Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1893-12-02
POISON BY THE TON.
Men and Girls Engaged in Preparing
Arsenic for Use.

Men and Girls Engaged in Preparing
Arsenic for Use.
The celebrated arsenic works on the
lamar, in England, are the remains Of
a once famous copper mine. For TWEEN
ty-eight years it proved the richest
mine in the country, says n writer in
the London Graphic.
The lode then gave out, and the mine
would have been abandoned as worth.
less had it not been accidentally dis
covered that it was exceedingly rich
in arsenic. Copper is still produced in
the mines, but in comparatively small
amounts, and is dispatched to South
Wales, there to be smelted.
The material brought up from under
ground is crushed in machine called
the stone-breaker. that resembles Il
huge pair of jaws, which literally
chews up the stone till it has reduced
its proportions sufficiently to pass into
another machine, the crusher, wherein
it is pounded into pieces about the size
of Il walnut. The material Is now con-
vcyed in barrows to the dressing floors,
and each barrow load is turned out
and washed in a running stream that
carries off the small particles. The
nuts are then thrown up with fork
upon Il table, behind which recline, on
n sloping board, the mine girls, who
assert them.
AS soon as the arsenical pyritcs is
completely separated from the common
ore and from the earthly matter, then
it is conveyed to the first calciner,
where it is burnt with low-class coal,
and produces "arsenic-SoOt;" that is to
say, arsenic so mixed with smoke-soot
from the coal as to be of gray color.
The arsenic and SCOT are deposited
combined in the chimney or condenser.
This is scraped out and taken to the
second calciners to be purified.
The method consists of rotary iron
like Il milestone, convex in the middle,
under Il surface Sudden with iron
flukcS in three ranges, five in each. The
arsenic to be re-retincd is admitted
from above. A fire is kept up in Il fur
mace at one side, and the flames are
swept in between the rotating mill
stone and its fiuke studded cover. All
are brought to a glowing red heat. The
arsenic, on falling in blazes as stars
and dropping on the burning milestone,
is turned over by the flukcs, and gr;du-
ally slips away over the fiery bed to
the edge When, reaching that, there
is naught but earthly matter left. the
vaporiZed arsenic being carried off in
the fiue.
The calcining of the arsenic is let out
to the wOrkmen. Three men in four
weeks will make 100 tons of arsenic;
if they make more they receive extra
premium; if they burn the arsenic bad
ly, so that it is wasted, they are fined,
and the fine has been known to amount
to 30 shillngs. Some years ago arsenic
SCOT fetched from half crown to 10
Shillings ton; it is now worth from
Il to e. los. The arsenic is refined
till it is, to use the local term "aS white
as Il hounds TOOTH
1t is deposited in the condcnscrs.
These are neither more or less than Il
mile of chimney, carried on an incline
up the hill, with doors of iron in the
side. AS the hot blast passes up the
chimney it deposits a crust of arsenic
crystals on the brick work all around
to the depth of from two to three inch
cs, and it deposits minute dust of cryS-
tails on the floor. Before the smoke
passes into the upright chimney, the
height of which is 10 feet, it has to
traverse q rain of water which catches
what remains of the arsenic; after
which what passes forth is nothing but
Sulphurous acid.
The crystals of arsenic are scrapcd
out of the tiue or condenser while still
warm and are ground in a mill to -four
of arsenic, after which it is packed in
small barrels, containing Il little over
three hundred weight.
The men who work the arsenic, either
raking up the arsenic SCOT or scraping
out the condensers or grinding it in the
mill, are obliged to wear muliicrs over
their mouths and noses to prevent in
halng the particles. The arsenic work.
rrS are obliged to wash themselves
thoroughly every day on returning from
the works, as the arsenic is liable to
produce sores wherever it lodges in
the wrinkles and folds of the flesh.
especially about the mouth and nostrils,
the wrists and ankles and under the
arms; in fact, wherever pcrSpiration
lodges. AS a rule, it only does this
when the worker is careless about his
personal cleanliness. Otherwise the
work is healthy.