Stories of persons and places in Europe . ut thirty thousand round, the rocks resound with incessant clanging of steam hammers,by which the ore, brought up from the mines below, is being reduced topowder. This is afterward mixed with water and filtered over long shelv-ing plates in which the tin, being heavier, forms a thin incrustation. Themetal is then poured into vats and again mixed with water, the finer por-tion settling at the bottom. It is quite amusing to see the different machines acting almost humanin their various movements. A brush looking like a paint brush is dippedby
Stories of persons and places in Europe . ut thirty thousand round, the rocks resound with incessant clanging of steam hammers,by which the ore, brought up from the mines below, is being reduced topowder. This is afterward mixed with water and filtered over long shelv-ing plates in which the tin, being heavier, forms a thin incrustation. Themetal is then poured into vats and again mixed with water, the finer por-tion settling at the bottom. It is quite amusing to see the different machines acting almost humanin their various movements. A brush looking like a paint brush is dippedby machinery every few minutes very slowly and steadily, as if with greatjugment, into some water in a trough beneath, which but for this wouldbecome stagnant. Another immense vat is tapped every few minutes witha piece of wood to assist in precipitating the metal. The ancient Britons used to be very careful about the quality of sold to their Phoenician customers. The tin on being melted was put into moulds, holding usually above. CRYSTAL PALACE. 128 Persons and Places in Europe. three hundred weight, and stamped with the owners mark, by laying thbrass or iron stamp on the face of the block of tin, while it was yet in a fluidState, but cool enough to sustain the stamping iron. When the tin was brought to the assay-master, it was tried by cuttingoff a piece from the lower corner. If found good it was stamped with hisseal, an assurance that it had been examined and found all right. Thepunishment of him who used to bring bad tin was to have a portion of itmelted and poured down his throat. The Phoenicians were thus particular about the quality because, it is said,they used it in the manufacture of their Tyrian Purple, and any adulterationwould have been fatal to the trade. The Greeks were anxious to discover where the Phoenicians obtainedtheir tin, and sent one of their vessels to track a Phoenician trader, but itwas discovered by the wary captain, who it was said purposel
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