29.700 


£ 
13.131 


78.876 
32.582 

108.998 
53.405 
73.232 

248.928 
29.951 

159.288 
45.447 
67.192 
52.617 

5.517 
12.658 
217. 8^6 
15,052 
31.398 
71.823 
30.865 
67.080 
47.347 
750 
41.188 
169.263 
125.501 
98  239 
11.9  0 
50.809 
17.581 
26.776 
177.641 
42.771 
81.308 
24,841 
64.164 
57.5J9 
53.669 
77.044 
26.158 
25.963 
32.532 
113. :?8 
69.203 
23.825 
38.639 
39.232 
33  045 
36,230 


African  Gold  Outputs. 


Abbontiakoon     .... 

Abosso  

Asbami  Goldfields 

Offin  Rivr       

Prestea  Block  A  ... 

Taquah 

Wassau 


October,  1919 


Treated 


Tons 

8.0^-0 
7.404 
6.229 

15.390 
4.551 


Value 


£ 

17.797 
12.735 
22.914 
188 
23.745 
12.259 


Rhodesian  Gold  Outputs. 


Antelope  

Cam  &  Motor 

Eldorado  Banket 

Falcon   

Gaika 

Globe  &  Phoenix 

Lonely  Reef 

Rezende    

Rhodesia.  Ltd.  

Shamva     

Transvaal  &  Rhodesian 
Wanderer 


October.  1919 


Treated 


Tons 


Value 


— 

30.724 

14,753 

24.978* 

3.155 

5.615 

5.016 

5  398* 

4.600 

26  131 

4.700 

11.053 

945 

1.545 

4g.o46 

34.310 

1.800 

4.600 

*Gold.  Silver  and  Copper  ;  t  Ounces  Gold. 


DECEMBER,    1919 


363 


West  Australian  Gold  Statistics. 


Production  of  Gold  in  India. 


Reported 
for  Export 


November.  191S  ■ 

December    

January,  1919  •  •■■ 

February  

March    

April  

May   

June  

July    

August  

September  ....... 

October 


2.739 

733 
nil 

33 
525 
1.050 
680 
835 

+ 
586 


Delivered 

to  Mint 


70,711 
61.314 
69.954 
66,310 
65.158 
63.465 
68.655 
73,546 
68,028 
58.117 

t 
64,987 


Total 


72,155 
64,053 

67,043 
66.158 
63.498 
69,180 
74,596 
68,708 
58.952 

+ 
65,573 


Total 
value  £ 


306,49* 
272,208 

284,779 
281.120 
269,720 
293.856 
316  862 
292.852 
250.410 

+ 
278.535 


*  By  direction  of  the  Federal  Government  the  export  figures 
were  not  published,     1  Figures  not  received. 


Australian  Gole 

Returns.— Par  Values. 

Victoria. 

Queensland. 

New  South 
Wales 

1918 

1919 

1918 

1919 

1918 

1919 

January  ... 
February 

£ 
32.134 
58.113 
65.412 
29.620 
87,885 

£ 

36.238 
46,955 
40.267 
63,818 
37.456 
41.465 
37.395 
51,564 

£ 
47.600 
45.470 
48.020 
47.600 
46.740 
51.420 
51.000 
44,600 
45,900 
54,400 
38,200 
56.281 

£ 

37.100 
43,330 
48,000 
61,200 
38.200 
44,600 

£ 
25,000 
28.000 
30.000 
30.000 
45,000 
32.000 

£ 
18,000 
24.000 
16.000 
24.000 
16.000 

Tune 

17,000 

July  

August    ... 
September 
October  ■  ■■ 
November 
December 

61,347 
61,163 
65,751 

* 

70.674 

42,060 
49.700 
37,120 
36.100 

25,000 
21,000 
32.000 
40,000 
25,000 
38,000 

22,000 
20,000 
13,000 
28,000 

Total    ... 

674.655 

355,856 

578.213 

437,410  1   370,000 

198,000 

*  Figures  not  received. 


Australasian  Gold  Outputs. 


Associated   

Associated  Northern  j  Iron  Duke 

Blocks I  Victorious 

Black  water 

Bullfinch  

Golden  Horseshoe    

Great  Boulder  Prop 

Ivanhoe 

Kalgurli 

Lake  View  &  Star 

Mount  Boppy 

Oroya  Links    

Progress    

Sons  of  Gwalia  

South  Kalgurli   

Talisman 

Waihi 

Waihi  Grand  Junction 


October,  1919 


Treated 


5.748 


2,349 
5.800 
12,408 
11.545 
15.357 
3.611 
10,287 

1,241 

1,300 

13,426 

6,970 

15.226 
5.190 


Value 


£ 

8,570 

1,228* 

363* 

4,646 

6.018 

24,567 

33,524 

29.831 

8.523 

11,947 

8.690+ 

1,539 

18.826 

11.322 

24.068! 
7,316: 


*  Surplus  ;  +  Total  receipts  ;  X  Gold  and  Silver  to  October  4. 


MlSCELLANF.OlS    GOLD 

OU  lTt'T. 

October,  1919 

Treated     |       Value 

Tons                    £ 

21,721                1.5271! 

105,258*            31.304+ 
7,500              12.990 
32.124*             33,9141 

9,300              11.667 

Philippine  Dredges*  Philippine  Islands) 
Plymouth  Cons.  (California) 

30.800             36.87011 

*  Cubic  yards.    t  Dollars.     +  f  Profit,  gold  and  silver. 


19W 

1917 

1918                1919 

£ 

192.150 
183.264 
186.475 
192.208 
193,604 

£ 
190.047 
180.904 
189.618 
185.835 
184.874 

£                     £ 
176.030            162.270 

173,343            153.775 
177.950            162,790 

176.486            162  550 

Mav 

173.775     i        164,080 

liine 

192,469            182.426 
191  404              17Q.660 

174.375     :        162.996 

July      

171.950            163,795 

192.784 
192.330 
191,502 
192,298 
205,164 

181.005 
183.630 
182.924 
182.388 
190,852 

172.105             16  1.840 

September   ... 

170.360     1        156.450 
167.740            157.750 

November    ... 
December    ... 

157.176 
170.630 

- 

Total 

2,305,652 

2.214,163 

2.061.920 

1,509.296 

Indian  Gold  Outputs. 


October,  1919 


Fine 
Ounces 


Balaghat   

Champion  Reef  ... 
Hutti  (Nizam's) ... 

Jibutil    

Mysore 

North  Anantapur 

Nundydroog    

Ooregum 


2,052 

6.725 

750 

12.554 
1.076 
6.464 
7.517 


Base  Metal  Outputs 

October 
1919 

1  450 

British  Broken  Hill  . 

Broken  Hill  Block  10 

J  Tons   lead    concentrate-- 
(  Tons  zinc  concentrate 

1.400 

149  560 

Fremantle  Trading  . 

North  Broken  Hill    . 

Rhodesian  Broken  Hi 

771 
2.230 

55 

•  Tons  silver-lead  concentrate 

Imports  ok  Ores,  Metals,  etc.,  into  United  Kingdom. 


Iron  Ore Tons  .. 

Manganese  Ore  Tons  .. 

Copper  and  Iron  Pyrites Tons  .. 

Copper  Ore   Tons  •• 

Copper  Matte  and  Precipitate-Tons  .. 

Copper  Metal    Tons  .. 

Tin  Concentrate  Tons  .. 

Tin  Metal   Tons  ■• 

Lead,  Pig  and  Sheet  Tons  .. 

Zinc  (Spelter)    Tons  .. 

Quicksilver Lb.     .. 

Zinc  Oxide Cwt.   .. 

White  Lead  Cwt.   .. 

Barytes    Cwt.   .. 

Phosphate  Tons  ■• 

Brimstone  Cwt.   .. 

Boracic  Compounds  Cwt.   .. 

Petroleum: 

Crude  Gallons 

Lamp  Oils Gallons 

Motor  Spirit  Gallons 

Lubricating  Oils Gallons 

Gas  Oil    Gallon 

Fuel  Oil  Gallons 

Total  Petroleum Gallon 


Nov. 
1919 


342.563 
13.220 
33.323 
1.070 
1.928 
7.668 
2.844 
2,195 
2.679 
8.099 

6  096 
12,568 
23.578 
18.567 

9,947 
18.768 


8,916.392 
11,589.012 

5.122.577 

i 


Year ' 
1919 

4.835.751 

255.315 

311.752 

1_'.424 

13.603 

106.5S3 

33.242 

21.523 

205.114 

87.895 

2.608,719 

116.028 
378.439 
308.672 
137.978 

274.151 

7.577,549 
143.009.603 
187.36».041 
57.828.998 

240.900.456 
662,958  4SS 


364 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


United  States  Metal  Exports  and  Imports. 


,   Imports. 


Exports. 

Copper  Ingots 
Copper  Tubes 
Copper  Sheets 
Copper  Wire.. 
Lead,  Pig 

June 

Tons. 

10,826 

248 

229 

2.127 

7,492 

10,730 

746 

July 

Tons. 

18,917 

149 

195 

2,468 

2,367 

8,842 

896 

Zinc  Sheets  ■■• 

June    | 

Tons. 

Antimony 

722 

— 

50 

Manganese 

31  550 

TungstenCon 

338 

50.545 

July 
Tons. 
645 
1,975 
897 

15,585 

452 

63.088 


Outputs  of  Tin  Mining  Compam 
In  Tons  of  Concentrate. 


Nigeria : 

Abu 

Anglo-Continental  

Associated  Nigerian 

Benue  

Berrida  

Bisichi 

Bongwelli  

Dua  

Ex- Lands  

Filani  

Forum  River 

Gold  Coast  Consolidated 

Gurum  River 

Jantar  

Jos    

Kaduna  

Kaduna  Prospectors 

Kano  

Kassa-Ropp  

Keffi 

Kuru    

Kuskie 

Kwall  

Lower  Bisichi  

Lucky  Chance 

Minna 

Mongu 

Naraguta    

Naraguta  Extended   

New  Lafon    

Nigerian  Tin 

Ninghi 

N.N.  Bauchi 

Offin  River 

Rayfield  

Ropp    

Ruktiba  

South  Bukeru  

Sybu    

Tin  Areas  

Tin  Fields 

Toro 

Union  &  Rhodesian  Trust  

Federated  Malay  States  : 

Chenderiang 

Gopeng   

Idris  Hydraulic    

Ipoh 

Kamunting     

Kinta    

Kledang 

Lahat  

Malayan  Tin 

Pahang    

Rambutan  

Sungei  Besi  

Tekka 

Tekka-Taiping 

Tronoh    

Tronoh  South  

Cornwall : 

Cornwall  Tailings  

Dolcoath    

East  Pool  

Geevor    

South  Crofty    

Other  Countries  : 

Aramayo  Francke  (Bolivia) 

Briseis  (Tasmania) 

Deebook  (Siam)  

Mawchi  (Burma) 

Porco  (Bolivia) 

Renong  (Siam) 

Rooiberg  Minerals  (Transvaal)  ••• 

Siamese  Tin  (Siam)   

Tongkah  Harbour  (Siam)    

Zaaiplaats  (Transvaal) 


Year 

1918 

Tons 

33 

207 

146 

275 

17 

60 

342 

37 

274 

30 

99 

141 

228 

178 

60 

133 

118 

12 

21 

108 

99 

27 

40 

476 

478 

280 

198 

87 

435 
120 
689 
836 
132 
94 
40 
96 
108 
17 


179 
979 
136 
245 
236 
478 
28 
399 
730 

1,877 
207 
408 
508 
400 

1,364 
133 

140 
787 
1,336 
392 
598 

1,816 
327 
398 
658 
227 
615 
335 
989 

1,528 
563 


Oct. 
1919 
Tons 


H) 
4 

J7 
3 
5 

30 
5 

18 

10 

in 

14 
14 

11 


6 

42 

6 

45 
10U 
6 
6 
2 
8 


45 
47 

183 
18 
37 
42 
23 

121 


172 
11 
32 
46 
23 
62 
13 
95 

124 
13 


Year 

1919 

Tons 

16 

117 

120 

63 

1 

168 

46 

56 

200 

25 

143 

29 

91 

91 

173 

155 

58 

126 

84 

30 

231 

7 

38 

64 

25 

36 

447 

353 

229 

125 

25 

46 

324 

50 

533 

884 

41 

44 

25 

65 

137 

3 

6 

197 
665 
187 
135 
168 
372 
10 
373 
528 

1,809 
138 
332 
377 
266 

1.228 


554 
833 
186 
476 

1.931 
183 
242 
618 
232 
703 
222 
551 

1,005 
248 


Nigerian  Tin  Production. 
In  long  tons  of  concentrate  of  unspecified  content. 
Note      These  figures  are  taken  from  the  monthly  returns 
made  by  individual  companies  reporting  in  London,  and 
probably  represent  85%  of  the  actual  outputs. 


j     1914 

1915     (     1916    |     1917 

1918 

1919 

January  

February    ••■ 

Tons 
485 
469 
502 

Tons       Tons       Tons 

417  531           667 
358           528          646 

418  547            655 
444            486            555 
357           536           509 
373           510           473 

Tons 
678 
668 
707 
584 
525 
492 
545 
571 
520 
491 
472 
518 

Tons 
613 
623 
606 

482 
480 
460 
432 
228 
269 
272 
283 
326 

546 
483 

484 

July  

September 

November  ... 
December  ... 

Total     • 

455           506 
438           498 
442           535 
511            584 
467           679 
533           654 

479 
551 

538 
578 
621 
655 

481 
616 
561 
625 

4.70H 

5.213         6.594 

6.927 

6.771 

5.638 

Total  Sales  op  Tin  Concentrate  at  Redruth  Ticketings. 


July  1 

July  15   

July  29  

August  12 

August  26 

September  9    •■  

September  24 

October  7... 

October  21   

November  4 

November  18  

December  2     

December  16  

December  30  

Total  and  Average 

1918 

Januarv  13.  1919 

January  27   

February  10 •••• 

February  24 

March  10  

March  24 

April7  

April  22 

May  5  

May  19 

June  2 

June  16 

June  30 

July  14  

July  28  

August  11 

August  25 

September8    

September  2  . 

October8 

October  20   

November  3 

November  17 

December  1    


Lone  tons  Value 


Average 


1701 

164 

146i 

144 

142 

142 

143 

13i 

150 

1411 

150 

166? 

1754 

152 


4.094 


£786.541 


160 

135* 
153 
142 
144% 

1484 
1344 
134J 
129 
1264 
140 
139 
136 
145 
122 
12/4 
130* 
1154 
1354 
72 
32 
344 
39 
38 


Details  of  Redruth  Tin  Ticketings. 


Nov.  3 

Nov.  17 

Dec.  1 

Tons 
Sold 

Tons 
Sold 

Tons        Realized 
Sold          per  ton 

Grenville  Utd.,  No.  1 

No.  la 

No  2 

Tincroft  Mines.  No.  1 

„      No.  la 

7 

6 

2 

5* 

6 

8 

7 
7 

5 
6 
14 

£    s.    d. 

6            156    7     6 
6            156     2     6 
2             5S  15     0 

5  171     7    6 

6  172    0    0 

Penryn  Min'l  No.  1 
n      No.  la 

—  6            155  10    0 

—  6            156  15     0 

—  1            150  17    6 

Total 

34* 

39            38 

DECEMBER,    1919 


365 


Production  of  Tin  in  Federated   Malay  States. 


Estimated  at  70%  of  Concentrate  shipped  to  Smelters.     Long 
Tons.     *  Figures  not  published. 

1915 

1916 

1917 

1918 

1919 

January     ••• 
February  ... 

Tons 
4,395 
3,780 
3,653 
3,619 
3.823 
4,048 
3,544 
4,046 
3,932 
3,797 
4,059 
4,071 

Tons 
4,316 
3.372 
3.696 
3,177 
3.729 
3.435 
3.517 
3,732 
3,636 
3,681 
3,635 
3,945 

Tons 
3,558 
2,755 
3,286 
3,251 
3,413 
3.489 
3,253 
3,413 
3,154 
3,436 
3,300 
3,525 

Tons 
3,149 
3.191 
2,608 
3.308 
3.332 
2,950 
3,373 
3.259 
3.166 
2,870 
3,131 
3,023 

Tons 
3,765 
2.673 
2,819 
2.855 
3.404 

July    

September  . 

October 

November  . 
December  . 

2,873 
3.756 
2.955 
3.161 
3,221 
2,972 

46.767 

43.871 

39.833 

37.370 

34.454 

PRICES   OF   CHEMICALS.     December  8. 


I   s.  d. 


Stocks  of  Tin 
Reported  by  A.  Strauss  &  Co. 


Long  Tons. 


Straits  and  Australian  Spot  

Ditto,  Landing  and  in  Transit  

Other  Standard,  Spot  and  Landing  ... 

Straits,  Afloat 

Australian,  Afloat 

Banca,  in  Holland 

Ditto,  Afloat    

Billiton,  Spot 

Billiton,  Afloat   

Straits,  Spot  in  Holland  and  Hamburg 

Ditto,  Afloat  to  Continent 

Total  Afloat  for  United  States 

Stock  in  America 

Total 


Oct.  31, 
1919 


Tons 
2.515 
1,235 
1,900 
1,390 

178 
1,000 

775 

49 

276 
5,929 
7,560 


22,807 


Nov.  30, 
1919 


Tons 
1,658 

805 
1.537 
1,310 

298 
1,899 

395 


225 
6,503 
4,955 


19.585 


Shipments,  Imports,  Supply,  and  Consumption  of  Tin. 
Reported  by  A.  Strauss  &  Co.     Long  tons. 


Oct. 
1919 


Tons 

Shipments  from  : 

Straits  to  U.K 1.060 

Straits  to  America    3,070 

Straits  to  Continent 301 

Straits  to  Other  Places  341 

Australia  to  U.K 250 

U.K.  to  America   1,479 

Imports  of  Bolivian  Tin  into  Europe...  1.819 

Supply: 

Straits   4,431 

Australian    250 

Billiton 

Banca    1,950 

Standard  1,267 

Consumption  : 

U  K.  Deliveries 1,650 

Dutch         1,137 

American  2,875 

Straits,  Banca  &  Billiton,  Continen 
tal  Ports,  etc 


Straits  in  hands  of  Malay  Government 

controlled  by  U.S.  Government 
ii  French  and  Italian 


Nov. 
1919 


Tons 

620 
3,290 

225 
75 

250 

891 
2,414 


4,135 
250 


2,122 

656 

6.6C5 


Governments. 


Banca  in  Trading  Company's  hands  ... 


Alum  per  ton 

Alumina,  Sulphate  of 

Ammonia,  Anhydrous per  lb. 

0'880  solution   per  ton 

Carbonate per  lb. 

Chloride  of,  grey per  ton 

,,    pure per  cwt. 

Nitrate  of  per  ton 

Phosphateof 

Sulphate  of  

Antimony  Sulphide per  lb. 

Arsenic,  White per  ton 

Barium  Sulphate 

Bisulphide  of  Carbon 

Bleaching  Powder,  35%  CI 

Borax  , 

Copper,  Sulphate  of    

Cyanide  of  Sodium,  100% per  lb. 

Hydrofluoric  Acid    ,, 

Iodine ,, 

Iron,  Sulphate  of per  ton 

Lead,  Acetate  of,  white ,, 

,,      Nitrate  of   

Oxide  of,  Litharge   

,,      White  

Lime,  Acetate,  brown 

grey  80% 

Magnesite,  Calcined  

Magnesium  Chloride 

,,  Sulphate ,, 

Methylated  Spirit  64°  Industrial     per  gal. 

Phosphoric  Acid  per  lb. 

Potassium  Bichromate   

Carbonate  per  ton 

Chlorate  , per  lb. 

Chloride  80%     per  ton 

Hydrate  (Caustic)  90% 

Nitrate 

Permanganate    per  lb 

Prussiate,  Yellow 

Sulphate,  90%   per  ton 

Sodium  Metal  per  lb. 

,,        Acetate per  ton 

,,        Arsenate  45  % ,, 

,,        Bicarbonate   

Bichromate    per  lb. 

Carbonate  (Soda  Ash)...    per  ton 

,,         (Crystals) 

Chlorate per  lb. 

Hydrate,  76%   per  ton 

,,        Hyposulphite..., 

Nitrate,  95% 

Phosphate 

,,        Prussiate per  lb. 

Silicate    per  ton 

,,        Sulphate  (Salt-cake) 

,,         (Glauber's  Salts)    ,, 

,,        Sulphide 

Sulphur,  Roll 

,,  Flowers 

Sulphuric  Acid,  Non-Arsenical... 
140°T. 

90%        .. 

.. 

Superphosphate  of  Lime,  18% 

Tartaric  Acid per  lb. 

Zinc  Chloride per  ton 

Zinc  Sulphate ,, 


16 

10 

0 

16 

10 

0 

2 

0 

33 

0 

0 

47 

0 

0 

4 

0 

0 

60 

0 

0 

110 

0 

0 

19 

0 

0 

1 

3 

65 

0 

0 

12 

0 

0 

55 

0 

0 

17 

0 

0 

39 

0 

0 

41 

0 

0 

11 

7 

16 

0 

4 

10 

0 

83 

0 

0 

56 

0 

0 

50 

0 

0 

52 

0 

0 

14 

0 

0 

20 

0 

0 

36 

0 

0 

16 

0 

0 

12 

0 

0 

5 

7 

1 

9 

1 

6 

100 

0 

0 

1 

0 

25 

0 

0 

105 

0 

0 

55 

0 

0 

3 

3 

o 

1 

25 

0 

0 

1 

3 

49 

0 

0 

45 

0 

0 

S 

10 

0 

11 

12 

10 

0 

5 

10 

0 
6 

24 

0 

0 

19 

0 

0 

21 

0 

0 

28 

0 

1 

0 
0 

12 

0 

0 

3 

10 

0 

4 

0 

0 

25 

0 

0 

23 

0 

0 

23 

0 

0 

5 

0 

0 

7 

5 

3 

9 

7 

6 

5 

0 

0 

3 

> 

23 

0 

0 

21 

0 

0 

366 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


SHARE  QUOTATIONS 

Shares  are  £l  par  value  except  where  otherwise  noted. 


GOLD,    SILVER, 
DIAMONDS: 
Rand  : 

Brakpan 

Central  Mining  (£8)    

City  &  Suburban  (£4) 

City  Deep 

Consolidated  Gold  Fields 

Consolidated  I.anglaagte 

Consolidated  Main  Reef 

Consolidated  Mines  Selection (10s.) 

Crown  Mines  (10s  ) 

Daggafontein 

Durban  Roodepoort  Deep 

East  Rand  Proprietary 

Ferreira  Deep 

Geduld 

Geldenhuis  Deep 

Gov't  Gold  Mining  Areas 

Heriot 

Johannesburg  Consolidated 

Jupiter  

Kleinfontein 

Knight  Central 

Knights  Deep  

Langlaagte  Estate 

Meyer  &  Charlton 

Modderfontein  (£4) 

Modderfontein  B 

M odder  Deep  (5s.) 

Modder  East  

Nourse 

Rand  Mines  (5s.) I 

Rand  Selection  Corporation 

Randfontein  Central 

Robinson  (£5) 

Robinson  Deep  A  (Is.) 

Rose  Deep 

Simmer  &  Jack  

Simmer  Deep 

Springs 

Sub  Nigel 

Union  Corporation  (12s.  6d.)    .. 

Van  Ryn 

Van  Ryn  Deep 

Village  Deep  

Village  Main  Reef 

Witwatersrand  (Knight's) 

Witwatersrand  Deep  

Wolhuter 

Other  Transvaal  Gold  Mines : 

Glynn's  Lydenburg 

Sheba  (5s.)  

Transvaal  Gold  Mining  Estates. ... 
Diamonds  in  South  Africa: 

De  Beers  Deferred  (£2  10s.) 

Jagersfontein 

Premier  Deferred  (2s.  6d.) 

Rhodesia  : 

Cam  &  Motor 

Chartered  British  South  Africa  .... 

Eldorado 

Falcon 

Gaika 

Giant I 

Globe  &  Phoenix  (5s.) 

Lonely  Reef 

Rezende.. 

Sbamva 

Willoughby's  (10s.) 

West  Africa  : 

Abbontiakoon  (10s.) 

Abosso 

Ashanti  (4s.)    

Prestea  Block  A 

Taq  ua  h 

West  Australia  : 

Associated  Gold  Mines  

Associated  Northern  Blocks 

Bullfinch  

Golden  Horse-Shoe  (£5) 

Great  Boulder  Proprietary(2s.) 

Great  Fingall  (10s) 

Ivanhoe  (£5)    

Kalgurli 

Lake  View  &  Oroya  (10s.)  

Sons  of  Gwalia  

South  Kalgurli  (10s.) 


Dec.  6 

1918 
£    s.   d. 

3  15    0 

7  17     6 
17     0 

2  17  0 

1   17  6 

1     1  3 

17  0 

1  6  6 

2  10  0 
1     4     6 

10  0 

5  3 

15  0 

1  15  0 

13  9 

4  12  0 
1  2  0 
1     3 

5 

15 
5 
9 
19 
4  16 
26    2 

8  0 
7  12 


17 

3  8 

4  5 
13 
16 
18 
18 

6 

3 

3    8 

1  14 

16 

1     0 

3    8 

1     0 

15 

1     7 

14 

5 


1     2    6 

1     3 

16    6 


Dec.   5 

1919 
£    s.  d. 


3  17 
11  10 
9 
3  5 
3  1 
1  6 
14 
1  13 
3  12 
1     3 


10 
11 
12 

3  2 
13 

5     5 

12  0 
1  12  6 
8  0 
15  0 
7  6 
10 

1  0 

4  15 
32  0 
9    5 

2  12 
1   II 

15 

3  15 

5  7 
19 


14    0 
3    9 


16  3 
2  0 
15    0 


16  0 

0 

30 

0 

0 

4  7 

6 

7 

5 

0 

6  17 

6 

13 

10 

0 

9 

0 

1(1 

0 

1  3 

6 

1 

1 

6 

6 

9 

5 

6 

1  0 

3 

14 

3 

15 

9 

ir. 

6 

8 

0 

B 

6 

1  8 

0 

17 

fi 

1  17 

6 

3 

2 

fi 

4  12 

6 

4 

12 

fi 

1  15 

0 

2 

.: 

fi 

1 

0 

0 

(. 

5 

0 

3 

0 

7 

3 

13 

9 

1  0 

6 

1 

5 

0 

4 

0 

5 

fi 

14 

6 

IG 

3 

^ 

6 

4 

0 

4 

3 

3 

fi 

1 

9 

3 

fi 

1  16 

3 

1 

fi 

3 

11 

6 

9 

9 

2 

0 

1 

" 

1  13 

9 

1 

18 

9 

10 

6 

12 

fi 

14 

0 

1 

1 

0 

10 

3 

8 

fi 

6 

9 

5 

6 

Gold.  Silver,  cont. 

Others  in  Australasia  : 

Blackwater.  New  Zealand 

Consolidated  G.F.  of  New  Zealand 

Mount  Boppy,  New  South  Wales 

Progress,  New  Zealand 

Talisman,  New  Zealand 

Waihi.  New  Zealand    

Waihi  Grand  Junction,  New  Z'lnd 
America  : 

Buena  Tierra,  Mexico 

Camp  Bird,  Colorado 

El  Oro,  Mexico 

Esperanza.  Mexico  

Frontino  &  Bolivia,  Colombia 

LeRoiNo.2  (£5). British  Columbia 

Mexico  Mines  of  Kl  Oro,  Mexico  . 

Nechi  (Pref.  10s.).  Colombia 

Oroville  Dredging,  Colombia  

Plymouth  Consolidated,  California 

St.  John  delRey,  Brazil  

Santa  Gertrudis,  Mexico 

Tomboy,  Colorado 

Russia  : 

Lena  Goldfields 

Orsk  Priority  

India  : 

Balagbat  

Champion  Reef  (2s.  6d.) 

Mysore  (10s.) 

North  Anantapur  

Nundydroog  (10s.) 

Ooregum  (10s.)    

COPPER : 

Arizona  Copper  (5s.).  Arizona 

Cape  Copper  (£2),  Cape  Province.. 

Esperanza,  Spain 

Hampden  Cloncurry,  Queensland 

Kyshtim.  Russia 

Mason  &  Barry,  Portugal  

Messina  (5s),  Transvaal 

Mount  Elliott  (£5),  Queensland  ... 

Mount  Lyell,  Tasmania  

Mount  Morgan.  Queensland 

Mount  Oxide.  Queensland     

Namaqua  (£2),  Cape  Province 

Rio  Tinto  <£s),  Spain   

Sissert,  Russia   

Spassky.  Russia | 

Tanalyk,  Russia 

Tanganyika.  Congo  and  Rhodesia    ' 

LEAD-ZINC  : 
Broken  Hill 

Amalgamated  Zinc   

British  Broken  Hill  

Broken  Hill  Proprietary  (8s.)  

Broken  Hill  Block  10  (£10) 

Broken  Hill  North 

Broken  Hill  South 

Sulphide  Corporation  (15s.)  

Zinc  Corporation  (10s.) 

Asia  : 

Burma  Corporation 

Irtysh  Corporation   

Russian  Mining 

Russo- Asiatic 


Dec.  6 

1918 

£    s.   d. 


15 


Share 


TIN: 

Aramayo  Francke,  Bolivia 

Bisichi,  Nigeria  

Briseis,  Tasmania 

Dolcoath,  Cornwall  

East  Pool,  Cornwall 

Ex-Lands  Nigeria  (2s.).  Nigeria 

Geevor  (10s  )  Cornwall  

Gopeng,  Malay  

Ipoh  Dredging.  Malay     

Kamunting,  Malaya  

Kinta,  Malaya 

Malayan  Tin  Dredging,  Malay.. 

Mongu  (10s.),  Nigeria  

Naraguta,  Nigeria 

N.  N.  Bauchi .  Nigeria  (10s.)    

Pabang  Consolidated  (5s.),  Malay. 

Raybeld,  Nigeria   

Renong  Dredging,  Siam  •• 

Ropp  (4s.).  Nigeria 

Siamese  Tin.  Siam 

South  Crofty  (5s.).  Cornwall 

Tehidy  Minera'.s(15s.  pd.)  Cornw'l 

Tekka,  Malay    

Tekka-Taiping.  Malay     

Tronoo,  Malay   

capital  expanded. 


1  6 

2  15 

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1919 

£  s.  d. 


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1  9 
8  9 

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13  6 


15    0 
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15 

16 

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THE   MINING  DIGEST 

A     RECORD     OF     PROGRESS     IN     MINING,    METALLURGY.    AND     GEOLOGY 

In  this  section  we  give  abstracts  of  important  articles  and  papers  appearing  in  technical  journals  and 

proceedings  of  societies,  together  with  brief  records  of  other  articles  and  papers  ;  also  reviews  of  new 

books,  and  abstracts  of  the  yearly  reports  of  mining  companies. 


SULMAN   ON  FLOTATION. 


At  the  November  meeting  of  the  Institution  of  Min- 
ing and  Metallurgy,  H.  L.  Sulman  presented  a  paper 
entitled  "A  Contribution  to  the  Study  of  Flotation." 
The  paper  occupies  100  pages  of  the  Institution's  Bul- 
letin, and  consists  of  a  siudy,  in  non-mathematical 
language,  of  the  forces  controlling  the  flotation  action. 
Herewith  is  given  Mr.  Sulman's  summary.  Further 
reference  to  thepaper  is  made  in  the  Editorial  columns. 

Flotation  reactions  result  from  the  molecular  forces 
acting  at  the  surfaces  of  solids  and  liquids  ;  these  arise 
from  unbalanced  molecular  attractions  in  the  surface- 
layers,  which  in  turn  are  in  functional  relation  to  the 
balanced  molecular  attractions  constituting  cohesion 
for  a  solid  or  a  liquid.  Every  solid  and  liquid  there- 
fore possesses  excess  energy  at  its  surface,  which  may 
be  exhibited  in  adhesion  effects. 

Flotation  phenomena  occur  in  accordance  with  the 
principle  that  where  more  than  one  equilibrium  is  pos- 
sible, that  which  involves  the  greater  diminution  of 
the  energy  of  the  system  will  result. 

The  surface-tension  of  a  liquid  can  be  measured, 
and  its  changes  quantified.  This  is  not  possible  for 
solids,  nor  for  solid/liquid  systems,  since  the  surface 
area  of  a  solid  cannot  be  altered  by  its  unbalanced 
forces,  as  is  possible  for  liquids.  We  are,  however, 
justified  in  assuming  surface-energy  usually  to  be  of 
higher  order  for  solids  than  for  liquids. 

In  a  system  of  two  immiscible  liquids  and  two  differ- 
ent solids,  the  "  selective  wetting  "  effects  which  occur 
will  be  in  the  direction  of  the  greater  reduction  of  in- 
terfacial  energy  possible  for  each  liquid/solid  couple. 

Liquid/solid  adhesion  is  reciprocal  to  interfacial  ten- 
sion ;  for  a  liquid/solid  contact,  high  interfacial  ten- 
sion implies  low  adhesion  and  flotability  ;  low  inter- 
facial tension  means  greater  adhesion  or  wetting,  and 
sinking. 

The  degree  of  wetting  can  be  relatively  quantified 
by  the  contact-angle  made  between  the  free  surface  of 
the  liquid  and  that  of  the  solid. 

For  pronounced  flotability  a  contact  angle  approach- 
ing, and  preferably  exceeding,  90°  is  required. 

For  a  substance  in  contact  with  a  liquid  to  possess 
a  contact-angle  of  zero  value  indicates  that  its  surface 
energy  has  been  reduced  by  wetting  by  the  full  value 
of  that  of  the  liquid.  Flotability  has  been  extinguish- 
ed before  this  limit  is  reached  ;  but  such  degree  of 
wetting  does  not  imply  that  the  intetfacial  tension  at 
the  contact  has  been  reduced  to  zero. 

For  "complete  wet  ting"  interfacial  tension  must  ben/7, 
when  the  adhesion  between  solid  and  liquid  becomes 
maximum.  This  may  give  rise  to  "sol"  formation, 
but  is  coincident  with  the  condition  of  "  suspension" 
of  a  solid  particle  in  the  liquid  when  the  former  is  suf- 
ficiently small ;  it  therefore  coincides  with  complete 
deflocculation. 

Contact  angles  have  a  minimum  and  maximum 
value  ;  the  angular  difference  between  these  values  is 
the  hysteresis  of  the  contact-angle,  which  permits  a 
wider  range  of  equilibrium  for  a  floating  particle. 

With  crushed  ore  and  plain  water  preferential  wet- 
ting effects  overlap,    or  are   not   usually    sufficiently 

6-7  367 


marked  to  permit  of  useful  flotation  or  the  separation 
of  sulphide  minerals  from  g*angue.  The  addition  of 
reagents  and  specific  procedures  are  necessary  to  in- 
tensify such  differences  until  they  become  of  practical 
use.  If  water  be  the  flotation  medium,  an  immiscible 
fluid  (oil)  is  employed  to  diminish  to  greater  extent  the 
surface  energy  of  the  sulphide,  which  therefore  floats  ; 
while  adhesion  between  gangue  and  water  (reduction 
of  interfacial  energy  to  a  minimum)  is  promoted  by 
the  addition  of  acid  or  alkali  to  the  water,  so  that  the 
gangue  remains  submerged. 

The  foregoing  is  the  statical  aspect  of  flotation. 
The  dynamical  aspect  is  concerned  with  the  molecular 
constitution  of  the  interfaces,  with  the  kinetic  effects 
of  molecular  motion  at  the  surfaces  and  interfaces  of 
solids  and  liquids,  and  with  those  in  the  interior  of 
liquids. 

Solid  surfaces  are  probably  penetrable  by  the  mole- 
cules of  liquids  to  minute  and  sometimes  to  sensible 
distances ;  this  dynamically  enhances  the  adhesions 
between  them  which  have  been  considered  on  static 
grounds.  Such  penetration  may  give  rise  to  a  persis- 
tent tendency  for  the  solid  to  be  again  wetted  by  the 
same  liquid. 

Solid  surfaces  undergo  profound  molecular  modifi- 
cation by  light  friction  ;  if  this  take  place  in  presence 
of  a  liquid,  the  molecules  of  the  latter  will  be  included 
in  greater  number  in  the  modified  surface  than  results 
from  simple  contact.  These  effects  have  important 
bearings  on  the  wet-crushing  of  ores. 

Freshly  broken  solid  surfaces  often  undergo  a  spon- 
taneous molecular  alteration,  accompanied  by  a  dim- 
inution of  surface  energy  ;  this  does  not  appear  to 
be  due  to  the  adsorption  of  an  air  film  nor  even  to  an 
airborne  "greasy"  deposition. 

Concentration  of  foreign  molecules  at  the  surface  of 
a  pure  or  homogeneous  liquid  (positive  adsorption)  re- 
duces the  surface-tension  of  the  liquid  and  confers  up- 
on it  the  property  of  "  frothing." 

Fine  mineral  suspensions  are  adsorbed  at  a  pure 
water  surface,  but  give  a  film  of  low  stability. 

Many  organic  substances  are  similarly  adsorbed. 
Those  which  too  greatly  lower  the  surface-tension  of 
the  water,  and  the  strain  at  the  solid/water  interface, 
produce  a  barren  "air-water  "  froth. 

Frothing  reagents  useful  in  flotation  produce  a  froth 
with  water,  yet  leave  a  partial  strain  (mineral-adsorp- 
tive  energy)  at  the  bubble  surface.  The  mineral  ad- 
sorption now  stabilizes  the  film,  especially  if  the  min- 
eral be  minutely  oil-filmed  ;  still  more  so  if  flocculated. 
To  be  employed  effectively  the  bubble-system  must  be 
disseminated  throughout  the  mass  of  ore-pulp 

When  water-strain  is  completely  removed  from  the 
surface  of  suspended  particles,  deflocculation  results  : 
as  by  the  use  of  acid,  alkalis,  silicate  of  soda,  and  cer- 
tain sols  with  associated  water  agglomerates. 

While  a  strained  water-zone  persists  around  suspend 
ed  particles,  these  will  tend  to  agglomerate  if  the  parti- 
cles be  brought  sufficiently   near  together  to  permit 
their  strained  layers  to  coalesce.     This  is  aided  by  the 
brownian  motion  of  the  particles,  which   alone   will 


368 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


produce  slow  agglomeration  effects. 

Flocculation  is  greatly  increased  by  mechanical 
agitation,  which  naturally  promotes  contacts  ;  by  mi- 
nutely oiling  the  particles,  which  intensifies  the  strain  ; 
and  by  contact  with  air  (bubbles)  where  the  surface 
forces,  in  exerting  adsorption,  act  agglomeratively. 
These  are  factors  in  the  "forced  flocculation"  neces- 
sary to  produce  standard  mineralized  froths,  wherein 
the  bubbles  may  be  coated  with  a  layer  of  scores,  of 
particles  in  thickness. 


Generally,  if  a  substance  can  be  flocculated  it  can 
be  floated. 

Electrical  phenomena  are  concomitants  of  minor 
order  ;  the  establishment  of  differing  electrical  poten- 
tials in  frothing  apparatus  units  has  so  far  failed  to 
produce  any  appreciable  result. 

Flotation  therefore  depends  in  bringing  about  the 
most  advantageous  selective  adhesions,  selective  ad- 
sorptions, and  selective  flocculations  between  thecom- 
plex  of  particles  in  an  ore-pulp. 


THE    PREMIER   .GOLD-SILVER    MINE,   NORTHERN    BRITISH    COLUMBIA 


Many  rumours  have  been  current  in  London  during 
the  last  few  months  with  regard  to  an  alleged  wonder- 
ful gold  discovery  somewhere  near  Klondyke.  The 
basis  for  these  rumours  is  the  development  of  the  Pre- 
mier gold  mine,  which  is  situated  in  the  Salmon  River 
district,  to  the  north  of  the  Anyox  mine  of  the  Granby 
Consolidated,  and  above  the  head  of  the  Portland 
Canal,  not  far  from  the  Alaska  boundary.  In  the  map, 
the  position  of  the  mine  is  marked  "  Bush,"  which  is 
the  name  of  one  of  the  pioneers.  We  take  the  follow- 
ing account  of  the  mine  from  the  Canadian  Mining 
Journal  for  October  8.  It  is  written  by  Charles  Bunt- 
ing, one  of  the  earliest  pioneers  of  the  Salmon  Hiver 
district.  For  the  map  we  are  indebted  to  the  Mining 
and  Scientific  Press. 

The  deposits  were  discovered  and  staked  by  William 
Dilworth  and  the  Bunting  brothers  in  June,  1910.  Two 
claims,  numbered  4  and  8,  along  with  an  adjoining 
group  staked  later  by  other  parties,  passed  to  the  con- 
trol of  O.  B.  Bush,  the  Salmon-Bear  River  Mining 
Co.  being  organized  by  him  during  the  winter  of  1910 
— 11  to  operate  them.  The  work  done  during  the  two 
following  summers  by  the  company  consisted  of  short 
tunnels  and  surface  cuts,  and  was  confined  to  low- 
grade  showings,  the  results  being  fairly  good.  A  great 
outcrop  of  quartz,  containing  some  iron  pyrites,  and  a 
little  native  silver  was  "  passed  up  "  after  a  few  shots 
had  been  put  into  it,  and  no  attempt  was  made  to  trace 
it  at  the  time.  This  outcrop  has,  however,  since 
proved  to  be  the  biggest  and  best  surface  showing  of 
a  high-grade  vein  which  has  attracted  so  much  atten- 
tion. The  property  was  then  idle  until  the  summer  of 
1914,  when  it  was  examined  for  an  eastern  Canadian 
company  by  W.  J.  Rolfe.  The  quartz  outcrop  attrac- 
ted his  attention  and  work  was  commenced  at  once. 
The  vein  was  traced  for  fully  800  ft.  down  the  bill  in 
a  westerly  direction,  the  surface  was  stripped,  and  cuts 
put  in  at  intervals  along  its  whole  length.  The  results 
were  excellent,  valuable  ore  being  exposed  in  every 
cut,  some  of  it  running  as  high  as  $500  in  gold  and 
silver.  Though  securing  such  fine  returns,  for  some 
unknown  reason — possibly  on  account  of  the  outbreak 
of  the  war — this  company  discontinued  work. 

The  property  was  afterwards  bonded  for  New  York 
interests  by  H.  R.  Plate,  and  work  commenced  the  en- 
suing winter.  A  tunnel,  No.  1,  was  started  at  an  ele- 
vation of  2, 1C0  ft.  on  the  high  grade  vein,  and  another 
tunnel,  No.  2,  at  an  elevation  of  1,850  ft.  on  the  middle 
low-grade  vein.  No.  2  cut  the  ore-shoot  diagonally 
for  over  30  ft.,  the  values  beinggood.  The  tunnel  was 
extended  about  200  ft.  beyond  the  ore-shoot  into  the 
country  rock,  and  a  cross-cut  of  30  ft.  to  the  left  from 
the  face  was  also  in  country  rock.  Work  was  then 
stopped  in  this  tunnel.  No.  1  tunnel  was  also  driven 
diagonally  across  the  ore-shoot,  which  left  the  tunnel 
on  the  right  side  at  a  point  about  SO  ft.  from  the  por- 
tal. The  tunnel  was  continued  almost  straight  ahead 
— following  a  slip  for  a  considerable  distance — for  a 
mrther  170  ft.,  a  total  of  250  ft-,  without  picking  up  the 


ore  again.  A  cross-cut  was  also  driven  to  the  right 
for  about  12  ft.,  about  half  of  it  being  in  vein-filling, 
but  lean.  This  tunnel  was  then  abandoned.  A  cross- 
cut was  then  driven  northerly  from  a  gulch  200  ft.  south 
of  the  tunnel.  After  being  driven  60  ft.  without  get- 
ting ore,  this,  too,  was  abandoned.  A  cross-cut  tunnel, 
No.  4,  was  now  started  farther  down  the  hill,  about 
450  ft.  below  No.  2  and  driven  about  500  ft.  before  the 
vein  was  encountered.  This  proved  to  have  a  width 
of  well  over  100ft.,  but  was  poorly  mineralized.  A 
drift  of  40ft.  alongside  a  small  diorite  dyke  was  run, 
in  which  some  ore  was  just  showing  when  the  New 
York  syndicate  threw  up  their  bond  and  quit  the  camp, 
after  operations  extending  over  nearly  IS  months  at  a 
cost  exceeding  $60,000. 

In  the  summer  of  1918.  a  few  months  after  H.  R 
Plate  had  left.  R.  K.  Neill  of  Spokane  was  induced  by 
Pat  Daly — who  had  been  foreman  for  both  Bush  and 
Plate  and  still  believed  it  would  make  a  mine — to  look 
over  the  property.  The  examination  and  sampling 
proving  satisfactory,  Mr  Neill  bonded  it  the  following 
winter  for  *100, 000,  beginning  work  in  the  spring. 
His  first  work  was  done  in  No.  1  tunnel  at  the  point 
where  the  high-grade  left  it  to  find  out  what  happened 
to  the  ore,  with  the  intention  of  following  it  if  it  con- 
tinued. A  few  shifts  sufficed  to  show  that  the  vein  was 
really  paralleling  the  tunnel,  and  at  no  point  in  the 
whole  250  ft.  of  Plate's  work  was  it  more  than  6  ft. 
awav,  while  the  face  of  the  tunnel  where  work  was 
stopped  was  actually  in  the  vein.  As  the  vein  here  is 
almost  barren — assay-values  $1  50— and  closely  re- 
sembles the  wall-rock  in  which  he  had  drifted  for  the 
last  160ft.,  no  doubt  Mr.  Plate  failed  to  realize  that 
he  was  in  the  vein.  Had  he,  before  deserting  this  tun- 
nel, driven  two  feet  to  the  right  he  would  have  been 
in  §5  ore.  while  five  feet  ahead   would  have  reached 


hifih-grade  ore.     This  is  an  outstanding  example  of  a 
great  mine  being  missed  by  a  very  small  margin. 


)i£n-graa< 
jrlat  mine 

is  just  such  hazards  and  great  rewards  that  gives  min- 
ing the  fascination  no  other  industry  possesses. 

When  the  first  work  showed  beyond  a  doubt  the 
real  direction  of  the  ore-body,  nothing  more  was  done 
there.  A  cross  cut  was  started  about  60  ft.  farther  in, 
and  reached  the  ore  in  6  ft.  Plate's  12  ft.  cross-cut  was 
extended  about  30  ft.  After  driving  each  of  these 
cross-cuts  into  good  ore  for  nearly  40  ft.,  without  reach- 
ing the  other  wall,  Neill  decided  to  start  a  cross-cut 
from  the  face  where  Rlate  had  quit,  and  also  to  drive 
ahead  a  further  GOO  ft.  to  get  under  the  last  of  the 
series  of  open  cuts,  which  exposes  the  ore-shoot  on  the 
surface  and  shows  it  to  have  a  width  of  from  100  to 
150  ft.  This  cross-cut.  No.  3,  showed  good  milling- 
ore  the  first  round  ;  at  15  ft.  high-grade  came  in  and 
continued  the  full  length  of  the  cut.  It  was  driven  82 
ft.  without  reaching  the  hanging  wall  ;  a  cut  on  the 
surface  directly  above  shows  fully  40  ft.  of  good  ore 
yet  to  be  cut.  For  some  distance  the  full  width  gave 
values  of  several  hundred  dollars  per  ton  in  gold  and 
silver,  while  the  average  for  the  entire  82  ft.  is  better 


DECEMBER,    1919 


369 


than  $55.  The  face  of  the  main  tunnel  was  swung  a 
little  to  the  right  and  driven  ahead.  In  four  feet,  ore 
running  over  $125  per  ton  was  disclosed  on  the  right- 
hand  side  ;  at  10  ft.  there  was  a  full  face  of  ore,  show- 
ing considerable  native  and  ruby  silver  which  gave 
values  of  $153  per  ton.  This  tunnel  has  since  been 
driven  about  350  ft.  farther  and  with  the  exception  of 
about  30  ft.,  when  passing  through  some  almost  bar- 
ren ground,  the  full  width  of  the  tunnel  has  been  in 
high-grade  ore,  averaging  several  hundred  dollars  per 
ton.  No.  4  cross-cut,  which  is  in  about  40  ft.,  cut  10 
ft.  of  high-grade,  then  passed  into  ore  of  a  lower  grade. 
No.  5  cross-cut,  recently  started,  averages  $50  per  ton 
for  the  six  feet  it  is  in.  This  tunnel  is  now  in  a  distance 
of  approximately   600ft.,  giving  a  vertical  depth  of 


Map  of  Part  of  Northern  British  Columbia 

Tlie  Premier  Mine  is  til   Hush. 


nearly  300  ft.  It  has  still  to  be  driven  about  200  ft.  to 
get  under  the  great  surface  exposure  already  describ- 
ed. This  will  give  an  additional  depth  of  perhaps  50 
ft.  only,  as  the  hill  flattens  considerably  above. 

In  the  block  of  ground  800  ft.  long  and  fully  100  ft. 
wide  as  proved  by  surface-cut  and  underground  work 
and  from  the  surface  to  the  present  level,  reserves  of 
at  least  1,000,000  tons  can  be  safely  estimated  with  a 
gold  and  silver  content  of  $30  per  ton,  making  a  total 
of  $30,000,000.  A  thorough  sampling  of  all  the  pres- 
ent workings  and  openings  gives  an  average  value  of 
well  over  $30  per  ton.  As  the  ore  shoot  is  bigger, 
stronger,  and  far  richer  in  the  tuDne!  than  on  the  sur- 
face, it  is  safe  to  assume  that  it  will  continue  for  at 
least  50ft.  below  the  present  workings.  In  that  event — 
and  any  engineer  familiar  with  this  ore- 
body  would  concede  that  much — a  fur- 
ther $10,000,000  can  be  added  to  the 
above  total. 

Work  was  resumed  in  No.  2  tunnel 
this  summer,  a  cross-cut  being  driven  to 
theright  to  cut  the  ore-shoot  about  150  ft. 
east  of  the  portal  where  originallv  cut  by 
Mr.  Plate.  In  about  60  ft.  the  ore  was 
cut.  It  had  here  a  width  of  10ft.  and 
the  average  assay-value  across  the  face 
was  just  under  $20  per  ton.  This  cross- 
cut was  continued,  and  has  since  tapped 
the  ore-shoot  to  the  south,  where  the  face 
is  at  present  in  good-quality  ore. 

During  the  whole  summer  of  1918  the 
mine  was  shut  down,  work  being  concen- 
trated on  the  construction  of  a  sleigh-road 
from  the  beach  to  the  mine,  a  distance  of 
16  miles,  and  a  short  dock  at  Hyder  for 
the  purpose  of  shipping  ore  the  next  win- 
ter. Owing  to  unforeseen  delays  in  the 
delivery  of  equipment  and  an  exception- 
ally early  break-up  of  the  snow-road  in 
the  spring,  only  512  tons  was  shipped, 
which  gave  smelter  returns  of  $168,000. 
Two  stopes  have  been  opened  up,  put- 
ting the  mine  in  good  shape  for  shipping 
as  soon  as  the  snow  flies.  Since  the  snow 
went,  operations  have  been  almost  entire- 
ly confined  to  outside  work.  A  portable 
sawmill  is  cutting  lumber  and  a  number 
of  new  buildings  are  being  erected  at  the 
old  camp  for  the  accommodation  of  a 
greatly  increased  force  of  miners.  The 
road  is  being  widened  and  improved,  and 
new  barns  and  other  buildings  will  be 
put  up  at  the  beach  and  the  nine-mile. 
A  new  camp  is  being  built  at  No.  4  tunnel . 
The  vein  in  which  the  ore-body  occurs 
is  a  true  fissure.  Its  strike  is  N.  80°  E., 
its  dip  slight  and  southerly,  The  vein- 
filling  is  largely  quartz-porphyrv,  often 
changed  completely  to  quartz.  The  me- 
tallic minerals  which  can  be  seen  are  : 
argentite,  stephanite,  native  and  ruby 
silver,  and  iron  pyrites  carrying  high 
gold  values,  and  there  is  reason  to  be- 
lieve some  of  the  tellurides  are  present 
at  times.  Some  fine  specimens  of  native 
anil  brittle  silver  and  some  silver  glance 
and  ruby  silver  are  obtained  from  a  small 
persistent  stringer  which  varies  from  I  to 
10  in.  in  width.  The  values  of  the  whole 
ore  body  are  fairly  well  divided  between 
gold  and  silver,  although  the  latter  pre- 
dominates. 


370 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


MINERAL   RESOURCES 

The  paper  presented  by  C.  M.  Harris  at  the  October 
meeting  of  the  Institution  of  Mining  and  Metallurgy, 
entitled  "  Prospecting  for  Gold  and  Other  Ores  in  West 
Australia,"  contained  a  comprehensive  summary  of  the 
known  occurrences  of  ores  in  that  State.  This  we  re- 
produce herewith. 

The  total  value  of  the  principal  mineral  products  up 
to  the  end  of  1918  was  as  follows  : 

i 

Gold    137,611,514 

Coal    2,053,556 

Copper   1,600,772 

Tin  1.380 .838 

Lead    963,880 

Silver 441.070 

The  valueof  molybdenite,  wolfram,  bismuth,  alunite, 
graphite,  mica,  asbestos,  scheelite,  and  pyritic  ore 
totalled  /27,796.  Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  the  metal- 
liferous minerals  made  up  by  far  the  greater  proportion, 
gold  representing  95%,  and  the  base  metals  3%  of  the 
total  output  of  the  State.  The  East  Coolgardie  Gold- 
field  has  produced  £72, 500, 000  of  gold. 

Gold. — Gold  has  been  found  under  two  separate 
conditions:  (1)  Native  gold,  throughout  the  goldfields  ; 
(2)  Compounds  with  tellurium,  several  different  species 
of  tellurides  of  gold  being  found  at  Boulder,  Kalgoor- 
lie,  Mulgabbie,  and  Ora  Banda. 

Of  metallic  minerals  accompanying  gold,  iron  pyrites 
is  the  most  important  ;  it  is  associated  with,  and  also 
carries,  gold  on  nearly  all  the  fields.  In  the  mines  at 
Boulder  pyrite  is  very  common,  either  with  or  without 
the  tellurides.  Galena  occurs  in  the  gold  reefs  at  Hall's 
Creek  and  all  the  Kimberley  centres,  and  at  Menzies, 
and arsenopyrite  with  gold  at  Meekatharra,  Coolgardie, 
Southern  Cross,  Yuanmi,  and  Randalls.  Zinc  blende 
is  an  indication  of  rich  ore  at  Coolgardie  and  Lawlers. 
Bismuth  and  bismutite  are  found  in  auriferous  quartz 
at  Burbanks,  Dundas,  Yalgoo,  and  Lawlers.  At  Bur- 
banks,  bismuth  alloyed  with  gold  to  the  extent  of  1",, 
has  been  found.  Pyrrhotiie  occurs  in  quartz  reefs  at 
Southern  Cross,  Menzies,  and  Burbanks,  and  magne- 
tite at  Yuanmi.  Chalcopyrite  and  copper  carbonates 
and  chalcocite  are  found  in  association  with  gold  at  Sir 
Samuel,  Tambourah,  Hall's  Creek,  Rothsay,  and 
Ravensthorpe,  and  many  other  centres.  Crocoite 
(chromate  of  lead)  is  found  frequently  associated  with 
gold  at  Comet  Vale,  Ora  Banda,  etc.  Scheelite  occurs 
in  bunches  in  auriferous  reefs  at  Coolgardie  and  Norse- 
man, and  is  usually  characteristic  of  poor  ore.  Stib- 
nite  is  found  associated  with  gold  at  Yuanmi,  Wiluna, 
and  West  Pilbara. 

Quartz  is  the  most  important  matrix  here  as  else- 
where. Gold  occurs  in  dolomite  more  or  less  ferrugin- 
ous at  Kalgoorlie,  Kanowna,  and  Red  Hill  (Coolgardie 
Goldfields).  Chalcedony  is  in  many  quartz  veins,  es- 
pecially on  the  Ivanhoe  and  Boulder  mines.  Second- 
ary sericite,  albite,  and  chlorite  are  the  characteristic 
minerals  of  most  of  the  West  Australian  lode  forma- 
tions. 

The  ore  deposits  fall  naturally  into  the  classes  :  (a) 
primary  deposits :  lodes,  veins,  stockworks,  dykes, 
conglomerates;  (b)  secondary  deposits:  alluvial  de- 
posits. Class  (a)  are  of  chief  importance,  and  are  found 
in  various  types  of  greenstones  and  greenstone  schists, 
almost  all  of  which  arealtereddolentes.  Such  conditions 
prevail  throughout  the  southern  and  central  goldfields. 
In  the  northern  parts  of  the  State,  such  as  Kimberley, 
Gascoyne,  and  parts  of  the  Pilbara  field,  the  primary 
deposits  are  found  in  mica  schists,  slates,  quartzites, 
add  sandstone.     The  greenstones  which  constitute  the 


OF  WEST  AUSTRALIA. 

principal  auriferous  belts  form  long  but  comparatively 
narrow  belts,  and  extend  from  the  south  coast  to  the 
country  lying  between  Port  Sairfpson  and  Port  Hed- 
land  in  the  north-west,  about  latitude  13°,  and  exceed 
20  miles  in  width  in  places.  These  belts  are  mostly 
composed  of  altered  dolerites  of  Archaean  age,  and  it 
is  almost  invariably  found  that  granites  or  rocks  allied 
thereto  are  either  immediately  contiguous  to  the  lodes 
or  sufficiently  near  to  have  exercised  some  influence  on 
the  genesis  of  the  gold  and  other  metallic  minerals. 

The  most  important  of  the  rock  types  is  the  quartz- 
doleriteon  the  Boulder  belt,  as  it  is  in  this  and  its  altera- 
tion products  that  the  principal  gold-bearing  deposits 
occur.  The  chemical  alteration  has  converted  the 
quartz-dolerite  into  an  indefinite  mixture  of  carbonate 
of  lime,  iron,  and  magnesia,  with  some  residual  silicates 
and  a  good  deal  of  original  and  secondary  quartz.  The 
shoots  of  ore  in  these  lodes  are  of  considerable  length, 
and  maintain  their  value  in  depth,  according  to  the  dip 
of  the  quartz-dolerite,  in  which  the  Golden  Horseshoe 
lode  has  been  proved  to  a  depth  of  3,260  ft.  Parallel 
to  these  lodes  and  running  in  a  N.N.W.  direction  are 
a  series  of  quartz-felspar  porphyry  dykes,  and  on  the 
east  and  west  sides  of  the  belt  are  found  the  jasper  bars, 
characteristic  of  the  various  auriferous  areas. 

To  the  east  and  north  of  the  Boulder  belt  is  found 
the  calc  schist  in  which  the  lodes  at  the  Kalgoorlie  end 
of  the  field  occur.  Here  very  wide  lode  formations  are 
found  (such  as  the  Hannan's  Reward),  in  which  the 
quartz  leaders  run  transversely,  the  lode  being  in  places 
100  ft.  wide.  The  shoots  of  ore  in  the  calc  schist  are 
more  erratic  in  value  than  in  the  quartz-dolerite. 

In  some  fields,  for  instance,  Yilgarn,  the  auriferous 
veins  are  closely  associated  with  pegmatites  The  gold- 
bearing  reefs  and  lodes  are  also  common  near  the  more 
or  less  hematite-bearing  quartzites  (jasper  bars).  The 
lodes  may  cross  the  bar  or  lie  parallel  to  it.  Pockets 
of  gold  are  often  found  in  so-called  breaks  in  the  bar 
at  Boogardie,  while  at  Sandstone  enrichments  in  the 
lodes  in  proximity  to  jasper  bars  are  very  noticeable. 
In  Westonia  the  pegmatite  dykes  are  a  source  of  great 
annoyance,  constantly  crossing  the  lode,  but  generally 
speaking  where  these  dykes  are  absent  there  is  little  or 
no  gold,  so  that  they  are  not  altogether  unwelcome. 

In  addition  to  the  veins  and  lode  formations,  gold  is 
also  found  as  a  secondary  constituent  in  the  conglomer- 
ate, which  is  of  sedimentary  origin  and  is  made  up  of 
rounded  and  sub-angular  fragments  of  the  underlying 
strata  at  the  base  of  the  Nullagine  series  and  has  been 
mined  in  two  localities,  Nullagine  and  Just-in-time. 
The  natural  difficulties,  hardness  and  size  of  the  boul- 
ders, tropical  climate,  together  with  the  irregularity  in 
the  grade  of  the  conglomerate,  have  hitherto  made  the 
working  unprofitable.  At  a  later  date,  when  the  Pil- 
bara, Gascoyne,  and  Ashburton  goldfields  come  into 
their  own  and  are  able  to  attract  a  settled  population, 
it  is  quite  possible  that  this  and  many  other  low  grade 
deposits  will  be  worked  to  profit. 

At  Mt.  Singleton  another  conglomerate  is  found, 
which,  like  the  Nullagine,  contains  the  gold  scattered  in 
irregular  quantities  through  the  conglomerate,  and  ex- 
tends for  miles.  The  deposit  in  this  case  is  only  slightly 
inclined  and  was  prospected  by  means  of  a  shaft  sunk 
on  the  lode  from  the  summit  of  a  hill  with  a  little  driv- 
ing, but  the  results  were  not  encouraging.  However, 
the  owners  are  now  cross-cutting  from  the  side  of  the 
hill  through  the  sandstones  and  grits  which  are  found 
on  either  side  of  the  conglomerate.  They  have  found 
gold  in  several  soft  seams  which  apparently  have  been 
impregnated  with  gold  from  the  same  source  as  the 


DECEMBER,  1919 


371 


conglomerate.  Although  at  the  present  time  no  profit- 
able ore  has  been  found  in  this  deposit,  the  results  of 
the  prospecting  work  on  this  conglomerate  will  be 
watched  with  considerable  interest. 

At  Kanowna,  chloritic,  talcose,  and  serpentine  schists 
are  crossed  by  dykes  of  acid  rocks  (that  is  granitic). 
The  schists  are  highly  auriferous  in  places,  and  at 
times  the  quartz  veins  in  granitic  rocks  contain  gold. 
The  alluvial  leads  have  been  extensively  worked,  the 
most  prominent  being  the  North  Lead.  This  le°ad  lies 
in  an  old  watercourse  carved  out  of  older  rocks,  and 
has  been  proved  to  be  not  merely  a  simple  isolated 
run  of  auriferous  gravel,  but  part  of  a  series  of  old 
stream  deposes.  The  deposit  consists  of  surface  loam, 
underlain  by  a  gravelly  ironstone,  often  partly  cement- 
ed by  kaolin  and  oxide  of  iron  into  solid  rock.  Be- 
neath this  lies  a  bed  or  beds  of  practically  pure  kaolin 
(locally  called  "  pug  "),  and  a  varying  thickness  of  a 
pebbly  quartz  wash.  This  wash  is  occasionally  ce- 
mented by  a  secondary  silica  into  a  hard  compact 
quartzite.  Most  of  the  gold  has  been  won  from  the 
quartz  wash,  although  the  overlying  kaolin  and  iron- 
stone gravel  have  also  yielded  fair  quantities  of  gold. 

The  Adeline  Lead,  Kalgoorlie,  apparently  started 
from  the  surface  of  an  ironstone  hill,  where  it  only 
contained  traces  of  gold,  and  gradually  inclined  down- 
ward until,  at  a  depth  of  40  ft.,  it  crossed  a  tributary 
having  its  source  on  the  Golden  Eagle  lode,  when  the 
wash  immediately  became  much  richer  in  gold.  The 
highest  grade  wash  consisted  of  ironstone  pebbles  on 
the  south  bank,  that  is  whence  the  tributaries  came. 

Copper.  Although  copper  is  found  throughout  the 
State  in  various  forms  and  quantities,  from  quartz 
lodes  containing  gold  and  traces  of  copper,  to  bonan- 
zas of  copper  glance,  there  are  only  four  fields  which 
are  worked  for  this  metal  now. 

The  Phillips  River  district  consists  of  a  series  of 
metamorphic-sedimentary  rocks  associated  with  a  com- 
plex series  of  crystalline  rocks,  which  range  from  gran- 
ite to  serpentine,  with  their  cleaved  and  schistose  var- 
ieties. The  lodes  are  of  two  types,  the  first  basic  cu- 
priferous dykes,  and  the  second  silicious  or  ferruginous 
veins,  containing  gold  and  copper,  which  are  worked 
for  their  gold  contents  as  well. 

At  Whim  Creek  (West  Pilbara),  which  is  the  largest 
and  richest  copper  body  yet  discovered  in  West  Aus- 
tralia in  the  oxidized  zone,  the  country  rock  is  a  weath- 
ered talcose  schist,  associated  with  beds  of  sedimen- 
tary origin.  The  deposit  is  a  flat-lying  lode,  conform- 
ing to  the  bedding  of  the  enclosing  schist  country, 
which  has  a  general  strike  of  northwest  and  south- 
east. Hitherto,  only  the  irregular  patches  of  high- 
grade  ore  have  been  mined,  but  it  is  proposed  to  install 
the  Peachy  leaching  process,  by  which  2%  to  4%  ore 
will  be  treated  in  large  tonnages. 

The  ore  at  Anaconda  in  the  Mt.  Morgans  district  is 
ina  basicrock,  with  quartz,  jasper,  and  ironstoneveins, 
Which  show  little  or  no  copper  at  the  surface.  At  a 
shallow  depth  there  have  been  zones  of  enrichment 
where  the  chalcopyrite  has  been  converted  into  car- 
bonates, and  at  greater  depths  into  chalcocite  ;  these 
bonanzas  were  picked  out  and  smelted,  but  the  chal- 
copyrite at  a  greater  depth  is  now  being  mined  for  its 
sulphur  content,  with  copper  as  a  by-product. 

At  Ilgarere,  200  miles  north  of  Meekatharra,  the 
most  recently  discovered  deposit,  the  lodes  consist  of 
a  series  of  narrow  lenses  in  slate  carrying  high  grade 
carbonate  and  silicate  of  copper  with  a  little  copper 
glance. 

Tin. — There  are  only  two  districts  in  West  Australia 
in  which  tin  is  being  mined,  at  Greenbushes  and  Pil- 
bara.    Several  smaller  finds  have  been  made,  but  ow- 


ing to  their  inaccessibility  very  little  prospecting  work 
has  been  done  on  them.  The  alluvial  deposits  are  by 
far  the  most  prevalent,  and  at  Greenbushes  they  are 
derived  from  tin-bearing  granite.  The  highest  grade 
wash  is  found  in  the  decomposed  granite  bottom  in  the 
old  gullies,  running  transversely  across  the  tin-bearing 
rock,  which  is  a  pegmatite.  Cassiterite  as  a  detrital 
deposit  is  found  adjacent  to  these  dykes,  and  at  other 
times  in  gullies  crossing  the  pegmatites  at  Moolyella. 

Lead. — The  lead  mines  on  the  Northampton  field 
occur  in  garnetiferous  granite.  Parallel  to  the  lodes 
and  extending  in  places  for  miles  in  length  are  a  series 
of  basic  dykes.  Sometimes  the  lodes  are  found  on  the 
contact  of  the  dyke  and  the  granite.  In  several  of  the 
lodes  at  Northampton,  copper  ore  was  found  at  the 
surface,  then  copper  and  lead,  and  at  depth  lead  only. 
In  the  Narra  Tarra  mine  at  Protheroe,  at  the  300  ft. 
level,  rich  lead  ore  extends  right  up  to  a  fault  plane, 
and  on  its  south  side  is  chalcopyrite,  containing  little 
or  no  lead.  At  Geraldine  the  lodes  contain  very  pure 
galena,  which  in  the  Surprise  mine  assays  50%  lead 
over  a  width  of  10  ft.,  with  only  hoz  of  silver  to  the 
ton.  The  characteristic  of  this  field  is  that  the  lodes, 
like  the  basic  dykes,  extend  for  considerable  length, 
shoots  of  500  ft.  to  1,000  ft.  being  common. 

Other  Ores — Scheelite  is  associated  with  gold  in 
quartz  lodes  in  greenstone  country  at  Norseman,  in 
greenstone  lode  formations  at  Comet  Vale,  in  pegma- 
tites and  in  biotite  schist  at  Melville  (Yalgoo).  It  is 
being  mined  at  the  latter  centres  for  scheelite  and  bis- 
muth. In  order  to  encourage  the  production  of  schee- 
lite, the  Government  has  erected  a  dressing  plant  at 
Coolgardie,  so  that  a  concentrate  can  be  produced, 
thus  improving  on  the  former  primitive  method  of 
hand-picking,  which  precluded  the  mining  of  all  but 
the  highest  grade  of  ore. 

Wolfram  is  usually  found  in  quartz  veins  and  peg- 
matites as  at  Federal  Downs  (West  Kimberley)  and 
Mt.  Singleton  (Yalgoo),  and  in  the  auriferous  reef  in 
the  Edna  May  Deep  Levels,  but  so  far  the  percentage 
of  wolfram  in  the  ore  is  too  small  and  the  distance 
from  the  ports  too  great  to  make  it  profitable  to  work. 

Tantalite  is  frequently  associated  with  tin  in  peg- 
matites at  Greenbushes  and  Wodgina,  but  there  is 
difficulty  in  finding  a  market  for  this  ore,  and  it  is  not 
mined  by  itself. 

Bismuth  occurs  with  scheelite  at  Melville  as  a  car- 
bonate and  is  very  pure,  but  the  present  demand  is  too 
small  to  warrant  extensive  working,  and  only  the  rich- 
est pipes  are  mined. 

Molybdenite  is  found  in  quartz  and  in  pegmatite 
dykes,  while  the  best  deposit  is  found  in  shear  zones 
and  as  impregnations  in  granite  intrusions  into  green- 
stone, at  Warriedar  (Yalgoo).  Here  it  is  associated 
with  scheelite,  wolfram,  fluorite,  and  pyrites,  and  the 
latter  contains  traces  of  bismuth.  This  deposit  can  be 
traced  on  Mulgine  Hill  for  a  mile  in  length  and  over 
a  considerable  width  in  patches.  The  main  ore  chan- 
nel is  200  ft.  wide,  and  so  far  as  it  is  opened  up  is  esti- 
mated to  carry  3%  to  4%  of  molybdenite  in  shoots 
averaging  5  ft.  to  6  ft.  in  width.  The  ore  could  be 
mined  and  concentrated  cheaply,  but  here  again  the 
world's  supply  is  at  present  much  greater  than  the 
demand,  and  the  active  development  of  this  rich  and 
large  ore  channel  has  been  postponed. 

In  the  Weld  Range  at  the  head  of  the  Roderick 
River  is  the  Wilgi  Mia  hematite  deposit,  said  to  be 
one  of  the  richest  iron  lodes  in  the  world  The  softer 
bands  in  it  have  been  worked  for  war  paint  by  abo- 
riginals to  a  depth  of  100  ft.  The  ore  body  is  3  miles 
long  and  150  ft.  to  200  ft.  wide,  and  is  probably  a  re- 
placement lode  in  the  greenstones  which  constitute  the 


372 


THE    MINING   MAGAZINE 


main  axis  of  the  Weld  Range  of  which  it  forms  a  part. 
There  is  also  an  iron  deposit  on  Yampi  Island. 
This  island  is  situated  on  the  north-west  coast  and  is 
about  |  mile  from  the  mainland,  with  precipitous  cliffs 
of  quartzite,  which  rise  to  heights  of  300  ft.  to  COO  ft. 
above  sea-level.  Parallel  to  the  major  axis  of  the 
quartzite  there  are  two  lodes  of  almost  pure  hematite 
up  to  30  ft.  wide.  At  one  point  the  hanging  wall  of 
quartzite  has  slipped  off  into  the  sea.  This  has  left  a 
face  of  hematite  300  ft.  high,  ready  to  be  stoped  off 
and  conveyed  by  gravitation  direct  to  a  steamship  at 
a  very  small  cost.  It  is  estimated  that  there  are  at 
least  half  a  million  tons  of  this  ore  exposed,  without 
any  overburden  at  all.  The  harbour  is  now  being 
buoyed  and  a  company  proposes  to  commence  acti%e 
operations  to  work  this  deposit. 

Mr.  Harris's  paper  contained  also  some  notes  on  the 
West  Australian  resources  of  non-metallic  minerals. 
This  section  was  not  printed  in  the  paper  as  it  appear- 
ed in  the  Institution's  Bulletin  ;  we  reproduce  it  here- 
with in  order  to  make  Mr.  Harris's  treatment  of  the 
subject  complete. 

Graphite. — Flake  graphite  occurs  in  bands  of  schis- 
tose rocks  distributed  throughout  the  State.  Its  gra- 
phitic content  varies  up  to  50%.  and  a  very  high  class 
of  ore  is  found  at  Kendinup  in  greenstone  schists  near 
the  granite  contact.  Several  lots  of  hand-picked  ore 
have  been  sent  to  London  for  the  purpose  of  testing 
the  quality,  and  is  given  as  being  worth  /20  per  ton  at 
Fremantle.  The  opening  up  of  the  deposits  must  de- 
pend upon  the  erection  of  a  dressing-plant  to  produce 
a  concentrate  of  sufficient  grade  to  pay  to  ship. 

Asbestos. — The  hornblende  variety  found  in  amphi- 
bolites  is  of  fairly  frequent  occurrence,  but  it  is  too 
hard  to  be  of  any  commercial  value.  There  are,  how- 
ever, several  areas  in  which  the  chrysotile  variety  oc- 
curs. At  Soanesville  (Pilbara),  it  is  found  as  stock- 
works  in  narrow  bands  of  serpentine,  adjacent  to  green- 
stone dykes.  The  veinsare  from  i  in.  to4  in.  in  width, 
and  of  the  highest  tensile  strength.  At  Nullagine  it 
occurs  in  serpentine  carrying  interlacing  veins  of  as- 
bestos, in  circular  zones  round  a  core  of  another  rock. 
The  veins  are  found  up  to  Sin.  in  width,  and  like  the 
asbestos  at  Soanesville  it  is  of  the  highest  quality  and 
is  a  true  chrysotile.  Smaller  occurrences  are  met 
with  near  Ravensthorpe. 

Mica.  —  Lepidolite  (lithia  mica)  occurs  in  granite 
country  forming  one  of  the  constituents  of  pegmatite 
at  Londonderry  (Coolgardie).  Experiments  are  being 
made  to  see  whether  it  can  be  utilized  for  electrical 
work.  Muscovite  is  being  worked  at  the  Lockyer 
Range  on  the  upper  Gascoyne  River  and  occurs  in  peg- 
matite. Some  of  this  is  as  clear  as  glass,  but  other 
portions  are  darkened   by    included  films  of  magne- 


tite. Sheets  up  to  8  in.  square  are  found,  but  the 
average  is  smaller.  Other  deposits  are  found  at  Mul- 
lalyup  (S.W.)  and  at  Northampton,  but  are  not  being 
worked. 

Salt. — This  is  harvested  from  depressions  in  the 
calcareous  sandstones  on  the  coast  at  Rottnest.  Esper- 
ance,  and  Hutt's  Lagoon.  The  salt  is  derived  from 
the  sea  spray,  which  blows  in  during  the  winter,  and 
the  water  being  evaporated  during  the  hot  dry  summer 
the  sart  is  left  behind.  It  is  also  found  in  the  arid 
portions  of  the  State,  as  at  Lake  Raeside  and  Cow 
Cowing,  and  may  represent  the  residue  of  an  ocean  of 
a  recently  past  geological  age.  The  salt,  as  it  is  taken 
off,  is  renewed  by  capillary  action  from  4he  huge  sub- 
terranean supplies  of  saturated  brine  in  the  muddy 
beds  of  lakes.  There  are  not  any  solid  salt-beds  under- 
ground, as  there  are  in  England. 

Gypsum.—  The  deposits  of  this  mineral  are  gener- 
ally associated  with  salt,  as  if  in  the  evaporation  of  the 
water  in  the  beds  the  gypsum  crystallizes  out.  The 
general  form  is  in  the  dunes  of  loose  floury  gypsum, 
called  "kopi,"  which  is  blown  up  from  the  dry  lake 
beds,  and  deposited  on  the  first  obstruction,  such  as 
shrub.  It  is  frequently  too  discoloured  with  red  clay 
to  make  good  plaster,  but  is  used  as  a  fertilizer.  In 
several  large  salt  lakes  near  Dongara.  there  occur  de- 
posits of  crystallized  gypsum  several  feet  in  depth, 
which  givesa  white  plaster, and  isbeingminedforsuch. 
Phosphates. — Guano  is  found  from  4  to  27  in.  thick 
on  the  islands  near  to  the  coast  about  Geraldton.  On 
the  Midland  Line  there  are  deposits  of  coprolite, 
carrying  as  high  as  39%  phosphoric  acid.  They  occur 
as  nodules  in  deposits  whfch  are  found  extending  from 
Gingin  to  Dandaragan,  over  100  miles  in  length,  in 
Cretaceous  rocks,  the  matrix  being  either  chalk  or 
glauconite. 

Potash.  -  Alunite,  which  is  a  hydrous  sulphate  of 
aluminium  and  potassium,  occurs  as  veins  up  to  24  >n. 
wide,  and  as  scattered  nodules  of  various  sizes,  embed- 
ded in  the  kaolinized  slate  so  prevalent  at  Kanowna. 
The  result  of  the  examination  of  this  recently  discov- 
ered mineral  of  West  Australia,  shows  that  further  ex- 
ploration is  warranted  to  see.whether  it  can  be  con- 
verted into  a  fertilizer,  at  a  price  to  compete  with  the 
imported  potash  salts.  The  Government  has  secur- 
ed a  plant  to  treat  the  alunite,  and  proposes  to  work 
one  of  the  mines  at  Kanowna.  A  list  of  prices  has 
been  issued  that  will  be  paid  for  this  mineral,  accord- 
ing to  the  percentage  of  potash  in  it.  The  recognition 
of  both  alunite  and  jarosite  is  to  be  credited  to  the 
Government  Mineralogical  Staff.  The  Government 
is  considering  the  enlargement  of  this  branch  of  the 
Geological  Survey,  to  carry  out  more  extensive  re- 
search work  into  the  utilization  of  the  mineral  resour- 
ces of  the  State. 


Lead  in  South  Africa. — Asmenlioned  last  month,  the 
Department  of  Mines  of  the  Union  of  South  Africa  has 
published  a  pamphlet,  written  by  Dr.  Wm.  Versfeld, 
describing  the  base-metal  resources  of  South  Africa, 
particularly  those  of  the  Union.  Readers  of  the  Maga- 
zine are  fairly  well  acquainted  with  the  copper,  tin,  man- 
ganese, nickel,  antimony,  and  chromite  deposits.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  lead  occurrences  are  not  so  gener- 
ally known.  This,  together  with  the  fact  that  the  Albu 
group  are  intending  to  reopen  lead  workings  in  the 
Pretoria  district,  makes  the  reproduction  of  Dr.  Vers- 
feld's  description  a  matter  of  current  interest. 

Lead  ores  occur  in  South  Africa,  as  in  many  other 
parts  of  the  world,  in  the  limestones  and  dolomites  of 
tlie  older  geological  formations.  Small  pockets  of  ga- 
lena, in  some  cases  argentiferous,  are  frequently  found 


in  the  dolomite  series  of  the  Transvaal.  In  the  Pre- 
toria series  true  veins  are  found  carrying  galena  either 
alone,  or  associated  with  gold,  silver,  copper,  and  co- 
balt. In  the  Pretoria,  Rustenburg,  and  Marico  Dis- 
tricts there  are  many  vein  deposits  of  lead  ores  associ- 
ated with  copper,  the  best  known  being  the  Transvaal 
silver  mine  in  the  Pretoria  District,  where  argentiferous 
galena  is  associated  with  iron  pyrites,  copper  pyrites, 
copper  carbonates,  and  tetrahedrite,  in  a  gangue  of 
siderite.  This  vein  is  associated  with  a  diabase  dyke. 
At  Edendale,  four  miles  north  of  Hatherley,  also  in  the 
Pretoria  series,  a  vein  has  been  worked  in  which  ga- 
lena occurs  in  conjunction  with  zinc  blende  and  the 
usual  oxidized  ores  of  lead  and  zinc.  The  gangue  ma 
terial  is  mainly  quartz  and  calcite.  At  Leeuwkloof 
(Pretoria  District)  and  Rhenosterhoek  (Marico  District), 


DECEMBER,    1919 


373 


lead  ore  has  also  been  worked.  At  Leeuwkloof  the 
galena  occurs  in  the  form  of  a  large  shoot  in  the  dolo- 
mite underlying  the  shales  of  the  Pretoria  series,  and 
at  the  contact  with  the  shales.  The  shoot  runs  north- 
west and  south-east,  and  dips  to  the  south-west.  The 
galena  is  of  good  quality,  the  700  tons  so  far  extracted 
averaging  73  to  75%  of  lead.  The  silver  value  is  fairly 
constant,  always  being  between  2  and  4oz.  per  ton. 
Associated  with  this  lode  is  a  large  body  of  iron  pyrites 
about  100  ft.  thick. 

At  Rhenosterhoek  the  deposit  is  also  in  dolomite  al- 
most at  its  junction  with  the  Pretoria  series.  The 
occurrence  is  similar  in  character  to  all  the  other  small 
galena  deposits  in  this  district,  the  ore  usually  being 
brought  under  notice  through  small  outcrops  of  galena 
showing  on  the  surface,  and  in  almost  all  cases  decreas- 
ing in  value  with  depth,  usually  giving  out  at  a  depth 
of  about  50  ft.  or  less.  The  deposits  were  discovered 
in  this  manner  some  thirty-five  years  ago,  and  a  small 
amount  of  galena  was  at  that  time  taken  out  by  means 
of  open-cut  workings.  The  mine  is  now  being  worked 
through  an  adit  driven  into  the  base  of  the  hill  on  which 
the  deposit  occurs,  at  a  level  of  75  ft.  below  the  original 
outcrop,  at  which  depth  solid  dolomite  is  met  with,  and 
the  vertical extensionof  thegalenadeposit,  in  itsoriginal 
form,  appears  to  be  reached.  The  ore  is  extracted  prin- 
cipally by  overhand  stoping,  and  the  deposit  increases 
in  value  as  the  work  approaches  the  surface.  The  ga- 
lena occurs  in  irregular  masses  and  in  characteristically 
shaped  lumps  (the  latter  weighing  from  a  few  ounces 
to  several  tons  each),  and  is  found  embedded  in  a  soft 
brown  earth  or  wad,  which  carries  about  10%  of  man- 
ganese dioxide.  This  earth  is  the  result  of  an  alteration 
or  replacementof  the  dolomite,  and  occursin  large  mas- 
ses or  pockets  bounded  on  all  sides  by  solid  dolomite, 
and  also  having  embedded  blocks  of  slightly  altered 
dolomite,  varying  from  small  boulders  to  blocks  of  huge 
size,  together  with  layers  of  shale  and  small  stringers 
of  quartz.  The  galena  is  pure  in  quality,  the  average 
assay-value  of  consignments  in  bulk  being  83%  lead. 
It  carries  silver  to  the  extent  of  from  9  to  15  oz.  to  the 
short  ton.  A  small  amount  of  cerussite,  finely  crystal- 
lized, occurs  in  cavities  and  in  small  clusters,  and  some 
minium  is  also  found,  usually  in  the  form  of  a  thin 
coating  on  the  galena.  The  mine  is  not  being  worked 
to  its  full  capacity,  owing  to  the  impossibility  of  ship- 
ping the  ore  during  the  continuance  of  the  war  and  to 
the  very  limited  local  market.  The  ore  now  being  taken 
out  is  smelted  in  Johannesburg,  and  is  used  principally 
in  the  manufacture  of  nitrate  of  lead. 

At  a  number  of  other  localities  in  the  Transvaal,  lead 
has  been  mined  in  the  past,  but  the  mines  are  at  pres- 
ent shut  down,  some  only  on  account  of  the  war.  The 
chief  localities  are  Witkop,  Bokkraal,  Buffelshoek, 
Rietspruit,  and  Doornhoek  (all  in  the  Marico  District), 
Broederstroom,  Edendale,  Dwarsfontein,  and  Roode- 
krans(allin  Pretoria  District),  andWindhuk,  in  Pieters- 
burg  District.  Throughout  the  whole  of  the  dolomite 
area  of  the  Transvaal  irregular  deposits  of  galena  are 
found  and  occasionally  worked,  the  ore  being  sold  to 
ore-reduction  companies  on  the  Rand.  A  fissure  vein 
-was  formerly  worked  near  the  Railway  Station  of  Ar- 
gent, 50  miles  east  of  Johannesburg,  and  several  other 
such  occurrences  are  known  in  Northern  Transvaal, 
Waterval  Onder,  Natal,  and  Gordonia.  Near  Pot- 
gietersrust  (Transvaal)  is  a  lead  deposit  situated  on  a 
ridge  which  forms  the  boundary  between  1'itloop  and 
Rietfontein.  The  main  occurrence  is  in  a  narrow  but 
sharply  defined  zone  of  altered  granite,  which  strikes 
approximately  north  and  south,  and  dips  at  a  big  angle 
to  the  west  and  is  traceable  for  some  distance.  A  simi- 
lar occurrence  has  been  noted  a  short  distance  to  the 


west.  The  lodes  are  characterized  by  bluish  chert-like 
rock  in  the  altered  granite,  associated  with  fluorite  and 
galena.  The  country  rock  is  the  older,  or  Archaean, 
granite. 

In  the  Cape  Province  lead  ores  occur  at  the  Mait- 
land  mine,  near  Port  Elizabeth,  associated  with  copper, 
silver,  and  antimony,  at  Banghoek,  40  miles  west  of 
Hopetown,  in  quartz  veins  at  Knysna,  at  Richmond, 
and  in  the  Beaufort  West  and  Victoria  West  Districts. 
In  the  Bokkeveld  series  of  the  Caledon  and  Swellen- 
dam  Districts  of  the  Cape  Province  a  number  of  white 
quartz  veins  are  noticed,  some  containing  small  quan- 
tities of  galena,  with  copper  and  iron  pyrites.  These 
do  not  appear  to  be  of  commercial  importance.  A  lit- 
tle galena  has  also  been  obtained  from  a  vein  in  a  Kar- 
roo dolerite  near  Sutherland.  The  writer  has  also  ex- 
amined specimens  of  lead  ore  in  reef  quartz  from 
Kakamas,  Griquatown,  and  Montagu,  in  dolomite  from 
Bechuanaland,  in  the  form  ofcerussite  (with  malachite) 
from  Damaraland,  and  other  ores  from  Burghersdorp 
and  Van  Rhynsdorp.  In  the  last-named  district  a  large 
vertical  reef  has  been  discovered,  consisting  at  the  sur- 
face of  pyromorphite  (lead  phosphate)  associated  with 
copper  and  antimony. 

In  Natal  no  ex  tensive  deposits  of  lead  ores  are  known, 
but  some  prospecting  work  has  been  done  on  a  quartz 
vein  in  the  bedding  planes  of  a  schist  in  the  Mfongosi 
and  Ngobevu  Valleys,  near  the  Tugela  River  in  Zulu- 
land.  The  vein  varies  in  width  from  3h  to  14  ft.,  and  con- 
tains, where  opened,  only  small  and  isolated  nests  of 
galena,  so  the  prospects  are  not  very  promising.  Ga- 
lena has  also  been  found  at  Umsingi  and  in  Umvoti 
County. 

In  "  German  "  East  Africa  lead  ore  occurs  in  auri- 
ferous quartz  veins  and  in  pegmatites.  In  South- West 
Africa  it  is  one  of  the  chief  constituents  of  the  copper- 
lead  deposits  of  Otavi  ;  argentiferous  galena  is  found 
at  Pomona  and  at  Aiais,  on  the  Fish  River,  and  in  other 
localities  ;  copper-lead  ore  is  found  in  quartz  reefs  in 
granite,  south-east  of  the  Little  Karas  Mountains.  In 
Northern  Rhodesia  lead  occurs  with  zinc  at  Broken 
Hill. 

As  lead  ores  have  been  proved  to  occur  at  numerous 
localities  where  dolomite  is  found,  and  as  they  seldom 
form  easily  recognizable  oxidation  products  at  the  sur- 
face, it  seems  extremely  likely  that  there  must  be 
numerous  occurrences  still  undiscovered.  The  lime- 
stones and  dolomites  of  the  Otavi  series  in  Souih-West 
Africa,  the  Malmesbury,  Congo,  and  Ibiquas  series  of 
the  Cape  Province,  and  the  dolomite  series  of  the 
Transvaal,  are  very  largely  covered  with  soil  owing  to 
the  ease  with  which  they  weather.  They  have,  in  con- 
sequence, been  little  prospected,  and,  though  prospect- 
ing will  not  be  easy,  there  seems  little  doubt  that  many 
discoveries  will  in  time  be  made.  The  deposits  so  far 
known  are  of  such  a  nature  that  under  existing  condi- 
tions only  small  profits,  if  any,  can  be  made.  There 
appears  to  be  no  reason,  however,  why  lead  mining  in 
South  Africa  should  not  be  made  very  profitable  with 
proper  organization  and  co-operation,  seeing  that  a 
considerable  local  demand  will  always  exist. 

Potash  Salts  in  South  Africa. — In  the  May  i 
brief  note  was  made  of  deposits  of  nitrate  of  potash 
found  in  the  districts  of  Prieska  and  Hay,  Cape  Prov- 
ince. These  deposits  have  been  known  for  many  years, 
and  at  one  time  the  Consolidated  Gold  Fields  of  South 
Africa  was  interested  in  them.  Just  recentlv  W.  E, 
Bleloch  has  been  endeavouring  to  develop  them 
through  the  South  African  Nitrate  &  Potash  Corpora- 
tion. Considerable  light  is  thrown  on  these  deposits 
bv  Memoir  No.  14  of  the  Departments  of  Mines  of  the 
Union  of  South  Africa,  written  by  G.  E.  B.  Frood  and 


374 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


A.  L.  Hall.     The  following  is  a  summary  of  their  con- 
clusions : 

In  the  districts  of  Prieska  and  Hay,  nitrates,  essen- 
tially potassium  nitrates,  occur  at  a  large  number  of 
localities  within  the  limits  of  one  formation,  the  fer- 
ruginous shales  of  the  Lower  Griqua  Town  Series, 
usually  inclined  at  low  angles.  They  lie  especially 
along  the  basal  portion  of  thicker  krantzes,  often  associ- 
ated with  caves,  recesses,  and  other  places  protected 
from  rain.  Saltpetre  is  found  in  the  visible  form  as 
incrustations  and  irregular  pockets  or  short  veins  on 
joint  faces,  bedding  planes,  etc.,  but  also  exists  in  yel- 
low layers,  usually  where  the  strata  are  more  thinly 
bedded.  In  the  latter  case,  its  existence  is  not  directly 
apparent,  but  can  be  proved  chemically  or  by  natural 
efflorescence.  No  satisfactory  figures  can  be  given  as 
to  the  average  nitrate  content,  since  this  varies  from 
point  to  point,  but  both  on  the  organic  and  the  atmos- 
pheric theory,  the  richest  portion  of  nitrate-bearing 
shales  are  likely  to  be  those  nearer  the  present  surface. 
The  distance  to  which  nitrates  may  be  expected  to  per- 
sist on  the  dip  is  uncertain,  as  enough  systematic  ex- 
ploratory work,  such  as  shaft-sinking,  is  not  yet  avail- 
able ;  under  favourable  conditions,  one  would  expect 
it  to  be  expressed  in  tens  of  feet.  The  source  of  the 
potash  is  primary,  and  lies  in  the  shales  ;  that  of  nitro- 
gen is  nitrogenous  material  supplied  by  animal  and 
probably  also  vegetable  life,  but  atmospheric  nitrogen 
may  have  played  a  subsidiary  part.  The  formation  of 
nitrate  of  potash  is  bacterial,  and  since  this  must  occur 
under  conditions  of  free  aeration,  this  nitrification  is 
characteristic  of  the  belt  of  weathering,  and  would 
gradually  diminish  in  proportion  as  the  shales  become 
more  compact  in  depth .  It  does  not  necessarily  follow 
that  because  the  source  of  nitrogen  is  held  to  be  chiefly 
that  of  nitrogenous  material,  large  quantities  could  not 
be  found,  given  long  periods  of  geological  time. 

Goodchild  on  Ore  Deposits—The  November  Bul- 
letin of  the  Institution  of  Mining  and  Metallurgy  con- 
tains a  written  contribution  by  F.  P.  Mennell  to  the 
discussion  on  W.  H.  Goodchild's  paper  on  the  "  Evo- 
lution of  Ore  Deposits  from  Igneous  Magmas" 

Mr.  Mennell  says  that  though  he  has  doubts  con- 
cerning the  applicability  of  the  principles  cited  by  Mr. 
Goodchild  to  the  great  majority  of  ore  deposits  it  is 
not  from  want  of  sympathy  with  the  employment  of 
scientific  methods  in  attacking  the  problems  they  pre- 
sent. He  is  inclined  to  think  that  a  wider  range  of 
observation  would  have  convinced  Mr.  Goodchild 
that  the  direct  application  of  his  ideas  is  involved  in 
much  greater  obscurity  than  he  is  now  prepared  to 
admit,  but  at  the  same  time  Mr.  Mennell  trusts  that 
adverse  criticism  will  not  deter  Mr.  Goodchild  from 
fresh  efforts  in  this  interesting  field.  Mr  Mennell's 
own  experience  of  ores  which  are  generally  assumed 
to  be  genetically  connected  with  igneous  rocks  is  con- 
siderable, and  he  confesses  that  he  finds  the  evidence 
from  which  their  supposed  direct  magmatic  concen- 
tration is  inferred  of  a  very  unsatisfactory  character. 
His  own  belief  is  that  even  where  primary  magmatic 
concentration  is  admissible,  at  any  rate  as  a  working 
hypothesis,  the  really  valuable  ores  have  in  everv  case 
been  concentrated  by  subsequentenrichment  processes, 
which  are  thus  of  far  greater  practical  importance 
than  any  speculations  regarding  the  original  source  of 
their  metallic  contents.  It  may  readily  be  admitted 
that  igneous  rocks  have  had  much  to  do  with  the  for- 
mation of  many  ore-bodies,  but  the  nature  of  their  in- 
fluence is  still  under  discussion. 

Mr  Mennell  goes  further  and  argues  that  it  is  clear 
that  many  of  the  most  important  metals  have  no  special 
association  with  any  particular  igneous  rock,  if  indeed 


they  are  associated  with   igneous  rocks  at  all.     The 
very  varied  conditions  under  which  some  of  the  most 
important  metals  occur  seem  far  from  pointing  to  the 
origin  of  the  deposits  from  any  one  process  or  source. 
The  largest  and  richest   copper  lodes  in   the   world, 
those  of  Katanga,  and  the  highest  grade  lead  and  zinc 
deposits  known,  those  of  Northern  Rhodesia,  are  situ- 
ated among  sedimentary  rocks  and  appear  to  have  no 
connection  of  any  kind  with   igneous   masses.      The 
data  in  regard  to  such  problems  as  Mr.  Goodchild  has 
tackled    are   admittedly  scanty,  but   there  are  some 
which  he  appears  to  have   overlooked.     One  would 
expect  that  as  a  metallurgist  he  would  have  been  able 
to  reinforce  some  of  his  arguments  by  observations  on 
mattes  and  slags.     What  is  known  of  mattes  does  not 
seem  to  support  thesuggestion  of  expansion  in  cooling, 
and   although  this  admittedly  rests  on   the  assumed 
presence  of  excess  sulphur,  it  is  necessary  to  consider 
the  volume  relations  of  that  element  before  it  entered 
into  the  matte      There  are  also  facts  connected  with 
igneous  rocks  which  do  not  seem   to  square  with  the 
suggestion   that  lime  exists  in  what    Mr     Goodchild 
terms  allotropic  forms.     Mr.   (loodchild  regards  fel- 
spar-lime as  a  low-temperature  form  and   pyroxene- 
Hme  as  a  high-temperature  form.     Vet  it  is  known  from 
observation  that  pyroxene  exists  in  rocks  which  were 
certainly  not  formed  at  high   temperatures.     It  even 
occurs  in  contact  altered  limestones  in  the  vicinity  of 
small  dolerite  dykes  intruded  close  to  the  surface,  to 
say  nothing  of  rocks  round  granite   masses,   such  as 
that  of  Dartmoor,  where  the  limestones  are  recrystal- 
lized,  largely  into  pyroxene,  on  the  outer  edge  of  the 
contact  zone,  where  even  the  adjacent  shales  have  re- 
mained unaffected.      But  there  is  much   more  to  be 
urged  against  it  than  this,  namely,  that  pyroxenes  and 
lime  felspars  coexist  in  almost  every  occurrence  of 
basic  igneous  rock,  and  with  variable  orders  of  crys- 
tallization.    In  fact,  the  production   of  pyroxene  or 
felspar  does  not  depend  on  temperature  at  all,  but  is 
simply  regulated,  as  can  be  done  experimentally,   by 
adjustments  of  the  chemical  composition.     His  slaking 
hypothesis  is  also  rendered  unnecessary  by  the  ready 
way  in  which  these  minerals  can   be  produced  from 
anhydrous  melts  of  suitable  composition  either  alone 
or  in  company,  and  either  of  them  can  be  caused   to 
crystallize  out  first,  as  Fouqueand  Levy  showed  many 
years  ago,  by  merely  modifying  the  rate  of  cooling. 

Pitchblende  in  Ontario.— In  the  Canadian  Mining 
Journal  for  October  14,  Cyril  W.  Knight,  of  the  On- 
tario Bureau  of  Mines,  describes  the  occurrence  of 
pitchblende  exceptionally  rich  in  radium  in  Butt  town- 
ship to  the  east  of  Georgian  Bay.  The  township  is 
east  of  Scotia  Junction  on  the  Grand  Trunk  Railway, 
and  about  170  miles  north-by-east  of  Toronto.  The 
country  is  for  the  most  part  rugged.  The  hills  rise  two 
or  three  hundred  feet  or  more  above  the  valleys,  which 
are  filled  with  sand  and  gravel.  The  rocks  are  largely 
covered  with  drift,  making  prospecting  difficult.  Mica 
has  been  mined  in  a  small  way  in  this  part  of  the 
country,  on  and  off,  for  years.  The  pitchblende  occurs 
sparingly  in  a  coarse  granite  pegmatite  dyke,  striking 
north  25°  E.,  and  dipping  at  about  60°  to  the  north 
west.  The  dyke  has  been  worked  by  an  open-cut  about 
40  ft.  long  and  7  or  8  ft.  deep.  It  occurs  at  the  edge 
of  a  small  lake,  locally  known  as  Mica  lake,  which 
has  been  partly  drained  in  order  to  prevent  the  pit  be- 
ing flooded  during  mining  operations.  The  width  of 
dyke  is  not  known,  as  only  the  foot-wall  has  been  ex- 
posed by  the  pit,  but  it  appears  to  be  at  least  3  or  4  ft. 
wide.  The  length  of  the  dyke  is  also  not  known,  the 
surface  being  covered  with  drift  ;  the  open-cut  shows 
it  to  have  a  length  of  at  least  40  ft.     The  dyke  consists 


DECEMBER,    1919 


375 


of  white    felspar,    red   felspar,   white   quartz,  smoky 
quartz,   white   mica,  black   mica,  a   little   tourmaline, 
pitchblende,    and    other   minerals  in    small   quantity, 
which  have  not  as  yet  been   identified.     The  pitch- 
blende appears  to  be  associated  with  the  red  felspar, 
in  which  respect  it  resembles  the  occurrence  of  euxe- 
nite,  a  radium  bearing  mineral,  in  Lanark  county,  On- 
tario, described  in  the  26th  Annual  Reportof  theBureau 
of  Mines,  1917.     The  euxenite  of  Lanark  county  also 
occurs  in  a  coarse  granite  pegmatite  dyke.     As  regards 
the  general  geology  of  this  part  of  the  Province  of  On- 
tario, the  country  rock  is  pre-Gambrian    in   age,  and 
consists  of  banded  gneisses,   such   as  granite  gneiss, 
mica  gneiss,  quartzue  gneiss.     These  banded  gneisses 
cover  a  great  area,  extending  from  Georgian  Bay  east- 
ward to  the  Province  of  Quebec,  and  from  about  Lake 
Timagami  southward  almost  to  Lake  Simcoe,   a  dis- 
tance of  some  150  miles.     The  gneisses  are  everywhere 
cut  by  numberless  dykes  of  granite  pegmatite.     It  is 
in  one  of  these  dykes  that  the  pitchblende  in  Butt  town- 
ship and  the  euxenite  in  Lanark  county  occur.     The 
number  of  coarse  granite  pegmatites  is  so  great  in  On- 
tario as  to  encourage  the  hope   that   pitchblende  or 
some  other  radium  bearing  mineral  may  be  found  in 
large  quantities.     The  pitchblende  in  Butt  township 
was  discovered  by  Wm.  Elliott,  who  has  worked  the 
deposit  for  mica  from  time   to  time  during  the  past 
three  years.     About  a  ton  of  mica  has  been  mined  and 
shipped.     Mr.  Elliott  noted  the  presence  of  a  black, 
heavy  mineral  which  he  eventually  forwarded  to  Le- 
doux  &  Co.,  New  York,  who  gave  him   the  following 
report,  sample  No.  1  being  the  mineral  itself,  and  sam- 
ple No   2  the  felspar  in  which  it  occurs  :  "No.  l.uran- 
iumoxide(U308)74'98%  ;  No.2,uraniumoxide,0'42% 
Sample  No.  1  appears  to  be  pitchblende;  it  contains 
approximately  10%  of  lead.     The  radio-activity  as  de- 
termined by  the  electroscope  is  very  high      Calculated 
at  the  usual  uranium  ratio,  the  sample  contains  radi- 
um in  the  proportion  of  about  190  milligrams  per  ton. 
It  is  impossible  to  even  approximate  the  value  of  such 
extraordinarily  rich  ore,  as  there  are  no  established 
quotations.      We  think  you  would    be   safe  in   taking 
f3'00  per  pound  for  the  uranium  oxide  contained  as  a 
minimum,  which  would  give  a  value  of  about  $4,500 
per  short  ton.     Sample  No.  2  is  too  low  grade   to  be 
of  any  commercial  value."     The  pitchblende  occurs 
in  grains  about  the  size  of  peas  or  larger.      Mr.  Elliott 
reports  that  he  has  found  the  mineral  occurring  in 
masses  as  large  as  an  egg. 

This  is  the  second  occurrence  of  radium  bearing 
material  in  Ontario  reported  since  the  Legislature  of- 
fered a  reward  of  $25,000  to  the  first  discoverer. 

Aluminium  from  Labradorite. — In  Nature  for  Octo- 
ber 23,  L.  Hawkes  described  the  Goldschmidt  process 
for  producing  aluminium  from  labradorite,  one  of  the 
felspar  group  between  albite  and  anorthite  and  con- 
taining on  an  average  30%  Al2Oa.  The  process  was 
invented  by  Professor  Goldschmidt,  of  the  Mineralogi- 
cal  Institute,  Christiania.  The  mineral  is  treated  with 
dilute  nitric  acid,  which  dissolves  the  aluminium,  cal- 
cium, and  sodium  constituents,  together  with  a  little 
iron,  the  silica  and  most  of  the  iron  being  unattacked. 
After  the  removal  of  the  dissolved  iron,  the  solution  is 
evaporated  and  the  solid  residueheated  tot  he  point  where 
aluminium  nitrate  is  decomposed  but  not  the  calcium 
and  sodium  nitrates.  The  aluminium  is  obtained  as 
pure  oxide  suitable  (or  the  electric  furnace,  while  the 
expelled  nitric  acid  is  recovered.  The  process  is  be- 
lieved to  be  suitable  for  use  in  Norway,  where  labra- 
dorite is  fairly  plentiful  and  electric  current  can  be 
applied  in  the  reduction  of  alumina  and  the  produc- 
tion of  nitric  acid. 


SHORT  NOTICES 
Coal  in  the  Midlands. — The  Colliery  Guardian  for 
November  21  reprints  papers  read  by  G.  A.  Longden 
and  J.  Ford  before  the  Midland  Counties  Institution 
of  Engineers  describing  recent  borings  in  the  Notting- 
ham coalfield.  These  papers  throw  light  on  the  pos- 
sibilities of  extension  of  the  Midland  coalfields. 

Edna  May.  -  The  Proceedings  of  the  Australasian 
Institute  of  Mining  and  Metallurgy,  No.  34,  contains 
a  paper  by  M.  T.  Williams  on  the  ore  treatment  at 
the  Edna  May  gold  mine,  Westonia 

White    Pigments.— The  Journal   of   the    Franklin 
Institute    for   November   contains   a   paper  by  A.  II 
Pfund    describing  an   instrument    for   measuring   the 
covering  power  of  various  white  pigments 

Determination  of  Potash. — The  Journal  of  Indus- 
trial and  Engineering  Chemistry  contains  a  paper 
by  T.  E.  Keitt  and  H.  E.  Shiver  on  the  De  Roode 
method  of  determining  potash. 

Estimation  of  Arsenic. — The  Journal  of  Industrial 
and  Engineering  Chemistry  for  October  contains  an 
article  by  John  Waddell  describing  modifications  in 
Pearce's  method  of  estimating  arsenic  in  ores. 

CyanideManufacture. — The  Journal  of  Industrial 
and  Engineering  Chemistry  for  October  contains  a 
paper  by  J  B.  Ferguson  and  P.  D.  V.  Manning  de- 
scribing studies  of  the  Bucher  process  for  making  cya- 
nide of  sodium  by  heating  carbonate  of  soda,  carbon, 
and  iron  in  an  atmosphere  of  nitrogen. 

Cyanide  Manufacture.— The  Journal  of  Indus- 
trial and  Engineering  Chemistry  for  November 
contains  a  paper  by  C.  O.  Brown,  describing  the  plant 
operated  by  the  United  States  Government  for  the 
manufacture  of  sodium  cyanide,  at  Saltville,  Virginia. 
The  process  is  that  known  as  Buchner's  and  involved 
the  treatment  of  soda-iron-coke  briquettes  with  nitro- 
gen at  a  temperature  of  1,000  C. 

Silicate  of  Soda. — The  Journal  of  Industrial  and 
Engineering  Chemistry  for  November  contains  a 
paper  by  J.  G.  Vail  on  properties  of  commercial  sili- 
cate of  soda. 

Palladium  in  Alaska. — In  the  Mining  and  Scien- 
tific Press  (or  October  11,  D.  G.  Campbell  describes 
the  occurrence  of  palladium  with  platinum  at  the 
Goodro  Coppermine  on  Prince  of  Wales  Island,  Alaska. 
Korean  Mining. — In  ihe  Mining  ami  Scientific 
Press  for  October  11,  A.  R.  Weigall  and  J.  F.  Mitch- 
ell Roberts  commence  an  article  on  the  technical  opera- 
tions on  the  Suan  Concession  owned  by  the  Seoul 
Mining  Company. 

Harricana  River,  Quebec. —  In  the  Canadian  Min- 
ing Journal  for  October  14,  A.  Mailhiot  gives  an  ac- 
count of  the  Upper  Harricana  River  gold  district, 
Quebec,  which  is  situated  on  Martigny  lake,  430  miles 
west  of 'Quebec  City  and  140  east  of  Cochrane,  Ontario. 
The  Harricana  River  flows  into  Hudson  Bay. 

Utah  Copper.— In  the  Mining  and  Sci>  ntific  Pics-, 
for  October  4,  Frank  G.  Jannev  writes  on  the  power- 
plant,  machine  shop,  and  foundry  of  the  Utah  Copper 
Company. 

Petroleum  Supplies. — At  the  meeting  of  the  Insti- 
tution of  Petroleum  Technologists  held  on  November 
18,  Rear-Admiral  Philip  Dumas  read  a  paper  on  the 
conservation  of  oil 

Utilizing  Slate  Refuse.  -The  Chemical  Trade  Jour- 
nal for  November  8  gives  some  particulars  ol  the  in- 
dustry started  by  the  North  Wales  Development  Com 
pany  in  connection  with  the  utilization  of  slate  refuse 
The  material  is  ground  fine  and  marketed  under  the 
name  of  "  myrtox."  This  is  said  to  be  of  use  as  a 
tiller  in  a  great  variety  of  manufactures  from  rubber 
and  linoleum  to  paints  and  pottery. 


376 


THE     MINING    MAGAZINE 


RECENT  PATENTS  PUBLISHED. 

IS^A  copy  of  the  specification  of  any  of  the  patents  men- 
tioned in  this  column  can  be  obtained  by  sending  6d.  to 
the  Patent  Office,  Southampton  Buildings,  Chancery 
Lane,  London,  W  C.2.  with  a  note  of  the  number  and  year 
of  the  patent. 

14.950  of  1917  (133,336).  H.  Wrigley,  H. 
Spence,  and  Peter  Spence  &  Sons,  Manchester. 
Improved  methods  of  obtaining  titanium  compounds 
from  ilinenite. 

6,185  of  1918(134,240).  F.  Ries,  New  York. 
Improved  machine  for  cutting  and  poiishing  gems. 

10,978  of  1918(133,367).  S.  B.  Wilson  and 
Purex  Ltd.,  London.  Improved  method  of  making 
basic  lead  sulphate  pigment  from  galena. 

12,363  of  1918  (133,981).  H.  A  BLACKWELL, 
Liverpool.  Improvements  in  the  method  of  producing 
ferro-tungsten  and  other  tungsten  alloys  by  the  alu- 
mino  thermic  method  of  reduction. 

16,175  of  1918  (123,715).  Sturtevant  Mill 
Co.,  Boston,  Mass.  Improvements  in  pulverizing 
mills. 

16,325  of  1918  (120,044).  O.  Reece,  Sydney. 
Method  of  briquetting  fine  concentrate,  flue  dust,  etc., 
for  treatment  in  the  blast  furnace. 

16,528  of  1918  (133,448).  W.  MAUSS,  Johan- 
nesburg. Centrifugal  separator  for  separating  solids 
from  liquids. 

16,742  of  1918  (133,753).  R.  D.  Pike,  San 
Francisco.  Method  of  manufacturing  magnesite  re- 
fractories. 

17,081  of  1918(133,474).  E.  E.andP.C.  Dutt. 
Jubbulpore,  India.  Method  of  producing  potassium 
fluoride  from  felspar  by  reaction  with  silicon  tetra-fluo- 
ride  and  water  vapour. 

17,702  of  1918(134,311).  G.  J.  Short,  Ply- 
mouth, and  J.  II.  Williams,  Truro.  Surrounding 
the  steel  of  a  rock-drill  with  a  water  chamber  from 
which  issue  water  jets. 

18,028  of  1918  (133,498).  Luckenbach  Pro- 
cess Co.,  San  Francisco.  The  use  as  a  frothing  agent 
in  flotation  of  a  solution  produced  by  boiling  grease- 
wood  shrub  in  water  containing  soda. 

18,335  of  1918  (134,  626)  J.  C.  Delage,  Bor- 
deaux.    Manufacturing    magnesia  from  dolomite 

18,495  of  1918  (121,591).  G.  Haglund,  Chris- 
tiania.  Electrolytic  method  of  separating  copper  and 
nickel  or  other  metals. 

19,606  of  1918  (134,387).  A.  Kami  n,  Helsing- 
borg,  Sweden.     Method  of  briquetting  burnt  ore. 

20,009  of  1918  (134,665).  E.  Bury.  O  Ol- 
eander, T.  Smith,  and  F.  Bainbridge,  Saltburn 
by  Sea.  .  Improvements  in  the  method  of  recovering 
potash  salts  from  blast-furnace  slag. 

6,251  of  1919  (134,155).  W.  J  and  W.  R. 
Bates,  Stafford.  Method  of  treating  spathic  iron  ore 
for  use  in  the  manufacture  of  hydrogen. 

7,467  of  1919  (125,064).  F.  L.  Smidth  &  Co., 
Copenhagen.  In  tube-mills  and  ball-mills,  an  improv- 
ed method  of  arranging  screens  at  the  discharge  end, 
the  duty  of  which  is  to  return  large  particles  to  the 
mill. 

14,244  of  1919(133,642).  G.  Rayner.  Sheffield. 
Improvements  in  the  valves  of  rock-drills. 

18,258  of  1919  (131,281).  Raymond  Brothers 
Impact  Pulverizing  Co.,  Chicago.  Improvements 
in  pulverizers  in  which  the  centrifugal  force  of  rollers 
against  a  ring  is  utilized. 

14,332  of  1919  (133,277),  Lt  ckenback  Pro- 
cesses, Incd,  San  Francisco.  Use  of  rubber  solu- 
tion as  a  selective  agent  in  concentration  by  flotation. 

12,504of  1919(133,001).  J.  A.  Yule.  Glasgow. 
Method  of  making  drill  steels. 


NEW  BOOKS 

IWCopies  of  the  books,  etc.,  mentioned  below  can  be  obtained 
through  the  Technical  Bookshop  of  The  Mining  Magazine. 
723.  Salisbury  House,  London  Wall.  B.C. 2. 
The  Mineral  Industry,  1918,  Vol.  27.     Edited  by  G. 
A.   Roush   and  Allison   Butts.     Cloth,  octavo,  955 
pages.     Price  50s.  net.     New  York  :   McGraw-Hill 
Book  Co.  ;   London  :   Hill  Publishing  Co.,  Ltd. 
This  famous  year  book  requires  no  special  notice  ; 
suffice  it  to  say  that  the  old  contributors  are  still   in 
evidence:  J.   \V.   Richards,  R.   H.   Richards,  W.    R, 
Ingalls.  L.  S.  Austin,  G.  F    Kunz.  David  T.  Day,  H. 
O.  Hofman,  Walter  Harvey  Weed.     Fortunate  is  the 
editor  who  can  induce  eminent  men  to  write  yearly  re- 
views of  progress. 

Analysis  of  Minerals  and  Ores  of  the  Rarer  Elements. 

By    W.    R.   Schoeller.   Ph.D..  and   A.   R.    Powell. 

Cloth,    octavo,    .MO    pages.     Price    16s.     London: 

Charles  Griffin  &  Co.,  Ltd. 

This  adds  another  useful  treatise  to  the  already  long 
list  of  books  in  Griffin's  series.  As  its  title  implies,  it 
(ills  a  want  to  those  engaged  in  testing  minerals  for 
commercial  value  by  supplying  in  a  concise  form  par- 
ticulars of  those  elements  which  up  to  a  few  years  ago 
were  only  of  scientific  interest.  Recent  strides  in  metal- 
lurgy, however,  have  made  it  incumbent  upon  all  who 
examine  minerals  for  commercial  purposes  to  investi- 
gate those  which  used  to  be  described  as  rare  metals, 
many  of  these  metals  now  being  employed  in  the  manu- 
facture of  commercial  alloys. 

The  method  of  the  present  volume  is  to  give  the 
mineralogy  of  the  metal,  followed  by  its  properties  and 
compounds,  and  then  its  quantitative  separation,  and 
a  scheme  for  the  complete  analysis  of  the  mineral. 
This  latter  section  is  a  feature  of  the  work  and  should 
be  useful.  The  order  of  arrangement  of  the  elements 
follows  that  of  the  Periodic  Law  and  comprises  the 
following  elements  :  Lithium,  rubidium,  and  caesium  ; 
beryllium  and  radium  ;  scandium,  gallium,  indium,  and 
thallium  ;  cerium  and  other  rare  earths  ;  titanium,' 
zirconium,  thorium,  and  germanium  ;  vanadium, 
columbium,  and  tantalum  ;  selenium,  tellurium,  molyb- 
denum, tungsten,  and  uranium  ;  ruthenium,  rhodium, 
palladium,  osmium,  iridium,  and  platinum. 

There  is  no  complete  index  to  the  book,  but  the 
authors  have  replaced  this  by  two  smaller  indexes,  one 
giving  the  minerals  and  the  other  the  separations  of 
the  elements.  Whether  this  plan  will  be  as  useful  as 
a  complete  index,  which  is  generally  one  of  the  most 
helpful  features  in  a  work  such  as  this,  remains  to  be 
proved. 

The  authors  lay  great  stress  upon  the  method  of 
preparation  of  the  sample  for  analysis  ;  certainly  this 
is  a  fact  that  is  often  lost  sight  of,  however  carefully  the 
chemist  may  work  on  the  prepared  sample.  If  that 
sample  does  not  truly  represent  the  average  of  the 
mineral  to  be  assayed,  or  is  not  ground  to  the  required 
fineness,  his  work  becomes  valueless,  or,  to  say  the 
least,  greatly  depreciated. 

The  preface  asks  for  criticism  and  suggestions.  One 
would  like  to  see  fuller  details  given  in  some  of  the 
methods  outlined.  The  scantiness  of  detail  is,  of 
course,  compensated  by  the  fact  that  brevity  keeps  the 
size  and  price  of  the  book  under ;  but,  on  the  other 
hand,  it  is  sometimes  awkward  to  have  to  turn  up  ref- 
erences if  out  of  touch  with  a  large  library.  At  the 
same  time  it  must  be  pointed  out  that  the  authors  have 
taken  great  pains  to  give  references  to  almost  all  pro- 
cesses described,  so  that,  with  access  to  the  originals, 
the  reader  is  supplied  with  complete  information. 

Another  point  which  one  would  certainly  like  to  see 


DECEMBER,     1919 


377 


attended  to  in  the  next  edition  is  that  in  the  schemes 
outlined  in  the  form  of  tables,  which  appear  under  each 
element,  it  would  help  immensely  if  the  element  which 
is  found  were  indicated  in  heavy-faced  type,  so  that 
one  could  tell  at  a  glance  where  the  element  is  in  look- 
ing through  the  table 

A.  J.  Chapman. 

Popular  Oil  Geology.     By    Victor    Ziegler.       Cloth, 

small  octavo,  150  pages,  illustrated.     Price  lis.  6d. 

net.     New  York  :    John  Wiley   &  Sons  ;   London  : 

Chapman  &  Hall,  Ltd. 

In  the  Magazine  for  January  an  appreciative  review 
was  given  of  this  book.  At  the  time  it  was  recorded 
that  it  deserved  a  far  wider  vogue  than  it  was  likely  to 
enjoy  owing  to  its  being  published  locally  at  Golden, 
Colorado.  It  is  gratifying  to  learn,  therefore,  that  ar- 
rangements have  subsequently  been  made  whereby 
two  eminent  firms  of  publishers,  in  New  York  and 
London  respectively,  have  the  handling  of  the  book. 

Manganese  Ores.  By  A.  Harper  Curtis.  Pam- 
phlet, 118  pages.  Price  3s.  6d.  net.  London:  The 
Imperial  Institute. 

Tin  Ores.  By  G.  M.  Davies.  Pamphlet,  111  pages. 
Price  3s.  6d.  net.     London:  The  Imperial  Institute. 

The  Far  East  Rand  :  Its  Reefs,  Mines,  and  Share 
Values.  By  W.  E.  Bleloch.  Price  15s.  net.  For 
sale  by  the  author  at  3,  Transvaal  Bank  Buildings, 
Fox  Street,  Johannesburg. 

Recovery  of  Zinc  from  Low-Grade  and  Complex 
Ores.  By  Dorsey  A.  Lyon  and  O.  C.  Ralston.  Bul- 
letin No.  168  of  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Mines. 

Tacheometer  Tables.  By  Henry  Louis  and  G.  W. 
Caunt.    Pricel0s.6d.net.    London:   Edward  Arnold. 


COMPANY    REPORTS 

North  Anantapur  Gold  Mines. — This  company  was 
formed  in  1908  by  John  Taylor  &  Sons  to  acquire 
property  in  Madras  Presidency,  India.  Milling  com- 
menced in  1910,  and  the  payment  of  dividends  in  1913, 
The  scale  of  operations  and  profits  has  never  been 
large.  During  the  last  year  or  two  the  developments 
have  been  disappointing.  The  report  for  the  year 
ended  June  30  last  shows  that  14,200  tons  of  ore  was 
milled,  yielding  10,713  oz.  gold,  while  15,850  tons  of 
tailing  was  treated  by  cyanide  for  a  yield  of  977  oz. 
The  total  gold  realized  £49,569.  The  working  profit 
was  £18,445,  and  after  allowances  for  taxes,  deprecia- 
tion, etc. ,  the  divisible  profit  was  £10,618.  The  prefer- 
ence shares  received  £"5,500,  being  at  the  rate  of  22$%, 
and  theordinary  shares  £4,562,  being  at  therateof5%. 
The  reserve  is  estimated  at  11,000  tons,  as  compared 
with  20,000  the  year  before.  Development  has  been 
disappointing,  but  further  exploration  is  to  be  undertak- 
en. Theoption  on  the  Baragunda  copper  mine  in  Chota 
Nagpur  is  still  held,  and  exploration  is  to  be  com- 
menced. 

Geevor  Tin  Mines. — This  company  operates  a  tin 
mine  near  St.  Just,  West  Cornwall.  Oliver  Wethered 
is  chairman,  and  W.  C.  Williams  is  manager.  The 
report  for  the  year  ended  March  31  last  shows  that 
25,919  tons  of  ore  was  raised  and  sent  to  the  mill,  and 
that  the  output  of  tin  concentrate  was  439  tons,  equal 
to  a  yield  of  37'9  lb.  per  ton.  The  receipts  from  sales 
were  £76,514,  the  average  price  obtained  being  £"174 
6s.  lOd.  The  net  profit  was  £17,854.  Dividends  were 
paid  in  May  and  October,  1918,  at  the  rate  of  10%  each, 
absorbing  £12,000,  and  another  has  just  been  paid,  also 
at  the  rate  of  10%.  During  the  year  the  capital  was 
increased  from  £60,000  to  £90,000  by  the  issue  of 
60,000  new  shares  of  10s.  each,  and  the  dividend  now 
distributed  absorbs  a  proportionately  greater  amount. 


As  has  already  been  mentioned  in  the  Magazine,  the 
scale  of  operations  is  to  be  still  further  extended,  and 
180,000  new  shares  of  10s.  each  are  now  being  offered 
to  shareholders  at  15s.  per  share.  The  present  plant 
has  a  capacity  of  2,000  tons  per  month,  and  the  new- 
plant  authorized  at  the  beginning  of  this  year  and  now 
nearly  complete  will  bring  the  capacity  to  4,000  tons. 
The  further  expansion  now  contemplated  will  bring  the 
capacity  to  8,000  tons  per  month.  Mr.  Williams  esti- 
mates the  present  resyves  ready  for  stoping  at  144,000 
tons,  and  reports  that  they  are  continually  being  in- 
creased. At  the  meeting  of  shareholders  held  last 
month,  Mr.  Wethered  announced  further  discoveries. 
Reference  to  these  is  made  by  our  Camborne  corres- 
pondent. During  the  summer,  Josiah  Paull,  of  South 
Crofty,  made  a  record  report  on  Geevor.  This  we 
quote  herewith,  and  we  also  reproduce  the  plans  of  the 
property  issued  with  the  directors'  report.  With  re- 
gard to  the  plans,  owing  to  exigencies  of  space  we  have 
not  been  able  to  give  the  full  extent  of  the  Wheal  Carne 
section  eastward. 

Mr.  Paull  says  :  "  My  original  report  stated  that  the 
property  is  situated  at  Pendeen  and  consists  of  the 
Geevor  property  and  also  the  Wheal  Carne  Sett,  the 
latter  situated  immediately  east  of  Geevor  mine,  and 
containing  the  continuation  of  the  lodes  worked  in 
Geevor,  giving  a  total  length  along  the  strike  of  these 
lodes  of  about  8,000  ft.  The  lodes  worked  consist  of 
the"Caunter,"  "South  Pig,  "and  "North  Pig."  Others, 
such  as  the  "Black"  and  the  "Fern,"  traverse  the 
property,  but  have  so  far  not  been  developed.  The 
Caunter  Lode  is  the  larger  of  the  lodes  worked,  but, 
though  payable  in  places,  samples- taken  prove  it  to  be 
very  patchy  in  value.  The  Pig  lodes,  though  small  as 
compared  with  the  Caunter,  are  found  in  sampling  to 
contain  almost  invariably  payable  values  and  in  some 
cases  the  samples  were  exceptionally  rich  in  tin.  In 
May,  1918,  when  my  first  report  was  made,  the  mine 
was  served  by  the  Wethered  shaft  only,  this  being  equip- 
ped with  electric  three-throw  pumps,  double  winding 
compartment  with  one  ton  capacity  self  dumping  skips, 
and  ladderway  compartment.  The  ore  from  the  mine 
was  raised  by  an  electric  winder.  The  depth  reached 
in  the  shaft  was  789  ft.  from  surface,  and  the  extreme 
length  of  lateral  development  was  about  2,200  ft. ,  these 
being  still  some  6,000  ft.  on  the  strike  of  the  lodes 
within  the  boundaries  of  the  property  to  explore.  A 
cross-cut  was  being  driven  at  the  7th  level  from  the 
Wethered  shaft  toward  the  North  Pig  lode,  the  South 
Pig  lode  having  been  intersected  in  this  cross-cut  just 
previous  to  my  visit.  Development  of  the  lodes 
eastward  toward  Wheal  Carne  had  been  susp< 
owing  to  the  old  workings  on  the  latter,  which  were 
supposed  to  extend  to  a  depth  of  600  to  650  ft.,  being 
full  of  water,  and  it  being  unknown  as  to  how  far  these 
workings  extended  toward  the  old  boundary  between 
the  two  mines.  I,  or  my  assistants,  sampled  five  of 
these  suspended  level  ends  with  the  following  result 
by  vanning  assay : 

Lb.  black  tin    Width 

per  ton  in. 

4th  level  end  East  on  South  Pig  Lode,    16  12 

5th  do.  do.      44  14 

6th  do.  do.      46  31 

6th  do.  North  do  27 

6th  do.  Caunter      do.       20  41 

"Excellent  values  were  being  opened  up  in  the  west- 
ern drives  at  the  4th,  5th,  and  6th  levels  on  the  North 
l'ig  lode  ;  samples  taken  from  the  faces  of  these  drives 
vanned  132  lb.  of  black  tin  to  the  ton  over  a  width  of 
24  in.  at  the  4th  level,  3361b.  over  15  in.  at  the  5th,  and 
721b.  over  IS  in.  at  the  6th  level.  Although  narrow, 
the  lode  was  sufficiently  rich   to  give  a  good  average 


378 


THE    MINING    MAGAZINE 


Geevor  Tin  Mines. — Plan  and  Longitudinal  Section. 


value  over  a  sloping  width  of  3  ft.,  the  lode,  with  the 
immediately  adjacent  granite,  being  generally  easy  to 
mine  and  admitting  of  single  hand  stoping,  so  that  it  is 
an  easy  matter  to  keep  the  stoping  width  from  2  ft  6 in. 
to  3  ft.  I  was  much  impressed  by  the  fact  that  stoping 
operations  were  being  carried  out  over  almost  the  whole 
length  of  the  Pig  lode  developments,  thus  proving  that 
payable  tin  values  were  not  confined  to  short  shoots  of 
ore.  This  was  also  borne  out  by  various  samples  taken 
in  the  stopes  at  the  different  levels.  The  amount  of 
water  encountered  has  been  extremely  small,  one  three- 
inch  pump  working  two  hours  daily  being  sufficient  to 
deal  with  the  water  below  adit  level.  Owing  to  de- 
velopment being  restricted  eastward,  due  to  Wheal 
Carne  being  water-logged,  the  extension  of  the  levels 
had  been  generally  westward,  and  the  5ih  level  end 
was  then  some  1,800  ft.  from  the  shaft ;  and  I  suggested 
that  a  second  shaft  would  greatly  facilitate  the  hand- 
ling of  the  ore  from  the  western  section  of  the  mine  as 
well  as  give  good  ventilation  for  the  further  develop- 
ment of  this  section,  and  that  sooner  or  later  the  sink- 
ing of  this  second  shaft  would  become  imperative. 
Surface  equipment  consisted  in  May,  1918,  of  a  100 
b.h.p.  electric  winder,  capable  of  hoisting  the  1  ton 
skips  in  use  300  ft.  per  minute,  and  one  500 cu.  ft.  per 
minute  capacity  air  compressor  driven  by  a  75  h.p, 
motor,  there  being  also  a750cu.  ft.  compressor  and 
75  h.p.  motor  installed  at  Wheal  Carne,  from  which 
air  was  supplied  when  necessary.  The  mill,  situated 
1,800  ft.  to  the  west  of  the  Wethered  shaft,  consisted 
of  4  heads  of  pneumatic  stamps  and  a  good  concentra- 


«w ^,~. 


West 


West 


East 


Transverse   Section   show- 
ing     PROBABLE      POSITION     OF    TRANSVERSE    SECTION  THROUGH 

North  Pig  Lode  to  Victory  Wethered    Shaft. 

Shaft. 

tion  plant,  composed  chiefly  of  Frue  vanners,  also 
Brunton  calciner  and  tin  vard  for  final  treatment  of 
concentrates,  the  whole  equipment  being  driven  by  a 
150  h.p.  electric  motor.  The  capacity  of  the  mill  was 
approximated  SO  tons  of  ore  per  day.  There  is  a  fall 
of  about  130  ft  between  the  shaft  and  mill,  and  the  ore 
from  the  mine  gravitated  first  to  a  rock-breaker  station 
and  thence  to  the  mill  over  an  inclined  tramroad. 
Wheal  Carne  section,  as  already  stated,  was  full  of 
water  at  the  time  of  my  first  inspection,  but  the  main 
shaft  had  been  cleaned  up  and  retimbered  down  to  the 
adit  level,  and  surface  equipment  had  been  provided 
for  lowering  the  water  and  reopening  the  mine.  The 
object  of  my  first  inspection  was  to  obtain  my  opinion 
as  to  whether  the  property  warranted  an  additional 
capital  outlay  to  double  its  output  of  ore  and  I  had  no 
hesitation  in  recommending  such  an  outlay,  the  then 


DECEMBER,     1919 


379 


reserves  of  ore  and  excellent  development  results  be- 
ing obtained  fully  warranting  this  step  being  taken." 

After  paying  his  second  visit  in  August  of  this  year, 
Mr.  Paull  wrote  :  "  In  the  15  months'  interval  between 
my  previous  and  present  inspection  L  find  a  very  con- 
siderable amount  of  work  has  been  accomplished  both 
underground  and  on  surface.     The  7th  level  cross-cut, 
which  had  intersected  the  Caunter  lode  to  the  south  of 
the  shaft  and  the  South  Pig  lode  to  the  north  at  the 
time  of  my  first  inspection,  has  since  been  extended  to 
the  North  Pig,  and  the  latter  has  been  developed  east 
and  west  for  a  distance  of  834  ft.     The  Caunter  lode 
has  also  been  driven  on  for  90  ft.  at  this  level.     At  the 
intermediate  level  between  the  6th  and  7th  main  levels 
the  South  Pig  has  been  developed  for  a  distance  of 
497  ft.  and  the  North  Pig  for  240  ft.     Some  269  ft.  has 
also  been  driven  at  the  4th,  5th,  and  6th  levels  on  one 
or  both  of  the  Pig  lodes.     Including  cross-cutting,  just 
over  3,000  ft.  of  development  has  been  carried  out. 
As  regards  tin  values,  the  records  of  the  sampling  of  the 
development  carried  out  show  the  values  to  be  quite 
equal  to  or  even  slightly  higher  than  the  average  of 
the  mine,  which  must  be  very  gratifying  to  the  com- 
pany, especially  as  the  bulk  of  this  development  is  in 
the  bottom  of  the  mine.  Also  a  new  shaft  1 8  ft.  by  6  ft. , 
the  Victory,  has  been  started  about  1,800  ft.  west  of 
the  Wethered  shaft  and  close  to  the  mill.     This  shaft, 
when  down — and  it  is  only  some  630  ft.  from  surface 
at  this  point  to  the  present  7th  level — should  save  a 
considerable  tramming  cost  underground  and  also  in 
a  lesser  degree  on  surface,  besides  being  a  tremendous 
boon  in  ventilation  and  making  the  western  section  of 
the  mine  easily  accessible.     I  consider  such  a  shaft  will 
soon  pay  for  itself  in  the  economies  which  its  sinking 
and  subsequent  use  will   effect.     The  unwatering  of 
Wheal  Carne  section  of  the  property  has  been  taken 
in  hand,  and  the  mine  is  now  drained  to  282  ft.  under 
the  adit  level  and  462  ft.  from  surface.     The  shaft  has 
been  cleared  and  retimbered  to  this  depth,  and  the 
levels  met  with  also  cleaned  out  and  retimbered  where 
necessary.     The  present  level  of  the  water  is  now  just 
below  the  depth  of  the  3rd  or  adit  level  in  Geevor  sec- 
tion, and  it  is  now  proposed  to  drive  on  the  latter  level 
and  communicate  with  a  level  at  about  a  correspond- 
ing depth  in  Wheal  Carne.     The  one  in  Wheal  Carne 
extends  west  toward  Geevor,  a  distance  of  620  ft.,  leav- 
ing rather  over  500  ft.  of  driving  to  communicate  the 
two.     The  connection  will  have  the  effect  of  perman- 
ently draining  Wheal  Carne  to  this  depth,  and  I  am  of 
opinion  that  it  will  also  open  up  a  large  section  of  pay- 
able lode,  the  3rd  level  in  Geevor  being  at  present  in 
payable  ore,  and  in  going  through  the  level  in  Wheal 
Carne  the  lode  where  unstoped  appeared  to  be  generally 
of  a  payable  nature.     From  its  characteristics  I  should 
say  this  lode  is  the  South  Pig.    That  Wheal  Carne  pro- 
duced good  tin  values  during  the  period  it  was  worked 
is  more  or  less  proved  by  the  fact  that  the  present  com- 
pany has  crushed  several   thousands  of  tons  of  waste 
from  its  dumps  which  yielded  from  16  to  201b.  of  tin 
to  the  ton.     The  unwatering  has  so  far  been  done  by 
compressed  air,  but  it  is  now  proposed  to  install  an 
electrically-driven  three-throw  pump  already  on  the 
property  and  keep  the  water  stationary  until  communi- 
cation with  Geevor  is  effected,  after  which   the  mine 
will  be  further  drained  and  the  water  delivered  to  the 
new  and  deeper  adit  level,     In  the  meantime  the  shaft 
will  be  equipped  to  this  level  with  double  skip  road  and 
the  air  compressor  will  be  released  for  other  develop- 
ment work. 

"  The  work  of  doubling  the  present  mill  is  well  in 
hand,  the  building  for  it  has  been  completed,  and  the 
erection  of  the  four  additional  pneumatic  stamps  and 


concentrating  plant  is  nearing  completion.  The  cal- 
cining capacity  has  been  doubled  and  the  new  calciner 
put  into  operation.  The  inclined  tramways  from  the 
shaft  to  the  rock-breaker  station,  and  mill  have  been 
replaced  by  an  aerial  ropeway,  the  rock-breaking  be- 
ing now  done  at  the  shaft.  This  ropeway  has  a  capac- 
ity of  200  tons  per  8  hours,  and  besides  being  more 
economical  should  prove  a  much  better  method  of 
transport  in  the  winter  months,  when,  owing  to  the 
exposed  position,  it  has  been  found  difficult  on  some 
of  the  very  wet  days  to  get  the  men  to  attend  to  the 
tramming  of  the  ore  by  the  old  system.  Other  addi- 
tions on  the  surface  consist  of  a  new  electric  power 
station,  which  has  been  built  and  is  now  being  equipped 
to  meet  the  additional  demands  for  power  which  will 
be  made  by  increasing  the  output  of  the  mine,  new 
engineers'  and  smiths'  shops,  both  of  which  have  been 
equipped  with  necessary  machines  and  tools,  also  a 
new  changing  house  to  accommodate  a  larger  under- 
ground staff.  A  new  air  compressor  of  a  capacity  of 
from  1.200  to  l,500cu.  ft.  per  minute  is  now  being 
ordered,  which,  when  available,  will  admit  of  the  mine 
being  still  more  rapidly  developed. 

"From  the  foregoing  it  will  be  seen  that  the  under- 
ground developments  carried  out  have  been  quite  up 
to  expectations.  The  ore  reserves  have  been  not  only 
considerably  increased,  but  the  tin  values  have  been 
maintained.  I  find  in  the  interval  since  I  last  reported 
on  the  mine  that  25,919  tons  of  ore  has  passed  through 
the  mill  and  438  tons  of  black  tin  has  been  sold,  show- 
ing a  recovery  of  37'9  lb.  to  the  ton  of  ore.  This  is  an 
excellent  average.  Even  allowing  for  a  slightly  de- 
creased average,  which  may  result  by  doubling  the 
output  of  ore,  very  satisfactory  profits  should  be  made 
with  the  present  price  of  tin,  although  the  latter  is  still 
low  as  compared  with  the  increased  cost  of  other  pro- 
ducts and  labour  over  that  of  pre-war  years.  Up  to 
the  present  barely  one  third  of  the  length  of  the  prop- 
erty has  been  explored,  but  the  sinking  of  the  new  shaft 
and  connection  with  and  the  unwatering  of  Wheal 
Carne  should  in  the  comparatively  near  future  render 
the  western  and  eastern  sections  of  these  mines  easy 
for  economical  development,  and  from  the  tin  values 
in  both  ends  of  the  extent  of  the  already  developed 
ground  there  is  every  reason  to  expect  further  large 
tonnages  of  payable  ore  will  be  found  in  this  develop- 
ment, especially  westward,  as  on  the  parallel  lodes  in 
the  neighbouring  Levant  mine  the  richest  ore  has  been 
mined  where  the  lodes  enter  the  killas,  and  the  present 
western  ends  in  Geevor  are  still  some  hundreds  of  feet 
from  the  killas  contact.  Going  eastward  toward  Wheal 
Carne  deeper  in  the  granite,  I  should  not  expect  the 
lodes  to  be  so  large  or  highly  mineralized,  but  this 
should  be  compensated  for  to  a  certain  extent  by  the 
rising  ground  going  in  this  direction  and  the  conse- 
quently increased  backs  which  will  be  obtained  on  the 
lodes  without  further  sinking,  and  the  present  shaft 
which  is  being  unwatered  and  repaired  should  ade- 
quately serve  this  end  of  the  property.  In  conclusion, 
I  may  say  that  I  have  no  reason  to  alter  the  opinion  I 
formed  in  May  last  year,  that  the  mine  warranted 
doubling  its  output ;  in  fact,  by  the  way  the  mine  is 
now  developing  and  considering  its  very  shallow  depth 
I  anticipate  further  crushing  capacity  will  soon  be  justi- 
fied. In  any  financial  arrangements  provision  should 
be  made  for  increasing  the  output  to  8,000  tons  per 
month,  and  for  adequately  developing  the  eastern  and 
western  ends  of  the  property.  The  Wheal  Carne  sec- 
tion is  so  large  that  it  would  justify  the  formation  of 
another  company,  but  I  am  fully  in  accord  with  your 
view  and  that  of  the  manager  that  the  property  should 
be  worked  as  a  whole." 


380 


THE     MINING     MAGAZINE 


§>o 


^  t> 


SPITSBERGEN 


Scale  of"  Miles 


Scottish  Spitsbergen. — The  Scottish  Spitsbergen 
Syndicate,  having  its  headquarters  in  Edinburgh,  was 
formed  in  1909  to  take  up  mineral  claims  in  Spitsber- 
gen acquired  by  the  explorer,  Dr.  W.  S.  Bruce.  These 
claims  are  shown  in  the  accompanying  map  at  B,C,D 
and  E.  The  claim  F  has  been  acquired  more  recently. 
The  map  also  shows  the  claims  of  the  Northern  Ex- 
ploration Company.  An  expedition  went  out  during 
the  past  summer,  led  by  Dr.  Bruce  and  Dr.  R.  N.  Kud- 
mose  Brown,  with  G.  W.  Tyrrell,  of  Glasgow  Univer- 
sity, as  geologist.  The  directors  have  issued  a  state- 
ment regarding  the  results  of  this  expedition.  We 
quote  herewith  Mr.  Tyrrell's  report  on  the  deposits. 

Mr  Tyrrell  deals  first  with  the  Mount  Temple  and 
Klaas  Billen  Bay  region  in  Central  Spitsbergen  main- 
land. Coal  was  discovered  on  the  south  side  of 
Adolf  Bay,  which  is  at  the  head  of  Klaas  Billen  Bay, 
on  the  first  day  of  landing.  At  the  outcrop  the  main 
seam  was  27  in.  thick,  but  on  driving  an  adit  70  ft.  in- 
to the  coal  it  was  found  to  increase  in  thickness  to  30 
in .  There  are  two  or  three  smaller  seams  a  few  inches 
in  thickness.  The  early  and  too  optimistic  estimate  of 
Jie  amount  of  coal  in  this  limited  area  was  corrected 


by  later  work  ;  and  assuming  an  average  workable 
thickness  of  30  in.,  the  amount  of  coal  above  sea-level 
in  workable  positions  is  estimated  at  560,000  tons,  and 
down  to  500  ft.  below  sea-level  at  2.600,000  tons.  The 
first  boring  was  wrongly  placed  owing  to  the  existence 
of  a  large  concealed  fault  in  the  strata,  only  discovered 
later  by  detailed  geological  mapping,  and  also  owing 
to  the  necessity  of  starting  the  boring  quickly.  Late- 
ness of  season  prevented  a  further  bore  being  com- 
pleted, although  there  is  good  reason  to  believe  that  it 
closely  approached  the  coal  position.  The  coal  is  a 
coking  coal,  high  in  ash,  but  containing  a  fair  quantity 
of  volatilizable  materials.  It  is  suitable  for  gas  manu- 
facture, and  possibly  for  smelting  on  the  ground.  It 
is  believed,  however,  that  the  most  promising  field  in 
the  Klaas  Billen  Bay  region  is  that  on  the  north  side 
of  Adolf  Bay  below  the  De  Geer  Range.  In  the  Ebba 
Valley,  north  of  the  range,  the  coal  horizon  was  found 
at  a  height  of  1,050 ft.,  below  which  it  has  been  opened 
up  by  Swedish  claim-jumpers  in  one  or  two  small  land- 
slipped  masses.  The  section  exposed  here  shows  73$ 
in.  of  coal,  in  seams  respectively  10,  4$,  12,  14,  and 
33  in.  in  thickness,  separated  in  most  cases  by  a  few 


DECEMBER,    1919 


381 


inches  of  dirt.  An  open-cut  has  also  been  made  by 
the  Swedes  on  the  south  side  of  the  De  Geer  Range, 
only  200  ft.  above  sea-level ,  near  an  inshore  deep-water 
anchorage.  A  boring  is  needed  to  locate  the  true  posi- 
tion of  the  coal  in  this  locality,  which  is  considered  to 
be  the  mostpromising  for  miningdevelopment.  Assum- 
ing an  average  workable  thickness  of  only  48  in.  the 
amount  of  coal  above  sea-level  in  this  field  is  estimated 
at  14,500,000  tons.  The  outcrop  sample  of  coal  ob- 
tained in  the  Ebba  Valley  is  of  precisely  the  same 
character  as  that  of  the  south  side  of  Adolf  Bay.  The 
coal  horizon  was  also  located  in  Anser  Bay,  and  near 
the  head  of  Gips  Valley  (Gips  valley  lies  between  Mt. 
Temple  and  Klaas  Billen  Bay),  thus  establishing  the 
existence  of  coal  over  an  area  approaching  120  square 
miles. 

Gypsum  occurs  in  practically  inexhaustible  quanti- 
ties in  this  region.  There  are  two  main  beds  of  gypsi- 
ferous  rock,  each  hundreds  of  feet  in  thickness.  In 
one  measured  section  of  452  ft.,  263  ft.  consisted  of  solid 
gypsum.  The  mineral  occurs  in  several  suitable  lo- 
calities at  or  near  sea-level,  with  good  loading  and 
transport  conditions.  So  far  as  is  known  this  is  the 
only  part  of  Spitsbergen  in  which  this  mineral  occurs. 
Many  seams  are  of  the  highest  purity. 

The  Stor  Fiord  region,  on  the  east  coast  of  Spitsber- 
gen mainland,  includes  Barents  Island  and  the  north 
ern  part  of  Edge  Island.  Owing  to  the  very  limited 
time  available  for  the  exploration  of  this  part  of  the 
Syndicate's  properties,  no  definite  conclusions  could 
be  arrived  at  with  regard  to  its  mineral  resources. 
There  were,  however,  unmistakable  indications  of 
natural  gas  in  at  least  two  localities  (Mohn  Bay  and 
Barents  Island) .  Bituminous  shales  of  great  thickness 
occur  in  Barents  Island.  The  oil  content  of  the  few 
and  small  samples  which  it  was  possible  to  collect  was, 
however,  small.  The  Stor  Fiord  region  may  also  con- 
tain valuable  ironstone  and  coal-beds.  The  floor  of 
the  valley  south  of  Mohn  Bay  was  strewn  with  blocks 
of  iron  stone  and  fragments  of  bright  coal. 

On  the  Prince  Charles  Foreland  claims,  magnetic 
iron  ore  in  a  bed  24  ft.  thick  was  discovered  on  the 
south  flank  of  Mt.  Bourree.  According  to  assay  this 
ore  contains  on  an  average  36%  of  metallic  iron,  and 
is  of  the  same  nature  and  quality  as  the  ore  now  being 
mined  on  a  large  scale  in  the  north  of  Norway.  As  the 
bed  caps  the  top  of  a  small  hill  almost  entirely  sur- 
rounded by  ice,  the  amount  of  ore  actually  in  sight  is 
limited  ;  but  accumulations  of  similar  ore  on  three 
glacial  moraines  in  positions  which  make  it  impossible 
that  they  could  have  been  supplied  from  the  Mt.  Bour- 
ree outcrop,  is  proof  that  other  beds  occur,  although 
probably  concealed  beneath  ice  and  extensive  surface 
coverings  of  debris.  From  the  fact  that  boulders  of 
considerable  size  containing  a  higher  percentage  of 
metallic  iron  were  found  in  the  moraines,  it  is  obvious 
that  the  body  of  ore  in  situ  from  which  these  boulders 
were  derived  has  yet  to  be  located.  Numerous  thick 
and  extensive  veins  and  replacement  zones  of  an  ore 
consisting  of  chalybite  (carbonate  of  iron),  hematite 
(oxide  of  iron),  iron  pyrites  and  copper  pyrites,  were 
found  in  two  areas.  In  some  of  these  veins  the  iron 
minerals  are  dominant,  the  assayed  sample  of  ore  giv- 
ing about  30%  metallic  iron.  In  other  veins  the  py- 
ritic  minerals  are  dominant,  an  assayed  sample  giving 
2%  of  copper.  These  veins  contain  considerable  quan 
tities  of  low-grade  ore  in  low,  easily  accessible  locali- 
ties near  good  anchorages  (Freshwater  Bay  and  Ferrier 
Haven).  The  cupriferous  vein  to  which  reference  is 
made  forms  a  zone  of  fragments  30  yards  wide  at  the 
surface,  and  extends  fully  three  quarters  of  a  mile  in 
length. 


In  view  of  the  many  important  discoveries  which 
have  been  made  as  regards  mineral  resources  in  the 
short  period  of  time  available  this  year,  Mr.  Tyrrell  is 
strongly  of  the  opinion  that  steps  should  be  taken  to 
equip  on  similar  lines  a  further  expedition,  to  be  on  the 
ground  next  season  at  the  earliest  possible  moment. 

Tomboy  Gold  Mines. — This  company  was  floated 
in  1899  by  the  Exploration  Company  to  purchase  the 
Tomboy  mine  at  Telluride,  Colorado.  Subsequently 
the  Argentine  group  of  claims  was  acquired  and  more 
recently  the  Montana  group,  all  in  the  same  district. 
For  many  years  satisfactory  profits  were  made.  Dur- 
ing the  last  year  or  two  operations  have  been  impe- 
ded by  scarcity  of  labour.  The  complexity  of  the  sul- 
phide ore  in  the  Argentine  property  has  also  caused 
trouble,  and  after  considerable  experiment  flotation  is 
being  substituted  for  water  concentration.  In  this  way 
large  reserves  should  be  rendered  profitable  to  treat. 
The  report  for  the  year  ended  June  30  shows  that 
155,334  tons  of  ore  was  sent  to  the  mill,  of  which 
28,000  tons  came  from  the  Argentine  and  the  remain- 
der from  the  Montana.  The  yield  by  amalgamation 
was  worth  $265,796  and  by  cyanide  §158,222,  while 
the  concentrates  were  worth  §437,712.  The  accounts 
show  receipts  £182. 811,  and  a  profit  of  £14,019.  An 
allowance  of  £9,877  was  made  for  depreciation,  and 
£18,000  was  placed  to  income-tax  account.  The  year 
therefore  ended  with  an  adverse  balance  of  £13,868. 
The  ore  reserve  at  the  Argentine  is  estimated  at  200,000 
tons  and  at  the  Montana,  300,000  tons.  Development 
has  been  severely  restricted  by  lack  of  suitable  labour. 
The  flotation  plant  is  expected  to  start  this  month. 

North  Broken  Hill.— The  report  for  the  half-year 
ended  June  30  shows  that  53,984  tons  of  ore,  averag- 
ing 151%  lead,  12'4%  zinc,  and  8  1  oz.  silver  per  ton, 
was  sent  to  the  mill.  The  yield  was  10.890  tons  of 
lead  concentrate,  averaging  63'6%  lead,  7'5%  zinc,  and 
27  4oz.  silver.  The  other  products  of  the  mill  were  : 
27,123  tons  of  zinc  tailing  averaging  15%  zinc,  J  9% 
lead,  and  3'6oz.  silver  ;  and  8,121  tons  of  zinc  slime, 
averaging  15  3%  zinc,  27%  lead,  and  2  6 oz.  silver. 
The  deliveries  of  zinc  tailing  to  Amalgamated  Zinc  was 
25,730  tons.  The  zinc  tailing  is  to  be  treated  in  future 
at  a  flotation  plant  now  under  construction  by  the  com- 
pany. Operations  ceased  on  May  8  on  account  of  la- 
bour disputes.  The  profit  for  the  half- vear  was  ^111,337, 
out  of  which  £60,000  has  been  distributed  as  dividend, 
being  Is.  per  £l  share,  and  £40,000  was  placed  to  new- 
planfaccount  to  provide  for  the  erection  of  the  Minerals 
Separation  flotation  plant. 

British  Broken  Hill.— The  report  for  the  half  vear 
ended  June  30  last  shows  that  63,099  tons  of  sulphide 
ore,  averaging  124%  lead,  113%  zinc,  and  69oz. 
silver  per  ton,  was  raised  and  sent  to  the  mill.  At  the 
lead  plant,  9,903  tons  of  concentrate  was  produced, 
averaging  60  7%  lead,  7'3%  zinc,  and  26  4oz.  silver. 
At  the  zinc  flotation  plant  46,443  tonsol  tailing,  averag- 
ing 12%  zinc,  3  1%  lead,  and  3oz.  silver,  was  treated 
for  a  yield  of  8,040  tons  of  zinc  concentrate,  averag- 
ing 45%  zinc,  91%  lead,  and  10  1  oz.  silver.  The 
slime,  amounting  to  6,753  tons,  averaging  6  2%  lead, 
12'4%  zinc,  and  5  2  oz.  silver,  was  sucked  for  future 
treatment.  The  amount  of  carbonate  ore  raised  was 
1,953  tons,  averaging  23  6",,  lead  and  5  6oz.  silver. 
The  despatches  during  the  half-year  were  as  follows  : 
1,953  tons  of  carbonate  ore,  9,107  tons  of  lead  concen- 
trate, 1,012  tons  of  slime  lead  concentrate,  averaging 
5526%  lead.  1083%  zinc,  and  42"88oz.  silver,  and 
1,848  tons  of  zinc  concentrate.  The  profit  for  the  hall- 
year  was  £65,582,  which  was  carried  forward.  As 
readers  are  aware,  operations  at  all  the  Broken  Hill 
mines  ceased  on  May  7  last. 


382 


THE     MINING    MAGAZINE 


Naraguta  (Nigeria)  Tin  Mines. —This  company  was 
formed  in  1910  to  acquire  alluvial  tin  ground  at  Nara- 
guta, Nigeria.  Additional  properties  have  been  ac- 
quired since,  at  Karama  in  the  Ninkada  district,  at  Sho 
near  Zungeru,  and  at  Korot.  F.  N.  Best  is  chairman, 
C.  G.  Lush  is  consulting  engineer,  and  F.  O'D  Bourke 
is  manager.  The  report  for  the  year  ended  March  31 
last  shows  that  shortness  of  labour,  due  chiefly  to  the 
influenza  epidemic,  caused  a  diminution  of  the  output, 
the  produce  being  433  tons  of  tin  concentrate,  as  com- 
pared vvith  517  tons  the  vear  before.  The  income  was 
£66.123,  and  the  profit  was  £10,318,  which  was  carried 
forward.  An  interim  dividend  for  the  current  year, 
being  at  the  rate  of  5%  tax  paid  and  absorbing  £8,750, 
has  just  been  paid.  Mr.  Bourke's  report  shows  that 
the  output  for  the  year  came  from  the  various  proper- 
ties in  the  following  proportions;  Naraguta  303  tons, 
Karama  53  tons,  Sho  47  tons,  and  Korot  30  tons.  Dur- 
ing the  year  two  prospecting  parties  have  been  actively 
engaged,  and  prospecting  licences  have  been  granted 
for  an  area  of  18  square  miles  at  Birnin  Gwari,  Zaria, 
where  gold  has  been  proved  in  the  alluvium. 

Huelva  Copper  &  Sulphur. — This  company  was 
formed  in  1903  to  operate  the  Monte  Romero  and  other 
pyrites  mines  in  the  south  of  Spain,  previously  worked 
by  the  Huelva  Central  Copper  Mining  Co.  Under  the 
management  of  Henry  F.  Collins,  a  smelting  plant  was 
erected.  The  report  for  the  year  ended  June  30  last 
shows  that  61 ,996  tons  of  ore  was  raised,  and  that  this, 
together  with  7,625  tons  of  purchased  high  grade  ore 
and  precipitate,  was  sent  to  the  smelter,  where  1,981 
tons  of  copper  was  produced.  The  accounts  show  re- 
ceipts from  the  sale  of  copper,  £218,611,  and  a  loss  of 
£4,227.  The  reserve  of  smelting  ore  was  estimated  at 
86,000  tons  and  of  cementation  ore  19,000  tons. 

Gaika  Gold.  Tins  company  was  formed  in  1902  by 
the  Rhodesian  Exploration  &  Development  Co.  to  ac 
quire  a  gold  mine  near  the  Globe  &  Phcrnix,  in  the 
Sebakwe  district  of  Rhodesia.  The  control  passed  to 
the  Gold  Fields  Rhodesian  Development  Co.  in  1912. 
Milling  started  in  1905,  and  dividends  have  been  paid 
since  1911.  The  report  for  the  year  ended  June  30 
last  shows  that  36,789  tons  of  ore  was  milled,  yielding 
15,756  oz.  of  gold,  worth  £66,860.  The  net  profit  was 
£13,624,  and  after  £5,059  was  allowed  for  income  tax, 
£8,565  remained  asdivisible  profit.  The  shareholders 
received  £8,204,  the  dividend  being  at  the  rate  of  3"..,. 
Further  development  onthenew  shoot  recently  opened 
on  the  5th  level  has  proved  disappointing.  Other  de- 
velopment undertaken  during  the  year  was  on  the  3rd 
level  from  No.  16  shaft.  Here  a  shoot  of  ore  has  been 
found  on  the  Rubble  reef  extending  120  ft.  and  assay- 
ing 35  5  dwt.  over  3  ft.  A  winze  from  this  level  has 
been  sunk  45  ft.  in  which  the  ore  averages  48'5dwt. 
over  37 in.  On  the  2nd  level  a  shoot  of  ore  has  been 
proved  100ft.  averaging  32 dwt.  over  41  in.  The  ore 
reserve  at  June  30  was  estimated  at  60,000  tons  aver- 
aging 12'4dwt.,  as  compared  with  80,000  tons  aver- 
aging 131  dwt.  the  year  before. 

Prestea  Block  A. — The  company  was  formed  in 
1903  by  Edmund  Davis  to  acquire  gold-mining  prop- 
erties in  West  Africa  from  the  Prestea  and  Appantoo 
companies.  Additional  property  was  subsequently 
acquired  from  the  Appantoo,  and  in  1911  the  property 
of  the  parent  company,  the  Prestea,  was  absorbed. 
Milling  commenced  in  1906,  but  was  suspended  from 
1909  to  1911  pending  further  development.  Thecapital 
has  been  rearranged  and  increased  on  several  occasions, 
and  loans  have  also  been  raised.  The  loan  from  the 
Central  Mining  &  Investment  Corporation  has  been 
repaid.  The  report  for  the  year  1918  shows  that 
'  30,906  tons  of  ore  was  treated,  averaging  39s.  4d.  per 


ton,  yielding  gold  worth  £322,350  or  33s.  9d.  per  ton. 
The  working  cost  was  £308,647,  or  32s.  4d.  per  ton. 
After  the  allowance  of  £29,521  for  depreciation,  and 
other  smaller  items,  the  year  ended  with  an  adverse 
balance  of  £18.470.  The  ore  reserve  at  December  31 
was  estimated  at  427,325  tons  averaging  38s.  4d.  per 
ton,  as  compared  with  527,669  tons  averaging  39s.  4d. 
the  year  before.  The  fall  in  these  figures  is  due  to 
the  poor  results  on  the  10th  level.  Recent  advices 
are  more  encouraging  as  to  the  results  on  the  11th 
level. 

Middleburg  Steam  Coal  &  Coke. — This  company 
was  formed  in  1902  to  acquire  coal  lands  in  the  Mid- 
delburg  district  of  the  Transvaal.  The  report  for  the 
year  ended  June  30  last  shows  that  281,666  tons  of  coal 
was  raised,  as  compared  with  274,802  tons  the  year  be- 
fore. The  profit  was  £11,701,  out  of  which  £3,245  was 
paid  as  preference  dividend,  being  at  the  rate  of  5%, 
and  £7,491  as  ordinary  dividend,  being  at  the  rate  of 
7£%.  Additional  land  has  been  acquired,  and  the 
plant  has  been  extended  and  improved  with  a  view  to 
increased  output. 

Weardale  Lead. — This  company  was  formed  in 
1883  to  work  a  group  of  lead  mines  near  the  head  of 
the  river  Wear  in  Durham.  The  galena  is  found  in 
the  Carboniferous  Limestone,  and  is  associated  with 
fluor-spar.  An  article  describing  the  mines,  written  by 
Professor  Henry  Louis,  was  published  in  the  Magazine 
for  January,  1917.  The  report  for  the  year  ended 
September  30  shows  that  the  company  ceased  smelting 
operations  in  May,  and  thereafter  sold  the  lead  con- 
centrate. The  output  of  lead  concentrate  was  2,837 
tons.  Of  this,  1,617  tons  was  smelted,  together  with 
532  tons  of  purchased  concentrate.  The  yield  was 
1,869  tons  of  pig  lead,  which  was  sold  at  the  average 
price  of  £31.  8s.  6d.  per  ton.  Since  May,  1,220  tons 
of  concentrate  has  been  sold,  at  the  average  price  of 
£15.  6s.  2d  per  ton  The  lead  concentrate  produced 
during  the  year  came  chiefly  from  the  Boltsburn  nrne, 
but  the  Stanhopeburn  ore  yielded  215  tons  and  Sedling 
ore  21  tons.  The  output  of  fluor-spar  was  6,975  tons 
at  Stanhopeburn.  3.950  tons  at  Sedling,  and  774  tons 
at  Boltsburn  The  accounts  for  the  year  show  a  net 
profit,  after  provision  of  income  tax,  of  £7,421,  out  of 
which  £7.344  has  been  paid  as  dividend,  being  at  the 
rate  of  7*",,  tax  paid.  Labour  troubles  and  uncertainty 
as  to  the  price  of  lead  and  the  Government's  intentions 
have  been  adverse  factors  in  the  situation. 

Frontino  &  Bolivia. — This  company  was  formed  in 
1864  to  work  geld  mines  in  Colombia,  South  America. 
It  was  reconstructed  in  1886  and  in  1911,  on  the  latter 
occasion  Fellew  Harvey  &  Co.  becoming  the  consult- 
ing engineers.  The  report  for  the  year  ended  June  30 
last  shows  that  29,020  tons  of  ore  from  the  Silencio 
mine  was  treated  by  amalgamation  and  cyanide,  for  a 
yield  of  23,564  oz.  of  gold  and  15,726  oz.  of  silver. 
Other  operations  produced  394  oz.  of  gold.  The  ac- 
counts show  an  income  of  £106,473,  and  a  profit  of 
£18,309,  out  of  which  £4,513  has  been  distributed  as 
debenture  interest,  £2.339  as  dividend  on  the  prefer- 
ence shares,  and  £10,500  on  the  ordinary  shares,  the 
latter  being  at  the  rate  of  7$%.  The  ore  reserve  is 
estimated  at  56,100  tons  averaging  17  dwt.  per  ton,  as 
compared  with  5S.500  tons  averaging  IS  dwt  the  year 
before.  The  company  is  contemplating  the  reopen- 
ing of  several  other  properties  in  the  neighbourhood, 
in  particular  the  Marmajitoand  Cogote  mines.  These 
properties  were  transferred  to  a  subsidiary  in  1916. 
Working  capital  to  the  extent  of  £19,000  is  now  being 
subscribed  by  the  issue  of  preference  shares  in  the 
subsidiary.  Of  these  the  Frontino  &  Bolivia  company 
will  subscribe  for  half. 


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