The Sun.
London, England, 1850-10-05 00:00:00

HOW THEY MAKE VITRIOL IN

GL ASGOW.
There is one perpetual motion in Glasgow. On all
days of the year, and at all hours of the day or of the
night, from almost the highest ground in the city—
and certainly from the highest point that brick and
mortar have reached—a volume of dark black smoke
issues, sometimes to be rapidly thrown away by the
rough wind, sometimes, in calm nights and mornings,
rising almost perpendicularly far up into the skies,
which it seems to pierce and link to the earth ; but, in
all its vicissitudes of form and shape, acting like a
symbol or type of the town, telegraphing its cha-
racter to the farthest spot where any part of it is
visible. This wreath of smoke is the first and the
last symptom of Glasgow that the traveller sees. The
St. Rollox chimney, from which it is projected, is the
highest building in the city, and the highest of its
kind in the world. Its height is 445 feet from the foun-
dation, 435 feet from the sur face of the earth, and, from
the position, it must be nearly 600 feet above the level
of the sea. Its diameter at the surface of the earth is
40 feet, but it tapers upwards until, at the top,
the breadth is reduced to 14 feet. This is the mea-
surement within the walls ; and for nearly 200 feet
upwards the building is double. One chimney is
built round another, until the fabric reaches nearly
the height which we have mentioned. Three large
flues, we believe 12 feet in diameter, are run through
the works, and carry into the chimney all the tainted
air and smoke, which it was built for the purpose of
discharging at a height that would neutralize the
complaints made against the chemical works as a
. nuisance in the atmosphere.
The erection occupied the greater part of two sum-
mers, and was completed at a cost of 12,000?. At a
distance this noble stalk appears too taper and thin
for its immense size. One is apt to expect it to be
blown down in a heavy storm ; but in reality it pos-
sesses great strength and the elements of stability.
It covers a considerable area, and has been so
girt together that, exposed as it is to all the blasts,
it may continue to form for many years,
what it now is, one of the most picturesque objects in
the city or neighbourhood. This chimney forms the
drain of all the contaminated air from the largest
chemical works is this country ; and, we understand,
the most extensive in the world. They were com-
menced, we believe, in 1791 or 1792, on a compara-
tively small scale. They now comprehend eleven acres
within the walls, and nine acres are occupied by. sub-
sidiary works in the immediate vicinity. Tne St.
Rollox Works form, therefore, a vast laboratory,
covering twenty acres of land.
Seven hundred meu are employed in the works, on
an average. Two thousand four hundred tons of coals
are consumed weekly, partly purchased, and partly
from the pits of the company. The consumption of
Irish lime is nearly two hundred and fifty tons
weekly ; and of Liverpool salt nearly two hundred
tons are used in the same time. The chief foreign
products employed in the works are sulphur, tallow,
rosin, cocoa nut oil and palm oil. The quantity used
of each of the three first is extremely large ; but of
the African oils a comparatively small amount is re-
quired. The principal commercial products of the
werks are " vitriol," crystallised soda, soda ash,
bleaching powder, and soap.
The production of vitro' is one of the first of the
processes. Sulphur forms -necessarily the first and
chief ingredient. The sulphur le placed in small fur-
naces, along with nitrate of soda, in the proportion of
100 of the former to 1 of the litter. There are
nearly one hundred of these furnaces in the works,
which communicate with six sass of chambers con-

sisting of six separate chambers communicating with
each other in each set. Each chamber is formed
of sheet lead, on wooden pillars, and measures 70
feet long, 20 feet wide, and 13 feet high. A. communi-
cation is farmed between the several formed between
the several furnaces attached to each set of chambers.
By this communication, or flue, the sulphuric acid gas
is conveyed into the chambers. Another set of furnaces
keep three steam boilers in constant employment, and
their pipes also communicate with the vitriol chambers.
The boilers continually form steam for no other
purpose than to bring it into contact with the sul-
phurous acid gas. The chambers, formed at a
great expense, are erected to be the scene of a per-
petual contest between gas and steam. Toe meet-
ing of the waters may give a greater shock, without
producing more singular results, than the coalition
of the contending parties in these leaden castles. The
steam succeeds in condeming the sulphurous acid
gas, and by whatever other atmospheric aid it obtains,
converting what would certainly be a very trouble-
some nuisance into one of the must powerful
liquids that we possess. The condensation or result
is sulphuric acid, which is deposited in the
chambers in strength of 120 or thereby. The sul-
phuric acid is run off the chambers daily by pipes into
lead receivers, placed in iron cases above a fur-
nace, and it evapurtes in them to from 140 to 150.
Care is taken never to allow it to rise above the strength
last denoted, because then it might melt the lead, or
destroy the receivers, from which it is run into two
platina stills. Tne weight of the stills, with the heads,
was stated by one of the parties in charge to be 771 be.
each. These stills are necessarily very expensivein-
struments, became platina is more valuable than sil-
ver, standing, indeed, half-way between it and gold.
At the price per ounce at which these stills were
valued by our informant, the cost of each would be
1,900/.—strictly, 1,9711. 4s.
The passage through the platina stills is the last of
the processes, and the result is marketable ritriol of
168 to 169. The liquid is then filled into bottles,
containing generally from 12 to 13 gallons, and
weighing 160 to 1931b5. In some instances smaller
bottle; are used ; brit they generally weigh from 111 be.
to nibs. each. The bottles are previou,ly packed
with straw in a hamper for each, and great care is
necessary in their management. They are often
conveyed a great distance, pass through rough usage,
and seldom fail in their trust. When that does
happen, the consequences are not favourable to any
substance that may come into contact with their
contents, than which we have few more potent de-
structives. Each bottle is furnished with a stopper,
which is closely covered over, and the only leakage
that can occur must result from a catastrophe to the
errire vessel.
The manufacture of sulphuric acid does not appear
to materially affect the health and strength of the
men employed in the process. The atmosphere must
be slightly charged with sulphuric gas, and the taint
is quite perceptible to a stranger ; but the workmen
seemed to suffer, in that department, no inconveni•
ence. Other processes are very different and require
considerable precautions.
One old man, James 11PEwen, told us that he had

been engaged for forty-three years amongst vitriol.
He came to the works in 1807, on the birthday of
old George 111., that is to say, on the 4th June, and
he is therefore now running his forty-fourth year in
the employment of the company. He offers fair to
stand out fifty years, or probably go beyond them,
for he is still a hale, healthy strong man, pick-
ing up his side of a 2 cwt. bottle in his
hand, without any apparent effort, each four or
five minutes. He states that he runs one of
the plstina stills twelve times each day. He super-
intends the cooling down of the liquid, fills the
botdes, and works in an atmosphere formed in some
measure by the exhalations from the vitriol receivers,
where the liquid is evaporating. This untameable
vitriol is managed is his hands like soft spring water.
He fills for ever at his bottles as if be were dealing
with the contents of Aaron's Well, or the gatherings
of a gravitation company ; and his commodity is as
clear and limpid as if it sprung up direct to
his bands through the pores of a thousand
feet of granite, like the springs of a High-
land mountain. He proves that to some consti-
tutions the evaporation of sulphuric acid is not op-
posed to vitality. Every man has some distinction,
and James M'Ewen has passed more vitriol through
his hands than any ether living man. Still he takes
with and likes his business; and few employers can
produce a man who has been in their employment
without a break for 43 years and four months, and
who has never been in that long period absent from
his duties from illness except once for a short period,
and in consequence of an accident.—Daily Mail.

MUNIFICENT CHARITY. - Forty-five thousand
pounds, in money and land, have been assigned over to
trustees by Miss Howard, of York-place, for the following
uses :—To erect twenty-one houses on her property at Pinner,
near Harrow, in the form of a crescent, the centre house for
the trustees, the other twenty houses for the use of twenty
widows, who are to occupy them tree of rent and taxes, and
also to receive 501. a year clear of all deductions. The
widows of naval men to have the preference, then those of
military men, and, lastly, those of clergymen. None but
persons of good character to be selected, to be chosen or dis-
missed for misconduct by the trustees. The deed is now en-
rolled in Chancery, and approved of by the Lord Chancellor.
Trustees named—The Earl of Fingal, K.G., and W. A. Mac-
kinnon, Esq., M.P.

P"CIIERS' FUND.—The Mansfield poach3rs hare
uecosne so numerous that to "insure" themselves against
*mergercies, they have actually established a "protective
rued;',--Derby Mercury.

AURORAL ARCH.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES.
Sir,—On the evening of October 1, at Eih, six
miles west of Durham, an auroral arch was observed.
The aurora borealis had been visible soon after
sunset, and at Bh. 45m. mean Greenwich time, the sky
near the horizon from N.W. to N.E. was so bright
as to cast a visible shadow. Beams of white light
streamed upwards beyoLd the zenith, but not so as
to form a corona. This appearance faded before 9h.
At about 9h. 10m. an auroral arch was suddenly
formed. It had a uniform breadth of about 3 deg.,
and extended distinctly and completely from the
eastern to the western horizon. Its light was a clear
pure white, tolerably uniform, but slightly varying,
pulses appearing to traverse from west to east like the
waving of a banner by the wind.
The course of the arch could be accurately traced
among the stars, which shone brilliantly.
At 9h. 12m. the arch covered in the east Aldebaran
and the Pleiades, passed about 6 deg. northward of
Alphevat (a Andromeda!), across the line of stars in
Sagitta, and descended in the west through the
middle of Ophiuchus. Its highest point eastward of
south had in the middle of its breadth an elevation of
about 66 deg. At that ticn?, consequently, the arch
formed nearly a great circle, inclined to the horizon
at about 66 deg. and cutting it at two points, about
20 deg. north of east and south of west. This is,
as usual, nearly at right angles to the magnetic
meridian.

At 9h. 22m. the lower eastern end had disappeared
and the arch was sensibly drifting towards the south.
Its southern edge just reached y Aquilx, and passed
to the northward of the lozenge formed by the stars
in Delphinus.
At 9h. 23m. the direction remained the same, and
the light extended just as far as a Andromeda.
At 9h. 24m. it scarcely reached p Pegasi, passed
torough y Aquilte, was still north of Delphinus, but
so as to include the lozenge within the limits of
the arch.
At 9h. 25m. it extenced to Aquila, but was rapidly
fading ; and at 9h. 27m. 30s. it was only just visible
as a faint beam of light in the south-west. The lower
western extremity remained sensibly in the same posi-
tion throughout.
The wind was blowing strong from the W.N.W. ;
external thermometer, 47 deg. ; internal, 57 deg. ;
barometer, 28.95 inches, equivalent to 29.71 inches
at the level of the sea, the height of the place of ob-
servation hieing 700 feet ; lat. 54 deg. 47 min. 26 sec. ;
long. W., 6 min. 44 sec.
I should be glad to receive particulars of observa-
tions of the arch made in other places.
Your obedient servant,
TEMPLE CHEVALLIER.
El Parsonage, near Durham, Oct. 2.