Hubbard — Antimony Mines of Shin Choiu. 457 



nite, Sb 2 S 3 , carries 71.4% of metal. The black, less 

 crystalline ore runs about 50%, but those rich in the 

 gangue calcite can be worked down to 30% antimony. 

 The oxide ores, mostly stibiconite, produce 50 to 55% 

 antimony, not a very pure ore. 



About 33 miles north b}^ northwest from Shiu Chow 

 are small native workings for antimony ore in float and 

 in stream beds. Some of this is practically pure stibnite. 

 It is brought to Shiu Chow to be smelted. 



Mining and Transportation. — All the work in this 

 whole region is carried on by the simple, laborious, 

 native methods. Ore and dirt are moved in baskets on 

 carrying poles or carried in the hands. Hoisting is done 

 with a hand windlass. Tools, too, are quite crude and 

 inefficient. 



The ore is carried over a tortuous path, usually paved 

 with limestone slabs or with irregular quartzite blocks, 

 five miles, from the mines to the smelter at Shiu Chow. 

 About 100 men were digging and picking at the time of 

 my visit, and nearly 200 carriers were tramping along 

 the road. Probably 2/3 of the porters were women. 

 Strong men carry a picul or 100 catties (about 130 

 pounds). Most of the carriers are content with 60 or 80 

 catties and make three trips a day. They get the muni- 

 ficent sum of 25 cents a picul. Thus these hard workers 

 obtain from 45 to 75 Chinese cents a day, and walk 20 

 to 30 miles, loaded one way. 



The operator, Mr. Chen, leases these lands at a fixed 

 sum per year, with no royalty. Then he hires all the 

 help he can use, and mines as much ore as possible. 



The Smelter. — The same man owns and runs the simple 

 smelter in Shiu Chow. It contains two brick reverbera- 

 tory furnaces, fed by hand and fired with wood, because 

 "wood seems just as good and is cheaper than coal or 

 charcoal." The metal is drawn out at the side from the 

 floor of the furnace, and the sulphur goes up the stack 

 with the smoke. The plan of the furnaces is shown in the 

 accompanying drawings. (Figs. 2, 3, 4.) When drawing 

 time comes, the antimony is run into molds of two kinds. 

 One is small and oblong and holds only 25-30 pounds, and 

 the other is about 8 or 10 times as large. These mould- 

 ings or ingots of antimony are sold both in America and 

 in England. The smaller ones are considered essentially 



Am. Jour. Sci. — Fifth Series, Vol. IV, No. 24.— Decemrer, 1922. 

 30 



