The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1876-02-19
Tin

There are few persons % whom this
heading. We believe, viii not prove inter
estIug, and We are sorry. thus early in orr
remarks. to have to inform our reaatrs
that it Is rot tin as a circulating medium
we are to talk about, but tin the metal
Unfortunately, lust now the first mentioned
tin in not metal, put a shin plaster More
over. It IS not everybody who knows the
metal when he sees it; We are III the habit
Of saying tin pans, pots, etc. but that Is
an error. The material Of which pans and
pots are composed is It tin but thin sheet
iron dipped In a solution Of tin.
Metallic tin, says the Encyclopedia, Is \
white metal with a slight yellowish tinge
ana brilliant metallic ulster. IL Is like
q great many men, not good for much in
trinsically, but when amalgamated or al
Logged with other metals, IS exceedingly
useful, and in fact almost Indispensable
Some Of these alloys form Britannia metal
queens metal. pewter, bell metal, gun
metal, bronze, etc. An smalgaHl of til
and mercury IS used Tor silvering looking
glasses. Thus we see that. while almost
valueless in itself, it becomes Of great i'm
portance when compounded with nobler
metals
Tin Il mainly reduced from the follow
ing countries. Cornwall, GalIcia, SaXony,
Bohemia. China and Banca. Of these
Banca Is the most productive by far, al
though the ming processes are very print
tive and Ineffective. The mines, or rather
pits, IN Bauca and the Malayan Peninsula
are seldom carried below the depth of If
teen Or twenty feet, and the ore found il
-. i
good quality, and found il such abundance
IN the gravel, that Il has not yet been nee
cssary to carry the operations t. the quartz
matriX. which would involve much greater
expense, as it would necessitate more per
feet appliances. In the present system the
mining IS entirely carried On BY Chinese
or CoJIe labor. The gravel and sand are
separated from the ore by turning through
it a stream Of water, thus washing the dirt
particles thoroughly away Theu the ore
IL smtlted with charcoal and the block TIN
is ready for expectation. All tins work is
done entirely by Coolie labor, which Is s.
cheap that it pays better than that ~ ami
mails All the Malayan tin is called old
tin ia contra distinction "a the Chinese or
new TIN. Australia IS also beginning to
produce good deal Of tin ore. but cannot
as vet compete with Banca from which
place the expectation Is annually about
4 900 tons, winch MAINLY goes t. China
and Java for expectation T. Europe Ban
ca. it is interesting IL mention here, vas
governed by the English East India { nn-
pany from I7l0. when 1t WAS hrs, discnv
cred. 10 1910. when il was ceded 10 the
Dutch, and It is by the latter that the
mines have been developed and worked
The mines n Cornwall are far mere an
cient and interesting. and have been more
productive than the Banca mines are a,
present. Ii is believed that the Ph,enicisus
IF ancient history imported tin from them.
and afterwards the CarthagenIsns, Who. il
is SAID, worked then to advantage. until
the downfall 81 their empire in consequence
of the Punic wars, when the enterprisinr
merchants of Marseilles took held and
worked them until driven out by the war
like Romans. In Cornwall, the tin lies
in veins Of granite ore, from one to three
feet thick, extending to unknown depths.
The trimming district Of Cornwall lies
chiefly in the southwestern portion IF the
country, and the veins extend from east to
west A nericdn Grocer