The Hawaiian gazette., 1869-05-05

PEScn-LEAD MINES AND LEAD PENCILS
Every one knows what a black lead pencil Is,
but il is not generally known that there Is
not particle Of lead in the pencil. The ma
terial variously known as black lead, graph
tie, Flumbago, is almost wholly composed OF
carbon. II probably owes its misnomer 70
the fact that previous 90 the employment OF
graphite for making pencils, common lead
was used, and this, within the present centu-
~. For long time the best graphite was
obtained, not In very large quantities, OF
Borrowdale, in the English county OF Cum
berland, where il was discovered il 1864,
early 10 the reign of Queen Elizabeth, and
pencils, much like those still IN general use,
were produced the year following. As the
supply of the graphite known in Cum
beriand, while in the mine, by the name Of
wad) was not large, the British Government
from the first took great pains 10 prevent the
expectation of the article, and even to limit
its home sale TO supply just sufficient TO
meet the estimated demand. Graphite Is
found in various parts of Europe, and even in
North America, but of very inferior quality
The Cumberland mines were worked only a
few weeks in each year, yet the yield OF wad
was estimated at 10000 year. While the
grapite lasted, England had q monopoly of
supplying the best pencils TO the world.
Year after year, fora century past, the graph
lite deposit in Cumberland became "fine by
degrees and gradually less" The result was
that graphite powder had to be compressed
into a solid cake from which pencils could
be supplied A French variation, said to be
an improvement, was TO mix the powdered
and purified graphite with clay, which is
largely done still Nearly one hundred and
fifty years ago the pencil manufacture COM
menced in England, and improved in France
was transplanted in the village OF Stein, near
Nuremberg, in Bavaria; and little more than
4 century since Casper Faber there began 10
make the pencils, which continue TO be made
by his descendants and bear the family name
through the world.
The present John Lothair Faber, great
grandson of Casper, has been head Of the firm
since 1889. and is not very wealthy, but has
recently been ennobled by the King of Bava-
ria. One of his brothers is associated with
him at Stein, in the process of manufacture;
the youngest of the three. Ebernard Faber,
represents the firm for the Western World, at
New York Stein is literally town of pen
ell factories of which Baron Faber is the
ruler, taking care Of the health. government,
education, industry, thrift and amusements
of the inhabitants, and always living in their
midst. 1t may be asked-how do the Fabers
make lead pencils without the famous graph
lite from Cumberland 1t appears that 20
years ago John Peter Albert, Frenchman.
resident in Asiaiie Siberia, having heard of
the gold discoveries in California, began to
examine the sandy beds of various rivers
flowing into the Arctic Ocean. He found
samples of pure graphite, evidently brought
a considerable distance by the force Of the
stream, in one of the mountain gorges near
Irkootsk, and pursuing the discovery, tracked
it back to a branch of the Salan mountain
range on the summit of Mount Batongol,
275 miles west of the town of Irkootsk, near
the Chinese frontier, in the midst of the
rocky desert, and found pure graphite.
After years OF costly labor Albert found
an exhaustless deposit OF graphite equal to
the best ever taken from Cumberland.
Beside decorating and rewarding him, the
Russian Government changed the name of
Mount Batongol to that of Mount ALBERT.
Nearly every crowned head in Europe has
honored him. With the consent of the Rus
sian Government, Albert now supplies Fa.
ber's house exclusively with graphite from
the mine in Asiatic Siberia. Pencils of this
material were first made by Baron Faber in
1861, and were not introduced into the Anne
lean market until 1865, from which time,
artists and others perceived and acknowl-
edged their superiority. If the world were
to endure thousand years more, there is
sufficient graphite in Mount Albert to sup
ply its population with good black pencils.