Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society Part 38

38. What Expedients and Engines are employed to free the Mines from Water?

The materials, the parts, the bigness, the shapes, the coaptation; and, in short, the whole structure, number, and way of applying the Instruments, that are made use off to free the Mines from Water?

39. What are the Conditions, Number, &c. of the _Adits_?

40. Whether the Mine be troubled with _Damps_, and of what kind they are?

whether they come often or seldom at any set time, or altogether irregularly? what Signs fore-run them? what mischief they do? what remedies are the most successfully imployed against them, aswell in reference to the Cleering of the Mine, as to the Preservation and Recovery of the Workmen?

41. What Methods the Mine-men use in following the Vein, and tracing their pa.s.sages under ground (which they call _Plumming_ and _Dyalling_) according to the several exigencies? And whether they employ the Instruments, made with the help of the Load-stone, the same way that is usual; and if not, wherein they differ in the use of the same Instruments; or what Instruments they subst.i.tute in their place?

42. What ways they take to secure themselves from the uncertainty, incident to the guidance of _Magnetick_ Needles from the _Iron-Stone_ or Ore, that they may meet with under ground? {336} (of which yet perhaps there is not so great danger, as one may imagine; as far as I could find by a Trial, I purposely made in a Groove, where I was sure, there wanted not Iron-Ore.) And what other wayes may be used to direct Miners without the help of a Load-stone?

43. How the Miners deal with the Rocks and Sparrs, they often meet with, before they come at the Ore? Whether they use Fire to soften, calcine, or crack them? How they employ it, and with what measure of success?

44. What wayes and cautions they use, to free the Mine and secure the Work-men from the inconveniencies and danger accruing from the use of much fire in it?

45. What Instruments they use to break the Rock &c? And how those Instruments are conducive; and how long they last?

46. How the Mine-men work; whether naked or cloathed? And what Lights they use to work by; what materials they are made of, what measure of light they give; how long they last; and by what wayes they are kept burning in that thick and foggy air?

47. How Veins are follow'd, lost, and recover'd? And how several Miners work on the same Vein? And what is the best way of getting all the Ore in a Vein, and most conveniently?

48. How they convey out their Ore, and other things, that are to be carried out of the Mine? Whether they do it in Baskets drawn up by Ropes, or upon Mens backs; and if this last-named way; what kind of Vessels they use for matter, shape, and capacity? And whether the Work-men deliver them one to another; or the same Work-men carry them all the way? And whether the Diggers descend and ascend by Ladders of Wood, or of Ropes, &c.

_About the Fifth t.i.tle._

49. Whether the Ore runs in a Vein; or lie dispers'd in scatter'd pieces; or be divided partly into a Vein, and partly into loose ma.s.ses; or like a Wall between two Rocks, as it were in a Cleft; or be interspers'd in the firm Rock, like speckled Marble? Or be found in _Grains_ like _Sand_ or _Gravel_; as store {337} of excellent _Tin_ is said to be found in some parts of _Cornwall_ at the Sides and in the Channels of running Waters, which they call ...; or whether the Ore be of a softer consistence, like _Earth_ or _Lome_, as there is Lead-ore in _Ireland_ holding store of Silver, and Iron-ore in the North parts of _Scotland_ and elsewhere? And what is observable in it as to Weight, Colour, Mixture, &c?

50. Whether any part of the Metal be found in the Mine perfect and complete? (As I have had presented me good valuable _Copper_, and pieces of perfect _Lead_, that were taken up, the one at _Jamaica_, and the other by an acquaintance of mine, that took them out of the ground himself in _New England_.)

51. Whether the Mine affords any parcels of Metal, that seem to grow like _Plants_ (as I have sometimes seen Silver growing, as it seemed, out of Stone, or _Sparre_ almost like blades of Gra.s.s; as also great Grains of a Metal, which appear'd to me, and which those, that tryed some of it, affirmed to be Gold, abounding in a stony lump, that seem'd to consist chiefly of a peculiar kind of _Sparre_.)

52. Whether the Vein lie near, or much beneath the surface of the Earth, and at what depth?

53. Whether the Vein have or have not any particular Concomitants, or Coats (if I may so call them;) and, if any, what they are, and in what order they lie? (As the Veins of _Lead-ore_, with us, have frequently annnext to them a Substance call'd _Sparre_, and next to that another, call'd _Caulk_.)

54. Whether (besides these Coats) the Vein have belonging to it any other _Heterogeneous_ substance? (As in _Tin-mines_ we often find that yellow substance, which they call _Mund.i.c.k_.)

55. What are the princ.i.p.al Qualities of these Extraneous substances? (As that _Sparre _ is white, but transparent, almost like course Crystall, heavy, britle, easily divisible into flakes, &c. _Caulk_ is of a different texture, white, opacous, and like a Stone, but much more ponderous.

_Mund.i.c.k_ I have had of a fine golden colour; but, though it be affirm'd to hold no Metal; yet I found it in weight, and otherwise, to differ from _Marchasites_; and the Mine-men think it of a poisonous nature.) {338}

56. Whether the Vein be inclosed every way in its Coats; or whether it only lye between them?

57. Whether the Vein be every way of an uniform breadth, and thickness; and, if it be, what these Dimensions are; and if not, in what places it varies, and in what measures? (The like Questions are to be made concerning the _sparre_, _Caulk_, and other Teguments or mixtures of the Ore?)

58. Whether the Vein be un-interrupted, or in some places broken off; and whether it be abruptly, or not; and whether it be by Vales, Brooks, Gullets, &c?

59. How wide the Interruptions are? what Signs, whereby to find the Vein again? whether the ulteriour part or division of the Vein be of the same Nature, and hold on in the same Course, as to its tendency upwards or downwards, or Horizontally, Norward, Southward, &c. with the Vein, from which it is cut off?

60. Whether, in case the last end of the Vein be found, it terminate abruptly, or else end in some peculiar kind of Rock or Earth, which does, as it were, close or Seal it up, without leaving any crack or cranny, or otherwise? And whether the terminating part of the Vein tend upwards, downwards, or neither? And whether in the places, where the Vein is interrupted, there be any peculiar Stone or Earth, that does, as it were, seal up the Extremity of it?

61. Whether it be observed; that the Ore in Tract of time may be brought to afford any Silver or Gold, which it doth not afford, or more than it would afford, if it were not so ripe? And whether it have been found, that the Metalline part of the Vein grows so, that some part of the Mine will afford Ore or Metal in tract of time, that did not so before? And whether to this Maturation of the Mine, the being exposed to the free Air be necessary; or, whether at least it conduce to the Acceleration of it; or otherwise?

62. Whether all the Ore, contained in the Mine, be of the self-same nature and goodness; and, if not, what are the differing kinds; and how to be discriminated and estimated?

63. What is the fineness and goodness of the Ore, by which the Mine is wont to be estimated? And what are the marks and {339} characters, that distinguish one sort from another?

64. What proportion of Metal it affords? (As in our _Iron-mines_ 'tis observed, that about three Tuns of Iron-stone will afford one Tun of Metal: And I have had _Lead-Ore_, which an Ingenious man, to whom I recommended such Tryals, affirm'd to me to afford three parts in four of good Lead.)

65. Whether the Ore be pure in its kind from other Metals, and, if not, of what Metals it partic.i.p.ates; and in what proportion? Which is especially to be Inquired into, in case the Mine be of a _base_ metal, that holds a _n.o.ble_ metal: (As I have known it observ'd, that _Lead-Ore_, that is poor in its own metal; affords more Silver, than other; and I remember, that the _Ore_ lately mention'd, being rich in Lead, scarce afforded us upon the _Cuppel_, an Atome of Silver. And _Matthesius_ informs us, that a little Gold is not unfrequently found in _Iron-Ore_. And I have by me some Gold, that never endur'd the Fire, taken out of a Lump of Tin-Ore.)

_About the sixth t.i.tle._

66. What are the mechanick and praevious Operations, as Beating, Grinding, Washing, &c. that are used to separate the Ore from the Heterogeneous Bodies, and prepare it for the Fire? Or whether the Ore requires no such preparation? (as it often happens in Lead, and sometimes in Iron, &c.)

67. Whether _Mercury_ be made use off, to extract the n.o.bler from the baser metals? (as is their practice in _Peru_, and other parts of the _West-Indies_.)

68. Whether the leaving the Ore expos'd to the open Air and Rain for a good while, be used as a Praeparative? (as I have seen done in _Iron-stone_.)

69. Whether the Burning and Beating of the Ore be used to prepare it for the Furnace? (as is practised in _Iron_, and almost always in _Copper_:) And, in case they use it more than once, how often they do it; (for, _Copper-Ore_ is in some places washed 8. or 10. times, and in others, 12.

or 14.) and with what circ.u.mstances; as, how long the Ignition lasts at a time, whether the Ore be suffer'd to cool of it self, or be quench'd?

whether it be washed betwixt each Ignition?

70. What Flux-powders, and other ways they have to try {340} and examine the goodness of the Ore in small quant.i.ties?

71. Whether, when they work in _great_, they use to melt the Ore with any Flux or Additaments, or only by the force of the Fire, or in any way between both? (As throwing in of Charcoals when they melt Iron-stone does not only serve to feed the Fire, but perhaps by the _Alchaly_ of its Ashes to promote the fusior: so Lime-stone, &c.)

72. What kind of Furnaces they use, to melt the Ore in? Whether they be all of one sort and bigness, or of differing?

73. What are, the Situation, Materials, Dimensions, Shape, Bigness, and in short what is the whole structure and Contrivance of the Furnace? If there be any thing peculiar and remarkable? What Tools are used in Smelting, their Figures, use, &c. And the whole manner of working?

74. What kinds of Fewel, and what quant.i.ties of it, are wont to be employed in the Furnace, within the compa.s.s of a day, or week? How much is put in at a time? How often it is renewed? And how much Ore in a determinate time, as a week or a day, is wont to be reduced to Metal?

75. In case an Additament be employed, what that is, and in what proportion it is added? Whether it be mingled with the Ore, before that be put into the Fire, or cast in afterwards; and, if so, at what time, &c?

78. Whether the Ore be melted by a Wind, excited by the Fire it self; as in Wind-ovens? Ore by the course of Waters? Or acuated by the blast of Bellows; and, if so, whether these Bellows be mov'd by a Wheel, turn'd by Water running under it, or falling on it? And what are, the Dimensions, Situation, &c. of the Bellows?

79. What contrivance they have, to let or take out the Metal, that is in fusion; and cast it into Barrs, Sows, Pigs, &c?

80. What Clay, Sand, or Mould they let it run or pour it through? And after what manner they refrigerate it?

8l. Whether or no they do, either to facilitate the fusion, or to obtain the more or better Metal, mingle differing sorts or degrees of Ore of the same metal? (As in some places 'tis usual, to mingle poor and rich Ore; and at _Mendip_ they mix two or more of these differing kinds of _Lead-ore_ that they call _Frim-ore_, _Steel-ore_, _Potern-ore_, &c.) {341}

82. Whether or no, having once brought the Ore to fusion, they melt all the Metal it self, to have it the more pure? And, if they do, with what circ.u.mstances they make the fusion?

83. Whether they have any Signs, whereby to know whether the Fusion have been well or ill perform'd; and the Metal have obtain'd the perfection, to be expected from such Ore, melted in such a Furnace?

84. Whether they observe any great difference in the goodness of the Metal, that first melts, from that of the rest of the Metal which comes afterwards in the same or another operation? And whether the Rule holds constantly?

(For, though they observe in _Tin-Mines_, the best Metal comes first, yet in the works of an Industrious friend of mine, he informs me, that the best Metal comes last.)