The A B C of Mining: A Handbook for Prospectors — John Shaqi
The A B C of Mining: A Handbook for ProspectorsBramble, Charles A.
Science
The A B C of Mining: A Handbook for Prospectors
Bramble, Charles A.
Mining engineering; Prospecting
As bauxite promises to be in greater demand in the future than in the
present, owing to the ever-increasing demand for aluminum, the
prospector will do well to make himself thoroughly familiar with its
appearance. It is creamy white when free from iron, and the grains are
like little peas, or pisolitic. It contains water, aluminum, silica,
and generally iron. The French beds near the town of Baux are 30 miles
long and 40 feet thick. In the United States, beds have been found in
Alabama, Georgia and Arkansas. The Georgia beds are turning out
three-fifths of the bauxite produced in America. The ore is in beds
and pockets, and enough has been prospected to assure a supply for
some years to come, unless the demand should grow very decidedly, in
which case a scarcity might soon be felt. The American ore is easier
to work than the French, and manufacturers prefer it to any they can
import, even though the cost is higher and the percentage of aluminum
smaller. The Arkansas deposits are as thick as the French, and only
300 feet above the level of the tide. Imported bauxite cost $5 to $7 a
ton in New York City. American ore costs $5 to $12 a long ton. Best
selected Georgia brings $10.
Should the deposits of bauxite give out, the manufacturers of aluminum
would probably fall back on cryolite. At Tvigtuk, on the west coast of
Greenland, it exists, as a very heavy vein, in gneiss. It is
semitransparent, and snow-white. Impurities may stain it yellow or red
or even black. Its specific gravity is 2.95, and its hardness 2.5 to
3. It is fusible in the flame of a candle, and yields hydrofluoric
acid if treated with sulphuric acid. It is still used for making soda
and aluminum salts, and an imitation porcelain. It is also in general
use as a flux.
Amber. This is a fossil resin, or gum, and may often be found in
lignite beds. Recent discoveries have been made on the coast of
British Columbia that are expected to supply the world. All
pipe-smokers know it.
Antimony. The commercial ore of this metal is the sulphide known as
stibnite, or gray antimony. Its composition when pure is 72 per cent.
antimony and 28 per cent. sulphur. Hardness is 2; gravity, 4.5;
luster, metallic; opaque; gray; cleavage, perfect. Fracture,
conchoidal. Texture, granular to massive. The ore tarnishes quickly,
is easily melted, or dissolved in hydrochloric acid. The associated
minerals are generally the ores of lead, zinc, and carbonate of iron.
Baryta may be the gangue or veinstone. Antimony is worth from 10 to 15
cents a pound.
Although antimony occurs in many minerals, the only commercial source
is the sulphide, stibnite. Antimony is used as an alloy in type metal,
pewter, and babbitt metals. It is injurious to copper, even one-tenth
of one per cent. reducing the value of that metal very considerably.
The price varies greatly, being now about 10 cents a pound.
The composition of stibnite is:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account