36 



THE MINES AND MINERAL RESOURCES OF AMERICA. 



[1853. 



the following facts. The carbonate of baryta may be used an in- 

 definite number of times ; it is rendered caustic anew alter each 

 operation, by mixing it with charcoal and heating it, and so it 

 serves again. The loss of the baryta, which is unavoidable is re- 

 supplied from sulphuret of baryum which M. Leplay prepares by 

 calcining sulphate of baryta with 45 p. e. of charcoal, in a rever- 

 beratory furnace, and which lie would prepare more advantage- 

 ously still if he would apply the process suggested by Gibbs. 

 which consists in reducing the sulphate by the gas of the refinery, 

 The sulphuret of baryum possesses equally the property of precip- 

 itating the sugar, only there are two equivalents of sulphur when 

 one of oxygen would suffice. In fact this last ease gives, 



Sugar+BaO+IIO= Saccharate of BaO+HO, 

 whilst the sulphuret affords, 



Sugar+2SBa+Ho= Saccharate of BaO, SBa. 



There is hence lost 1 equivalent of sulphuret of baryum. To 

 avoid this loss, 1 equivalent of potash or caustic soda is added to 

 the molasses under trial ; and then on pouring in the sulphuret of 

 barvum, all the baryta is precipitated in the state of a saccharate, 

 anil the liquid retains the potassium in the state of a sulphydratc. 



2 Sugar+2 SBa+HO=2 Saccharate of BaO+SH, SK. 

 The use of caustic potash produces a residue with carbonic acid, 

 like the quicklime, and would be too expensive for the purpose, 

 were it not regenerated with each operation. In fact, the waters 

 after washing are collected in boilers, evaporated, and the product 

 then calcined in a reverberator)- furnace with some chalk or lime, 

 and fused. The fused substance is cooled, broken up, lixiviated, 

 rendered caustic b} r means of lime, and the leyes are concentrated 

 as in the manufacture of soda. The potash is thus obtained for a 

 new precipitation of the saccharate 



In this operation, they obtain not only the potash added in the 

 process, but also the potash and soda which existed primarily in 

 the juice of the beet, and which, by accumulation in the molasses 

 amounts to about ten per cent. 



In this manner, MM. Lepley and Dubrunfaut have succeeded 

 in isolating, economically, the sugar of beet molasses. But is this 

 process applicable to the extraction of cane sugar ? Yes, on one 

 condition; that is, if the manufacture of cane sugar can be so con- 

 ducted as to give molasses free from unchrystallizable sugar. For 

 MM. Leplay and Dubrunfaut have shewn that for 60 to 70 p. c. 

 of sugar in the molasses, there are 30 p. c. of unchrystallizable 

 sugar, which is a result of the method of manufacture, and not 

 pre-existent in the juice of the cane. 



There exists, then, great differences between the manufacture 

 of beet-sugar and cane-sugar ; in the former, the molasses contains 

 no altered sugar, and in the latter there is a large quantity of al- 

 tered sugar. 



Manufacture of caustic baryta from the carbonate. — We 

 have mentioned above the general process by means of which 

 MM. Leplay and Dubrunfaut reduce the carbonate of baryta. 

 The point is important and we add some further details ; for it 

 has required much time and experiment to accomplish it con- 

 veniently on a large scale. The process is now so far perfected, 

 that caustic baryta may be obtained at a very low price. 



After reducing the carbonate to powder, it is mixed intimately 

 with 2 to 25 p. c. of pulverized charcoal, then put in a reverber- 

 atory furnace made of good refractory brick. At a reddish white 

 heat the reduction commences, and the aspect of the mass shows 

 when it is complete. A single furnace will thus reduce in 24 



hours 1200 kilogrammes of carbonate of baryta, consuming 12 

 hectoliters of charcoal in heating, and 4 hectoliters for the reduction. 

 Three workmen are required. When finished, the baryta is col- 

 lected in metal eases, ("etouffoirs") large sheet-iron boxes holding 

 about 1 hectoliter,) where it is cooled. The artificial carbonate 

 is usually reduced more easily than the native. However, the 

 native carbonate from England is easily decomposed. — Corres- 

 pondence of Silliman , s Journal. 



The Mines and Mineral Resources of America. 



Having presented, in the last number of the Mining Magazine, 

 the outlines of the mineralogical character of the New England 

 States, with a view to call the attention of the student of geology 

 and the practical miner to the abundance of mineral wealth 

 known to exist in those States, and desiring its specify develop- 

 ment, I will now proceed to state facts connected with the 

 existence of mines and minerals in the Middle and Southern 

 States, commencing with the State of 



NEW-TORE. 



The first mineral I shall notice is the primitive or black oxide 

 of iron, at Brewster's Station, in Putnam County. This is an 

 ore of the ordinary black oxide of iron, which produces a fair 

 yield of iron by the blooming process. It may be 50 per cent, 

 as stated ; but I fear this is an over estimate. By analyses, se- 

 lected pieces, very pure, have yielded 79 per cent. This ore is 

 very abundant, extending through the States of Maryland, Penn- 

 sylvania, New Jersey, New- York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, 

 and Vermont, into Canada. In Washington, Franklin, Jefferson, 

 Essex, Clinton, Westchester, aud Putnam counties, in the State 

 of New York, it is inexhaustible for all future time. Although 

 expensive in its reduction, it possesses qualities necessary to make 

 a fair article of steel. It is very uniform in character from tho 

 shores of the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. 



There is also an abundance of hematite ore in the towns of 

 Amenia and Aneram, of the same character as the celebrated 

 Salisbury iron of Massachusetts. Lead ore, highly argentiferous, 

 also occurs in sevet al localities in Dutchess County. Amongst 

 the most prominent are the Amenia and Aneram mines. The 

 latter was formerly worked by Colonel Livingston with success; 

 subsequently the mine has passed through several hands without 

 producing any result; but I am informed it is at present present- 

 ing an encouraging aspect. At this location is found ancramitic 

 or green oxide of zinc. It is an artificial production, and was 

 discovered in the bottom of an old furnace erected in the year 

 1744. According to Professor Silliman, this new ore is cadmia. 

 Sulphate of baizes, pyritous cojsper, black copper, sulphate of 

 iron, molybdate of lead, and sulphate of zinc, are also found at 

 the Aneram mines. 



Hematitic iron ore is abundant in the tow T n of Putnam, a little 

 to the south of Ticonderoga. Marl occurs in several localities in 

 New York ; among the most prominent, are Boker's Falls, Beth- 

 lehem, Catskill, Clinton, Coeymans, Hilderburg, North-East, 

 Rhinebeck, Dutchess County, and in Saratoga, Ulster, aud Wash- 

 ington Counties. Little doubt can be entertained that these 

 deposits of marl are to be brought into use by the agriculturist, 

 as most of them possess, in an eminent degree, the fertilizing 

 principles necessary to aid the growth of vegetation. There are 

 many bogs containing excellent peat, not uuliko the Irish turf, 

 which is susceptible of being made a very superior article of fuel; 

 but I doubt if it will ever be worked successfully for tallow, oil, 

 soda, pyroligneous acids, or any of the ingredients that hav 



ebeen 



