T h e Mining Magazine
W .
F .
Wh i t e, M anaging Director. Ed w a r d Wa l k e r,M.Sc., F.G .S., Editor.
P u b l i s h e d o n t h e 1 5 t h o f e a c h m o n t h b y M i n i n g P u b l i c a t i o n s , L i m i t e d , a t S a l i s b u r y H o u s e , L o n d o n , E . C . 2.
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Vol. X L . No. 3. L O N D O N , M A R C H , 1929.
P R I C E O N E S H I L L I N GC O N T E N T S
Ed i t o r i a l
Notes ... 134
C ounty o f . Cornwall Bill ; Tin Brochure ;. F o rth coming In stitu tio n M eeting ; Mawson A n tarctic Expedition ; B ritish In d u stries F air.
Im perial College Annual R e p o r t 134
Decisions regarding new hostel and U nion accom m oda tion, alteration of u n it of resu lt in ex am ination for Associateship, progress of research an d p resen t position in reference to disagreem ent existing between th e College a n d th e U niversity of London.B ritish M etallurgy ... 135
An account is given of th e discussion, continued over two m eetings of the In s titu tio n of M ining an d M etallurgy, of D r. W m . Cullen’s pap er on this su b ject.
Developm ents in th e Use of Coal . . . . 137
New d ep artu res in th e use of pulverized coal an d low- tem p eratu re semi-coke are discussed. Re v i e w o f Mi n i n g... 138
Ar t i c l e s
The Origin of C um berland H em atite
The late J . D. Kendall 141Greece : Its Geology and M ineral Resources, concluded Dr. D. A . W ray 148 The Geology of Roskear Section D olcoath M ine...E. H. Davison 154
Le t t e r t o t h e Ed i t o rCubic M agnetite and H e m a tite ... C. Stansfield H itchin 158
Bo o k Re v i e w s H o lm es’ “ N o m e n clatu re of P e tro lo g y ” D r. W illia m R . Jones 159 O ’D onahue a n d B ooking's “ F ie ld a n d C olliery S u rv ey in g ” F . W . A rm strong 159 Ne w s Le t t e r sT oronto ... 163
E xpansion of th e Copper In d u stry ; P o rcu p in e ; K irkland Lake ; S ud b u ry D istric t ; P atricia D istric t ; M anitoba.
V a n c o u v e r... 165
V ancouver Island ; T he K ootenays ; B o u n ty on Iron.
Brisbane ... 166
M ount Isa Com pany ; Queensland Tin Mines ; The Coal In d u s try ; New Guinea Gold ; M ount Lyell. Pe r s o n a l...
169
Tr a d e Pa r a g r a p h s ...
169
Br i t i s h In d u s t r i e s Fa i r...
173
Me t a l Ma r k e t s ...
175
St a t i s t i c s o f Pr o d u c t i o n, e t c...
177
Sh a r e Qu o t a t i o n s ...
180
Mi n i n g Di g e s t U m vukw e C h ro m ite D eposits, R h o d e sia F . E . K eep 181 E s tim a tin g M etal in P la tin u m Ores H . R . A d a m 184 Geology from th e A ir H . B . M iln e r 188 S ilver A ssay a t B roken H ill F . C. Johns 191 B e n to n ite C. W . D avis a n d H . C. Vacher 193 C alifo rn ian B o rax . . . . P . D . V. M a n n in g 194 Som e N o tes on a T u n n el d riv en a t R io T in to C. R . J u lia n 194 Sh o r t No t i c e s...
194
Re c e n t Pa t e n t s Pu b l i s h e d...
195
Ne w Bo o k s, Pa m p h l e t s, e t c...
195
Johannesburg ... 160
Co m p a n y Re p o r t s... 196
A nglo-B urm a T in ; M odderfontein B ; New Consort Gold Mines ; P eta lin g T in. Ne w Co m p a n i e s Re g i s t e r e d
... 196
R ecord Gold O u tp u t ; E a st G eduld Mines ; Postm as- b u rg M anganese Field ; N itra tes in S outh-W est A frica ; S o u th A frican P itchblende ; Prem ier D iam ond Mine’s T u n n e l ; T ra n sv aa l N ickel and Copper D eposits ; A lluvial T in in R hodesia ; S outh A frican Geology.
2 — 5
133
EDITORIAL
S OME consternation has been caused in the R oyal D uchy by th e disclosure of clauses in th e C ounty of Cornwall Bill (1929) w hich m ay seriously ham per th e already suffering m ining in d u stry of Cornwall a n d some details of w hich are given b y our Camborne correspondent. L et us hope th ey m ay have “ a h ap p y issue out of all th eir afflictions.”
“ ’ I 'IN : Salient F acts an d Opinions J . is th e title of a little brochure w ritten by J. A. L. G allard a n d M urray S tu a rt an d published by Mining Publications, L td . (Proprietors of
Th e Mi n i n g Ma g a z i n e),a t th e price of 2s. 6d. I t explains to th e u n in itiated som ething of how tin is found a n d w hat are its principal uses a n d likely fu tu re dem and.
T H E n ex t m eeting of th e In s titu tio n of Mining an d M etallurgy on M arch 21 w ill be devoted to a sym posium on geophysics.
P apers will be read by Capt. H . Shaw, Mr.
E . L ancaster-Jones an d D r. W. F . P . M cLintock, Mr. A. B roughton E dge, and Professor A. O. R ankine respectively dealing w ith m agnetic, g rav itatio n al, electrical, and seismic m ethods. T he succeeding m eeting on A pril 18 will be devoted to th e discussion thereof.
A new expedition to the A n tarc tic is being organized for th e end of this y ear under the leadership of Sir D ouglas Mawson, professor of geology an d m ineralogy in th e U niversity of A delaide, who accom panied Sir E rn est Shackleton in 1907 a n d led th e 1911-1914 expedition. T he B ritish G overnm ent is providing th e ship
Discovery an d th e A ustralian G overnm entwill provide th e necessary funds, while th e G overnm ent of New Z ealand is also contributing. Use of a new continuous- recording sounding device is to be m ade w hich will considerably facilitate progress.
W here conditions perm it, it is proposed to exam ine outcrops ashore for m inerals.
B IG G E R an d b e tte r th a n ever ” is an obvious e p ith et to ap p ly to th is y e a r’s B ritish Industries F air, reference to w hich is m ade elsewhere in th is issue. This annual event, which is becom ing one of increasing im portance, is organized as to th e London sec
tion by th e D ep artm en t of Overseas T rade and as to th e B irm ingham section b y th a t c ity ’s
134
Cham ber of Commerce. P erh ap s th e most o u tstan d in g featu re of th e 1929 fair has been th e com m ent its occurrence has occasioned from our “ A m bassador of E m pire, ” in w hich he levels no u n c e rta in criticism at B ritish m a n u fac tu rers’ selling m ethods in foreign m ark ets— a criticism w hich appears to have m et w ith a considerable measure of endorsem ent from several of our captains of in d u stry . F o r our p a rt, we w ould allude only to th e poor rep resen tatio n in th e mining section, alth o u g h in o th e r sections of the fair th e re was m uch to in terest the m ining com m unity am ong th e displays offered b y pow er-plant a n d steel manu
facturers.
I m p e r ia l C o lle g e A n n u a l R e p o r t
The tw enty-first an n u al re p o rt of the G overning B ody of th e Im p erial College of Science a n d Technology, covering th e twelve m o n th s to J u ly last, is in v ested w ith special significance in v irtu e of its appearance at a tim e w hich can only be regarded as critical in th e h isto ry of th e College. In the early p a rt of th e re p o rt announcem ent is made th a t in stead of ex ten d in g th e existing Union building b y th e ad d itio n of two more storeys— w hich was th e scheme indicated in outline in th e previous annual report—it is now proposed to erect a new building to m eet th e growing needs of th e Imperial College H ostel a n d th e Im perial College U nion. T he position for th e proposed new building is th e v a c a n t fro n t p a rt of the site com prising th e tw o B o tan y buildings, the H ostel a n d U nion, an d adjoining buildings.
W hile a tw o-storeyed building occupying th e whole of th e available space would suffice for th e presen t requirem ents of the ex ten d ed H ostel a n d Union, it is pointed out th a t th e u ltim a te building should comprise a t least five storeys, if th e site is n o t to be w astefully used, a n d it is, therefore, proposed to erect th e com plete shell of such a building, a n d to finish in tern ally th e tw o floors im m ediately required, leaving th e remaining floors to be com pleted as th e necessities of th e w ork of th e College require. As this project involves th e e x p e n d itu re of £30,000 in excess of th a t on th e p a rtia l scheme, its realization m u st depend upo n additional financial help being forthcom ing.
The second p o in t of in terest in th e report
is th e announcem ent of im p o rta n t changes
in th e regulations governing e x am in atio n and
re-exam ination in th e finals w ork for the A.R.S.M., an d th e A.R.C.S., involving a modification of th e H uxley system , the B oard of Studies having recom m ended th a t th e practice should be b ro u g h t into line w ith th a t associated With th e aw ard of the Bachelor’s Degree in London U niversity.
The present system — designated “ tan d e m ” and in itiated in th e tim e of th e late Professor H uxley—w hereby exam inations follow each course of stu d y , is to continue, w ith th e difference th a t in fu tu re a u n it of result will be one com plete y e a r’s w ork ra th er th a n a single subject. T hus failure to pass in a particular subject will n o t be so easily rem edied as heretofore !
On th e subject of research, it is of in terest to note th a t th e am ount done during th e year, if this m ay be judged by th e num bers engaged therein, shows a very considerable increase, and in one d ep artm en t th e necessity for additional accom m odation has to be faced.
Turning now to th e section of th e rep o rt which is of pre-em inent im portance—nam ely, th a t dealing w ith th e position of th e College
vis-à-vis London U niversity—we find th epossibility of a severance of connection fore
shadowed. The sta te of affairs appears to be somewhat as follows : A D e p artm en tal Committee of th e B oard of E du catio n was set up some tim e ago to inquire in to an d m ake recom m endations for an alliance of th e Im perial College and London U niversity.
Certain proposals in th a t C om m ittee’s rep o rt were criticized by the Governing B ody of the College (in th e ir rep o rt for th e year ending Ju ly , 1926) as being detrim ental to p arts of the U niversity w ithout corresponding benefit to th e whole. In th e rep o rt now under review it is disclosed th a t rep re
sentations have been m ade to th e U niversity Commissioners arising out of th e first d raft of S tatu tes prepared b y them , affecting both the constitution of th e proposed new Council (or Court) and th e conditions under which the College m ight become or rem ain a school of th e U niversity.
W ith regard to th e first consideration, a larger council is asked for, an d one, m oreover, con stitu ted w ith fewer m em bers of th e Senate upon it. As to th e second, it is m aintained th a t th e special conditions of th e Im perial College ju stify a dem and th a t it should be exem pted from tw o of th e usual stipulations concerning schools of th e U niversity—
nam ely those referring to th e receipt of g ran ts from public bodies, otherwise th a n
through th e Council, an d to th e appointm ent of professors an d o th er staff grades. L ater S ta tu te s issued by th e Commissioners indicate th a t no variatio n in th e m ain findings of th e original com m ittee has been adm itted, in spite of th e representations alluded to above, and th e G overnors’ rep o rt consequently concludes w ith th e following significant lines : “ I t will accordingly be our serious d u ty la te r to consider an d to determ ine w hether or not th e Im perial College shall become or rem ain a p a rt of th e U n iv ersity .’’
I t is difficult, if not, indeed, unwise, a t this stage to com m ent on th e m a tte r, y e t we m ay be p erm itted th e following observations.
F rom th e stu d e n t point of view, we ta k e it th a t a B achelor of Science Degree is sought after for tw o very good reasons : F irst, because present-day prospective em ployers, frequently through ignorance, dem and of a scientifically tra in e d m an th a t he should possess th e only distinction recognized in th e w orld a t large, and, secondly, because it is a necessary prelim inary to higher D egrees of London U niversity. The form er is largely a m a tte r of prejudice ; th a t th e la tte r should be so is surely som ew hat anom alous, in view of th e fact th a t th e U niversity ad m its th a t th e College’s course and exam inations qualify for graduation. W ith these rem arks we will leave th e questions for wiser heads, tru stin g th a t in th e disagreem ent betw een th e tw o corporate bodies th e interests of th e individual stu d en t will not be overlooked.
B r itis h M e t a llu r g y
A t the F eb ru ary m eeting of th e In s titu tion of Mining and M etallurgy th e discussion was resum ed and concluded of Dr. Cullen’s paper, referred to in some detail la st m onth, when a general account of th e view s of m em bers was promised. Professor T ruscott drew a tten tio n to th e 5,000 non-technical directors of m ining and m etallurgical com
panies an d tho u g h t th a t science should play a greater p a rt in suprem e m anagem ent.
This was, in fact, th e principal note sounded in th e whole discussion. Mr. G. C. K lug for exam ple, p u t forw ard specific proposals for th e form ation of com m ittees of this and other like institutions, whose avowed object would be a contribution to th e m ovem ent for peace in industry. In his opinion there was nothing wrong w ith th e w orkm an, either here or in A ustralia, b u t he questioned w hether th e m an was being properly led.
He also considered the power position in th e
136 T H E M IN IN G MAGAZINE light of m odern developm ents to be entirely
satisfactory.
Dr. R. S. H u tto n , who is th e D irector of th e B ritish N on-Ferrous M etals Research A ssociation (under th e wing of th e D e p a rt
m ent of Scientific and In d u stria l Research), pointed out th a t ad v an ta g e h a d n o t been ta k en b y m ining com panies of facilities offered by his d ep artm en t for investigation of problem s. He also described a certain G erm an works where th e a p p a re n t practice was the scrapping of elderly directors, m uch as th ey scrapped out-of-date m a c h in e ry ! R eferring to the developm ent of e x tra territo rial m ining propositions, he m ade th e interesting suggestion th a t we did n o t (as other countries do) gain sufficient advan tag e to em ploym ent a t hom e by conditions as to purchase of equipm ent or as to th e dis
posal of the products of th e enterprise.
This view we em phatically endorse.
The distinction betw een M etallurgy I an d II, which we defined last m onth, was referred to by Dr. Sidney Sm ith. He dealt w ith w h at he regarded as several inconsistencies in th e paper an d rem arked there was a good deal of indefiniteness, and th o u g h t it w ould have to be less of a collection of random statem en ts and m ore of a coherent scheme before its a u th o r dare present it to th e 5,000 directors m entioned by Professor T ruscott. A dm itting the difficulty of m aking constructive sugges
tions, he th o u g h t th e E m pire m u st be regarded as a u n it. Thus a p articu lar m etallurgical in d u stry lost to th e hom e cou n try m ight be a gain to one of her D ominions. Mr. D. A. B rem ner found th e introduction of an economic pap er like this very opportune a n d dem anded som ew hat insistently th a t th e technical brains should play a bigger p a rt in th e control of industry.
He pleaded, however, for caution a n d fu rth e r discussions of this character before a p ractical plan was form ulated.
Foreign com petition an d how to m eet it by reducing charges, in which the chief item s were freight, dock an d tow n dues, an d handling, was specifically dealt w ith by Mr.
W. Pellew -H arvey, who in d icated th a t some co-operation w ith tra n sp o rt an d p o rt au th o ri
ties seem ed to be necessary. Professor B. W.
H olm an confined his rem arks to directorship an d tran sp o rt. H e suggested th a t m any m ining m en were ig n o ran t of economics, b u t expressed th e view th a t th is was no reason w hy one such should n o t serve on the board of all m ining com panies. As to tran sp o rt, the trouble, he th o u g h t, was th a t our inland
w aterw ays, which 300 or 400 years ago were the finest in th e world, had fallen in to disuse, whereas ores an d concentrates were ideal traffic for them . On the co n trary , our railway system was saddled w ith heav y cap ital expen
d itu re on lan d an d bore th e add ed burden of high tax atio n .
A t th e resum ed discussion Professor T ruscott, by w ay of in tro d u ctio n , said the position of th e in d u stry was largely due to in ad eq u ate equipm ent an d to th e sm all scale of operations, exem plifying his rem arks by reference to copper ores. Mr. F. W. Harbord also took copper as his te x t an d pointed out th a t a control of raw m aterials (which in th e w idest sense includes power supply) was an essential for th e developm ent and m aintenance of a n y p a rtic u la r in d u s try ; hence th e A m erican position w ith regard to th a t m etal. H e also d ealt w ith transport an d th e need for b e tte r u nderstanding of economics if th e technical m an wishes to assum e control. On th e subject of scholar
ships, to which allusion h a d been m ade by various speakers, he th o u g h t those of the p o st-g rad u ate v a riety were th e real need.
As one of th e m uch-discussed non-technical directors, Colonel Cross B row n intervened in th e discussion a t th is stage w ith the suggestion th a t technical an d non-technical m ig h t w ork as sep arate entities, b u t in close co-operation in a m anner analogous to the co m b atan t a n d n o n -co m b atan t forces in the arm y. H e also su p p o rted th e formation of an association of non-techincal mining directors, am ong th e functions of which would be in q u iry in to m ining laws, labour, san itatio n , tra n sp o rt, accounting, and such
like.
Sir Thom as H olland began by talking about gardening ! E xcusing th e Council for per
m ittin g these excursions in to th e realms of economics, he suggested th a t such behaviour was no m ore reprehensible th a n th a t of the diligent gardener who took occasional peeps over th e fence—peeps w hich were, moreover, no t in to his neighbours’ b u t com m on property and fallow land a t th a t. Like Dr. Smith, he found several inconsistencies in th e paper and took th e a u th o r som ew hat seriously to task for them . He th o u g h t th a t th e question was best dealt w ith b y com m ittees of experts who would exam ine th e m a tte r from th e point of view of m ineral resources w ith in the Em pire, an d contingent sm elter a n d other tre a tm e n t plants, tra n sp o rt, power a n d so on
—in fact, on sim ilar lines to those suggested
in his own paper some tw o years previously.
In th e opinion of Mr. J . B. R ichardson the lack of canals was com pensated for by a long coastline w ith m any harbours. He also considered th a t copper, lead, and zinc m ight still be profitably m ined a t home, and alluded to th e hostile a ttitu d e of th e agri
culturist because of river pollution and other evils supposed to be inseparable from m ining and m etallurgical operations, adding :
“ Almost the first w ord a b ab y farm er learned to lisp was ‘ com pensation ’ ” !
In a short verbal reply Dr. Cullen m ade the interesting announcem ent th a t he had been asked to presen t the facts and figures in his paper, which h a d rem ained unchallenged by mem bers, before a P arliam en tary Committee, as a resu lt of which an im portant m etallurgical works m ight come into being.
Before leaving this subject, we would add th a t the question of th e position of the technical m an in in d u strial conferences has of late been som ew hat widely discussed in the daily Press a propos th e M elchett- T um er conference an d we hope to ta k e an early opportunity of dealing fu rth er w ith this aspect of the m atter.
D e v e lo p m e n t s in t h e U s e o f C o a l
As long ago as F ebruary, 1924, and October, 1925, we referred in th e
Ma g a z i n eto th e im portance of th e subject of pulverized fuel and to th e obvious ad v an tag es possessed by low -tem perature semi-coke for use in this form. F rom tim e to tim e we have referred to the subject since. Some m onths ago we were inform ed th a t th e D ep artm en t of Scientific an d In d u stria l R esearch was to have th e use of an old N aval sloop for experim ental w ork w ith pulverized fuel.
We now learn th a t th e D ep artm en t has decided it does n o t require her, as it is found th a t, w ith th e general increase in the commercial use of th is fuel, all questions which could be trie d o u t in a sm all an d old warship have already been answered. I t will probably come as a surprise to some of our readers to learn th a t so m uch progress has been m ade in th is b ra n ch of fuel technology, a n d it will probably come as still m ore of a surprise to learn th a t in 1928 over tw enty-five million tons of coal were consum ed in A m erica in powdered form.
E ven in A m erica, however, as D r. C. H.
I.an d er p o in ted o u t in his C antor Lectures delivered before th e R oyal Society of A rts, it can be said th a t th e use of pulverized fuel
is still in its infancy, a rem ark which applies even m ore to G reat B ritain.
To tu rn to th e question of th e application of th e use of fuel of th is ty p e to m arine engineering, several ships are running successfully which b u rn pow dered coal, and th e announcem ent has been m ade recently th a t a m erchant ship is to be b u ilt and fitted to b urn pulverized fuel under th e B rand System —th e fuel being eith e r an th ra c ite or low -tem perature semi-coke. Elsew here in th is issue we publish a description of th a t system .
T here have been several obstacles in th e w ay of storing pulverized fuel on ships h ith erto . In consequence it has been necessary to crush th e coal on b o ard shortly before th e p ro d u ct is used. T he crushing p la n t is freq u en tly very noisy, it occupies space, an d all th e old disadvantages of coaling ship still rem ain. I t seems probable, how ever, th a t b y using low -tem perature sem i
coke instead of raw coal th is difficulty m ay be overcome. On this point Dr. M urray S tu a rt, in his recent book ‘‘ Low -Tem perature C arbonization E x plained,” says : “ A great difficulty from th e point of view of shipping is th a t pulverized raw coal is liable to spontaneous com bustion, an d therefore it can n o t be stored in a pulverized form. Low- te m p eratu re semi-coke p u ts an entirely different com plexion on th is question, since it is n o t ordinarily liable to spontaneous com bustion, an d therefore can be stored, and it is quite possible th a t th e near fu tu re m ay see pulverized low -tem perature semi
coke being pum ped in to bunkers on ships an d handled an d b u rn t in practically th e same w ay th a t fuel-oil is now h andled and b u rn t.”
The ord in ary low -tem perature distillation process deals w ith either lum p or slack coal, an d th e semi-coke w ould have to be crushed, for use as a pulverized fuel. A tte n tio n has however, already been directed in the
Ma g a z i n e
to one process— the McEwen Runge
—which is designed to be an in teg ral p a rt of a system of pulverized fuel and which actually tre a ts th e raw coal after it has been crushed.
F rom th e p o in t of view of pow dered semi- coke such a proceeding has m any advantages
— for instance, th e actu al tim e of treatm en t
is considerably less th a n if lum p coal is being
tre a te d an d therefore a larger th ro u g h p u t
is possible, an d it seems likely th a t a process
working in th is w ay m ay hav e th e advantage
when pulverized low -tem perature semi-coke
is th e desideratum.
R E V I E W O F M I N I N G
I n t r o d u c t io n .
—The im provem ent noticed since th e com m encem ent of th e y ear in th e coal an d iron industries has continued during the p ast m onth, although it has been reta rd e d to some e x te n t by th e fear of dear m oney a n d th e pending General E lection. Copper has continued to forge ahead an d tin has been well m aintained, n o tw ith stan d in g the increase in th e visible supplies, w hilst there has been little change in oth er m etals.
T r a n s v a a l.
—The o u tp u t of gold on th e R an d during F eb ru ary was 778,559 oz. an d in th e outside districts 36,725 oz., m aking a to ta l of 815,284 oz., as com pared w ith 840,344 oz., 36,108 oz., a n d 876,452 oz.
respectively for th e previous m onth. The nativ es em ployed a t th e gold m ines a t th e en d of th e m o n th to talled 196,150 as com pared w ith 192,526 a t th e e n d of Ja n u a ry .
The New Consolidated Gold Fields are now th e owners of Soviet House, M oorgate—
form erly th e h ead q u arters of Arcos— an d th e y will be entering in to occupation as soon as th e necessary alterations h av e been carried out.
The profit of the Tw eefontein Colliery for 1928 show ed an im provem ent on the previous year, being £15,214, as com pared w ith £12,977. The result is th a t in ad d itio n to the 10 per cent., th e am ount d istrib u te d in 1926 a n d 1927, th e ord in ary shares will on th is occasion also receive a bonus of 2J per cent.
W ith a view to providing th e necessary funds for proceeding w ith th e sinking of a new sh aft th e D aggafontein shareholders are to be offered 259,441 shares, in th e proportion of one new share for each tw o shares held, a t 22s. 6d. per share. The issue is u n d erw ritten by th e Anglo-Am erican C orporation of S outh Africa, who are also subscribing for a fu rth e r 49,552 shares a t 22s. 6d., so th a t £340,320 will be provided, sufficient, w ith th e funds in hand, to finance operations till th e sh aft is down to th e reef, which it is estim ated will be stru c k a t a depth of ab o u t 3,800 ft. b y th e end of 1930, by which tim e th e funds available under th e existing options will be adequate to bring th e p ro p e rty to th e producing stage.
A lthough Dr. Malcolm M aclaren’s rep o rt on th e Sub Nigel indicates th a t it will be
necessary to reduce th e grad e of th e ore sent to th e m ill a n d in cu r e x tra expenditure on ex p lo rato ry work, he sta te s th a t as the result of his recent ex am in atio n he has come to the definite conclusion th a t th e prospects for th e co n tin u atio n an d rep e titio n of the Sub Nigel p a y shoots on th e dip below the existing workings are e x trem ely favourable.
U nless a new rich shoot is found, however, he considers in evitable th e reduction of the grade of ore to 18 dw t. W ith a couple of y ears’ ex p lo rato ry w ork— th e e x tra cost of w hich is e stim a ted a t ab o u t £140,000—the position is expected to show considerable im provem ent. As D r. M aclaren observes, w ith th ree y ears’ ore reserves in the mine th e position is really n o t unsatisfactory.
T he decision of th e G eneral Council of the S outh A frican Mine W o rk ers’ Union to rem ove th e colour b a r from its constitution is calcu lated to give rise to some awkward questions. I ts action is p ro b ab ly due, not n o t only to th e recen t in tim a tio n of the G overnm ent th a t it in ten d e d to delete th e colour b a r against Cape and other coloured w orkers, b u t also to th e fact that th e coloured w orkers’ organization has applied for reg istratio n , it being evidently felt th a t it will be b e tte r to ta k e them into th e presen t union th a n hav e a separate body. The m ining in d u stry generally is in no w ay responsible for th e decision of th e G eneral Council of th e W orkers’ Union, recognizing th e difficulties th a t are likely to be enco u n tered if a n d w hen th e natives become full m em bers of th e w hite miners’
union.
R h o d e s i a .
— The gold o u tp u t of Southern R hodesia for J a n u a ry was officially reported a t 46,231 oz., as com pared w ith 44,772 oz.
for Decem ber. T he num b er of producers was 119. O ther o u tp u ts for J a n u a ry were : Silver, 6,031 oz. ; coal, 113,927 tons;
chrom e ore, 20,446 t o n s ; asbestos, 3,573 tons, an d m ica, 13 tons.
As th e reduced ore reserves have
necessitated a red u ctio n of th e Gaika
tonnage from 7,000 to 5,000 to n s a month,
th e directors p o in t o u t th e necessity of
conserving th e co m p an y ’s resources and not
paying an in terim dividend a t th e present
tim e, so as to be able to c a rry th ro u g h the
developm ent program m e th e y have in hand.
I t is proposed to increase th e capital of the L uiri Gold Areas from £60,000 to
£200,000, by th e creation of 560,000 ordinary shares of 5s. each, as, in order to secure from the C hartered Com pany rights over three areas covering 184 square miles u n til the end of 1934, it is stip u la te d th a t not less th a n £3,000 per annum should be expended on prospecting during the period m entioned.
The rep o rt of th e B ritish South Africa Company for th e year to Septem ber 30 last showed a n e t profit of £569,920, of which
£550,269 has been d istrib u ted in dividend and bonus, am ounting to g eth er to Is. 6d.
per share. I t is sta te d th a t th e value of th e com pany’s interests as m ineral owners con
tinues to grow in im portance a n d this was em phasized a t th e m eeting, n o t only by the chairm an, b u t by Sir E d m u n d Davis, who expressed the opinion th a t N orthern Rhodesia would ultim ately become one of th e great copper-producing centres of th e world.
In his report for th e th re e m onths to December 31 last th e general m anager of the R oan Antelope states th a t th e drilling results for th e period have been m ost satisfactory. D rill holes a t wide intervals were com pleted through th e ore a t various points over a distance of m ore th a n 15,000 ft.
along th e strike of th e m ineralized beds, the ore occurrences being rem arkably uniform in grade and th e w idths varying from 9^ ft.
to 47 ft. The directors point out th a t although this drilling does n o t give sufficient inform ation on which to base ore reserve calculations, in excess of th e th irty million tons already estim ated, it does prove th e existence of com m ercial ore for a distance of 6,000 ft. beyond th e area in which th e ore reserves have already been calculated.
C a p e C o lo n y .
—A new com pany is said to be in course of form ation, w ith a cap ital of a million sterling, of which a fifth will be working capital, to ta k e over th e m anganese and asbestos rig h ts an d p la n t of th e Union Manganese Mines an d Minerals, L td ., th e purchase consideration being fixed at
£225,000.
N ig e r ia .
—A lthough on one section of the pro p erty w ork was in te rrru p te d b y floods, the N o rth ern N igeria (Bauchi) o u tp u t for the December q u a rte r equalled th a t for the preceding th ree m onths—450 tons. On lease 240 drilling is s ta te d to have proved 482 to n s averaging L27 lb., w hilst the Kwall F alls power p lan t is reported to have continued to ru n well.
W e s te r n A u s t r a lia .
—The rep o rt of Dr.
Stillwell, who has recently m ade a geological survey of th e Kalgoorlie goldfield, sta te s th a t th e southern lim its in d ep th of th e w estern lodes have n o t y e t been reached, an d the m ain hope of th e fu tu re discovery of payable ore relates to th e ground to th e south and west of th e m ain m ining area.
The agreem ent betw een th e Lake View and S tar an d th e Golden H orse Shoe, under which th e form er will acquire th e mine, p lan t, an d certain other assets of th e la tte r, m et w ith th e approval of th e shareholders of th e respective com panies a t th eir m eetings last week. T he purchase price is £180,000 in 900,000 fully paid L ake View an d S ta r shares, th e nom inal value of which is 4s., to m eet w hich th e cap ital of th e L ake View a n d S tar is to be raised from £360,000 to £540,000.
A t th e L ake View and S ta r m eeting Mr.
J. A. Agnew, who presided, dealt in a com prehensive and lucid m an n er w ith th e position of th e tw o companies and, th an k s to his local knowledge and technical ability, was able to m ake clear a num ber of points w hich m ay previously have appeared a trifle obscure to th e shareholders.
N e w G u in e a .
—Cabled reports as to developm ents on th e various areas on which th e Ellyou Goldfields D evelopm ent C orporation are working continue to be of a satisfactory character, several lodes of good w idth an d high assay value having been m et w ith.
I n d ia .
— I t is some tim e since there was any trouble from rock-bursts in th e In d ian mines. T ow ards th e end of last m onth, however, th e Mysore rep o rted a rock-burst in th e R ibblesdale section, resulting in th e death an d in ju ry of a num b er of Indians, which is to be regretted.
M a la y a .
— I t is officially sta te d th a t the to ta l o u tp u t of tin in th e F ed e rate d Malay States for 1928 am ounted to 61,935 tons, valued a t $118,804,747, which established a record.
W hilst in 1923 th e F.M.S. produced 29T per cent, of th e w orld’s o u tp u t, last year it rose to 33‘4 per cent. In 1910 th e E uropean mines are reported to have produced 22 per cent, an d th e Chinese 72 per cent., whereas for last year th e percentages were 49 and 51 per cent, respectively, w hilst for th e first m onth of th is year th e figures are given as E uropean 59 per cent, and Chinese 41 per cent.
The Malaysiam Tin, Lim ited, is am ong the latest com panies to m ake its appearance.
The capital is £250,000, in a m illion shares
of 5s. each, of w hich 540,000 have been
140 T H E M IN IN G M AGAZINE issued. F o u r oi the five directors are on th e
board of th e P erak R iver H ydro-E lectric Power Com pany, th e fifth being m anaging director for th e E a st of th e Siamese Tin Syndicate, w hilst Messrs. Pellew H arv ey and Co. are th e consulting engineers. The com p a n y ’s three tin-bearing properties are a t Tam bun, 6 | miles from Ipoh, an d as th ey adjoin it is proposed to w ork th em as one mine w ith m onitors a n d hydraulic elevators.
C a n a d a .
—A t th e annual convention of th e C anadian In stitu te of Mining and M etallurgy, which is being held th is y ear a t W innipeg, Mr. Jo h n Bracken, th e P rem ier of M anitoba, in welcoming th e delegates, drew a tte n tio n to th e grow th of th e m ineral in d u stry w hich h ad followed railw ay con
struction in O ntario. As he p ointed out, tw enty-five years ago th e m ineral o u tp u t of th a t Province was 14 million tons, whereas it was now over 100 m illion tons, and, after referring to M anitoba’s present p ro duction of 4 million tons, asked : W ho can predict its productive value in another q u a rte r of a century ?
The Mining C orporation of C anada is acquiring a 35 per cent, interest in a com pany w hich is to be form ed to ta k e over a group of silver-lead-zinc properties situ a te d n ear Field, B ritish Columbia. T he properties are on th e m ain line of th e C anadian Pacific R ailw ay an d a fair am ount of developm ent w ork is re p o rted to have been done, w ith satisfacto ry results. I t is proposed to erect a mill w ith a cap acity of 100,000 to n s per annum .
I t is proposed b y legislation to give th e M inister of Mines of B ritish Colum bia increased power in dealing w ith frau d u len t prom otions. No h a rd a n d fast rule is to be laid down in th e m a tte r, b u t am ong other things th e M inister will have power to give notice in th e public interest if th e con
ditions surrounding a prom otion are not satisfactory. There are m an y o th er places besides B ritish Columbia w here sim ilar legis
latio n is called for.
The Consolidated Mining an d Sm elting Com pany a n d V entures— th e holding com
p an y for th e Lindsley in tere sts—have decided on th e jo in t construction of a copper refinery and electrolytic zinc red u ctio n w orks in E astern C anada, w hich will handle th e products of th e m ines controlled b y both corporations. This is ev id en tly a co u n te r
bla st to th e arrangem ent come to b y the N oranda an d B ritish M etals for th e joint construction of a copper refinery in E astern
Quebec. T he location of th e tw o refineries has n o t so fa r been announced.
M e x ic o .
— A nother of th e periodical revolutions is in progress a n d it is reported th a t some of th e m ining tow ns hav e been occupied. T his need n o t occasion share
holders undue an x iety , for it will be rem em bered th a t tow ards th e en d of la s t year Mr.
F. W . B aker, a t th e S a n ta G ertrudis meeting, po in ted o u t th a t during th e com pany’s existence of tw e n ty years th e y h a d never had to s h u t down once th ro u g h a n y political condition th a t h a d existed in th e country.
C o lo m b ia .
—T he V ib o rita Gold Mines, L td ., has been form ed to acquire an alluvial gold-bearing p ro p e rty s itu a te n ear Amalgi, in th e s ta te of A ntioquia, w hich has been exam ined an d te ste d b y Mr. W . E. Thome, who has sp en t over tw elve m onths a t the m ine. T he au th o rized cap ital is £130,000 in 5s. shares, a n d th e b o ard includes the chairm an of th e St. J o h n del R ey (who is also chairm an of th e V iborita) an d th e chair
m an of th e F ro n tin o and B olivia companies.
T in S e l e c t i o n T r u s t.
— Reference was m ade in th e F e b ru a ry issue to th e increase of th e cap ital of th e T in Selection: T ru st to
£2,000,000 b y th e creatio n of a further million shares of £1 each. Of these new shares 500,000 h av e since been issued to th e share
holders in th e proportion of one new share for each tw o held a t 25s. per share, thus m aking th e issued cap ital of th e Trust
£1,500,000.
R u s s o - A s i a t i c .
— In view of certain pro
posals m ade b y foreign groups to acquire p a rt of th e reserve share cap ital in con
nection w ith th e expansion of th e com pany’s activities, th e b o ard decided th a t before com ing to a n y arran g em en t an opportunity should be given to shareholders to subscribe for p a rt of th e reserve shares a t a price lower th a n th a t contem p lated in th e negotia
tions. Shareholders h a v e therefore been offered shares a t 3s. 6d. in th e proportion of one for each five shares held.
C h e m i c a l a n d M e t a llu r g ic a l C o r p o r a t i o n .
— In order to provide funds for financing
th e com pletion of th e ir R u n co rn works
on a broader basis th a n w as originally
intended, th e Chemical a n d M etallurgical
C orporation have raised a fu rth e r £350,000
b y th e issue of tw o m illion o rd in a ry shares
of 2s. each a t 3s. 6d. per share, th e whole of
which have been ta k e n b y groups associated
w ith th e com pany, th e subscribers having
an option till J u ly 1, 1930, on a further
m illion shares a t 4s. 6d. p er share.
By the late J. D. K E N D A L L
T h is article, w hich was received a few days before th e a u th o r's lam ented d e ath , consists of com m ents on rep o rts contained in th e S um m ary of P ro g ress of th e G eological Survey of G re a t B ritain durin g 1927.
In th e
iiï-
ii it
i f
aloif
ay lit who!
sociat
Sum m ary of Progress of th e Geological Survey of G reat B rita in , 1927, P a rt 2, th ere are tw o papers, w ith th e above title, b y Messrs. E. E. L. D ixon an d B ernard Sm ith respectively. Mr. D ixon’s portion relates, principally, to th e ore occurring in th e Skiddaw Slates a t K nockm urton and K elton Fell. Mr. S m ith ’s p a rt is m ainly criticism of Mr. D ixon’s conclusions. U n
fortunately, neither w riter has h a d adequate opportunités of obtaining com prehensive views of th e deposits owing to th e mines at present opened up being n early exhausted.
N or are th e w riters fam iliar w ith th e n a tu re of th e P erm ian Breccia, w hich has such an im portant bearing on th e age of th e h em atite deposits.
On p. 40 of th e “ Special R ep o rt on th e Mineral Resources of G reat B ritain, Vol.
V III, 2nd E d itio n ,” Mr. Sm ith w rites :—
‘ ‘ In th e chief post-Triassic faults exam ined th a t we have been able to check carefully, th e am ount of displacem ent in th e New R ed Rocks is as great as in th e Carboniferous Limestone, th e only exception being E .-W . Bay barrow F a u lt, and we know of no certain case in which an ore-body has been faulted, except to a very m inor degree, since th e tim e of its form ation.” Mr. Sm ith does n o t appear to be very anxious ab o u t th e facts of observa
tion or he could easily have been convinced th a t his conclusions, as ju s t sta te d , are quite wrong. The post-Triassic fau lts to which he refers are, as I have on a previous occasion s ta te d ,1 not of post-Triassic b u t of pre-Triassic age. They, or some of them , have h a d post-Triassic m ovem ents. I have already shown 1 th a t th e am ount of displace
m ent of th e New R ed Rocks is m uch less th a n th a t of th e Carboniferous Lim estone.
If Mr. Sm ith is still unaw are of th is fact, it can only be th a t he h as not inquired sufficiently. I have before m e a section of an im p o rtan t m ine in which there is one of these fau lts th a t h a d a pre-Triassic m ovem ent of 187 feet an d a post-Triassic m ovem ent of 590 ft. An ore-body which it intersects is severed b y it and p a rt of it carried up to different levels along w ith other faulted m atte r. Some of th e broken blocks of ore are 300 ft. higher up th e fault-plane th a n others. These figures were established by m easurem ents ta k e n afte r th e mining operations.
1 C riticism of th e M em oir of th e G eological S urvey, M in in g M agazine, Ja n u a ry , 1920.
On th e sam e page of th e Special R eport as th e above qu o tatio n Mr. Sm ith w rites :
“ Stress is laid upon th e occurrence of so- called “ pebbles ” of h em atite in th e brock- ram , as a proof of th e previous existence of beds of ore— of pre-P erm ian age—b u t in Goodchild’s view, these are probably pebbles of lim estone converted in to h em atite after th e y h a d been incorporated in th e brockram . Our conclusion, therefore, is th a t in th e m ain th e alteratio n of th e lim e
stone in to ore was effected in post-Triassic tim es.” In a foot-note to th is passage Mr. Sm ith says, “ Possibly as la te as T e rtia ry .”
In th e “ B earing of th e D istribution of C ertain M etallic M inerals on th eir Genesis ” 1 an d in th e “ H em atites of W est Cum berland and F u rn ess,” 2 I have referred to Goodchild’s ideas as to th e origin of h em atite in th e P erm ian Breccia an d in the la te r com m unication, ju st m entioned, have given th e opinion of Professor P. F . Kendall, of th e Geological D ep artm en t of th e Leeds U niversity, in March, 1917, who says : " We are b o th (Mr. Gilligan and myself) very fam iliar w ith th e P erm ian brockram of th e Vale of E den an d in th e Ingleton area, an d in our judgm ent th e h em atite in those rocks could not have been derived from destruction of h em atite m a tte r. On th e other hand, we are equally in agreem ent th a t these h em atite fragm ents are tru e fragm ents an d have not, as Goodchild th o u g h t, been produced by su b stitu tio n ,
in situ, of h em atite for lim estone.” Allth e pebbles I have seen lack an y trace of th e fibrous or rad ial stru ctu re of kidney ore.
The pebbles of h em atite in th e brockram of Hoff Beck, near A ppleby, present exactly th e appearance I should expect if it h ad resulted from .the oxidation of clay iro n stone nodules such as can be found in th e Coal Measures.
In th e second of th e two papers ju st referred to I gave a section of an open-cut working a t Bigrigg, w hich showed the P erm ian Breccia overlying an ore-body.
In referring to th e section in its bearing on th e age of th e ore-bodies generally, I wrote : “ So far as I know it has n o t been seen, in th a t connection, b y anyone b u t myself, a n d it is now com pletely destroyed, so th a t it m ay perhaps be useful if a brief
M agazine, N o v em b er, 1920.
M agazine, M arch, 1925.
142 T H E M IN IN G MAGAZINE account of it be given h ere.” T he deposit
“ was worked in such a w ay th a t th e co n tact of th e breccia a n d th e h em atite an d th e ground for several feet above an d below it could be clearly seen. T he h em atite in th e breccia occurred as angular fragm ents of various sizes. In other places, fu rth e r aw ay from th e ore-body, it was as more or less rounded pebbles, in some cases sm ooth and occasionally stria ted . H em atite and lim estone fragm ents were quite com m on w ithin tw o or th ree feet of th e m ain bod y of ore. T hey were all angular an d some of them as m uch as eighteen inches in length.
Pieces of pure lim estone were lying along
side and, in some cases, p a rtly overlying pieces of pure ore.” The m ine was a very sm all one and its exhaustion would be soon effected.
On p. 41 of “ The Special R eport, Vol.
V III, 2nd E d itio n ,” Mr. Sm ith refers to th e section ju st m entioned in th e following words : “ The section being destroyed it is impossible to check Mr. K endall’s in te rp re ta tion of th e evidence.” W hy ? I invite Mr. Sm ith to say why. I t is im possible to check m y drawing, of course, b u t n o t to check m y in terp retatio n of it. I gave an accurate draw ing of th e section as I saw it 40 years ago. Most likely it was n o t in existence a week afterw ards, an d in a few m onths th e ore-body m ight be exhausted.
I t is u n fo rtu n ate for m y reliab ility as an observer th a t th ey did n o t suspend m ining operations. In th e last fifty-three years, I have produced several sections in m y w ritings th a t have n o t been seen b y others, b u t only th is one has been banned.
Mr. Sm ith does not give an y p a rt of m y w ritten description of th e section ; he m erely locates it an d dismisses it as useless, n o t
w ithstanding th a t, b y describing it, I con
sidered it im p o rtan t.
I t is fifty-three years since I m entioned in the “ H em atite D eposits of W hitehaven and Furness ” 1 th a t several h e m a tite pebbles have been found in th e breccia rep resen tin g th e Lower P e rm ia n .” Since th en I have repeated th e sta te m e n t several tim es, in different writings. I should know h e m a tite when I see it. I have m ined it, have ham m ered it thousands of tim es, have exam ined it under th e m icroscope m any tim es during th e last fifty years a n d have analysed m an y sam ples of it. I have ham m ered th e breccia in ev ery p a rt of th e d istrict, have quarried th o u san d s of tons of it, have looked for a n d found h em atite
1 T rans. M an ch ester G eological Society, 1875.
in it frequently, m ore often n ear th e ore deposits th a n aw ay from them .
I will now consider Mr. S m ith ’s conclusion th a t “ th e m ain alte ra tio n of th e lim estone in to ore was effected in post-T riassic tim es.”
H is idea is th a t an iron solution stained th e St. Bees S andstone red, th e Perm ian B reccia re d or brow n, a n d produced the purple-grey colour of th e W h iteh av en Sand
stone. I t seems to be th e Survey-Office idea held b y all th e m em bers of th e Survey I have m et.
In a paper on th e “ S tru c tu re of the C um berland Coal-fields ” 1 I divided the Coal m easures as u n d er :•—
“ 1. W h iteh av en Sandstone, or Upper Coal Measures.
“ 2. Lower Coal M easures, reposing on M illstone G rit.
“ The W h iteh av en Sandstone is uncon- form able to th e Lower Coal Measures, and on th a t account it was form erly considered to belong to th e P erm ians, b u t there is now no doubt ab o u t its Carboniferous age.”
In th e T ran sactio n s of th e Cumberland an d W estm o rlan d A ssociation for the A dvancem ent of L ite ra tu re an d Science, Mr. T. V. H olm es— on th e Geological Survey of N o rth C um berland— in a paper on the
“ B est L ocality for Coal b en eath th e Permian R ocks of N o rth -W est C um berland,” 1 criticizing m y p ap er on th e coalfields, just referred to , denied th e unconform ability of th e W h itehaven Sandstone Series, which I h a d proved, an d said " th e purple-grey tin tin g of th e beds was due to staining sub
sequent to th e ir d ep o sitio n .” F u rth e r, he correlated seam s in w h at I called th e Lower Coal M easures w ith others in th e White
haven S andstone Series. J . G. Goodchild—
also on th e Survey— was opposed to the unconform ability, a n d agreed w ith Holmes as to th e after-tin tin g .
W hen th e Geological Survey published th e ir m ap in 1893 (after 21 y ears’ work) it showed th e e x te n t of only a sm all part of th e W hitehaven S andstone Series in the south-w est p a rt of th e field, an d th a t was represented as being conform able to the Lower Coal M easures. In th e sections accom panying th e ir m ap th e y correlated the Four-foot Coal of C leator Moor w ith the M oorbanks B a n d of W o rk in g to n an d the T en-quarters Coal of E llenborough an d Bull- gill. T he Five-foot Coal of C leator Moor th e y considered to be th e eq u iv alen t of th e R a ttle r B an d of W o rk in g to n an d Bull-
1 T ran s. M a n c h este r G eological S o ciety vol ix, 1883-4.
gill. My w ork—published 14 years before th a t of th e Geological Survey— led me to the conclusion th a t th e Five-foot Coal and the B annock B an d of C leator Moor were on the sam e horizons as th e T en-quarters and th e R a ttle r B an d of Ellenborough and Bullgill.1 In a paper on “ The W h ite
haven Sandstone Series ” I p o in ted out other serious errors of th e Survey in correlation.2
The revised m ap of th e Geological Survey, published in 1895, did not show th e W h ite haven Sandstone Series. Mr. A. S tra h an — one of th e revising Surveyors— said th ere was not any indication of a definite base to th e W hitehaven Sandstone Series, and no evidence of its unconform ability to th e Lower Measures.
S andstone an d th e productive m easures, an d th e recent w ork of Mr. C. E . E astw ood bears th is o u t.” This was after th e y had spent tw enty-one years in th e d istric t—
betw een 1872 and 1893—w ithout seeing it.
I have been obliged to m ake th e above references to th e W hitehaven Sandstone Series as its tin tin g has an im p o rta n t bearing on th e source of th e solution w hich replaced th e lim estone in form ing h em atite. The m em bers of th e Geological Survey do n o t appear to have looked in to th is phase of th e subject. I give herew ith a generalized section (Fig. 1) of th e principal rocks form ing th e coal and iron fields of W est C um berland.
The St. Bees Sandstone m ay be said, generally, to be coloured red. So is th e P erm ian Breccia, b u t it is m ostly m uch
. f .
■ • • ...
T
A St B ee s S a n d s t o n e . B Permian B r e c c i a . C Whitehaven S a n d s t o n e . D Lower Coal M e a s u r e s . E Millstone Grit,
F C a r b o n i f e r o u s Li mestone.
G S k i d d a w Sl a fe.
Fi g. 1 . — Ge n e r a l Se c t i o n o f Co a l a n d Ir o n Fi e l d s o f We s t Cu m b e r l a n d.
In “ The Sum m ary of Progress of th e Geological Survey for 1924 ” th e Survey correlates th e B annock B and an d Five-foot Coal of Cleator Moor w ith th e R a ttle r B and and Ten Q uarters of E llenborough and Bullgill, as I h a d done in 1883. T hey further say “ In th is respect we find ourselves in agreem ent w ith Mr. J . D. K en d all.”
I t took th e Survey fifty years to find out the m istakes th e y m ade in th e seventies.
In “ The Geology of th e Carlisle, Long- town, and Silloth D istrict ” issued by the Geological Survey in 1926— dealing w ith the probable extension of th e Coal Measures
—th e following passage occurs : “ In th e W est C um berland coalfields evidence has been advanced b y Mr.
J .D. K endall 3 for an u nconform ity betw een th e W hitehaven
1 T ran s. N o rth of E n g la n d In s t, of M. a n d M .E ., 1883.
2 T ran s. F ed. In s t. M ining E n g in eers, 1895.
3 S tru c tu re of th e C u m b erlan d Coal F ie ld , N . of
d ark er th a n th e overlying sandstone. In fact it is som etim es nearly brow n. The W hitehaven Sandstone Series is tin te d purple-grey, som etim es slightly red or brow n, in th e upper p arts, b u t in th e lower p a rts these purple-grey an d re d beds alte rn a te w ith s tr a ta having th e ord in ary black, w hite, grey, an d bluish tin ts of th e Lower Coal Measures.
In “ The W hitehaven Sandstone Series ” 1 I say : “ The W hitehaven Sandstone consists alm ost en tirely of Sandstone an d Shale, of a red, grey, or brow n colour, as described in th e sections, b u t th e w riter prefers to call it purple-grey. W ith these beds are in tercalated , in th e lower p a rt of th e Series, rocks of th e o rd in ary coal m easure colours and a few th in coal seams. Two th in beds of Spirorbis Lim estone have been m et w ith in th e series a t F rizington H all, and occasionally in different p a rts of th e D istric t.”
1 T ran s. F ed. In s t. M ining E n g in eers, 1895.
144 T H E M IN IN G M AGAZINE
O
S c a l e o f Fe e h
200 4 -0 0
c \ o°
ft
Coa I Coa I
03
\0
'O' o '
1 = a
-j ■ -.j<r A '"b
Q N
Coal
\
\
Horizon o F Y a r d C o a:
Coal
/
Coal Coal
\ \
\
Fi g. 2 . — Wh i t e h a v e n Sa n d s t o n e Se r i e s.
Fig. 2 gives six sections of th e W h ite haven Sandstone Series as found betw een Ellenborough and B olton. S ix ty per cent of th e rocks are arenaceous a n d 40 per cent argillaceous. F o rty -th ree per cent are coloured purple-grey or reddish a n d fifty- seven per cent have th e usual coal m easure tin ts. Of th e purple-grey an d red beds sixty-seven per cent are arenaceous. As sandy beds occupy six ty per cent of th e series it is to be expected th a t a som ew hat sim ilar p ro portion would have a purple- grey or reddish colour.
L et us look a t Fig. 1 an d im agine a red
iron solution filling th e in terstices of the
St. Bees S andstone an d sinking down
th ro u g h th e Breccia, as Mr. S m ith suggests,
in to th e W hitehaven S andstone Series,
an d a t th e sam e tim e, I say, in to th e Lower
Coal Measures, th e M illstone G rit, the
C arboniferous Lim estone, th e G ranophyres,
and th e S kiddaw Slate, as far as th e line
T— T. If such a stain in g process h a d ever
ta k en place th ere is no reason w hy the
W hitehaven S andstone Series should not
have been stain ed continuous!v t o i]i,■ I, f i - ,
in th e rise portion of it, as shown by th e section. N or is th ere any reason w hy th e rise end of th e Lower Coal Measures, or of th e M illstone G rit or th e Carboniferous Lim estone, or its included shales, should not have been so stained. B ut th e y are not, nor is th e Skiddaw Slate or th e eruptive Granophyre. The purple-grey or red or brown colouring of th e beds in th e W h ite
haven Sandstone Series is shown b y d o tted spaces in th e sections (Fig. 2) and th e occurrence betw een those beds of others which are w hite or grey, bluish or black, as indicated b y th e plain spaces in Fig. 2, show clearly th a t th e purple-grey or red or brown beds were so coloured a t th e tim e of their deposition an d th a t betw een those times th ere were periods, of various lengths, in which th ere was n o t an y of th e purple or reddish colouring m a tte r deposited, and the sand or m ud throw n down was w hite or grey or bluish or black. Some of th e white beds, and some of th e red ones, are only two feet thick.
After th e deposition of th e Lower Coal Measures it is evident th a t th ere was a large uprise of th e terrain , followed first b y pro longed denudation, th e n by subsidence and th e deposition of th e W hitehaven Sandstone Series. T h a t period of crustal disturbances was probably accom panied by ejections, along lines of faulting of irony m a tte r which m ight be deposited w ithin the area considered, an d carried aw ay la te r and m ixed w ith th e arenaceous and argillaceous debris form ing th e reddened beds of th e W hitehaven Sandstone Series.
I say irony m a tte r because iron, in some form or another a t th a t tim e, seems to have been the su bterranean ejectm ent of th e district during crustal m ovem ents. T he em an a tions w ould p robably be in te rru p te d by in terru p ted occurrences, w hich would increase in in te n sity for a period, an d th en gradually cease. D uring th e changes beds of the W hitehaven Sandstone Series m ight sometimes be reddened, b u t th e y m ight as often have th e norm al colours of th e Coal Measures. T he d a rk red a n d brow n colours of th e Breccia an d its inclusion of h em atite fragm ents, indicate th a t it was form ed, in some p a rts, in th e neighbour
hood of ore-bodies which were p a rtly broken up by th e denuding forces th a t produced th e Breccia. The paler red of th e St. Bees Sandstone m ight arise from continuous sub terran ean ejectm ents, perhaps supple
m ented b y th e d enudation of irony m aterial previously deposited.
T he above suggestions are, in th e n atu re
of th e subject, not so conclusive as we could wish th em to be on account of th e lack of d ata, b u t I th in k th e y explain th e colouring of th e red beds m uch b e tte r th a n th e assum p
tion by th e Survey of a red liquid p e r
m eating th e St. Bees Sandstone and sinking in to and colouring some of th e beds of th e W hitehaven Sandstone Series, b u t leaving other beds, betw een them , entirely u naltered.
The more Fig. 2 is stu d ied th e m ore evident i t is th a t m y suggested process of colouring was th a t which a c tu a lly occurred. I first suggested it in 1884, in th e adjourned discussion of “ T he S tru ctu re of th e C um ber
land Coalfield.” W here th e red liquid cam e from th e Survey does not explain, b u t surely it arose from th e deep-down store of all our m etallic m inerals. If so, w hy n o t deal w ith it in a perfectly n a tu ra l w ay ?
I will now look briefly a t a few statem en ts in Mr. D ixon’s paper dealing w ith other questions. There are a num ber of h e m a tite veins a t K elton Fell and K n o ck m u rto n , crossing th e junction of th e Loweswater Flags and th e K irkstile Slates. T hey are m ore extensive in th e la tte r th a n in th e Flags. The Flags, however, are m ore fissured an d Mr. D ixon th in k s these fissures have been th e channels through w hich th e m ineralizing solutions th a t form ed th e ore- bodies passed on th e ir w ay upw ard from th eir previous deeper stage. I do n o t see any reason for concluding, as Mr. D ixon does, th a t these jo in ts form ed th e upw ard passages of large volum es of m aterial th a t w as deposited as ore-bodies in th e overlying rocks, including th e Carboniferous Lim estone.
N or do th e y afford evidence th a t a n y of th e ore in th em cam e from below. In th in k in g of genetics we m ust include in our view th e great num ber of ore-bodies found in other p a rts of th e Lake C ountry, in th e E nnerdale G ranophyre, th e Eskdale G ranite, th e Volcanic Rocks of Borrowdale, th e Coniston Lim estone, etc.
Mr. D ixon says : “ I t has already been suggested b y K e n d a ll1 from th e facts of areal d istrib u tio n th a t th e h em atite deposits co n stitu te a zone beyond th a t of th e lead ore.” I am not clear w hat Mr. D ixon m eans here ; th e p ap er he refers to dealt w ith distrib u tio n n o t w ith genetics. Mr. Dixon says (p. 26) :— “ The channels of th e iron solutions th ro u g h th e Skiddaw S late were sim ilar to those of th e lead, zinc, an d copper solutions, an d h em atite was deposited n o t far beyond th e lim it of deposition of g a len a .”
1 L a te ra l D is trib u tio n of M etallic M inerals, M in in g M agazine, vol. x x iii,
