The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1893-09-12
NO. 143.
POISON BY THE TON.
A Famous Arsenic Mine on the lamar
in England

ih
The celebrated arsenic works on the
Tamar, in England, are the remains of
a once famous copper mine. For
twenty-eight years it proved the richest
mine in the country, says a 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 a
strong pair of jaws, which literally
chews up the stone till it has reduced
It's proportions sufficiently to pass into
another machine, the crusher, wherein
1t is pounded into pieces about the size
OF a walnut. The material is now con-
veyed 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 a
table, behind which recline, on a slop.
ing board, the mine girls who assort
them.
AS soon as the arsenical pyrites is
completely separated from the common
ore and from the earthly matter, then it
is conveyed to the first calciner, where
1t is burnt with low class coal, and pro.
duces "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 com
0lned in the chimney or condenser.
This is scraped out and taken to the
second calclners to be purified.
The method consists in a rotary iron
like a milestone, convex in the middle,
under surface studded with iron
hukes IN three ranges, FIVE in each.
The arsenic to be refined is admitted
from above. A fire is kept up in
turnance at one side, and the flames
are swept in between the rotating mill
stone and its luke studded cover. All
are brought to glowing rcd heat. The
arsenic, on falling in blazes as stars
and dropping on the burning milestone,
is turned over by the hukes, and gradu.
| ally slips away over the fiery bed to the
edge. When, reaching that, there is
naught but earthly matter left, the vapor-
lzed arsenic being carried off in the
flue
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
badly, SO that it is wasted, they are
fined, and the fine has been known to
amount to 80 shilIings. Some years
ago arsenic SCOT fetched from half a
crown to IS shillings a ton it is now
worth from A7 to S7 los. The
arsenic is refined till it is, to use the
local term, "as white as a hounds
tooth"
1t is deposited in the condensers.
These are neither more nor less than a
mile OF chimney carried on an in
cline up the hill, with doors of iron in
the side. As the hot blast passes up
the chimney it deposits a crust of ar.
senlc crystals on the brickwork all
around to the depth OF from two to
three inches, and it deposits minute
dust of crystals on the floor. Before
the smoke passes into the upright
chimney the height of viii isIas
feet, 1t has to traverse a 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 scraped
out of the hue or condenser while still
warm and are ground in mill to -four
OF arsenic, after which it is packed in
small barrels containing a little over
three hundred-weight
The men who work the arsenic.
either raking up the arsenic SCOT or
scraping out the condensers or grinding
1t IN the mill, are obliged to wear
muiiieTs over their mouth and noses to
prevent lnhalng the particles. The
arsenic workers are obliged TO wash
themselves thoroughly every day on
returning from the works, as the arsenic
IS liable to produce sores wherever il
lodges IN wrinkles and folds of the
flesh especially about the mouth and
nostrlls, the wrists and ankles and
under the arms in fact, wherever per.
splratlon lodges. As rule, it only
docs this when the worker is careless
about his personal cleanliness. Other
wise the work is healthy.