Identifier: popularsciencemo8313newy (find matches)
Title: Popular science monthly
Year: 1913 (1910s)
Authors:
Subjects: Technology Science
Publisher: New York : McClure, Phillips and Co.
Contributing Library: Harvard University, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Ernst Mayr Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Harvard University, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Ernst Mayr Library

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340 pesos Antofagasta 25 180 Boquete 5 130 Loa 1 67 Yet with all this enormous growth and prosperity, the process ofproduction still is almost as simple as when the industry began. Thefirst step is to make a hole about six to ten inches in diameter throughthe layer of caliche. Generally this is done with a chisel-edged, steel-pointed crowbar, or barra, the debris being removed from the hole witha home-made spoon-like affair, the cucliara. The bottom of the hole isenlarged so that a charge of powder may be put under the caliche.Most of the powder is made locally from nitrate, charcoal or coal dustand sulphur, for here it is so dry that the nitrate can not absorb enoughwater to make it unfit for powder. The explosion of the charge, thetiro, heaves up the caliche, commonly in blocks which must be broken 1 Unless stated otherwise all money values are expressed m Chilean pesos,paper currency, at the rate of 1 peso equals about 21 cents in United Statesmoney. THE NITRATE FIELDS OF CHILE 219
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Cars of caliche, after crushing, going up the inclined planes to the maquina.Empty car comes down as full car goes up. into smaller pieces with a heavy hammer. This is the process of nitratemining. ISTo operation could be simpler. If the miner works by the day, he is known as a barretero, literallya crowbar man. If he is paid according to the amount of calichemined, as the most energetic prefer to do, he is a particular, or privateworker. The former earns about 6 pesos to 7 pesos a day, while thelatter, under favorable conditions, often makes 9 pesos to 12 pesosa day. A group of particulares, working early and late, quickly dispelsany idea that no people of that part of the world will work hard. Carts or trains of small dumping cars carry the caliche to themaquina, as the refining plant is called. Here it is first crushed intopieces no larger than a mans fist. From the crushers it goes up in-clined planes to the boiling tanks, or cachuchos as they are still known,though earthen pots h

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