176 THE MINERALS OF TASMANIA. 



of Dr. J. G. Black, M.A., D.Sc, Lecturer in Chemistry at 

 the University of Dunedin, New Zealand, and Mr. Thomas 

 Esdaile, A.O.S.M., late Lecturer in Chemistry at the Ade- 

 laide School of Mines, with apparently highly satisfactory 

 results. The shale from various outcrops is reported to 

 have given from 44 to 65 gallons of crude heavy oil per 

 ton. This material was of an extremely dark colour and 

 viscid character. It has be/^n represented that the sulphur 

 and refractory bitumens were removed without difficulty, 

 and thus formed no obstacle to the successful distillation 

 of the viscid crude oil. The average return of oil from 

 the shale has been given as 60'2 gallons per ton, with a 

 specific gravity of 0-932, as against 0"892 of the oil from the 

 well-known Scotch shales. Various grades of lubricating 

 oils which are said to be of commercial use for specific 

 purposes were obtained by Mr. Esdaile by fractional 

 distillation ; the final results showing a tota] of 64 per 

 cent, lubricating oils, 25 per cent, lighting oil, and 11 

 per cent, benzine and benzoline. It was reported thai 

 1 ton of the shale yielded as much crude oil in these 

 experiments as 2^ tons of the Scotch shale. Mr. Thomas 

 Esdaile, A.O.S.M., also states that the following shale 

 by-products could be produced if working on a large scale, 

 viz. : — 



(1) Resfdues — 



Knife polish in various grades. 



Brasque bricks. 



Firebrick material. 



(2) Rdfineiy B/z-producfs — 



Sludge oils, saleable for rope oils. 



Bases for manufacture of dyes. 



Cresols. 



Drugs for certain purposes for which valuable 

 applications have already been found. 



Substitutes for linseed oil in making certain 

 kinds of paints. 



Oils suitable for making certain useful cement- 

 ing materials by reason of their power of 

 combining with various metallic hydroxides. 



(3) Refinery and Distillation Sludge Waters^ 



Ammoniacal bases for making sulphate of 



ammonia. 

 Several organic acids (which require further 



investigation). 



(4) The Pitchy Residues — 



Vaseline and heavy oils. 



Anthracenes. 



Valuable mineral waxes. 



