CHEMICAL MANUFACTURES ON THE TYNE. ISo 



obtained at Calanas, in the province of Huelva, thirty miles north of 

 the ancient Eoman fishing town of Huelva. We are indebted to Mr. 

 S. F. Gething for this information, who also informs us that he imported 

 to the Tyne, in 1857, the first cargo of Spanish manganese. Manganese 

 ore frequently contains peroxide of iron, copper, cobalt, titanium, &c, 

 but no means has hitherto been taken to separate them. Manganese is 

 used in the manufacture of glass, iron, and of bleaching powder, and for 

 the latter it is imported to the extent of 14,400 tons annually. Several 

 patents have been taken out for the recovery of the manganese from 

 the waste chloride of manganese solutions, but, generally, with indif- 

 ferent success. The most successful, however, is the process of the late 

 Mr. Charles Dunlop, of Glasgow, in which the manganese is precipitated 

 as a carbonate, and finally oxidised. This patent has, we believe, been 

 successfully worked at St. Rollo, in Glasgow, and has, to some extent, 

 superseded the use of native manganese. Still more recently a patent 

 has been obtained by Mr. Clapham for the separation of the free 

 hydrochloric acid contained in the waste manganese solutions, and 

 for its application in the manufacture of bleaching powder. 



French Limestone, locally called Cliff, is imported as ballast from 

 the Seine, and also from the coast of France, to the extent of 14,000 tons 

 annually. It forms part of the upper chalk bed in the secondary deposits, 

 and is nearly pure carbonate of lime, and, although very like chalk 

 in its appearance, differs from it to some extent in being compact, harder, 

 and less susceptible of retaining water. It is always used in this locality 

 in preference to other limestones in making bleaching powder. 



Bleaching- Powder. — Since 1838 the method pursued in the manu- 

 facture of bleaching powder has entirely changed, and the quantity made 

 has far more than doubled. At that time it was made by decomposi- 

 tion of manganese and common salt with sulphuric acid, which was a 

 rather costly process, and the price was about 281. per ton. It is now 

 manufactured from what was at one time the waste muriatic acid referred 

 to above, and the price has been reduced to one-third. During the last 

 few years the demand for bleaching powder has been increased, partly 

 on account of the extensive iise of esparto grass from Spain, in the manu- 

 facture of paper, which has been found to require a large quantity of 

 chemicals to bleach it, and nearly all the Spanish grass imported to this 

 country is shipped to the Tyne. The quantity of bleaching powder 

 now made is 11,200 tons annually. 



Soap. — The first soapery in this locality was begun by Messrs. Lamb 

 and Waldie, about the year 1770, at the "Westgate, whence it was re- 

 moved to the Close. The works were purchased by Mr. Thomas Double- 

 day, in. 1775, and continued under the firm of Doubleday and Easterby 

 until the year 1841. Other manufactories were built in Sandgate and 

 at the Ouseburn, all of which have been abandoned. Very little hard 

 soap was made until the end of the last century ; what was used was 

 Castile soap. Up to 1770 soft soap was chiefly used for both domestic 



