CHINA, MONGOLIA, AND JAPAN. 



81 



An overshot water-wheel turns a slender shaft, armed with long cams, by which 

 the stamps are raised. These last are ten in number, of wood, about nine feet long 

 and four inches square, and bear inserted in their lower ends, iron heads from one 

 and a half to two inches square. Each stamp acts in a separate stone mortar, set 

 into the ground, and powders thirty kan,^ or two hundred and fifty pounds of ore 

 per day of twelve hours. After being stamped the ore is sifted and sent to the 

 wash-house, where it is concentrated to a very pure schlich by hand washing in 

 wooden pans. This work is done mostly by women. 



The furnace in which the ore is smelted is a cavity in the ground, lined with 

 charcoal powder kneaded with puddled clay, 

 forming a hemispherical crucible (b) about 14 

 inches broad and 10 inches deep, with an 

 underdrainage. In front is an earthen shield 

 (c) to reflect the force of the blast, which en- 

 ters through a clay nozzle (d) from the box- 

 bellows (e). The greater part of the smoke, 

 etc., passes off through a large chimney (a). 



The crucible is lined with charcoal, and 

 when fully dried about 80 lbs. of ore is added 



and covered with charcoal. When half melted 30 per cent, of pig-iron in lumps of 

 about an inch cube is added. As soon as about one-half of the galena is freed from 

 its sulphur, the whole is stirred. After about two hours the coals are withdrawn, 

 the blast stopped, and water is thrown on the bath to cool the first layer of matte. 

 This is repeated six or seven times till the surface of the lead is free, when it is 

 cast in bars, the matte being thrown away. 



We have in this operation the simplest form of the precipitation process, the 

 Niederschlag Arbeit of the Germans. 



The greatest production at these mines was in 1860, when, during three 

 months, it averaged about 600 lbs. daily; at the time of my visit it was about 

 80 lbs. 



The running daily expenses of production for this small result of 80 lbs. were 

 nearly as follows .^ — 



30 miners, averaging 



6 cents $1 80 



30 coolies, at 8 " 



1 overseers, at 5 " 



1 carpenter .... 

 26 ore dressers, averaging 3 cents 



2 stamp tenders, at 4 " 



1 smelter .... 



2 smelter's assistants, at 4 cents 

 200 lbs. of charcoal . 



30 lbs. of inferior pig-iron. 



40 

 35 



8 

 18 



8 

 It 

 16 



11 June, 1866. 



' 1 Kan is equal to about 8 lbs. 



" Assuming the ichibu to be worth $0 33. 



