ZINC. 139 



the outer cage into compartments so arranged that separate parts 

 of the furnace can be operated independently. About 60 crucibles 

 are placed in the middle of the fuel (which is worked up with clay), 

 and are arranged in three tiers. Each crucible has a pointed 

 shape and measures 40 cms. long by 10 cms. in diameter at the 

 open extremity, the wall is about 1 cm. thick. The pulverised 

 ore is mixed with wood charcoal and charged in the bottom. The 

 mixture is covered with a plug of clay, in which a kind of siphon 

 is arranged to allow the zinc vapour to distill off. The upper 

 part of the clay plug forms a basin-shaped space in which the 

 vapours condense ; to prevent their escape, the crucible is pro- 

 vided with a little clay lid. The crucibles cost from 12 to 13 cash each 

 and are used for two operations. Two charges are made every 

 24 hours. The charge for 60 crucibles consists of 300 pounds of 

 wood charcoal costing 2 cash per pound, and 200 pounds of ore 

 costing on an average eight cash per pound. The production 

 from one crucible is 5 ozs. The total production of one furnace 

 is approximately 40 pounds of zinc in 24 hours. Three men are 

 employed in each shift and they receive 100 cash each per day, 

 The crucibles are made in the village in the same way as ordinaiy 

 pottery. Most of the houses in the village are built with the 

 remains of old crucibles. 



Future of Lead, Silver and Zinc mining. 



The fall in the price of silver is held by some authorities to 

 have been the chief reason for the decline of the lead and silver industry 

 in Yunnan. If this is read with the causes we have already 

 advanced in the case of the copper mines, such as the general 

 economic paralysis brought about by the rebellion, the rigorous 

 official control, the exhaustion of easily won surface ores and the 

 want of abundant fuel supplies, a greater measure of truth is pro- 

 bably arrived at. 



Davies has given the price paid by the Chinese Government 

 for copper about the year 1895 as 11 taels for 100 catties, or about three 

 pence per pound, while zinc was being sold then at about one penny 

 per pound. Davies believed that this was not enough to muke 

 mining pay and wondered how the cash which is the only real 

 coin existing over the greater part of China, could be coined at less 

 cost than its value as money. Where the prices of metals are 



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