. The Spanish-American republics . n rails below, and are dragged bymules out to the ripio, or refuse heap, which forms a conspicuous feat-ure in every oficina. The ripio truck is marked 6 in our cut. Mean-while tank No. 1 has entered into the combination, and passes on itslighter liquor to No. 5, which has been filled with new caliche. Then I/O THE SPANISH-AMERICAN REPUBLICS. tank No. 4 is emptied, and so on in rotation, there being always onetank full of fresh caliche, and one being emptied. There is an obviouseconomy of heat in this process, and a very complete extraction ofthe nitrate, not
. The Spanish-American republics . n rails below, and are dragged bymules out to the ripio, or refuse heap, which forms a conspicuous feat-ure in every oficina. The ripio truck is marked 6 in our cut. Mean-while tank No. 1 has entered into the combination, and passes on itslighter liquor to No. 5, which has been filled with new caliche. Then I/O THE SPANISH-AMERICAN REPUBLICS. tank No. 4 is emptied, and so on in rotation, there being always onetank full of fresh caliche, and one being emptied. There is an obviouseconomy of heat in this process, and a very complete extraction ofthe nitrate, not more than five per cent, remaining in the great massof ripio, or refuse. But to discuss the advantages and disadvantagesof the systems that have been and are employed, and to explain thewhy and wherefore of details of the process, would lead us into a lab-yrinth of technical minutiae where both the patient reader and our-selves might lose our way. For the general comprehension of thematter the above notes will, we think, TRUCKS OVER CRUSHERS AT LA PRIM1TIVA. THE NITRATA DESERT OF TARAPACA. I/I Now we pass to the second operation of decantation, which is sim-ply running off the dense liquid into settling tanks, or ckulladorcs,and thence into crystallizing tanks, or bateas. In the Tarapaca dis-trict the liquid obtained is so pure and so dense that the coolingtanks are often dispensed with, and the liquid caldo, or broth, as it istermed, is run directly into the crystallizing tanks, along a canalmarked A in our plan. These bateas are placed on frames of woodor iron about six feet above the ground. Each batea is filled, and inthe course of two or three days the crystallization is complete, and thebottom and sides of the receptacle are covered with nitrate. Thewater that remains, or agua vieja, is then run off into a reservoir,whence it is pumped up again to be used in the boiling tanks. Thebateas are often provided with sloping side platforms, on to whichthe nitrate is s
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