Transactions of the American Institute of Mining Engineers Volume 13 - Softcover

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1885 Excerpt: ...of corn. When, in dry years, the crops fail, the price of corn may be four times as high as in normal years. The estimates above are based upon normal prices of corn. PROGRESS OF THE MANUFACTURE OF SODA BY THE AMMONIA-SODA PROCESS. BY OSWALD J. DEINBICn, DRIFTON, PA. Since my communication to the Institute at the Baltimore meeting in 1879, in which I took the lead in emphasizing the importance of a new method in the manufacture of soda, already practiced to some extent in England and on the Continent of Europe, five years have passed. I then referred particularly to the advantages offered in the United States for this peculiar method, by the ammonia process, namely: 1. At the present time, at least, we have but one mine in this country where rock-salt is mined, namely, at New Iberia, La. On the other hand, we have many localities where brine of various degrees of strength, up to that of cold saturation, is obtained in large quantities. 2. We have excellent fuel, in close proximity to most of the brinecenters. 3. Our supplies of pyrites, to use in the manufacture of sulphuric acid, for use in the manufacture of soda by the Leblanc process, are mostly too far from the brine-centers to permit competition in that line with the more favorable conditions existing in England. 4. Unlike our foreign rivals, we have no large and costly plants, erected on the Leblanc plan, which must be abandoned and exchanged for new but cheaper plants, before the ammonia-soda process can be adopted. 5. We have a constantly increasing demand for soda, which is almost entirely supplied by importation. If slow progress has been made hitherto in this country in the extension of this manufacture (only one plant at Syracuse, erected under the Solvay patent, having as yet been placed in op...