be tested by determining the temperature drop through 5-inch and "sil-o-cel" walls under conditions of temperature equilibrium.

This investigation is being conducted by F. C. Houghton, assistant physicist.

COMBUSTION TESTS.

Tests relating to combustion of coal in a modified hand-fired furnace with a water-cooled arch were made in order to obtain data on effect on the combustion process of a water-cooled surface as compared with a fire-brick arch.

Two types of boiler furnaces, the side feed and the hand fired, have been tested at the Pittsburgh station. The underfeed type will be tested under a marine boiler in the new laboratory.

During the year a technical paper entitled, "Combustion Experiments with North Dakota Lignite," was published.

These combustion tests are in charge of C. E. Augustine, assistant engineer.

SAFE EQUIPMENT IN MINES.

A study of mine equipment, especially hoisting ropes and safety catches, was resumed in the latter part of the year. A study of safety gates in mines was begun. A technical paper on the use of wire rope in mines was written and is now in press. This work was conducted by Mr. Hood and R. H. Kudlich, mechanical engineer.

DIVISION OF MINERAL TECHNOLOGY.

As has been stated, most of the personnel of this division had been transferred to work on war minerals.

Dr. C. L. Parsons, chief of the division, devoted much time to cooperative work with the War Department in connection with the development and erection of plants for the manufacture of nitric acid and sodium cyanide, described elsewhere. He served as a member of the advisory board to the Director of the Bureau of Mines on gas-warfare problems, which was established in November, 1917, by the Secretary of the Interior.

Dr. Parsons initiated and had charge of the cooperative work of the American Chemical Society and the Bureau of Mines for obtaining a census of the country's chemists for use in connection with the special war needs of the Army and Navy. During the first year of the war most of the chemists used as such in warfare were obtained through this organization.

ALLOY STEELS.

Work on alloy steels continued at the Ithaca, N. Y., office during the year, under the direction of Dr. H. W. Gillett, alloy chemist. A brief summary of this work and its results appears on page 764.

As the result of a question arising as to the light armor used in airplanes and tanks, a cooperative investigation of ferrozirconium and of zirconium steel as light armor was arranged with the Navy and the Bureau of Standards. This investigation was in charge of the Bureau of Mines, C. L. Parsons, chief chemist, acting as chairman of the joint board.

Samples of ferrozirconium and of some 60 steels alloyed with zirconium were produced by the Bureau of Mines and subsequently tested by the Bureau of Standards.

METALLURGICAL DIVISION.

As stated on a preceding page, the metallurgical work of the Bureau of Mines during the fiscal year 1918-19 may be divided into two classes, namely, war work and investigations having for their object the development of processes for the prevention of waste.

The work of the metallurgical division during the fiscal year 191819 was conducted by F. G. Cottrell, chief metallurgist, with headquarters at Washington, D. C., and by metallurgists whose work for the most part is in connection with the mining experiment stations at Minneapolis, Minn.; Golden, Colo.; Salt Lake City, Utah; Tucson, Ariz.; Berkeley, Cal.; Seattle, Wash.; and Fairbanks, Alaska. The work of these metallurgists is summarized under the chapters dealing with the experiment stations.

WORK FOR THE ORDNANCE DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY.

For some months before the signing of the armistice and for a while thereafter the inspection of work for the Ordnance Department of the Army was continued at the Bureau of Mines station at Pittsburgh. The Ordnance Department looked after the physical and chemical tests, whereas the metallurgical tests were made by the Bureau of Mines. Dr. F. B. Laney was in charge of this work for the bureau, assisted by C. Y. Clayton, from the Missouri School of Mines, and by several laboratory assistants. Later F. B. Foley assisted with the work and subsequently had charge of it.

WORK ON MANGANESE.

Practically the entire time and attention of the metallurgists connected with the Minneapolis station were given to the study of the problems connected with the production of ferromanganese and other manganese alloys from domestic ores, as mentioned on page 741.

During the war importation of manganese ores from Brazil was curtailed and domestic ore used instead. As the most of the domestic ores are low grade and many of them are siliceous, steel makers had to change their practice in order to utilize the alloys manufactured

from these low-grade ores and it was to the problems relating to the use of such alloys that the metallurgists of the Minneapolis station gave their time.

At the other stations of the bureau, such as Salt Lake City, Berkeley, and Seattle, problems connected with the production or beneficiation of ores needed for war purposes were given first consideration, as, for example, the concentration of manganese and chrome ores, or the production of high-grade graphite.

IRON AND STEEL.

The iron industry covers a wide field and has devoted much research to the many problems within its field, hence the Bureau of Mines has not felt that the problems of iron and steel manufacture demanded as much attention as those of mining or of other metallurgical work. It has investigated the hazards to which workmen are exposed at blast furnaces and steel plants and published the results of the investigations. It is hoped that Congress will provide funds enough to enable the bureau to investigate iron and steel problems at its Pittsburgh station also. Pittsburgh is one of the great iron and steel centers of the world, and whenever the necessary funds are made available, many lines of investigation can follow with results that should be of high benefit to the industry.

HEAT TREATMENT OF STEEL.

The bureau cooperated with the Bureau of Standards and the National Research Council on work for obtaining information and for solving of problems connected with the heat treatment of steel. F. B. Foley, who was assigned to this work during the latter half of the fiscal year, is to continue it during the fiscal year 1920.

IRON ORES.

Throughout the United States are deposits of iron ores too low grade to permit profitable smelting at present. If these low-grade deposits could be utilized, the iron ore reserves of the country would be enormously increased. In order to obtain the iron from these ores it is necessary to do one of two things: (1) Remove enough of the gangue material and impurities to bring the iron content up to the percentage required for profitable smelting, or (2) devise a commercial process for treating ores of lower grade than those being treated by present blast-furnace methods.

At present the bureau's metallurgical work on iron is centered at the Minneapolis station and is being conducted in cooperation with the school of mines, University of Minnesota, and the State mining experiment station. Before the establishment, in 1917, of the bu

reau's station at Minneapolis, the State mining experiment station had already given considerable study to the washing and concentration of the iron ores of the Mesabi Range. In many places on that range the commercial ores are intimately associated with ores too low in iron to permit their utilization, hence the problem becomes that of finding suitable ways of separating the two grades, and of bringing the iron content of the low-grade ore up to commercial grade.

Individuals and corporations have given attention to the beneficiation of iron ores high in phosphorus and sulphur, as well as low in iron, and at least one process has been devised that promises to be highly successful in raising the iron content and removing the phosphorus. Because of this fact, and because the work done by the Minnesota State mining experiment station promises to solve the problem of washing and concentrating low-grade minable ores, the Bureau of Mines has not attempted to begin any work on the beneficiation of low-grade ores, but is giving its attention rather to the devising of commercially feasible processes for reduction of those iron ores that are too low grade for blast-furnace smelting. Evidently, the development of successful processes for the beneficiation of lowgrade iron ores will assist in solving the second phase of the problem, for an ore might be too low grade for blast-furnace smelting but after beneficiation be high enough in iron for reduction by some other process. Hence, the bureau believes it is justified in studying ways and means of preventing metallic waste, in giving especial attention to new processes for the production of iron, and in investigating the merits of processes already suggested for that purpose.

TREATMENT OF LOW-GRADE AND COMPLEX ORES OF THE NONFERROUS METALS.

In 1913 the Utah Legislature created a department of metallurgical research in the school of mines of the University of Utah. The authorities of that institution arranged with the Federal Bureau of Mines a cooperative agreement whereby the bureau would have charge of whatever investigative work was carried on by the university for the purpose of devising processes for treating the lowgrade ores in which the State abounds. Work began in January, 1914, and has since been carried on continuously. The results are most encouraging, as many processes have been devised. Some of these have already been applied commercially, and plans for using others are being made. Moreover, the bureau proposes to make a careful study of the problems related to low-grade and complex ores throughout the country, in order to determine how processes worked out on a laboratory scale at the Salt Lake City station may be applied elsewhere.

PETROLEUM DIVISION.

GENERAL STATEMENT.

The staff of the petroleum division was engaged in work relating to war problems until November 11, 1918. In this work the bureau cooperated with the Navy and War Departments, United States Fuel Administration, United States Shipping Board, Treasury Department, and other Government agencies. The bureau continued its work of conservation and educational campaigns among operators, as far as funds were available, although war work was always considered first.

After the signing of the armistice, effort was made to turn rapidly from a war to a peace basis. Now the petroleum division is confronted with additional problems started during the war by the Fuel Administration. The industry expects these to be continued by the Government during peace.

Chester Naramore, as chief petroleum technologist, directed the petroleum division until February 1, 1919, when he was succeeded by J. O. Lewis. Mr. Naramore was in Europe during July, August, September, and October, 1918, as a representative of this Government in matters concerning the handling, disposition and quality of petroleum and its products for the allied countries. During his absence, both A. W. Ambrose and C. H. Beal acted in his place.

The work of the petroleum division is classified at present under four heads: Production technology, engineering technology, chemical technology, and oil shale technology.

Two or three men devoted their entire time to production technology in California, Illinois, Oklahoma, and Wyoming, and effected considerable saving of petroleum by instituting better practice in drilling and production. Cooperative work was carried on with the Office of Indian Affairs, the General Land Office, and the States of Illinois and Colorado.

The petroleum division cooperated with the Internal Revenue Bureau of the Treasury Department and gave it a new method for estimating the future and ultimate production of oil properties throughout the United States. The Treasury Department used this in calculating depletion allowances in taxation.

The petroleum technologists assisted in the investigation of the more important gas fields in the United States in order to determine the possible supply of helium for balloons and airships. Plans and specifications for oil storage were supplied to the Army and Navy. Two petroleum engineers were sent to Europe to assist and act with the other American members on the Inter-Allied Petroleum Conference, a subsidiary body of the Allied Maritime Transport Council, dealing with the supplies, stocks, specifications, storage,