BUREAU OF MINES.

Purpose of the Bureau of Mines.-Established by Congress (37 Stat., 681) in 1910 for the purpose of conducting scientific and technologic investigations concerning mining and the preparation and utilization of mineral substances, with a view to the increase of health, safety, and efficiency in the mineral industries, the Bureau of Mines is studying mine gases, rescue, and first-aid training for miners, the utilization of coal and other fuels with greater efficiency, the development of ways to use domestic minerals in place of minerals formerly imported, the prevention of waste in the production, transportation, and utilization of petroleum and natural gas, and the development of processes and methods whereby deposits of minerals now unworked may become available as sources of supply. In addition the bureau during the fiscal year conducted special investigations relating to new methods of producing various substances, administered the provisions of the law controlling the manufacture, sale, possession, and use of explosives during the war, and gathered and disseminated information in regard to sources of supply of economic minerals throughout the world, the political control of these minerals, and the variations in demand at the principal markets from month to month. In the course of this work the Bureau of Mines cooperated with various departments, bureaus, and Government establishments.

Cooperative agreements.-In its endeavor to act most effectively with State agencies seeking the improvement of efficiency and the lessening of accidents in the mineral industries, the Bureau of Mines, with the approval of the Secretary of the Interior, had made cooperative agreements with State organizations and with State universities and mining schools. During the fiscal year, ended June 30, 1919, investigations relating to safety and efficiency in the mineral industries were conducted under cooperative agreements with the bodies named, as follows: University of Arizona, Tuscon, Ariz.; Industrial Accidents Commission of California, San Francisco, and University of California, Berkeley, Calif.; University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho; Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colo.; engineering experiment station of the University of Illinois, Urbana, Ill., and Illinois Geological Survey; University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minn.; Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; Oregon Bureau of Mines and Geology; Industrial Commission of the State of Utah and State School of Mines of the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah; University of Washington, Seattle, Wash.

Mine experiment and mine safety stations.-The bureau has 11 mining experiment stations, 9 mine safety cars, and 7 mine safety stations. The mining experiment stations are investigating mining and metallurgical problems; the mine safety stations are instructing

miners in first-aid and rescue methods, and in giving assistance after mine disasters. The mining experiment stations are at Pittsburgh, Pa.; Columbus, Ohio; Urbana, Ill.; Minneapolis, Minn.; Bartlesville, Okla.; Salt Lake City, Utah; Golden, Colo.; Tucson, Ariz.; Berkeley, Calif.; Seattle, Wash.; and Fairbanks, Alaska.

The mine rescue or mine safety stations are situated at Pittsburgh, Pa.; Vincennes, Ind.; Norton, Va.; Jellico, Tenn.; Birmingham, Ala.; McAlester, Okla.; and Seattle, Wash. The mine safety cars have headquarters at Pittsburgh, Pa.; Huntington, W. Va.; Ironwood, Mich.; Terre Haute, Ind.; Pittsburg, Kans.; Butte, Mont.; Raton, N. Mex.; Rock Springs, Wyo.; and Reno, Nev. The bureau also maintains four motor rescue trucks-one at Pittsburgh, Pa., one at Birmingham, Ala., one at Vincennes, Ind., and one at Seattle, Wash.

War work.-At the beginning of the year the bureau was centering its efforts on war work. In this work the bureau cooperated with the War Department, Navy Department, Department of Agriculture, United States Fuel Administration, National Research Council, United States Shipping Board, Capital Issues Committee, Council of National Defense, War Industries Board, Bureau of Standards, and with other bureaus of the Interior Department.

The work included investigations of minerals, ores, and metals especially needed, cooperative work for the Army and the Navy, and various investigations relating to fuels.

The most noteworthy undertaking was the development of a process for recovering helium, for use in balloons and airships, from natural gas. This work, begun the year before in cooperation with the War and Navy Departments, resulted in the production of 150,000 cubic feet of helium before the signing of the armistice, and demonstrated the merits of the Bureau of Mines, or Norton process, plant for the recovery of helium.

Under an allotment of funds from the Ordnance Department of the Army the Bureau of Mines designed and supervised the construction of a large plant at Saltville, Va., for the manufacture of sodium cyanide by the Bucher process.

During the year the War Department erected at Sheffield, Ala., a plant for the oxidation of nitric acid from ammonia. The apparatus in this plant, which was more efficient than any hitherto devised, was the result of experiments conducted under the direction of the Bureau of Mines, in cooperation with the Ordnance Department and the Semet Solvay Co., at Syracuse, N. Y.

War minerals investigations.-Minerals and metals especially needed during the war included manganese, chrome, tungsten, pyrite, tin, graphite, and potash. The bureau up to the signing of the armistice was examining deposits of these minerals and study

ing methods of mining, treatment, and utilization. About 100 persons were engaged in this work, of whom about 90 were mining engineers, metallurgists, or chemists. About 60 per cent of these men were engaged in the staff and field work of the larger investigations; the rest were consulting engineers working on special problems. After the armistice the bureau continued to give attention to market conditions and to economies in treatment, with the purpose of enabling producers to meet the conditions brought about by the great decrease in demand consequent on the cessation of hostilities.

War minerals relief commission.-A rider attached to the Dent military bill (Public 322), approved March 3, 1919, authorized investigation and payment of net losses incurred by producers of manganese, chrome, pyrite, and tungsten, when such losses had been incurred as a result of Government request. The maximum amount to be expended for such relief was limited to $8,500,000. A commission of three members is reviewing the claims and making the awards. The Secretary of the Interior authorized the Director of the Bureau of Mines to conduct the field engineering and accounting investigations, also the office routine and administrative work for the commission.

Explosives regulation.-By the provisions of the act regulating the manufacture, distribution, storage, use, or possession of explosives and their ingredients during the war (Public 68, H. R. 3932), the Bureau of Mines, under rules and regulations approved by the Secretary of the Interior, exercised wide powers. When the armistice was signed it had appointed more than 14,000 carefully selected licensing agents throughout the United States and its insular possessions, and had issued about 1,000,000 licenses. In administering the act the bureau sought to stop careless practice in the use of explosives, examined magazines throughout the country in order to prevent storage of explosives under dangerous conditions, investigated violations of the act and of outrages against life and property, and took steps to have offenders punished. After the signing of the armistice some of the regulations for carrying out the purposes of the act were made less stringent.

Regulation of platinum.-Because of the imperative need of platinum in the manufacture of chemicals and munitions and the inadequate supply of the metal, Congress by the act of July 1, 1918 (Public 181), authorized the Director of the Bureau of Mines, under rules and regulations approved by the Secretary of the Interior, to limit during the period of the war the sale, possession, and use of platinum, iridium, palladium, and compounds thereof. Because of the signing of the armistice the restrictions imposed through this act were removed by the director of the bureau, with the approval of the Secretary of the Interior, on November 14, 1918.

Administrative divisions. For purposes of administration the technical and scientific work done by the bureau at its Washington office and at its various mining experiment stations was grouped in five divisions, as follows: Mining, fuels and mechanical equipment, metallurgy, mineral technology, and petroleum technology. Each of these divisions was under a chief who reported to the director. The work on war minerals, organized as the war minerals investigation, was placed in a separate division, as was that on explosives' regulation. Each of these divisions had its headquarters in Washington. The work done at the experiment stations was under the general direction of the supervisor of experiment stations, who had headquarters in the Washington office.

During the fiscal year the mining division conducted various investigations regarding health, safety, and efficiency in coal mining and metal mining, had charge of the training and rescue work done through the mine safety stations and cars, and supervised Federal mine inspection in Alaska and on Indian lands; the metallurgical division carried on investigations relating to the prevention of waste and the increase of efficiency in the treatment of ores and of various metals, nearly all this work being done through the experiment stations; the mineral technology division had charge of work on alloy steels and of some special work for the War and Navy Departments, practically all of the mineral technology work of preceding years being transferred to the war minerals division; the division of petroleum technology had charge of work dealing with the increase of safety and efficiency in the production, handling, and utilization of natural gas, petroleum, and petroleum products.

At the end of the year the organization of the bureau was being changed so as to have all research work segregated in a research branch and all work dealing with operation and administration routine in an operations branch.

Mine rescue and first-aid training.—Through its mine safety stations and cars, the bureau renders aid at mine disasters and trains miners in first-aid methods and the use of rescue equipment. During the fiscal year ended June 30, 1919, the men attached to these stations and cars investigated the causes of 29 mine accidents-19 at coal mines and 10 at metal mines-and trained 9,781 miners in first aid and rescue methods. Nearly 65,000 miners have received training through the cars and stations since the beginning of this work by the Government.

Mine explosions and fires.-At the experimental mine of the bureau, near Bruceton, Pa., work relating to the causes of mine explosions and methods of prevention was continued. Various explosives were tested to determine their permissibility for use in gaseous or dusty coal mines; 2 of these were approved, and the permissible

list at the end of the year contained the names of 162 explosives. More than 37,000,000 pounds of these explosives were used in the coal fields of this country during the calendar year 1918, as compared with 2,000,000 pounds of similar explosives in 1908, the year in which the testing of mine explosives by the Government began. The total quantity of permissible explosives used throughout the United States in the calendar year 1918 was 46,045,233 pounds. Explosionproof equipment for mines was tested and approved.

Health of miners and sanitary conditions at mines.-In cooperation with the Public Health Service the bureau continued work relating to the health of miners and to sanitary conditions at mines. Especial attention was given to ventilation conditions in mines in Arizona. Owing to the need of surgeons in the Army and the influenza epidemic, the cooperative work of the Public Health Service had to be curtailed in the early part of the fiscal year. During the epidemic the crews of several of the cars rendered efficient service in caring for the sick. In the latter part of the year two surgeons of the Public Health Service, each assigned to one of the new mine safety cars of the bureau, examined miners as to their fitness for mine-rescue work, gave public lectures on matters relating to first aid, sanitation, and hygiene, made sanitary inspections at different mines and mining communities, and suggested to owners or operators the improvement of conditions so as to lessen the risk of preventable or occupational diseases.

Fuel investigations.-In its efforts to increase efficiency in the use of coal and lignite the bureau is studying the properties of these fuels and the methods of burning coal, lignite, and coke in boiler and househeating furnaces. Also it is collecting, analyzing, and testing samples of coal belonging to or for the use of the Government. During the year the bureau assisted in an advisory capacity the Fuel Administration and various departments and establishments of the Government in solving problems relating to the efficient use of fuel for heating or power. It had charge of tests of marine boilers for the Emergency Fleet Corporation, and as a result of these tests changes were made in the methods of baffling the boilers and of admitting air to the furnace, which increased the efficiency of certain boilers 16 per cent. Toward the end of the fiscal year, under an appropriation of $100,000 by Congress, the bureau began a comprehensive investigation of the best methods of utilizing the great beds of lignite in Texas, the Dakotas, and other States, this investigation to include the erection of a plant for carbonizing lignite and producing gas as a by-product. Increasing efficiency and lessening waste in the petroleum and natural-gas industries.-Through its petroleum division the Bureau of Mines is investigating problems of petroleum and natural-gas technology. These problems are grouped in four classes, as fol