Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1861-11-20
The manufse.urs of Sal. resre, 8
ERfIcL Is WASTED TO MAZE slIf PETIE on :
su.u EcAIF

=
One ordinary iron pot. fof boiling; three
or four tabs, pals, or barrels cut off, two or
three small troughs; some coarse bags or
wheeIbarrow to bring the earth from the
cave. and four strong barrels with one head
in each-empty vinegar, whisky or pork bar
rels are very good-are about all the articles
required for a small salt petre mandatory.
To these, however, must be added some ash
barrels to make potash 1ye. as it is better
that this should be made at the same time
and place, the ashes from the fire under the
pot Ton boiling assisting in the pfodaetien.z
f-a.i HOW TO PROCEED. 81
:, First bore a hole about The .sizesof the I'm
ger through the head or end of each barrel
near one side, and fit a wood plug to eaah
hole-then set the barrels on some pieces of
timber near each other, the heads down, and
the hole of each projecting over the timber.
Put some twigs into the bottom of each bar
rel. and on these place straw or hay about
half foot thick when pressed down; then,
having brought some OF the earth from the
cave, and broken up all the lnmps, fill each
barrel full without pressing it down. Put
the plugs into the holes tightly. and ill up
each barrel with as much water thot water is
best in winter) as it will holds allow the
whole to remain until next day, then pull
out the plugs, having placid a tub or pail
first barrel into the second barrel, and all the
Z water or Ii I1or which drains from this barrel
must be poured GA top of the earth of the
third barrel, and finally the liquor which
drains from this last barrel must be poured into
a tub or other vessel. Now having previous
ly made some strong lye from wood or ashes,
pour small stream of it into the tub and
stir it well; immediately the elearlfquor will
become muddy, and as long as the lye con-
to- nrHla or he
be poured in: OF course you will have to
wait now and then for the liquor to settle TO
see if it requires more lye. No more must be
used than is necessary. for it not only wastes
the I've, but is an impurity which the refinery
must afterwards get rid of. We will suppose
that the proper quantity of lyehas been used,
and the liquor allowed to settle or drain
through cloth until it becomes clear; it is
then poured into the pot and boiled away I'M
til drop taken up by the end of stick be-
comes hard or solid when let fall upon cold
metal or upon plate.
The liquor is now to be dipped ont of the
pot and poured into cloth placed over tub
or barrel, and allowed to strain through into
the tub below and become cold. As soon as
the Liquor begins to cool, crystals of salt
petre will commence forming. and when cold
the liquor left-called mother liquor-mnst
be poured off from the salt petre back into
the pot with The fresh liquor for boiling, as
it still has considerable salt petre in it,
There will be found at the bolton of the pot
after the liquor is dipped ont, when the boil
ing is completed, some earthly salts which
after draining, can be thrown away as impu-
rites; if, however, some long needle shaped
crystals should be seen in it when cold, it con-
tains some salt petre, and about quart of
hot water should be added, and then poured
off after time, when it will have dissolved
all the salt petre left among the earthly salts;
this wash water can then be put back into
the pot after the impurite shall have been
cleaned cut.
The Saltpetre formed by the foregoing
process must be first allowed to drain WELL
and then placed on cloths stretched before
the fire or cut ia the sun to dry; when the
! drying is completed it is to be put into sacks
| or barrels and is ready TO be transported to
the Government Agent at Nashville, Lieut.
1 Ill. H. Wright, q. S. a. ordnance officer, who
will pay for the same on receiving the bills
Of its shipment on the railroad.
| If the crystals of saltpetre are wet and
brown, and will not keep dry, it is because
] too much lye from the wood ashes has been
4 used; this can DO removed by nearly filling
| tub or barrel with the saltpetre and pour
/ ing cold water on it, as much as the tub will
hold, and after remaining about one hour
! the water can be draiced off from the bot
tom, when it will carry with it most of the
| lye; this wash wafer must be poured into the
I've OF the wood ashes so as not to lose the salt
petTe which it contains.
The foregoing process evidently contains
all that is required in principle for the max
| ing of Saltpetre On large scale, since moth
| ing more is to be done than TO Increase the
number of barrels aud boilers. Casks would
! be better perhaps than barrels in such case,
| and watts made by placing the lower ends of
| pieces OF plank about four feet long into a
trough, and opening or spreading out ihe up
per ends about three feet, then making ends
! to the vat, "a an economical and convenient
! arrangement, which may be used on a small
| as wei as large scale, instead of casks or
| barrels. In making use of these watts. strips
| OF wood should be placed over the edges of
the planks on the inside, and thicker layer
| of twigs and straw should be placed at the
bottom between the planks on the inside, as
| we'll as along the sides and ends to about one
foot of the top of the vat, and kept there by
| pieces of wood leaning against the sides,
| whilst it is filled with earth from the cave;
! if this is not done. the liquor will in many
cases drain through very slowly, end time
lost to no purpose. A hollow or channel
about a foot deep should be made along tue
centre of Che earth in the vat, to collect the
/ water poured in. rHfaaH a i,7f1F-
! g Whether watts, casks or barrels be used, the
| same principle must be carried out of passing
| the leached Tor draiued) liquor from the frs.
vessel into the second. and from the second
! to the third before boiling. otherwise
! there will be much time and fuel lost,in use
less boiling of a weak liquor; this is a COM
mon error at the caves, and causes the salt
/ petre to cost more than necessary in time,
| labor and fuel. 3- laf8z3E- t,.-.
| We will now follow the process of Teaching
more particularly. Suppose it lakes eight
| gallons of water TO fill up the barrel after
the earth has been put in even with its top,
! or nearly so, then about one-half or four gal
| Ions only, will drain off, generally; we must
! How refill the barrel with four gallons more
| of water, and this time four gallons will
| drain OF leach out. because the earth has al
| ready been charged with water. Again we re-
fill the Darrel the thi time, putting ia four
gallons of water more, and after four gallons
| ofliquor Tor as much as win drain away has
| again leached of, the ear th mnst be thrown
| out, and the barrel refilled with fresh earth
from the cave. Es4Ne.'
It will now be explained how to proceed so
as to have a regular rotation of the barrels,
| as they shall be enfptied one after the other
| of the old earth and refilled with fresh earth
from the cave. 1t will be Supposed at first
that the work is on small scale, then there
| will be required four barrels, if i. be desired
! to proceed economically; to make it eleaI,
! we will suppose that these four barrels are
! placed round In circle near each other. and