A HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND 



very little powder is now used. In the 

 working of all deposits of Cumberland ore, 

 explosives are required to a greater or less 

 extent. The quantity used per ton of ore 

 worked varies considerably according to the 

 character of the ore in the different deposits. 

 Some ores are so compact and hard that they 

 can only be worked by jumper boring and 

 .blasting ; others are of a softer and more 

 friable nature, and merely require an oc- 

 casional ' shot ' partially to loosen the ground, 

 after which the ore can be easily worked with 

 the pick. Dynamite proved highly advan- 

 tageous in the working of many of the harder 

 ores, especially where water was present, and 

 the deposit was ' honey-combed ' with ' loughs.' 

 Owing to the high cost of working such 

 ground with powder, many of the workings 

 had to be abandoned. It was afterwards 

 found however that the quicker action of 

 dynamite, as well as its greater explosive 

 power, produced results which admitted of 

 the profitable working of these hard, wet, and 



' loughy ' ores, and, as a consequence, many 

 of the abandoned workings were reopened. 



In the year 1881 blasting gelatine, gelatine 

 dynamite, and gelignite were introduced into 

 Cumberland. They are respectively 50, 25 

 and 10 per cent, stronger than dynamite. 

 The last named is now more extensively used 

 than any other explosive. 



The tables which will now be given in 

 further dealing with the subject afford the 

 best illustration of the progress made in the 

 working of haematite in Cumberland during 

 the last four decades of Queen Victoria's 

 reign, each table showing the total output for 

 one decade as obtained from the Government 

 returns. The average yearly selling price at 

 the mines has been fixed as nearly as possible 

 for ore of good average quality, and the gross 

 value of the total yearly output calculated 

 therefrom. The selling price of hsematite 

 pig-iron for each year is also given, the figures 

 having been supplied by Messrs. Rylands of 

 Birmingham from their Iron Trade Circular. 



TABLE No. I 



Ratio of average price of haematite ore and mean average price of haematite pig-iron for ten years 

 ending 1870 : I to 5-36. 



TABLE No. II 



Ratio of average price of haematite ore, and mean average price of haematite pig-iron for ten years 

 ending 1880 : I to 4'96. The highest price obtained for hzmatite during this decade was 37/6 in 



i873- 



390 



