. Popular science monthly. er important step in the refining of nitrate is the clear-ing and recharging of the boiling tanks. First, fresh water is runthrough to take out what it will of the remaining nitrate, this waterbeing used subsequently, with aqua vieja, in the boiling process, for themore nitrate in solution at the outset the easier it is to get a saturatedcaldo. After the washing is over, a trap in the bottom of the tank isopened and the waste, or ripio, is removed. This process is the mostbothersome in the industtw, because for each charge of 70 tons of caliche,50 tons or more of rip
. Popular science monthly. er important step in the refining of nitrate is the clear-ing and recharging of the boiling tanks. First, fresh water is runthrough to take out what it will of the remaining nitrate, this waterbeing used subsequently, with aqua vieja, in the boiling process, for themore nitrate in solution at the outset the easier it is to get a saturatedcaldo. After the washing is over, a trap in the bottom of the tank isopened and the waste, or ripio, is removed. This process is the mostbothersome in the industtw, because for each charge of 70 tons of caliche,50 tons or more of ripio must be removed. It is very hard on the menwho work in the steaming hot tanks, and the disposal of the waste afterit is removed, not uncommonly 1,000 to 2,000 tons a day, soon comesto be a problem. None of the operators succeed in getting much morethan 75 per cent, of the nitrate originally in the caliche, hence ripiocommonly contains 4 to 10 per cent, of nitrate, and the great piles con- THE NITRATE FIELDS OF CHILE 223. Residences of the manager and his assistants, from the plaza. taining millions of tons of waste some time may be reworked if condi-tions in the industry should make economies necessary. A good deal of capital is needed now to start the nitrate businesson a large scale. Many of the older oficinas, as the establishments arecalled, are small, representing an investment of not more than 25,000pesos to 50,000 pesos. But a large modern plant may cost 6,000,000pesos or more. For this reason the industry tends to remain in thehands of companies, about 80 in number, of which a few large onesreally dominate the industry. In all there are about 160 oficinas inexistence, English, Chilean, Austrian, German, etc., but for one reasonor another not all of them are being operated. Exhaustion of the sup-ply of caliche is the most common reason, for as a general rule anoficina is built for a given tract of nitrate land, with the idea of aban-doning the oficina when that supply
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