NOTES ON NORWEGIAN INDUSTRY 



47 



Fig. 11. RJUKAN-FOS Saltpeter Wokks. Looking down the valley. From this 

 stream " within a few years 26U,000 horse-power will be available, all to be used for 

 nitrate manufacture." 



tanks where it is neutralized with limestone, forming calcium nitrate 

 or lime-saltpeter. The solution is evaporated and the resulting nitrate 

 fused. It is either run in a melted condition into sheet-iron drums or 

 into large tanks where it solidifies. The drums are sealed and are 

 ready for shipment. The nitrate which has solidified in tanks is broken 

 up, ground and shipped in air-tight barrels. It is guaranteed to con- 

 tain 13 per cent, nitrogen, but generally runs somewhat higher. The 

 market is of course unlimited, except as far as it is in competition with 

 Chili saltpeter and with ammonium sulfate. It has been found pos- 

 sible to compete with Chili saltpeter even on the Pacific coast. The 

 greatest difficulty which would seem to militate against the artificial 

 product, is that it is very hygroscopic, or rather, deliquescent. This 

 difficulty seems to be practically overcome by shipping the product in 

 excellent wooden barrels manufactured by the works themselves. Ex- 

 perience and experiments have proved that the nitrate shipped in this 

 manner keeps as long as it is practically found necessary. In many 

 soils the presence of the lime rather than soda in the fertilizer is a dis- 

 tinct advantage. 



Another product of the same factory is ammonium nitrate, for 

 which there is a large market in the manufacture of explosives. For 

 this the nitric acid is neutralized with ammonia (imported at present 

 from England) and the solution evaporated to crystallization in 

 vacuum pans, very similar to those used in sugar factories. The nrod- 



