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Pinta (spot or mark.) An indication of this or that ore, by which its degree of richness is estimated, according to the colour, grain, weight or lightness. Amongst the good indications are the gallos, or threads of gold and silver in the ore; the ores called polvorilla, jaboncillos, ayemado, apericado, cardenillo, arenillas; copper and lead. And amongst the bad ones, are mundic and antimony. But it is always necessary to prove the ore by an assay, as these indications are sometimes fallacious.

Plan. (floor.) To work de plan, is to work either perpendicularly downwards, or a chiflon, that is to say, extending both forward and downwards.

Planes. The floor or deepest part of the mine.

Planchera. A place or float made of white earth, connected with the smelting furnace, and in which the ingots are formed.

Plomillos. Particles charged with lead, which the scum or scoria of the metal carries off with it. Sec Natas.

Pueble (peopling.) The actual working of a mine by labourers, for its improvement, as regulated by the ordinance, whether in ore or dead work.

Puertas (gates.) Very firm rock concealing the vein. When this is got through by blasting, the vein is generally discovered again, in a richer state than previously.

Q

Quemazon. (effect of heat.) Light metallic dross, vesicular and scorched, which is one of the indications of a vein.

Quita-pepena. He who attends to the entrance of the mine and the getting out the ore, to guard against theft.

R

Rebolturon or Reboltura (from revolver, to mix.) A mixture of ground ore with assistant ore, litharge, impregnated cupels, plomillos and slag, preparatory to smelting.

Rebotalleros. Persons who search for ore amongst the heaps of refuse or rubbish, which generally contain a little ore. It would be much better if these persons would work, being generally idle.

Recogedores. See Lazadores.

Registro (registry.) A description of the mine and its situation, and an exhibition of the ore before the justice; which, after the depth of three estados has been sunk, possession judicially given, and the boundaries defined, serves as an evidence of title. Upon every change of ownership, and upon the making of a new pit or contramina, there should be a new registry.

Repasar (to stir.) To stir the montons of ore, in which magistral and

quicksilver are mixed, from time to time, in the process of reduc

tion.

Reposadero (from reposar, to rest. A black, soft and vesicular (hoyoso)

stone, placed at the bottom of the smelting furnace.

Rescatadores (purchasers.) Persons who purchase ore from the mine-owners, or who buy the partido or share of ore alloted to the workmen. Riscos. A substance partly crystalline (though not transparent) and partly granular, like a cauliflower; the colour being yellow or white.

S

Saca (sack; also, a substance raised or extracted.) Is a sack of ore; and it is also said that the mine gives a good saca, when the vein being soft, or of great width, plenty of ore is raised.

Socabon (adit.) One or more narrow subterraneous passages driven from the skirt of a hill, and communicating with the pit; its use being to drain the mine, and for getting out ore, barren ground and rubbish. It ought therefore, to be driven from a point situated lower than the bottom of the workings of the mine.

T

Tanates. Baskets made of hide, or of the thread of the aloe (called Mecate,) in which the ore and rubbish is carried out by the workmen called Tanateros.

Tanda. (turn.) Is a cessation of working on certain days.
Tapextle. A small wooden platform for working upwards, in the back of

the work. Likewise the timber lining with which the roof is propped
up, to prevent its giving way, and resembling the centering of an arch,
or a palisading. Most commonly a landing place, made where there is
no pillar of support, both to make the ladders more secure, and to give
the labourers an opportunity of taking breath.

Temescuitate. The earthy part of the ground ore.

Tentadura (from tentar, to try.) An assay of the mixture of quicksilver

and ore, made in a cup, for the purpose of ascertaining what addition
the monton may require to bring it to the proper point. It is perform-
ed by washing a small portion of the ore, by which means the earthy
parts being removed, the sediment, which contains the quicksilver and
silver, is examined.

Tepetate. All the ground in the mine which is destitute of ore.
Tequio (duty). A certain portion of ore, which the barman, according to

the hardness or softness of the ground, has to deliver to his employer in
working hours. The remainder of what the barman raises is divided
between him and his employer, and is called partido.

Terrero (rubbish heap). The place where the earth, barren ground and

rubbish is thrown out.

Texear bien el horno. Is said when the furnace throws off fine and brittle

dross or scoriæ.

Tiro (pit).

A perpendicular shaft of three varas, more or less, in diameter, either square, octagonal or hexagonal. Its use is to raise the ore in bags and the water in buckets, by means of whims. A perpendicular pit, is one which descends vertically. An inclined pit, has an underlay, and the bags and skins are therefore dragged along the side in removing them.

Trompa (trumpet) of the smelting furnace. Applied when the blast from the bellows makes no noise, and does not disperse the cinders. It is said to entromparse, because the ore collects into the form of a trumpet, at the orifice of the twer, through which the blast enters.

V

Vapor (vapor). Rather worse than bochorno; for besides putting out the lights, it is noxious. It proceeds from something in the nature of the ground, combined with the want of ventilation in the cavities of the mine.

Vena (vein.) Is applied to the branches or small veins, of three, two, or

one finger in breadth, or not wider than the back of a knife.

Veta (lode or vein). A vein of metallic ore intersecting the ground. It is called a manto (bed), when it spreads horizontally through the hill; clavadar (perpendicular), when it proceeds perpendicularly downwards; echada (underlying or inclined), when it extends sideways in length and depth; obliqua (oblique), when it crosses the hill; serpenteada (tortuous), when it winds; socia (combined) when it unites with another; rama (branch), when it branches off from the primary lode. Vuelta (turn). The silver in the refining furnaces is said to dar vuelta (turn over), when, after all the dross is driven off, the ingot remains of a red color.

X

Xacal. A hut, either covered with straw, or roofed with shingles or squares of deal, in which the tools are kept, and likewise the ore, until removed to the amalgamation or smelting works. The places where the ore is kept are also called galeras or despansas.

A xacal, that is to say, a

hut or covering, is also erected over the pits, to keep off the rain and to shelter the workmen.

Names of the Measures.

Table of Land Measures adopted in the Republic of Mexico.

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The Mexican vara is the unit of all the measures of length, the pattern and size of which is taken from the Castillian vara of the
mark of Burgos, and is the legal vara used in the Mexican republic. Fifty Mexican varas make a measure which is called cordel,
which instrument is used in measuring lands.

The legal league contains 100 cordels or 5,000 varas, which is found by multiplying by 100 the 50 varas contained in a cordel.
The league is divided into two halves and four quarters-this being the only division made of it. Half a league contains 2,500 varas,
and a quarter of a league 1,250 varas.

Anciently, the Mexican league was divided into three miles, the mile into a thousand paces of Solomon, and one of these paces in-
to five thirds of a Mexican vara; consequently the league had 3,000 paces of Solomon. This division is recognized in legal affairs, but
has been a very long time in disuse-the same as the pace of Solomon, which in those days was called vara, and was used for measur-
ing lands. The mark was equivalent to two varas and seven-eighths-that is, eight marks contained twenty-three varas, and was us-
ed for measuring lands.

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