Professor; Black at the Thames.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XI, Issue 1611, 18 January 1886, Page 2

Professor; Black at the Thames.

r ;Th6foUowin^ extract lrom a report of one of Professor.. Blacf B laoturea will be . fp'und;.. in terestmgj^The' Professor, m coThmenoing m¥ lecture, remarked that tfie^more information they had as to the wealth of the mineral districts, and how :o extract -those minerals, the better for he- colony, and hence the necessity for he establishment of a School of Mines :> the goldfields. The mineral deposits ~ » iff ered very~nrach-froin those- he 'had**** been accustomed to examine m the South, and had some specimens he had .examined, of,,^the rocks at the Thames, been sent to him at fiunedini "and KS'h'ad:"** been asked if that, was the olasB f <qf--; country h"kely ; ior carry golfli 'hevwould < hare said no. But here he f«und very rich deposits of gold where geologists would say, iio gold wqyld be found. Nofc only was the country 'peculiar, geolori- 1': , cally speaking, but the 'reefs were peculiar. He had been but five weeks m the district, and it would take him five years -thoroughly to study it, but this would be 'done if a school of mine»ir were established under a thoroughly* competent head. ~v They had, at the Thames not only ffold and silver' bu* other- minerals, such as ores of lead,, iron, arsenic, antimony, zinc, and copper, mostly m combination with . ; lulphur. . Some of those, such as sulphurates of arsenic, antimony, zinc, &C., were, fad- ' cqr/e of the Thames.;, they covild v ' be got rid of by roasting, and th' 4 pro-'*-' cess of roasting did not seem to 1 be wellu understood:' In some cases the Jistuff to^j, roasted had been put into a retor^ ; and lieated to a red, or even white heat, which was a great mistake, and; would : simply have' the 'effect of melting tH%" \vhol6 into a.sortiof slugV. THe mineral* must be roasted m presence bloxygin-,. of whioh.the atmosphere' contained one: fifth part. The sulphur m 'thevmin«ral?>/ combined vviththeoxygin, .forming sulk- { phurpus acidi '•■ which .wouldipassjjofßintm . t the atmosphere.: The arseniQ,- r zinoi. ; &'c.»., would also be ;ypljbtilised\,f^ ; p|kß^d|^Mi^ (gases or vapour ; and ata mteri' period'^ showed how tOiese products; could be saved by :; condensation!. Ami* underground ' tunnels^ and. - tiiu»i .■ j^.C| jj poisoning of the atmtapheae;, aaii iajjany/ to vegetables for miles -, around;, ,«o«M' ti* v obviated, and many important product* .obtained He said it had been remarked 01 ' that the prosperity of a couutry might - . be guaged by Jthe^gahtity 2 of sulphuric acid it madelusVofi /Id aßrigland/ this | was esormpusv -Here until Y<|c^nily thlt' acid !hs4^g w ,b.e, imported;' as muriktic and nitric. 'They Wr© ' Tery-»--expensive on accountcqflhe freight and {risk attendingjtheir trlnsmusion by sea ; forjthe roughtt?eather, or if the ; slightestleak;was percep^a6Ve, they wenf ovejpp board immediatejy. 1 But^at. the: Thamea they? could be f readily manufactured. Instead of burnjng Sulphur, as former^ , wag | done in^j^agland, thf . sulpli^ou«V acid resulting v,|rdm'' roasting the orla'* l .could be conducted' into suitable ieadcta chambers^ where, bein? mixed^ 'wifli steam annd the^oxjgurdgf^the airj sulphuric acifPw^ula'^ resulfj^which^Qjould be concentrated by evaporation. There •were numerous chemical prpducts which could be produced at the Thames, and for whjch nearly., all the,, raw materials existed) m \ abun4anc4 4 and! p l6 YfW i \ ashamed to see tfie people of Übi4 colon^U j sending home and importing such things. Sulphuric^aoidlshouldvao^only be made extensively, buY it 1 should be sold; at a moderate profit on tht cost of production, which would lead to its use m various other manufactures.