Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1857-1865, 1861-11-22

skimmed OIL, as It forms, and thrown on the top
of the yata so as not TO lose the Saltpetre that
may be dissolved from ia
The bottom of the pot or boiler, AFTER q time
will become foul from the lime and earthly salts
Jeuosited on It, which can be prevented, IL /
taought necessary tor considerable degree, by
sinking in the kettle q small pot With wide
!. mouth The sediments will collect in this pot
and car to removed from time time, because the
liouor remains comparatively still within IL and /
allows the salts TO settle, whilst the agitation
of the boiling prevents the sediments falling to
the bottom of the kettle
'sal,netro made after the foregoing directions
will NOT have above 1--WE per cent, Of impurities,
hat If carelessly made it will have much more,
and es these have to be separated at the refine. |
nv, bef re it can be used for gun-powder, such
Saltpetre is not worth so mucu to Government.
tTasting the earth to see II IL will vi III Salt. |
metre Il not very accurate way Of determining |
4, the fact because the lime Sal tpetre has less
taste than the Potash Saltpetre, and the former
ia the one mainly in the earth, which I've con-
verts into ordinary, or potash Saltpetre. Thus
an individual might be deceived into rejecting
earth which may yield sufficient quantity, III
worked.
REMARKS.
In order TO call attention to the very consid.
cradle loss sustained by imperfect working of
the earth Of the caves will state that at n GER
tain cave in Georgia, which was examined by
Professor Pratt of the 0glethrope University,
who kindly furnished me with the result Of his
anniysis-it appeared that in earth which &c
tttafly contained not less, on the average than
800 hounds to the bnrrel-much of it contained
l20 pounds only about 81 pounds were obtain
ed Thus one:fuhrth at least of the entire
amount of Saltpetre was lost, or about eight
dollars to each barrek also, the amount of labor
employed was abundantly ample to have OBJ.
. tanned and leached, daily twice the quantity of
earth that was done, Of which there was suf-
Rcient within 200 yards of the mouth of the
cave to furnish forty.h thousand pounds Of
Saltpetre. Hence the loss at this cave was
follows for each IL barrels of earth actually
leached at the time -.
Twelve barrels Of earth or 80 pounds
of Saltpetre lost to one barrel leached,
which, at 35 cents amounts to-. ,.....S3l so
= One quarter of the Saltpctre lost to ench
leachcd barrel or 224 pounds, at 30
cents amounts to .........."........ S71
Total loss, ....s... SS9 ~
Here was an actual loss to the proprietor of
nearly forty dollars; thus he received for each
= IL barrels worked, obtaining " pounds only,
S23 As. .#
Should have received, with proper working
with the same amount Of labor aud capital, in
the same time, "a barrels, or $50 pounds, S63 90.
The above case is sufficient demonstration
of pursuing the method laid down in these notes
now TO REFINE Observation-Disclosures REQUIRED
ON A SMALL SCALE.
Two evaporating kettles or sugar pans oapa-
bic of containing about forty ga Ions each; one
kettle or boiler holding not less than twenty-five
gallons; one barrel arranged with a hole and
plug at bottom, and covered loosely with two
thicknesses of bayging, or coarse cloth, at its
open end forming bag Cor straning one shall
low wooden trou2h six feet long, three feet
broad and nine inches deep, for coong one
wooden rake; one spade or shovel having long
i. handle; one wooden straiung box or trough,
three feet three inches long, twenty inches broad
and six inches deep, with several small holes in
Its bottoui--this box is placed on the top Of the
long trough, at one end; one wash barrel. having
n second bottom pierced with holes about three
inches above the true bottom, this second bo tom
il to be covered with coarse cloth-between the
bottoms hole and a plug arc made; one cask 10
receive wash water; one cask or barrel nearly
filled with water to receive vi the refuse Salt.
petre, and in which the old altering cloths are
thrown to dissolve out their Saltpetre; one cask
or large barrel to re3eive mother liquor, one
platform scale set of stcelyOrds; together
with some buckets, drying cloths, &c.
now TO PROCEED.
Weigh out two hundred and twenty-five
pouu is of Saltpttre aud pat it into the kettle
or boiler, with sixteen gallons of water light a
fire under the kettle and let it boil-uot toe
briskly, however for about two and hal
houra removing the skum which rises to the
surface, which should be thrown into an empty
barrel. Cold water must be thrown in occasion
ally TO keep the liquor to the same height in the
kettle for il must not be nj owed to boil away
- After the boiling is finished, allow the fire to die
out, and dip ont the liquor mot allowing it Il
cool-nto the cloth on the top of strainng har
rel whence it is allowed 10 run into the Ions
cooling trough; here 1t is constantly agitat ed by
raking it forwards and backward by means o
]. the wooden rake, until 1t has cooled down Il
about blood heat which will take probably tw
hours or more. During the time of cooling
large quantities of fine needle shaped crystal
of nitre will form in the liquor, which are to b.
taken out by means or the long handel spad1
and thrown into the draining ron gh on the en-,
!, of the cooling trough, When the liquor has sat
fioiently cooled down, run il of into u cl3k sunl
into the earth for that purpose ~ means OF
hole and plug in one Of the lower euds of tn
cooling trough.
The crystals of utre in the draining roug
will now commence looking white NJ arow, an,
- are to oe left to drain until next day, when TIA
nitre Is removed to the washing barrel whicl
should be cut OIL at suoh height as shall b.
about half filled with the crystals.
This barrel is then 10 be gently filled with col
water to the top. and allowed to remain on
hour when the plug is taken out, aud the liqu)
which is nearly saturated with nit re-holdin
in solution all that remained Of the mothe
liquors. allowed to drain off into the cas-
., kept for that purpose. The nitre thus made
nearly pure, sufficiently for nearly all pur
poses, aud can be made into gunpowder. T
make the finest quality Of Powder, however, tn
crystals must be twice washed before being ia
ken from the washing barrel, cold water b'iu
poured in each time until the barrel is full an
after remaining one hour each time, is to b
drawn Off as before, and the nitro well drain