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FEAT HER- ALUM — GILPIX. 
 
 175 
 
 Akt. III. — Feathi:u-Alum (HALoTiuniiTE) from Glace Bay, 
 Cape Breton. Bv E. Gilpin. F. G. S., F. R. S. C. 
 Chief Inspector of Mines. 
 
 fliend March 9//<, 1885.; 
 
 J)UHING a visit to the Glace Bay Coal Mines, in Cape Breton 
 County, I had .specimens of Melanterite, or Green Vitriol, and a 
 few pieces of a white fibrous mineral brought to nie from some 
 heaps of shale and slack coal, which were being removed from 
 the pit. The iormer mineral is not unfrequentl^' met with, the 
 latter being new to me I made two analyses of it, and thought 
 that the results might interest some of the members of the 
 Institute. 
 
 The mineral is of a white colour, turning brown on exposure, 
 and of a delicate fibrous structure. It is soluble in water and 
 
 The analyses gave : 
 
 Protoxide of Iron 10.570 
 
 Alumina 9.131 
 
 Sulphuric Acid 39.715 
 
 Water 35.097 
 
 Silica Traces 
 
 Magnesia do 
 
 Lime do 
 
 100.513 
 
 ♦ •K 
 
 
 This analysis, while not agreeing exactly with any given in 
 Dana's mineralogy, would appai-ently place the mineral in the 
 Halotrichite group. 
 
 The following table shews the composition of a number of 
 .specimens of Halotrichite compared with that of the mineral 
 under consideration. 
 
I7() FEATHER-AIJJM — (iirj'iy. 
 
 Locality. Sulphniic Alumina. Ferrous. Wuter. 
 Acid. O^ido. 
 
 Moorfieia.....'](;.08 10.!) 1 0.:i7 42.0.S 
 
 Hurlct 85.00 7.12 I'lofi 4.S.71 
 
 .moo 5.20 20,70 4.3.20 
 
 28.0:1 2.85 1U.:^5 48.58 
 
 Freyenvvalde 4.3.00 15.25 7.50 .33.10 
 
 Glace Buy ..30.71 0.13 16..57 35.00 
 
 It would be intcr{!stin£^ to know how much time was occu- 
 pied in the formation of this mineral nt the (Jlaee Bay Mines, 
 some of the fibres Ijeing one-third of an incli in len ,'th. It can, 
 however, only be remaiked that the gallery in which it occurred, 
 had been excavated about twtilve yeais ago. 
 
 Another hydrous sulphate, found as a product of decoir)position 
 in Coal Mines, is known as Alunogen. 
 
 The following analysis of a s|XHMmen occun-ing as an efflor- 
 escence at the Scotia Mine in Cumlx^rland County, is taken front 
 the repoit of the Canadian Geological Survey for the year 
 1878-70. 
 
 Sulphuric Acid 30035 
 
 Alumina 13.470 
 
 Feriic Oxide 2.888 
 
 Ferrous Oxide 1 57 
 
 Water 45.100 
 
 Lime 140 
 
 Magnesia .138 
 
 Potash 087 
 
 Sulphur 131 
 
 Insoluble .235 
 
 00.200 
 
 Some years ago a hydrous sulphate of Alumina and Magnesia 
 of similar origin was found on Silurian Slates at Newport, and 
 was sliown by the late Professor How to be identical with 
 Pickeringite, a mineral up to that time known only in Peru. 
 
KEATI!KI{-AI,UM — GILl'IN. 
 
 177 
 
 \ i 
 
 Melanteritf, tlio first of the niinoinls iiiontionod iji this paper, 
 belongs to the Copperas jjjroup, wliicli contains anioni;- its more 
 noteworthy species, tlie liyih-oiis sulphates of Tion, Zinc, and 
 Coppo)' The first named occurs in nature as a prochict of the 
 decoMiposition of iron p^-i'ites, and is largely made fiom the 
 waste oil of vitriol from wire and <j;alvanisin^f works, with scrap 
 iron, and from alum sliale. The production of Copperas in the 
 United States- in th.? year 1SS2 was estimated at 1."), 000,000 
 pounds, valued at thiee (pLirters of a cent per pound. It is 
 lar|L,'ely used by tanners and lyers on account of its f(»i'min<,' a 
 black colour with tannic acid. It is also nseil in paper mills, 
 bleacheries, paint and ink manufactories, and as a disinfectant. 
 
 White Vitiiol is a siMiilar compound, forme(l naturally fiom 
 the oxidation of Zinc Sulphide, and connuercially by the action 
 of Sulphuric acid on Zinc. As met in the Aits, White Vitriol is 
 a form made by melting- the Crystallised Sulphate and agitatino* 
 it until it cools in a gi'anular state. 
 
 Blue or Copper Vitriol is used in many dyeing and other 
 chemical f)perations. When it occurs in nature in solution, as in 
 the water flowing fiom copper lodes, large ([uantities of the 
 uietal are obtained hy exposing it to the action of iron, when it 
 is precipitated as a led mud, easily smelted and refined. 
 
 Tlie minerals Feather-Aluui and Pickerin'rite mark further 
 steps ill this chemical action of air and moisture on Sulphur. 
 They may, broadly speaking, bo considered as belonging to the 
 native Alum group, the members of which contain watei' and 
 sulphate of Alumina and some other sulphate. In Potash Alum, 
 the counuon Alum of the shops, this other sul])hate is a sulphat/- 
 of potash. The correspondiug sulphate in the other Alums is 
 that of Soda, Magnesia, Annnonium, lion or Manganese, and 
 finally we have Alunogen, a'ready ix'fened to, a simple hydrous 
 sulphate of Alumina. 
 
 We have abea<ly nnnarked on tlie formation of Sulphate of 
 Iron b}' the oxidation of iron pyrites. When this action takes 
 place in the pr(!sence of clays, largeh* composed of Silicate of 
 Alumina part of the Sulphuric Acid unices with the Alumina, 
 and tlie commonest resulting form is that of a liy<lrous sulphate 
 
I ' 
 
 17S 
 
 FKATIIEIl-ALUM — fiFI.l'fX. 
 
 of Ti'on and Alumina, such as tlio mineral formino- the .snl»joctof 
 tliis paper. As the alkalies are fretjiiently present in appreciate 
 (liiantities in clays, true F^otash or Soda Alums are often forme(|. 
 
 When clay slates arc; impre^aiated with these sulphates they 
 are termed Aluminous, and are sometimes rich enough to yield 
 Alum on the connnercial scale. The followinj,^ outline of the 
 process is from Dana's Miniiralooy, p. 12H. The rock is first 
 slowly heated, after pilin*^- it in hfaps, in order to deeomposc 
 fidly the pyrites, and ti-ansfrr the Sulphuric Acid of any Sul- 
 phate of Iron to the Alumina, and thus produce the largest 
 amount possible of Sulphate of Alumina. It is next lixiviated in 
 stone cisterns. The lye eontainini;- this sulphate is afterwards 
 concentrated by evaporation, and then the requisite proportion 
 of Potasli (sulphate or chloride, alum containinuf potash as 
 well as alumina) is added to the li(iuid. A precipitate of Alum 
 falls which is afterwards washed and crystalised. In France 
 Ammoniacal Salts are used instead of Potash, and an Anniioniacal 
 Alum is formed. 
 
 At Whitby, in Yorkshire, the business of Alum making is a 
 very old one, having been commenced by Sir Thomas Challoner 
 in 1400, who brought workmen from France where the process 
 had long been kept secret as a privilege of t\w ecclesiastical 
 powers. The Alum shale occurs in strata of Liassic age, and is 
 overlaid by a hard compact stone, known locally as "dogger." 
 The Shale bed is about 200 feet thick, and is a hard bluish gray 
 shaly clay which rapi<lly crumbles on exposure. The wdiole 
 deposit al)ounds in iron pyi-ites, but only the richer portions are 
 excavated for treatment. About G5 tons of the Shale yield a 
 ton of Alum. It would unduly extend the limits of this paper 
 to ijive the full details of the manufacture, which is based on 
 that already outlined. 
 
 In the United States there are no deposits of Alum Shale of 
 any counneicial value, but the salt is manufactured to the extent 
 of 20,000 tons annually, valued at about SSOO,000. It is nearly 
 all made from alum clays impoited from France and England. 
 The process of manufacture is very simple and consi.'; ' 
 
 ly 
 
 M' 
 
 • ■ 10 
 
 the Aluni Shale with Sulphuric Aci<l, dissolving out the resulting 
 
FEATHKR-ALUM — GILPIN. 
 
 179 
 
 ' !f 
 
 Sulphate of Alumina, addin-- an Alkali Sulphate anil crystallis- 
 ing^ the resultinj,' salt. 
 
 ]')oinestic records show that through long ages the natural 
 supplies of Copperas and Alum equalled the demands of the dyer 
 and manufacturer. When this source was no longer adequate 
 the chemist showed ho\v the slow opeiations of nature could l)e 
 hastened, and now these useful chemicals are produced with 
 readiness, and at a price formerly deemed unattainable. 
 
 These minerals, however, are highly interesting from a differ- 
 ent stand-point. Hitherto we have regarded them as the source 
 of agents which have become indispensable to our comfort, and 
 litemlly the foundation of many of the varied hues that man 
 affects in his dress. But the study of their origin and natural 
 transmutations give an instinctive insight into some of the 
 changes that are continually going on in the earth. We see 
 them marking several of the alterations which have led to the 
 disintegration of rocks, the formation of soils, of economic 
 
 ores, etc. 
 
 In conclusion I may mention that the manufacture of these 
 commercial Salts has not been undertaken in Canada. The 
 total value of textile fabrics, which may call for various pro- 
 cesses of dyeing, manufactured in the Dominion, was according to 
 the last census nearly S20,000,000. 
 
 There would therefore appear to be a field for the manufacture 
 of these Copperas and Alum Salts, in this country, and some of 
 the shales of our coal fields may be found well adapted tor the 
 purpose.