, 1864-12-24
MINES AND MANUFACTURES IN
ILLINOIS.
Zinc KauI1fn ct1:Ee III In Sul1c.

mines. The high price Of gold and the risks
Of commerce are turning attention to our
| vast mineral resources. Our mines of iron,
ccal, silver, gold, lead and copper are cr-
raudIng to meet the home demand. While
all men are asking "hoH shall this nation
pay lis colossal debt" the bountcous Earth,
as If esmpathizing with our needs, generous
IL unlocks her boarded wealth to replcniah
the waste Of war.
With tho general alreavakening ofthe mining
interest new fields arc constantly opening to
labor and capital. Our. zinc fields so long
neglected, are at last being turned to account.
And this is being done on nm extensive scale at
La Sale, only ninety miles distant from Chi
cago, but 80 silently that 1t has scarcely ex-
cited remark even from the argus eyed
ano .ng e9gpPHfy + indebted dS, to Msssss
ljgent Germans, and graduates OF the Mining
Academy Of Freiburg, for the first successful
effort in this direction
These gentlemen came to America In 1857,
and began tneir xperimentsa the Lehfgh Zinc
Works in Pennsylvania, where they produced
the first metallic zinc Of American make. In
1858 they came West and examined the ores
Of the Wisconsin lead region, near Mineral
Point.
Being satisfied Of their superior richness
and abundance they looked for fuel and 1acili;
ties Of manufacture and transportation. La
Sale, with It's rich coal deposits, building
stone and Arc-clay seemed to present all
these conditions in the highest degree, and
they at once decided to make 1t the location
Of their works. They crectedat first a-small,
temporary furnace, and in quiet and unprc-
tending way commenced series Of expert
ments with the coat, orc mud fire e-c1ays Of the
Ncsr. Numerous difficulties were at first
encountered, and tie old processes had to be
VARIED greatly md new adjustments to be
made in their apparatus, constructed on
models with which they we're familiar in
Europe. For nearly five years they continued,
their patience and rare combination Of scicn-
titic knowledge With practical skill. At the
end of that period SO numerous were their
changes In the old system Of treating the
ores Of zinc, tiat they n.ay justly claim to be
the inventors as well as builders. Of their
present furnaces,
Having passed through their trial, they have
now established The business of making me-
tallic zinc on firm basis. Their new works
a1e being built in the most permanent man-
ner, aud when complete will doubtless be the
most extensive and perfect in the world.
road, about one Ri1e north Of La Sale, and
opposite the Kentucky Coal Mine, from
which they obtain fuel.
They consist, first, Of @ powerful mill, in
which the ores and tire-clays are ground Sec
ond, an extensive pottery, IN which the re-
| torts, pipes and friedrich used In the furnaces
| are made; third, Of two furnaces already In
operation, and third building, The material
used is mainly brick and stone. the latter
taken from quarry on the aQt Of the compa-
ny, few rods distant.
The reducing furnaces arc abont 12 feet by
| 1G on the ground, and 10 feet high, sur1nounl-
cd By tall chimney stacks. A framework OF
iron bars opens on each Of the four sides, in
which are placed 1G0 retorts. These retorts
are made Of 1re-clay, and are from three to
six feet in length, and six inches to one foot
ln diameter, according to the place they are
to take IN the furnace. They are placed hori.
zontaly in rows, one above the other, slightly
inclining iorw aft, 10 facilitate the distillation
Of the zinc and the removal of the dross,
The inteie,ices between the tubes arc filled
with fre.clay. The ole, nftcr being roasted
at the mines, is ground, mixed with fine coal,
and thc mixture slightly moistencd with va
ter. It is then titled into the 1etorts with
resembling the iron thimbles Of wagon axle
trees are then inserted into the open ends o.
the te1orts and luted. In with fre-eiay. Thu
fires below are then increased until the whols
furnace g1ows with intense heat. Al first thu
openings OF the tubes emit light blue lame'
caused by the carbof1c acid evolved !; latel
the flame becomes whittier with tints Of green
aud Of great brilliancy. Sheet Iron tubes will
handles fitting the pipes and closed at ont
end nre now applied to catch the oxide o
zinc which begins to escape with the flame
Every two or three hours these are taken If
and the zinc oxide In the shape OF ugh
blue powder removed, to bc mixed with til,
ore and returned to the. retorts again. I
large iron ladle Is then held under the beal
Of each rctot and the zinc is drawn out witt
an iron scraper. 1t is then formed into iror
moulds and receives tue form of rectxngnla
! Ia YYarn q hff7y d fl.-ff
pounds each. 1he tubes are then applied
again, the firing continued, and alter two ]
three hours more new supply Of zinc /
obtained. These operations are continued
nearly twenty hours when the distiliation i.
completed in most cases. The retorts ar
then cleaned out and again charged with tn
ore to which has been added the zinc oxide 0
the last operation. In this way o charge
worked Oft every ttHenty-four hours. Til
| product Of each furnace is eight tons pc
week. Three tons Of ore and ten tons Of Goa
are required to make ton Of the metal.
| Telegraph Zines are extensively m0nutUc
! tu1e al the works for the western lines. Tn,
ore used is the carbonate and silicate Of zinl
known to miners under the Dame Of ''dr.
bonc." 1t is obtained III Wisconsin, $50 mile
from La Sale, to which point 1t is transported
by railroad. 1t Is roasted before Transports
tion and loses 80 per cent Of its weight, most
ly in water and carbonic acid. The larg|
amount Of coal required in reducing the or,
renders it more iotltabls to carryit to the Goa
than to work it on the ground. The Illinoi:
Central Railroad in a spirit designed to en-
courage miners aud manufacturers, has siye1
to the company a most lib.ral consract f.
carrying ore. In mining for lead vast qulu
titles OF this ore have been thrown out. I
waE long supposed to be Kind of b4stas<
limestone, and was regarded by miners wit.
anything but good will. It vas supposed t.
eat out The lead veins, which in many case
ut E1A tr, x-nfy7 +.A f1t1n
replaced. In the Wisconsin Geological Re
ports Of 1863 Its ralue was first fully explain
I'd, and series OF very thorough analyses b.
DR.. Hayes, State AssaJer Of 3fassaclusett:
was published.
The feasibility Of using the orc to max
forth, and the use Of Illinois coal In s1neltin!
was recommended. In the winter Of 1856
several companies were formed for this oh
jcct, all Of which gave up before any satisfac
tory results were obtained. To Messri
Mathiess,n and Hcgchler will forever belon
the credit Of founding q mem branch Of Amer
can manufacture, md one whose benefits Tl
increase for all time to come.
Ne have previously imported all our zluc
The largely growing demand for, this metal
very cogcnt reason why We should make
at home. Our ores are among the richest il
The world, and arc inexhanstible. The pla
Of the La Sale works contcmplates the eret
tion Of twelve furnaces Mch as have been de
scribed These Will yield about 100 tons q
zinc weekly, und will consume 800 tons OF or
and ], 600 tons Of coal Per week The NETS
| is now mainly sold in the pig at $500 per tor
The concern employs about sixty men.
! large portion Of them are, however, engage
in uul1dins the new works. Eu.ene Nohl
Esq, the superintendent, is young man, G
fine education and business capacity, son q
tue late Minister Of Public Instruction O
!. Prussia, and Isl graduate Of one Of the minin
schools Of Germany. The success Of this ex
pertinent, begun md prosecuted during sea
son Of gaeat business prostitution, is tri
umphnnl yindication Of the value Of scientfli
education. A man may learn empirically til
manual process OF mining Rnd mctallurgy, b,l
placed In new field he 10. helpless. .Scirnc
and its applications should 60 hand in hand
and be taught to every American youth VIII
is to guide or apply the industrial forces t.
the creation OF wealth from the raw materia
which nature has provided.
Chicago is central to the finest mineral dc
posits on the globe. To develop them
needed great host Of young men, who's
minds have been stored with scientific knowl
edge, disciplined by practical studies an'
tlarpened by contract with business. -Ther
is no representative Of the schools ofapplic
SCIENCE, 50 numerous in Europe, here. LIE
4 Chicago take the Initiative for America, an
give her citizens md ali her youth, what sh
is well able to do, ttt best polytecsnic school 9
Tie tcor1d E. D.
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
WA1fwoop, a novel py the author Of - Easy Nat,
Sc, Boston: Wm. Y. Spencer. 1864.
"Waifwood" Is the title OF q new story Q
life in Georgia, written easily and simply an
bringing out yery happily, touches 6
Southern and Indian character. Tue book
1 r..tl {r% hi Aa$