No. 31.— 1885.] 



PLUMBAGO. 



219 



at present about 2,000 casks of graphite, each one holding from 

 four to five cwt. The heads of a couple of casks are broken open 

 in order that we may compare the hard iron-grey fragments of the 

 Ceylon graphite with the black, dull, friable lumps of the German 

 variety. A piece of the latter pressed between the finger and 

 thumb feels pleasantly soft, and flattens readily into a lustrous 

 cake. From the stores we pass to the engine-house to take a peep 

 at the prime mover of the machinery employed on the factory. 

 One horizontal engine of 25-horse-power serves to do all the work 

 that does not require skilled hands. 



" The organisation of labour is thoroughly understood at the 

 Battersea works. There is a place for every man, and every man 

 is in his own place. A strict code of rules is enforced by fines ; 

 but these fines are paid over to the Fund of the Workmen's 

 Provident Club. We have been over many great industrial 

 establishments, but have not seen any better managed than this 

 crucible factory." 



Let us now turn to the older American Company, which, 

 if we count from Mr. Joseph Dixon's beginnings in 1827, 

 has not been merely thirty years handling plumbago, but 

 for a period of over half a century. Mr. Orestes Cleveland, 

 writing in the Journal of Applied Science , some years ago, 

 stated : — 



64 We (Joseph Dixon Crucible Co., Jersey City) have been 

 forty-five years engaged in the manipulation of plumbago, being 

 the oldest house in the trade in this country, handle more of it 

 now than any other single establishment in the world, and have 

 been successful in its application to different branches of industry ; 

 we may, therefore, offer information without being accused of not 

 understanding the subject treated. The black lead of commerce, 

 and what is so called by the trade, in first hands, is found only in 

 Europe, principally in Germany. The plumbago of commerce 

 comes mainly from the island of Ceylon, but is also found in many 

 parts of the United States, being mined successfully, however, only 

 at Ticonderoga, in the State of New York. It is also mined to a 

 small extent in the Ottawa region of Canada, though thus far 

 without profit. It is therefore known in trade as Ceylon plum- 

 bago. It is very refractory. I have experimented by subjecting 

 for two hours a piece with sharp projecting angles to a heat that 

 would melt steel, and on cooling found the sharpest points perfect ; 

 but it will exhaust if left on top of such a fire. It is found in 

 veins in a pure state, is removed in lumps, and a selection of these 



