396 Dr. F. H. Hatch — Iron-ores of the United Kingdom. 



The deposits occur in masses of irregular shape in the Carboniferous 

 limestone, a formation which in this district rests unconformably on 

 the old Skiddaw Slates, and is itself concealed in places by overlying 

 Coal-measures and red sandstones, or by boulder clay. The existing 

 mines are situated between Lamplugh in Cumberland and Ulverston 

 in Lancashire, a distance, from north to south, of 35 miles. 



No doubt, besides the known deposits, many undiscovered ore- 

 bodies exist in the Carboniferous Limestone, that can only be found 

 by systematic prospecting by boring. Already before the "War, 

 borings through the red sandstones had disclosed, south of Egremont, 

 some of the largest ore-bodies that have been found in either county, 

 with the possible exception of that worked by the Hodbarrow Mine. 

 The Beckermet, TJllcoats, and Ullbank companies are now engaged in 

 developing and working these deposits. 



Since the Carboniferous Limestone is of widespread occurrence in 

 the United Kingdom, it might have been expected that valuable 

 haematite deposits would have been discovered in other parts of the 

 country. "With the exception, however, of deposits of limited extent 

 in South "Wales and in the Forest of Dean, this has not proved to be 

 the case. The South "Wales haematite was worked fairly extensively 

 to the north-west of Cardiff between the years 1840 and 1870, and 

 yielded in the aggregate some three million tons of ore. But with the 

 exception of the Llanharry mine, which still continues to produce 

 about 60,000 tons of ore per annum, all work has stopped on these 

 mines. 



In the Forest of Dean the deposits, or "churns" as they are 

 locally called, are chiefly characterized by their irregularity and 

 small dimensions. The output of this field is quite unimportant, 

 being less than 300 tons a week. 



The only other important sources of iron-ore in this country are 

 the blackband and clay-ironstones, associated with coal-seams in 

 the English and Scotch coalfields. These ores, which once played 

 so big a role in the British iron industry, are now of small importance 

 owing to the exhaustion of the larger and more profitable seams. 



The total output from Scotch and English coalfields amounts to 

 1,120,000 tons per annum, of which 357,000 tons come from 

 Scotland and 695,000 tons from North Staffordshire. In Scotland 

 the ore is derived from narrow seams of blackband and clayband and 

 from " balls" of ironstone brought down in working the coal. 



In North Staffordshire there are (1) small seams of blackband 

 which are associated with sufficient combustible material to permit 

 of calcination in the open without the addition of further fuel, and 

 (2) seams of clay-ironstone which require the addition of fuel for 

 calcination. By calcination of these ironstones two products are 

 obtained, (1) a high-grade material, containing over 60 per cent iron, 

 which is used for bottoming and fettling puddle-furnaces and for 

 oxidizing purposes in the steel furnaces ; and (2) a slightly inferior 

 quality, containing 55 per cent of iron, which goes to the blast- 

 furnaces. 



In the industrial recuperation of this country now that the War is 

 over, the working of the low-grade Jurassic deposits which it is 



