The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1923-04-05
Value of Diamond Drilling in Mineral
and Other Exploratory Work

paper on diamond drilling read by NJ
j. Sweeny, secretary of Boyles Broth
ers. of Spokane and Vancouver, b. c.,
before Columbia section of the Amer
lean Institute of Mining and Metal
lurgical Engineers: Use of the dia-
mOnd drill for the determination of
subterranean resources and for the
purpose of securing accurate data rel
ative to character of strata is too sell
dom employed as a commercial under
taking, although a close study of mi
ming operations at least, will reveal
excessive expenditures by operators
in prospecting by means of excava-
tions, as Shafts tunnels, etc, where
diamond drilling could have been used
TO much better advantage both as to
determination and as to cost
1t has become common practice by
some of the larger mining operators
of late years, however. to systemat-
ically explore undetermined areas
with the drill. usually the diamond
drill, few of whom own their own out
fit, for the most part preferring to
employ people who make of it an ex-
elusive business and become expert in
that form of prospecting.
One has only to study the maps of
mines and prospects, when they are
available, to discover commonly
useless waste of large sums of money
in exploration. In the determination,
when this information is sought no
form of study is so accurate as the
diamond drill. Composition, charac-
ter, location, dip. may be systematic
ally logged and such determinations
have become as dependable as any
other form of geological investigation |
and may be checked as closely. 1t is /
therefore a pleasure to make use of /
the following information taken from |
Mr.. Sweenys paper, for besides be-
ing an authority on diamond drilling, |
the author has had many years ex-
perience in actual mining and has
come to be regarded as an expert in
exploration of mineral areas by ex-
cavation. The abstract of his paper
follows:
Early Drilling by Egyptians.
Both the paper and accompanying
cores and maps are presented in the
hope that engineers who are not so
familiar with diamond drilling as the
author is may give the subject care
full consideration when recommend
ing the expenditure of money in ex-
Dloration of concealed ore bodies,
tapping reservoirs of water oil or
o. 90. fo,. ,roo1ocrio e4,,diae fo,. fo,,p
iations and for other purposes The
author cites a recent report of the
smithsonian Institution as authority s
or information which tells us that '
irills with teeth of corundum and
rem stones for cutting quartz and
,ther rock formations were used in
egypt 5000 years ago-lOng before {
King Tuts time-and mentions that i
ores taken out by these drills were
10 perfect and clean cut that the
modern engineer, provided with dia-
nond drills, might be proud to turn g
mt such work. Saws over eight feet q
ong with similar fixed teeth, were /
lsed in Egypt 60 centuries ago for ]
awing blocks of granite. knowledge
# this method of making saws and q
rills was lost for thousands of years {
he Romans had no tools of the kind '
or were they re-invented until about L
0 years ago" The next authentic h
.istorv is of the French engineer, Z
robert Leschot, who invented and Il
mploved a core drill in the Mount I
ennis tunnel Frank A. Edison, U. 5. s
ureau of mines, mentions the first n
Sc of the diamond core drill in the d
rnited States, in the coal measures Y
n PENNSYLVANIA, in a bulletin now IN L
Many of the large cop h
er and iron mines have established a
epartments entirely devoted to dia- il
lond drilling. John d. Ryan, of the t
naconda Copper company is quoted s
! Mining & Metallurgy, February, Ii
92S as stating that Chuquicamata G
Chile Copper has an estimated ton +
age of developed ore amounting to d
10 100000 with 7OOOOOOOO tons of ii
ositive and probable ore and good c.
re showing in the deepest drill holes. d
considering it's very general use in C,
,any quarters, it is surprising how
tile is known of the practice and
lethods of diamond drilling. Boyles t
rothers alone. have drilled 100 miles t.
f diamond drill holes and are now v
rilling at the rate of " miles per ii
lonth The author cites employment C,
Y the government of the diamond je
rill on reclamation projects. Il
Diamond Drill Companies. c;
Columbia section members should il
e familiar with diamond drill work, al
lasmuch as two of the few diamond m
rill contracting companies of the c
nited States are located here, Boyles II
rothers and Diamond Drill Contract v,
g company; while Sullivan Machin- m
" Co., of Chicago. probably the larg- a
st diamond drill contracting COM d,
any in the business, maintains a tc
lpply house here. The Diamond te
riU Contracting company has a ~,