Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1851-10-07
CIR 9'onfb'H Jripll6.
Copper.


covered, or at least wrought to any !,
extent, in the island Of Cyprus. I'll
is of d fine red color, and has great
cal Of brilliancy. 1T has 4 sensible
odor, especially when rubbed or heat
ed, and is Of an unpleasant taste
Copper, in point Of usefulness, yields
only to iron; it is widely dispered,
being found pure, and also combined
with yakous mineral substances. I'll
is much used for alloying gold and
silver Copper is usually found in |
mines deep down inIthe earth; though |
some few mines are open to the air,
as The mine in the Pary's mountain,
in Anglesea, in Wales. 1t is gene
rally the case, that when country
is rich in pres underneath the surface,
| it has 10 rural beauties. This is es-
pecsially the case were mines Of cop
per are found, for the fumes Of it are
destructive to vegetation. AS you
come near to Puy's mine, you see
nothing but rough shapelss rocks,
piled one upon another, Il Ill you ap-
proach large basin, or wild b pit, hay
ing on one side a small lake, which
no bird ever sips at The fumes
which arise all around from the burn
ing heaps of copper, are, enough to
suffocate one, if incautiously inhaled.
Moses and liehens, which grow On
every other rock, cannot live here.
The ore is abundant i sulphur,
from which it is purified b y burning.
After being bro ken into Id mps about
the size of an egg, It is placed be-
tween two very long. walls, twenty or
: even fifty yards in leng Ia, equally
distant in every part, and about four
, feet high. The ore is pill ed up, not
only to the height Of those walls but
much above them. The top is then
rooted over " th flat stone s OF clay.
) So closely, thht the fumes cannot es-
; cape; or the walls are some times com
!, rletely arche4 over with bricks fol
! this purpose. At regpld r distance;
! fues are formed at the Top Of these
arches, which stride to considerable
( distance, hen@ing over like a Gothic
). arch. The fumes of Il he sulphur
/, which rise frd m the ore VI hen it is Sc
s, on fire, rise i p these auoE and being
II cooled by thd ldngth TIM ush whicl
.e they PASS, thFy strike against the tol
y Of the arch, Ind fall dow b in a yer,
4, fine dust Of sulphur. This is gath
ID cred, melted ana run nto moulds
d when 1t becfmfs the .Sf4ne-5gimstoa
St Of the shops. These Va st mounds 9
lc ore take seI eral month ID burn
four, six, or|eYdn ten m pnths. TIL
loss Of the sulphur reduces tie or
: to Oh e-fourt b of its orig1 nal bulk, bu
it is now gPod copper. 1t is the
? press I'D and washed to fit it for th
y market. t he water use d oh this o.
Z casion becoI hqs strongly impregnate
i with copperb Which the acid of til
. sulphur had dissolved. MS waite
IS carefully stored in proper pits, a
= is all the water they fnh in tn
mines; becai ls9, from this, some of th
" finest met4 I is extract ed, by a yer
a curious pro e$s. The pits are thirt
or 1orty ieeq long, hall aS much broat
and nearly Two feet dcep Into thes
u pits, full of tho impre gnated waite
they put d c5nsiderable quantity
Of iron; old iron bits, ba rs, or broke
ID anchors wi do; bat it is found bes
In to procure new plates of irPn, for
" feet long, half a yard broad, and a
nj most an in Ph thick The particle
Is OF copper Heating in t be water pr,
If cipitate u enselves u pom the irol
H. which is I'M the mean while dissolve
Of by the aci 2 liquor, into yellowis
al ocbre, The iron pieces are frequen
DC ly taken ont, and the copper on thel
IS tscraped off This IS repeated till Il
iron is holly consumed; and the COZ
per thus obtained is the purest
= any The appearance of this Parry
- mine Is TN common, because it isin
re manner open to the day; being
\ ! l. II