Professional Degree Theses
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The effect of today's residential electric consumer on the planning, design, and operation of electrical distribution systems

"The purpose of this paper shall be primarily to show the present day trends in the use of electricity by the residential consumer and the effect of such trends on the design, planning, and operation of the electric distribution system. System planning related to the electric utility is divided into two classes. The first deals with generation. The second deals with distribution from the various load and transmission centers to the customer. This thesis will deal .primarily with studies related to the latter.

Many utility distribution system problems have been brought about by the rapidly increased demands for residential uses of electricity. Some of the factors involved have been the high national economic levels, relaxed credit controls on appliance purchases, a highly competitive appliance market, the incidence of ''heat storms", so called, throughout a good share of the country in 1954 and 1955, and the large volume of urban home developments.

The impact of these factors on electric utility systems throughout the United States has been cause for concern. This concern deals primarily with the effect on future system planning. The purpose of this study will be to present the practical engineering problem of distribution planning and operation, giving consideration to the various factors that affect the residential consumer's use of electricity"--Introduction, page 1.

https://scholarsmine.mst.edu/professional_theses/177

Aspects of quality control in foreign manufacturing operations

"The present thesis is being written to illustrate some aspects of quality control in foreign manufacturing operations; that is, foreign to the United States. It is obvious that the conditions and probable variations from U. S. practice in any manufacturing industry will vary tremendously according to the industry under review. In the present case we shall be dealing with manufacturing operations involving the production of so-called "dry cells" and "dry batteries", and to a somewhat lesser degree with the production of projector arc carbons for use in motion picture theater projection. It will be, therefore, helpful if a brief history of these industries be included, with a consequent discussion of present manufacturing methods in the United States, before specific discussion is made of the problems attendant with the manufacture of dry cells and projector carbons in Southeast Asia"--Introduction, page 1.

https://scholarsmine.mst.edu/professional_theses/292

Metallurgical pulp mill processing for the White Pine Copper Company Project, White Pine, Michigan

Adaptation of diesel rubber-tired loading equipment to a bedded fluorspar mining problem

"The fluorspar-zinc orebody at Minerva No. 1 mine near Cave in Rock, in Hardin County, Illinois, would have been classed as non-commercial before the days of flotation milling and mine mechanization. The bulk of the ore requires fine grinding for acceptable beneficiation, and the assay of the head feed runs considerably lower than grades thought to be commercial in the fluorspar district prior to 1940.

However, the reserves found by drilling before the decision was made to invest in mine development, and the construction of a two-product, 250-ton, flotation mill, with complete power plant and surface shops, exceeded 600,000 tons. The belief that more than twice this tonnage of additional ore was very probable has been justified by subsequent prospecting. The shaft sinking commenced in 1942, and full plant operation commenced in 1944.

It was apparent from the beginning that full advantage of mine mechanization practices would have to be taken to keep mining costs as low as possible. The advantage of a large reserve opened the way for justifying the expenditure of capital for mechanical equipment costs of which could be depreciated over many tons and years. Selection of equipment types developed and used with some measure of success in other mining districts, having similar mining conditions, was based upon the need to lower unit mining costs per ton, within the limits imposed by milling capacity, 250 tons, later raised to 325 tons, per day.

This thesis describes the attempts to achieve the best applicable types of loading and hauling equipment to keep mining costs low in a mine where output is held down.

Other factors governing this trend toward utmost mechanization were (1) a desire to limit the size of the manpower requirements during a period of skilled mine labor shortage, (2) adopt equipment types of the operation of which could be taught to new employes, who lacked any mining experience, and (3) adopt equipment types which would help the mine achieve a better safety record than had been experienced in the fluorspar district"--Introduction, pages 2-3.

https://scholarsmine.mst.edu/professional_theses/183

Experimental studies of the effect of moisture on strength of mine roof-shales

"The mining and production of coal by underground mining operations has long been recognized as one of this nation's most hazardous industries. Tabulated data from the State of Illinois, for example, reveal that in that State between 1882 and 1945 there have been 7,789 men killed in coal mining accidents of one form or another. Further inspection of the data indicates that 3,711 of these men were killed underground by falls of roof or rock….

As previously stated, this experiment was designed to determine whether or not any appreciable change in strength as measured by Transverse Breakage would result from moisture changes in mine atmospheres; therefore, after the sample specimen groups were prepared, they were placed under during conditions in these types of environment for curing:

Under conditions of curing at room temperature exposed to normal air.

Under conditions of curing at room temperatures in a confined atmosphere exposed to Calcium Chloride desiccant.

Under conditions of curing at room temperatures in a confined atmosphere under condition of 100 per cent humidity"--pages 1, 12.

Geological reconnaissance of the Coldwater River, Mississippi

"This report was the result of an assigment [sic] to make a geologic reconnaissance of the headwaters of Coldwater River in northwest Mississippi, on which a site for a flood control dam had been made. At the time of the last field work in November, 1940, the boring program for borrow areas and for foundation had been completed.

The Sardis dam on the Little Tallahatchie River, some 35 miles southeast of site for the Arkabutla dam had been recently completed, it being the first of several designed for flood control purposes in the Yazoo basin, Mississippi. This was a hydraulic fill dam, having available nearby sufficient quantities of fine clay materials for relatively impervious core, naturally plastic; but with coarse material forming shell of dam for stability.

This type of construction, with impervious core and coarser shell would have been preferred at the Arkabutla site, but the ranges of soil types would not permit such choice, all material being nearly of same grain size.

At this time, I was working with the U. S. Engineer Office, Vicksburg, Mississippi, (Soil Section), under the direction of Mr. William H. Jervis, Engineer. It was at his suggestion that report was briefly summarized and details given in an appendix, due to the fact that he had found at times, engineers had not read or studied his reports on foundations, but would digest a summary. Hence the arrangement of the material.

Through official channels, this report reached the District Engineer, Vicksburg, District; the President of the Mississippi River Commission, (Brig. General Max C. Tyler and the Chief of the Engineers, Washington, D. C., and was in part responsible for the beginning of a geologic investigation of the Lower Mississippi Valley, July, 1, 1941"--Preface, page ii.

Operations of the Colquiri tin mine, Cia. Minera de Oruro. Colquiri, Bolivia

"I have selected for my thesis, the discussion of the more important phases of the operation of the Colquiri Mine, owned and operated by the Cia. Minera de Oruro, Oruro, Bolivia. This company is a stock company and is listed on the Santiago stock market, Santiago, Chile. Dr. Mauricio Hochschild is the controlling stockholder and the Cia. Miners de Oruro is responsible to his management. Mr. William Val De Camp, who is general manager for all the mines of Dr. Hochschild, is also general manager for the mines operated by the Compania Miners de Oruro. My position is that of general manager of the Colquiri Mine and I am directly under Mr. De Camp. This subject has been approved by Dr. S.A. Trengove, Chairman of the Mining Department, by previous correspondence, and I hope I am able to present the subject clearly and intelligently so that I may comply with this requirement in obtaining my professional degree in Mining Engineering. I believe the subject is important because there is generally very little written on Bolivian tin mines, mines which today supply the United States with much of her tin and which is so important in the essential war industries. I have selected this subject because I feel that it is the one subject that I am most able to discuss and because of its importance"--Introduction, page 1.

The chemical engineering aspects of the Saint Louis smoke problem

"During past years smokeless combustion of fuels has been conscientiously sought only in those larger industrial plants where fuel costs were a major factor. Smoke was considered a sign of prosperity in some moderate and even large size industrial practice, and no wholehearted effort was made to utilize the vast amount of energy lost through the smoke stack in the form of unoxidized carbon.

Inefficient combustion, which is so common today, is due in part to a wrong approach to the study of this problem. Industrial combustion, as a science, has, to a certain extent, been left to the mechanical engineer who in turn has approached the problem almost wholly from the physical viewpoint of heat transfer. Apparently very little thought has been given to the chemistry of combustion. This fact was very effectively brought to light in a recent survey conducted in the City of St. Louis. Hundreds of installations of numerous designs of so-called smokeless furnaces and smokeless boilers were observed over a period of weeks and all were found to be consistent smoke producers.

Smoke elimination in an industrial community is a problem of many ramifications. Among the various branches of this problem which confront the engineer are the kind, type and cost of fuels, the sources of fuels available, the type of equipment available for utilizing the fuels, the public opinion and the education involved, and to a much less extent the geographical and meteorological conditions surrounding the community"--pages 1-2.

Dewatering & rehabilitating the Oronogo-Webb City mining area

"The object of this paper is to describe the dewatering of the Oronogo-Webb City mining area, and the subsequent mining operations which were carried on in the northern section of that area. It deals with the development in that district during the time the writer was familiar with operations there; i.e., from 1935 to 1939, inclusive, and no attempt is made to describe the open pit mining and local milling which have been carried out as a latter part of this same project. Also, no attempt is made to describe the surface drainage work which was planned and carried out by the relief agencies of the federal government. In passing, it is sufficient to say that over $150,000 was expended for this work, which consisted of building dams and constructing ditches to protect the mine workings from the danger of surface water. However, this was the only part for which government funds were used. The dewatering and development work was carried out entirely by a large mining company operating In the Tri-State District, the Eagle-Picher Mining & Smelting Co., which held leases on the land in the dewatered area. These leases were in turn sub-leased to other companies for mining and were worked as separate operations. The Eagle-Picher Mining & Smelting Co. kept the mines dewatered, assembled the ore and transported it to the Central Mill located in northeastern Oklahoma for concentration. The company was, of course, as holders of the first lease, held responsible to the landowners for the proper conduct of mining operations and accounting of royalties"--Introduction, pages 1-2.

A preliminary report on the placer gold deposits of the Rio Acandi Seco, Choco, Republic of Colombia, South America and a possible method of their exploitation.

"This property covers the valley of the Rio Acandi Seco, in the district of Acandi, Intendencia (Territory) of Choco, Republic of Columbia, South America.

It consists of four claims, or pertenencias, each straddling and paralleling the course of the Acandi Seco River. Each claim is two kilometers in width, one kilometer on each side of the stream bed, and five kilometers in length, making an area two kilometers (1 1/4 miles) in width by 20 kilometers (12 1/2 miles) in length, containing about 10,000 acres, the conversion being only approximate. These four claims are shown on the attached map as La Balboa, La Balboa No. 1, La Balboa No. 2 and La Balboa No. 3.

The mining rights covered are the placer rights, lode mines being subject to separate filings by the discoverers. Thus far, no lode mines have been discovered or filed on, and there are now no owners of adverse surface rights on the Balboa property"--Property, page 1.

The Clark National Forest of Missouri

"The question might logically arise as to the appropriateness of a thesis with a forestry title being submitted for an engineering degree. The writer has been connected with the United States Forest Service for the past four years in an advisory capacity on staff of the Forest Supervisor of the Clark National Forest, during which time he has found that the engineers and construction men have performed a major function in the development of the forest.

As the initial development consisting of lineal surveys, construction of roads and telephone lines, erection of fire lookout towers, planning and erection of ranger administrative sites, lookout dwelling sites, recreation areas and nursery is completed the forest reverts to the forester for the practice of forestry in the many phases of proper land usage.

The subject was chosen because it was thought timely; especially in Missouri where the National Forest Purchase Units have been recently established, and to give the uninformed reader an idea of the probable effect on the social and economic welfare of the State of Missouri, as a result of the establishment of the national forests.

This thesis is written from the viewpoint of an engineer and for the average person, rather than the technician who already has a broader knowledge of the subject than this work intends to impart.

In order that the reader will not be thrown too abruptly into the subject matter dealing with the Clark National Forest a brief description is given of the history, organization and policy of the United States Forest Service, and of forestry in the United States"--Introduction, page 1.

Hydrography of the larger springs of the Ozark region of Missouri

"This thesis is based upon a study of the larger springs of the Ozark Region of Missouri and is designed to answer many requests for information about the large springs.

Special studies were made to determine the probable location and approximate area of the drainage areas of the large springs (previous writers have referred to the drainage areas as being “very large" or "enormous", apparently, without any very definite idea as to the extent or the drainage areas). The average run-off per square mile from the assumed drainage area, herein called the "spring factor", was determined for the largest springs.

A special study was made of the stream piracy from the Meramec and Black River Basins by large springs in the Current River Basin. It is the Author's belief that approximately one hundred and thirty square miles of drainage area assigned to the Meramec Basin, and approximately sixty square miles of drainage area assigned to the Black River Basin should be assigned to the Current River drainage area.

The main body of the thesis is made up of the descriptions or the various springs, with descriptions of the probable location, nature of, and extent of the drainage area of each of the larger springs "--Introduction, page 3.

Application of small-scale, movable-bed river models to channel improvement studies of the Middle Mississippi River

"This paper deals primarily with the use of small-scale models in the study of plans for improving the channel for navigation in several reaches of the Middle Mississippi River. However, it was considered expedient to include a discussion of hydraulic model experimentation in general before dealing with specific cases, in order that the reader might obtain the greatest possible satisfaction from the discussion.

The first part of this paper includes: a discussion of the theory of models, wherein the value and utility of models are demonstrated; the application of models to hydraulic problems, including the requirements for a model to be used in hydraulic studies; a brief resume of the laws of similitude, which insure the transferability of model results to the prototype; and a description of the agencies which conduct model studies of hydraulic problems. The next part of this paper is a description of the United States Waterways Experiment Station, the principal agency for the solution of hydraulic problems arising in river and harbor engineering; this description includes a brief outline of the origin, growth, aims and purposes, organization, and manner of functioning of the Station and is followed by a few comments on the various types of studies which have been conducted at the Station. The third section of this paper deals with the mechanics of a model study, enumerating the various steps followed in conducting a model study at the Station; this discussion is necessary in order that the manner of attacking and solving a problem can be more readily understood. The fourth part of this paper takes up the physical characteristics of the Middle Mississippi River, establishing a general back-ground for the subsequent descriptions of certain troublesome reaches. Following this, specific troublesome areas are described; in each case the discussion includes an analysis of the problem in the prototype, a description of the model built to study this problem, an account of the results of model experiment, and, for those experiments which have been completed, an interpretation of the application of the model results to the prototype. The sixth part of this paper goes into more detail in regard to the study of one of the troublesome areas, in order that the scope and significance of a model study can be more thoroughly understood. The closing paragraphs of the paper are a recapitulation of the preceding discussion dealing with the application of small-scale models to problems on the Middle Mississippi River, and includes an evaluation of the results obtained from these model studies"--Introduction, Synopsis, pages 1-3.

La minería en el Peru (Sinopsis para el año de 1929)

Some of the difficulties encountered in the construction of a highway subway or underpass

"The project from which the subject for this work is taken is located in Section 28, T 13 N, R 11 W, of the third P. M., Scott County, Illinois, within the village limits of Manchester, in the north east part of the town. (Sheet No. 1 of accompanying plans) It is a grade separation between the Chicago and Alton Railway and Route No. 3 of the Illinois system of Highways"--Page 6.

Diversion of Mississippi flood water as aid to flood control

"For many years the lower Mississippi River valley has been in constant danger from high water causing disastrous floods. The important city of New Orleans, our typical French city, is below the surface of the Mississippi River at all stages, and its only means of protection at present is by a levee. Should this bulkwark give way, the whole of that city would be submerged. With this danger in mind, the writer has undertaken a study for, and design of a spillway above the city to reduce the danger caused by high water. Each year flood heights increase and the levees, due to the enormous pressure exerted upon them, become weaker. Many thousands of dollars are spent each year in repair and strengthening of levees, but this can not go on forever, and it is probably only a matter of time until it will be impossible to further control the increasing flood heights"--Introduction, page 1.

Irregularities in the productivity of the Fry sand in the Smith-Ellis pool of Northwest Brown County, Texas

"The Fry Sand of Northwest Brown County, Texas, as ordinarily defined, consists of irregularly distributed lenticular sand bodies of varying thickness, ranging up to more than thirty feet in some localities. It is quite generally conceded to be a member of the upper Strawn Group of the Pennsylvanian of Texas.

The Fry Sand is highly unconformable with relation to the strata both above and below, and is subject to abrupt changes of thickness within distances of but a few yards. It generally occurs as a light grey to white, fairly fine-grained, quite pure quartz sand, and where it is present it is almost always highly porous, producing water when no oil is present.

It occurs in the western portion of Brown County and the eastern part of Coleman County between the depths of 1100 and 1600 feet, varying with locality. It is quite readily reached with various portable drilling machines, which are used to the almost complete exclusion of standard drilling rigs.

Where the Fry Sand occurs in any appreciable thickness and favorable structural conditions prevail, the chances for production of petroleum therefrom are good. The oil from this sand will average between 42 and 43 degrees Baumeʹ, and hence is eagerly sought. Flowing wells producing as high as 2000 barrels daily have been encountered in this horizon.

The Smith Pool is one of several producing from the Fry Sand, and was discovered early in 1927. During the drilling campaign which followed, in the course of which the writer had charge of the drilling in of some 24 wells in the pool, and observed the drilling of most of the others, various deviations from the normal in sand conditions were noted. These will be treated in the following discussion"--Introduction, pages 1-2.

The role of geology in prospecting for lead and zinc in the Tri-state district

"The present generation has seen many changes in all phases of human endeavor, and the changes which have been made in the extraction of metals from the earth are not the least or these. The application of science to our industries has revolutionized many of them. Today quantity production in our factories is an accepted thing, and in the mines, application of the same principles has made possible the working of the low-grade copper deposits of Utah, Arizona, Chile and Belgian Congo. The mining industry has made use of almost all of the sciences in one form or another to aid it in economically extracting the ore from the earth, but this paper will deal with but one of these; the science or geology and its application to the search for lead and zinc in the Tri-State District of Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma.

In the early days of mining around Joplin, Missouri, shallow shafts were sunk wherever surface indications were favorable. If ore were struck in the first shaft, drifting would immediately be started, and a 'gouge' would be in operation. If ore were not struck in the first shaft, another would be sunk some distance from the first. When the faces were worked far enough from the shaft that a long tram was necessary, the shaft would be abandoned and another sunk in the direction of the orebody. The mills in those days consisted of one or more hand-jigs, so that it was no trouble to move the mill with the shaft. Most of the early mining was done from grass-roots down to the water-level, which was usually about fifty feet from the surface. Lead ore only was taken; the zinc ore then had no value.

As the price of lead ore advanced and uses for zinc were found, it became profitable to go below the water table and mine the larger ore deposits found there. This necessitated pumping the water and made the original investment too large for the individual or small group of miners. With the advent of capital, the hand-jig method of recovering the ore gave way to mechanically operated jigs and tables. The large amount of capital put into the mills required that an orebody be blocked out with a reasonable degree of accuracy, before the mill was built and money spent for pumping equipment. This state of affairs heralded the advent of the churn drill as a means of proving the existence of an orebody before a shaft was sunk. In the Joplin district three or four holes on a forty-acre tract was considered amply sufficient to prove or disprove the existence of a mineable deposit of ore.

Many of the methods in use in the old Joplin district were changed with the discovery of the unusually rich deposits of ore found in the vicinity of Picher, Oklahoma. The author is especially familiar with the deposits of this camp, and it is with the geology and methods of prospecting in this camp that the present paper will deal. The methods of prospecting are now the same in all parts of the district, but the geology, especially the type of ore deposits, is different in the several camps of the district.

With the coming of the churn drill, prospecting was put on a more exact basis, but it was not until the last few years that the operators have felt the need of more scientific prospecting. The application of geology to prospecting by the larger companies engaged in mining is only in its infancy, and it really has not had a chance to show what it can do, and how it can save the operator thousands of dollars by locating the barren areas and limiting the intensive prospecting to areas that have the best possibilities"--Introduction, pages 1, 3.

Mining geology in the Rosiclare fluorspar district

"The Illinois-Kentucky Fluorspar district is the largest of its kind in the United States and is one of the most important in the world. It lies on either side or the Ohio River in the extreme southeastern part of Illinois and the western part of Kentucky. The mineralized area is relatively small, embracing about 1500 square miles in all. On the Illinois side, the village of Rosiclare is the center of activity. With the exception of Cave-in-Rock, practically the entire production of Illinois comes from the immediate vicinity of Rosiclare and is produced by two companies, the Rosiclare Lead and Fluorspar Mining Co. and the Hillside Fluor Spar Mines.

Fluorspar is of considerable economic importance. In the steel industry and in foundry practice it is extensively used as a flux. It is of especial advantage in the basic open hearth process where it not only lessens the viscosity of the slag but materially assists in the passage or impurities into the slag. It is used in the ceramic industry in the making of certain kinds of opalescent glass. It is also the principal source for the manufacture of hydrofluoric acid and is used to some extent in the aluminum industry.

From a geological standpoint the district as a whole has always attracted considerable attention. The various phases of the historical, structural, and economic geology have been abundantly discussed at different times by the most capable of authorities. In general the country is composed of nearly flat-lying sedimentaries such as limestone, shale, and sandstone, which have been extensively faulted. Some of these faults have been subsequently filled with calcite, fluorite and associated minerals to form typical fissure veins. This injection from deep-seated magmas was probably in the order as named. It is probable that mineralization and faulting were contemporaneous to some extent and that the various minerals intruded overlapped each other in the several stages of vein filling"--Introduction, pages 1-2.

Fluorspar mining and milling in southern Illinois

"Fluorspar is fully as necessary a material in certain phases of steel manufacturing as the metal that enters the furnace. Without it, the basic open hearth practice probably would not have reached its dominant position among steel-making methods. Of the entire output of fluorspar, 80 to 85 percent is used in basic open-hearth and electric furnaces as a flux and detergent and there is today no known substitute.

The mining of the ore on a large scale requires extensive underground workings, much the same as is found in metal mines. Since high extraction can not be accomplished the milling of the ore is very easy.

Small scale operations are rapidly disappearing as the ore near the surface is mined out. Deep mining necessitates a large investment in expensive equipment.

Three large companys now practically control the output of this district. One of these, the Hillside Fluorspar Mines, has the newest mine and mill eraboding the latest mining and milling methods, and therefore will be used as the source of information for the following pages.

Location of the District. The Illinois fluorspar district is geographically located in the extreme southern part of the state. Geologically it is a part of what is generally known as the Kentucky-Illinois fluorspar field which covers part of Hardin and Pope counties in Illinois, and Crittenden, Livingston and Caldwell counties In Kentucky"--Introduction, pages 4-5.

Methods employed for exploration and development of a gold, silver, lead property in the Idaho Springs district, Colorado

"The Tonopah Colorado Leasing Company, a subsidary of the Tonopah Mining Company of Nevada, was organized in July 1922, for the sole purpose of carrying on the development and exploration of the Lombard Mine, situated in the N.E. corner of Clear Creek County, Colorado.

The former owners of the Mine were: The Continental Mines, Power and Reduction Company. This Company was held by the Seeman Investment and Finance Company. The property comprised 128 Mining Claims -- most of which were Patented. Other appurtenances of the Company comprised Mill Sites, Power Plant Site, Tunnel Sites and Ditch.

The Tonopah Colorado Leasing Company, secured a Lease on the property with an Option to purchase within 20 years. It was under this Lease that the property was explored and developed.

This property had been brought to the attention of the Tonopah Mining Company, through the President of the Seeman Investment & Finance Co., which Company was at that time in control of the property"--Introduction, page 1.

Evidence to the production of commercial oil from the Emerson-Texon fold

"The area consists of a strip of country twelve to twenty five miles wide and nearly seventy miles long, extending from Stiles in Reagan County southwest-ward across Crockett County and Pecos County to the Big Canyon Ranch in Terrell County. Map #2 accompanying this report is a small scale geological map of the general region, which shows the location of the general area covered for this report with reference to drainage railroads &c.. The entire area worked in detail comprises nearly 1300 sq. miles or over 800,000 acres"--Location and topography, page 1.

Economic geology of northern Angola

"Most of the mineral deposits have been known to exist for over a generation but efforts to mine them usually met with failure. The most signal discovery, that of diamonds, was made only in recent years. They are the only substance coming under the category of mineral which are being exploited on a large scale. Energetic efforts are being made to find petroleum in commercial quantities. There are still vast areas practically unexplored which if thoroughly prospected might lead to more discoveries. It is difficulty, however, for one who has prospected for two years in Angola without any particular success to be optimistic about the possibilities"--Summary, page 33.

The gas fields of North Webster Parish, Louisiana

"The gas fields of north Webster Parish, Louisiana, as discussed in this paper, are embraced in an area 9 townships or 324 square miles in extent including Township 21 North, Ranges 9, 10, and 11 West; Township 22 North, Ranges 9, 10, and 11 West; and Township 23 North, Ranges 9, 10, and 11 West in north Webster Parish and extreme northeast Bossier Parish, Louisiana. The area is outlined in red on the accompanying map, on Page 2, which shows the relation of the three gas fields in the area to the other oil and gas fields of north Louisiana, south Arkansas, and east Texas.

This area is about 25 miles northeast of Shreveport, Louisiana, the center of the oil and gas industry in the region. Cotton Valley, the principal town of the vicinity under discussion, may be entered from Shreveport on the Louisiana and Arkansas Railroad and several dirt roads also afford entrance during dry weather"--Location, page 1.

The construction, equipment and operation of the second largest oil refinery in Mexico

"In the preparation of this thesis the writer has endeavored to describe in a clear, concise and simple manner the general scheme carried out by the Foundation Company in the construction, equipment and operation of the Corona Refinery at Chijol, Veracruz, Mexico.

Under construction, the most interesting features of the work executed by the Field Engineering department have been discussed at some length. Throughout this paper elementary details have been omitted, the casual reader being assumed to possess a knowledge of the fundamental principles of engineering.

No attempt has been made to cover the activities of the allied--mechanical, electrical, architectural--departments of engineering as no single individual in the organization could hope to have the time nor the opportunity to become sufficiently acquainted with all their details of operation to describe them in a comprehensive manner.

The illustrations accompanying this paper have been carefully prepared and are intended as a supplement to the subject matter; it is hoped that they will be found helpful in making the text clear"--Preface, page ii.

A complete coal mine survey

"As an introduction to this thesis, it would probably be well to give the laws of the State of Illinois relative to mine maps. These laws come under "An Act to revise the laws in relation to the coal mines and subjects relating thereto, and providing for the health and safety of persons employed therein. Approved June 6, 1911, inforce July 1, 1911. leaf 1911, page 388." Section 7 reads as follows: (a) The operator of every coal mine in the State shall make, or cause to be made, an accurate map or plan of such mine, drawn to a scale not smaller than 200 feet to the inch"--Introduction, page 1.

Determination of critical point of concentrating tables on Arizona copper ore

"In the concentration of an ore by means of concentrating tables, there is a critical point in sizing beyond which the valuable minerals can not be recovered. Theoretically, the lighter gangue is washed over the side of' the table and the heavier mineral, regardless of size, is recoverable at the end, these concentrates being graded from coarse to fine sizes up the slope of the table. In practice, however, the finer sizes of concentrates are found mixed with the middlings and tailings, as indicated by the arrows on the diagram of the concentrating table shown below. The problem is to determine the critical sizes where the divisions occur, or in other words, the finest size of the valuable mineral which it is possible to recover in table concentration"--page 1.

Study of the monthly extraction record and curve of a modern Mexican cyanide plant

"This data is taken from the records of the mill and cyanide plant belonging to Compania de Minas La Blanca y Anexas, S.A., Pachuca, Hidalgo, Mexico; of which the writer has been in charge during the four years it has been in operation. The plant may be termed a "silver plant" as the silver values predominate, the ratio being about 200 grams of silver to 1 gram of gold"--Introduction, page 1.

Report on Bellshazar mining property

"The property of the Belshazzar Gold Mine is located in the Granite Creek Mining District of Boise County, State of Idaho. This district forms the northern boundary of the famous Boise Basin which has produced over two hundred million in placer gold. The Balshazzar property is about three and a half miles from the town of Quartzburg and about four miles from the town of Placerville. A good wagon road connects the property with both towns"--Description of the District, page 3.

Square set system of timbering as employed by the Shannon Copper Co.

"The properties of The Shannon Copper Co., consisting of mine and smelter, are located in the Southeastern part of Arizona in what is known as the Clifton-Morenci District. The smelter is located at Clifton and the mine at Metcalf, eight miles distant on an iron capped mountain known as Serro Preito.

From a geological standpoint the ore deposits of the Clifton-Morenci District are a freak. There are no fissure veins of any consequence in the district; all the large deposits are found in bodies, the ore usually occurring in a soft porphyry.

Underlying the iron capping on the Shannon property the ground gives evidence of much disturbance, being cut with slips or faults that may run in any direction; also, in the same stope and with practically no difference in elevation, are found carbonate, oxide and sulphide ores. All the ore is found in bodies which have no definite shape and generally no walls, while some of the ore bodies are defined by one wall only, which evidences faulting at that point.

The system employed by the Shannon company in mining these ore bodies is that of square set, the object being to excavate all the ore in a body and completely fill the excavated portion with waste material in order to hold the ground in place. The material for filling is run into the stopes by chutes from open cuts on the surface, or by chutes from tunnels in which exporation work is being done"--page 1.

The roasting and smelting of lead ores as carried on by the St. Joseph Lead Co., at Herculaneum, Mo.

Mineral land survey

"Field notes of the survey of the mining claim of the Sylvanite Gold Mining company known as the Ready Cash, Gold Bug, Shamrock, Midland and Cyclone Lodes, Cripple Creek Mining District, El Paso and Fremont County, Colorado"--page ii.

The Ore Knob copper process

"The works of the Ore Knob Copper Company are situated in the County of Ashe in the north-western part of the state of North Carolina, about ten miles from the Virginia line at an elevation of 4000 feet above the sea.

The works are 45 miles from the railroad, which makes the transportation very difficult. These unfavorable conditions make it necessary for the owners of the mine to smelt their ores and to send to market nothing except the metal, which alone will bear the cost of transportation. The mine was opened previous to 1860, but has only been worked successfully during the last 8 or 10 years.

The vein is a fissure-vein from 10 to 20 feet in thickness, and has been explored over a long distance by working and trial shafts. The method of mining employed is known as underhand stoping. The rock is hard, but the ore is won without much difficulty. The method of extraction is by iron buckets. These hold from 1000-2000 lbs. each. They are placed on a truck which, when loaded, is rolled to the shaft and the buckets are there hoisted. The ventilation of the mine is excellent, the foul air from a blast being removed in a very short time. The smelting works are situated only a few hundred feet from the mine. The ore is delivered into the dressing-house, where that containing copper is separated from the sterile materials and discharged into a car running by gravity to the smelting works where it is dumped into carts and carried to the piles to be roasted.

It has been found by experiment that an ore containing 3% of copper just pays the expenses of mining and smelting.

The metallurgical works consist of six roasting sheds, ten shaft furnaces, one reverberatory furnace, and four houses for storing the coal. The fuel used is wood for roasting and refining and charcoal for the shaft furnace.

Pig Copper is obtained in four & ingot copper in 5 operations"--pages 1-2.

Metallurgic industries of south Missouri

"The metallurgic industries of South Missouri consist chiefly of iron, lead and zinc industries. These are widely distributed over the southern counties and in many localities the works are extensive, proving in many cases to be great sources of wealth. In the production of Iron the profit is small. Yet this industry, owing to a growing demand, is steadily increasing"--page 2.

The metallurgic treatment of the iron ores of southwest Missouri

I can say nothing new upon the subject of the Metallurgy of Iron. The science has approached such a degree of perfection that very little, if anything, has been left to be said. The attention of the modem metallurgist should be devoted to the mechanical contrivances which will enable him to manipulate the work of his men to the best advantage rather than to an improvement in the process”—Introduction, page 6.

The cost of a structure which is to take the place of the Beaver Bridge

"The subject of this treatise is the cost of a structure, which is to take the place of the Beaver Bridge.

This bridge is located on the St. L and San F. Rwy., four miles southwest of Rolla and it spans a deep valley nearly a 1000 ft. in width in the bottom of which runs a small stream The course of roadway over the bridge is N. 24 1/2 E.

The old wooden Howe Truss bridge, being no longer considered perfectly safe, on account of its age, measure was taken to supply its place with some new structure that, with the least expenditure, would carry the road safely over the valley. Now the question before us is this: whether in this case it will cost more to build an Iron Truss bridge, or to construct an embankment, using as the former the peers of the old bridge"--page 2.

Treatment of gold and silver ores as found in the Comstock Lode

"Statement of Problem: Metallurgy of Gold, etc.

Required, description of process and machinery used in the extraction of Gold and Silver from earthy and siliceous ores as found in California, the ores being represented by the following- SiO2, 91.44; (Zn,Pb)+Cu2S, 1.38; Al2O3, Fe2O3, etc. 6.39; Au, .0017, Ag2S .12, Variable in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd class ores.

1° - The methods, etc. employed in treating 1st class ores, -such as exceed in value $150 per ton.

2° - Methods, etc. in treating 2nd class ores, such as ore valued at less than $150 per ton.

Give in detail the chemistry of each process described, also illustrated by drawings of machinery &c. for crushing, separating, retorting, melting, casting, etc.

Give as nearly as possible the commercial values of all products and by-products.

Separation of gold and silver is included in this"--pages 3-4.

Maramec bridge

"Bridge-building, as a science, is comparatively of recent date, for relating to now, of what may be called ancient bridges, do we read of them having been mathematical calculations, determining the strains upon the constituent parts of the bridge structure. This very necessary operation seems to have been entirely omitted. This was, probably, because to that time, there had been no thoroughly scientific investigation, of the new and beautiful subject of scientific bridge-building. At the present time, we determine with a minuteness the strain thrown upon any part of a bridge. We are thus enabled to give the proper dimensions to every component part of a bridge, a desideratum, since any superfluous strength, may by the weight due to it, tend to weaken the entire structure. This is particularly so, when the superfluous strength is represented by wooden timbers. In wrought iron, more strength must be given than is actually required, since a strain that will not break, will lengthen the parts, especially, when they are subjected to strains for any considerable length of time. This is the reason that those parts bearing tensile strains, when represented by wrought iron, are much longer, than it would seem to require. In the bridge under consideration, this is a very noticeable feature"--pages 4-5.

Illustration of the concentration and Flintshire furnace treatment of lead ores at the Desloge Mines, Missouri

"The Desloge Mines, the subject of the present thesis, are situated in Township 37 North and Range 4 East, St. Francois Co. Mo. and are directly north of the St. Joe mines. They are 10 miles distant, in a north-easterly direction, from Cadet, a station on the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Rail-Road 57 miles from St. Louis. hough Cadet is insignificant in point of population, still as a shipping point, it ranks high among those in South East Missouri; since it is the depôt and entrepôt for the Desloge, St. Joe and Old Mines....

The subject of lead treatment at the Desloge Mines will be taken up in three separate parts viz: the Mining; Concentrating and Smelting of ores "--pages 3-5.

"The road begins at the intersection of the east line of the Stockyards stalls, with the Saint Louis and San Francisco Rail Road. In this road, which is 9735 feet long, there is six pieces each of alternate curved, and straight track. The first piece of track, which is curved, is a 6⁰ curve, to the right (going westward) and contains 13 chords of 100 feet.

Following this is a tangent of 400 feet. And then in succession: A 10⁰ curve, to the left; 10 chords; a tangent of 100 feet a 10⁰ curve, to the right, 8.5 chords; a tangent of 1485 feet; a 9⁰ curve, to the left; 8 chords; a tangent of 2230 feet; a 3⁰ 45’ curve, to the right; 6 chords; a tangent of 200 feet; a 6⁰ 05’ curve, to the left; 5.7 chords and a tangent of 400 feet to the fair grounds front"--page 3.

Profile of the A. & P. R. R. from Rolla depot, 7000 feet westward

"On Monday, May the 15th, 1876, this Project was begun, by the measurement of the 7000 feet, and establishment of every 500 feet point.

In this 7000 feet of road there is three curves and four pieces of straight track"--Page 3.

Iron ores and associates at Buckland's Bank, Sec. 20. T. 37. R 8, W, Phelps Co. Missouri

"The Iron deposit locally Known as "Bucklands Bank" is situated in the south half of Sec. 20. T. 37 R. 8 west Phelps County Missouri, about four (4) and a half (1/2) miles west of Rolla and on the line of the Atlantic and Pacific R.R.

It was opened by Sen. T. C. Buckland of St. Louis in 18--, but subsequently was leased to Mr. Wm. James of St. James, who shipped the ore for treatment at the Ozark Furnace five and a half (5 1/2) miles further westward on the railroad.

The deposit is classified by Schmidt* as a disturbed Specular ore deposit, that is, it is an aggregation of ores, which in their former state lay parallel to the enclosing rock and consequently forming a layer between any stratified or foliated rock, but which has since been disturbed by various causes"--page 1.

Copper ores and deposits of Shannon County, Missouri

"The deposits of copper at present opened in shannon County belong to the Consolidated Land Company of Missouri. They are situated in the N.W. 1/4, N.E. 1/4, Sec. 36, Town. 29, Range 4, about one and a half miles south-westerly from Emminence, the county seat of Shannon County. The deposits were first opened and operated upon by Jos. Slater, who took out and shipped about 1500 tons of the ores to Swansea Wales for treatment. The ores consisted chiefly of Copper Glance, with small amounts of Azurite, Malachite and Cuprite"--page 2.

Illustrations of the treatment of nickeliferous ores at Mine La Motte, Madison County, Missouri

"The Mine la Motte property consists of a tract of about 24000 acres situated in the counties of Madison and St. Francois, principally in the former, however. It has been worked since the year 1720, and besides its historical interest is certainly one of the most important mines in the state, as regards both the capitalist and scientist. These facts warrant a detailed description of the mines, and the methods of working which are in vogue there, these being necessary to any one who would realize their magnitude and importance. The property is situated about 100 miles southeast of St. Louis on the Iron Mountain Railroad. The principal mining is done at the village of Mine la Motte, three miles east of Mine la Motte station. The deposits of nickel and cobalt found here are the most extensive now known and operated in the United States, and yield a very large proportion of the total production of these metals in the world"--Historical and Descriptive, page 3.

Beaver bridge

“The Little Beaver Bridge is situated on the A. & P. R. R., 3 ¾ S. W. of Rolla it is built on the “Howe Truss” plan and spans a valley through which flows the “Little Beaver Creek” - it has two approaches (stringers supported by trestles), the length of the northern one is 38 ft., while that of the southern one is 35’5”. The bridge is composed of 5 spans and is supported on 6 piers; the length of the bridge proper is 687’ 2”, with the abutments it is 760’7”. The piers are of sandstone and have a batir, from about one half of their height to the top, of one inch to the foot. In consequence of the comparatively small size of the used in their construction, the Railroad Company has commenced to tear them down in order to erect larger piers. The dimensions of the new piers (for the bottom course) will be 13’1” x 30’ instead of 7’6” x 24’3” as in the old one - the batir will however in the new piers start from the second course. All the timber used in this bridge (except the ties which are oak) is white pine"--pages 5-6.
