The Irish standard., 1894-06-16
IN AN ARSENIC MINE.
The Production OF the Deadly Drug u
Not Unhealthy To the Miners.

The Production Of the Deadly Drug u
Not Unhealthy to the Miners.
Many points Of interest are brought
out in description in q technical jour
nal of the way in which arsenic is OBJ
tanned from one Of the most famous
mines in England, the Devon Great
Consols. The mine, says the Montreal
Star, was orr -inally worked for copper
alone. and would have been abandoned
but for the discovery that the waste
thrown out rs worthless when copper
was sought proved rich in arsenic. AL
though copper is still raised, it is in
small quantities, and the mine has been
resolved into an arsenic works. The
arsenical pyrites consist Of twenty-five
to thirty per cent. of iron, twelve and
one-haH to fourteen per cent. OF arsen-
ic and the rest of earthly matter.
After being crushed this is sorted by
girls Of from thirteen to sixteen years
of age. It is then washed and ''jigged"
or sifted and passed on to the first cal
ciner, where it is burned with low class
coal, and produces s'arsenic SCOT" so
mixed with smoke SCOT from the coal
as to be gray color.
The arsenic and SCOT, deposited in
combination in the chimney or con-
denser, are scraped out and taken to
the second calciner for publication.
The calciners consist of revolving iron
drums, through which a fire Of anthra-
cite coal is carried on rotating iron
furnaces kept red hot. AS the arsenic
SCOT is subjected to the influence of this
heat the arsenic is sublimed and con-
densed. This operation has to be care
fully watched, and if the workmen
burn the arsenic badly they have to
pay for it. Three men IN four weeks
will make one hundred tons of arsenic.
The chimney in which the arsenic is
condensed is mile long. 1t is carried
to an incline up hill, with iron doors
in the side AS the hot blast passes
upwards it deposits a crust of arsenic
crystals on the brickwork all around to
a depth of from two to three inches,
and minute dust Of crystals fall to the
floor. The smoke has then to pass into
an upright chimney one hundred and
twenty-five feet high, but just before
doing so it has to traverse shower OF
water, which catches what remains OF
the arsenic, nothing but sulphurous
acid being allowed to escape.
The arsenic is liable to produce sores
if permitted to lodge in wrinkles and
folds of the flesh, or about the mouth
and nostrils. AS rule, however, this
only happens when there is careless
ness as to personal cleanliness, and the
arsenic workers simply have to wash
themselves thoroughly every day on
returning from work. Otherwise the
work is considered healthful. 1t pre-
vents all eczema, and the fumes Of sui
phuric acid, as we'll as the arsenical
dust, are fatal to germs of disease.
Most workmen remain at the works for
a number of years without suffering,
but occasionally the symptoms Of ar
senical poisoning, loss of appetite, nau-
sea, frontal headache and anaemia de-
clare themselves When this takes
place the work has TO be given up en-
tirely. The greatest danger to which
the workmen are exposed is met when
it is necessary for any purpose to enter
the upright shaft. The effect on the
eyes is most painful, and further GU
rious evidence of the virulence of the
pervading atmosphere becomes mani
fest. The men wear linen garments,
lined with flannel, and the sulphuric
acid fumes completely destroy the linen
in few moments, leaving the flannel
intact, so that the men go into the
shaft in linen and come out in wool.
Fortunately, it is seldom necessary to
enter the shaft, or great loss of sight
mould ancrn