OCR Text |
Show . . - - - _ . - - .L L . . . . . SCIENeE SCIENC MINERSCIENC rEAIDS AIDS THE MINER MINERI I - 7 7y 7Mines Mines building , y : } 'Ct- 'Ct Ct 'CtJ ' ' - ' 'CtM M , J 4 14w 1w V , ' 3 1 b ' 3S , , , , * + S 4a ' ? ; eGrY1 ' Metallurgical $ ullding " , f 1 o oc c i - ao f fk k . , 2 s sr r By S F . RAVITZDirector RAVITZ RAVITZDirector Director Utah Engineering EngineeringExperiment EngineeringExperiment EngineeringExperiment Experiment StationEALIZING Station k EALIZING that the mines andsmelters andsmelters and REALIZING R andR ' smelters of ot Utah not only provJde pro provide vide vJde employment eniplowent emplo ) } ment tor for a large largenumber largenumber largenumber number of people , but furnish furnishmarhets furnishmarkets furnishmarkets marhets markets tor for supplies suppl1es and equip equipment equipmeat equipment ment meat , , whose producers , in turn turnare , are consumers of o agricultural pro products products products ducts , the Utah Legislature Leg1s1ature , in in1913 1913 , established estnbl1shed the Depal Department Depaitmentof Departmentof tment tmentof of Mining and Metallurgical Re Research Research Research search of the Engineering Experi Experi- Experiment Experiment - . ment Station at the University of ofUtah ofUtah ofUtah ofUtahThis Utah UtahThis This department has grown to be beone beone beone one of the outstanding institutions institutionsin In its field Its staft start consists of offive offive offive five men trained in metallurgical metallurgicalscience metallurgicalscience metallurgicalscience science , , a mechanic and a secre serve secretary servetart secretary tary tart ' ; : its plant vlant , of research and andchemIcal andchemical andchemical chemIcal laboratories laboratorJes , a machine machineshop machineshop machineshop shop and considerable cons1derable scientific scientificand scientificand scientificand and engineering englneermg equipment . In co cooperation cooperation cooperation operation \ with ith the United States StatesBureau StatesBureau StatesBureau Bureau of Mines Mmes , it has publ1shed published publ1shedmore publishedmore publishedmore more than 100 articles , , which are arein arein arein in demand throughout the United UnitedStates UnitedStates UnitedStates States and in most foreign fore1gn coun coup couptries countries countries tries triesExperience Experience E\perience E perience ' \ h has a s demonstrated demonstratedthat demonstratedthat demonstratedthat that constant research 13 IS necessary necessaryto to improve our mineral products productsto , to find bettel bettet and less expensh expensive expensivemethods expensivemethods e emethods methods of making mahing them , to findnew find findnew findnew new uses tor for them and to develop developsources developsources developsources sources of o ( raw material Cyanlda Cyanida Cyanldation Cyanidatton Cyanldatton tion tton , , flotation , cruslrin crushing crushinc and grind grindmg grindtag grinding mg tag , , mine ventilation ventllahon , PJo prometal prometallurgy p } rometal rometallurgy rometallurgy lurgy , electro met m metallurgy e t a 11 u r g y , ore oredressing oredressing oredressing dressing microscopy and coal in inestigaUon inlestlgation inestigation , estigaUon estigation are among the thmgs things thmgscovered thingscovered thingscovered covered coveredBy By flotation alone , In the develop development developmeat development ment meat of which the Station has hasplayed hasplayed hasplayed played an Important part , ore orebodles orebodies orebodies bodles bodies in m Utah at one time con con.sidered considered con.sidered considered .sidered sidered . . ' \ worthless orthless , ha , e become becomeheavy becomeheavy becomeheavy heavy producers employment has hasbeen hasbeen hasbeen been piovided pIoVIdcd provided foi tOl literally l1terally thou thousands thousands thousands sands of o persons within wlthln the state stateand stateand stateand and millions nuillon3 of dollirs dolhrs dollars worth of ofbusiness ofbusiness ofbusiness business has icsulted esulted resulted I resultedThe esultedThe The microscope is proving ex ox exceedmgly oxceedingly exceedingly ceedmgly ceedingly useful ueful ' ) in helping helpmg to solve solveproblems solveproblems solveproblems problems in crushing crushmg and grinding grindingflotation , flQtatton flotation , etc So beneficial were wereIts wereits wereits Its accomplishments that seven sevenlarge sevenlarge sevenlarge large Utah companies , begmnmg beginning beginningin begmnmgIII III in 1929 , assisted for seveial sevelal several years yearsin yearsin yearsIn in maintaining mamtaming a coopeIatIve cooperative coopci alive micro microSCOPIC microscopic microscopic SCOPIC laboratoI laboratoo laboratoiy } at the stahon station stahonThis stationThis stationTills This has been taken tahen over by the theUnn theUnit theUnnersity Unn Unit ersfty erslty and is still gh gir ghing Ing es essenUal essential essential senUal sential serviceStudles serviceStudies service Studies Studles of Utah coals ha hale haleyielded ha\eyielded ha eyielded \ , e eyIelded yIelded much muchaluable , ' \aluable aluable \ information informationtor informationfor for the coal industries ; ; researchla researchIn research In smelting melttng his h1s has been very useful usefulto usefulto usefulto to the local smelters , and work in inprogress inprogress inprogress progress In mine mineventilation ti , -ventilation ventilation enhlatlon entilation - gives givespromise givespromise givespromise promise of appreciably appreclablv increasing increasingefllc1ency increasingefficiency Increasingefficiency efllc1ency efficiency and lowering costsMean costsMeanwhile costs costsMeanwhile Mean\\ Mean Meanwhile Meanh11e \ h11e , the study of tunda funda mental principles prmcfples is not over over- overlooked overlooked . - looked Discoveries Digcoveries In physics and andchemistry andchemistry andchemistry chemistry , the nature ot of which no noman noman noman man can predict now , may be . . made madewith madewith madewith with revolutionary revoluntlonary revoluntionary effectsBy effects effectsBy de degrees degrees degrees By gn gii gnmg mg ing fellowships and grees in mining and metallurgy the theUniversIty theUniversity theUniversity UniversIty helps to carve cal careers careersfor caieersfor eers eersfor for students and provide for com coal- coal - coalpanies companies . panies paUles competent replacements and andadditions andadditions andadditions additions to their staffs Although Althougha a large proportion proporhon of the graduates graduatesof of the Station find employment in invarious invarious invarious various mines and smelters within withinthe withinthe withinthe the state , former fellowship men mencan mencan mencan can be found holding important importantpositions importantpositions importantpositions positions in pI piactically piacticaliy nctically every min min- mining mining . - ing region in the worldIndustrial world Industrial concerns and indivi individuals . duals dnals nny mw may use the facilities fac1litles of the theStation theStation theStation Station Station- StationIf - ' It If such facilities facll1tles are lack lack- lacking lacking . - ing Illg elsewheie elsewhel elsewhere e within wlthin the state ; : it itthe itthe itthe the work involves fundamental reo reosearch re- re research re research - search likely to extend scientific scientificknowledge scientificknowledge scientificknowledge knowledge , or , it if the results ot of the thework thework thework work will benefit the mineral in industrfes industrles industries dustrfes dustries of the state in general generalRoutine generalRoutine generalRoutine Routine nssa assays } s , , 'inal inal 'inaly inaly ' ' inahrsia } sis and . ore oretests oretests oretests tests , which would be In competi competi- competition competition . - tion with prh private prhate ate business are not notaccepted notaccepted notaccepted notacceptedThe accepted acceptedThe The Station Statton has undertaken sev- sev several sev several - . eral important lmportant commercial prob problems problems problema lems In cooperation with various variouscompames variouscompanies variouscompanies compames companies One of these was the theexh theextraction theexti extraction exh action achon of gold from the taillng tailing taillngdumps tailingdumps tailingdumps dumps at Mercur , Utah . , Prelim Prelimfnar PrelimInar PrelimInari fnar Inar } t to o cyamdation cyanIdation , complex complexPYrItic complexpyritic complexpyntic PYrItic material matenal wag was subjected to toroastl11g toroasting toroasting roastl11g roasting , first # m n small quantities quantitiesand quantitiesand Quantitiesand and finall finally } , in III IIII IIIthe I the lhe Station's Stations ' large large10tary largerotary largelotary 10tary rotary kiln hUn \ with Ith a capacity ot of one oneton oneton oneton ton per hOUlSlh hourScher houi hOUl hour houiSiher Slh Siher Scher er ore fiom tlom from Mexico MelCo Mevrco " { , submit submit- submitted submitted . - ted by b } the A S S 8 & . . R smelter at atEl atEl atEl El Paso , Texas Te.as Teas ' . , was "as as " also subjected subjectedto to a senes selles seiies of tests in fn the large largekiln largekiln largekiln kiln under supervision of three threemetallurgIsts threemetallurgists threemetallurgists metallurgIsts from the El EI Paso Pasoplant Pasoplant Pasoplant plant Many Mdnv other big companies companiesthroughout companiesthroughout companiesthroughout throughout the country have used usedthe usedthe usedthe the Station s equipment to work workout workout workout out difficult problemsThough problemsThough problems problemsThough Though it doe does : ; not do assaymg assaying assayingfor assaymgfor for prn private ate applicints apphc1nts applicants , , the Statton Station Stattonmakes Stationmakes Stationmakes makes for piospectors o'3pectors o3pectors prospectors J1 ' , fl fiee free ee ot of otcharge ofcharge otcharge charge , preliminary prehmtnary nucroscoplc microscopic nucroscoplcexammations microscopicexaminations microscopicexaminations exammations examinations of samples The only onlyreqUIrements onlyrequirements onlyrequirements reqUIrements foi fOl the tree free service serviceare serviceare serviceare are that the sample must have haveorigInated haveoriginated haveoriginated origInated in Utah and be accom accom- accompanied accompanied . - panied by a general description of ofthe ofthe otthe the locillty loc1uty locality from fr01n : which whlch it came cameand cameand cameand and deposit.The depositThe of the character of the deposit . The data thus obtained obtamed is to be beused beused beused used as a basis toi fOl foi a suivey survey SUI vey of o ( the themineral themineral themineral mineral resources ot of the state . , state.The stateThe The free microstopic mlcrOSt.opIC mlcrOStopIC microscopic . cxanunatlon exanunation cxanunatlonusually exanunationusually examinationusually : usually is JS sufficient to eteimine determine determinethe deteiminethe eteiminethe the principal prInclpal minerals in m a sample1nd sampleInd sample samplemd md 1nd Ind ' \ whetliei whether hethel It Is likely to repre repre- represent represent - . sent commercial value In this "ay ay way " prospectors wayprospectors "ayprospectors veiy velY very often are swed saved sivedthe swedthe savedthe the cost co\t co t ' \ of ot unwarranted unwal ranted blind blmd as assays . says and , in m addition , are orten often ortenenabled oftenenabled oftenenabled information enabled to obtain obtam important in- in in . - furnishedby rnishedby formation formatton which is 18 not f furnished rnished by a chemical chemic.al chemicpl . amiysis an1lysIs analysis |