Geoff -
I am under the impression that Tin was used in the hat manufacturing
industry - hence "mad as a hatter"...... Thousands of people who worked
in smelting activity would spend their twenties and early thirties at
work, their mid thirties and forties in sanitoria, before suffering an
early death.........I had always associated this with work with
tin.....perhaps I'm wrong in that....and someone will tell me it was
zinc, or nickel, or copper....I remain open to argument!
I've just checked up on the White Rock works - and it seems that they
smelted copper and silver there! Smelts of lead and zinc were also
present locally, and brass was manufactured (Upper Bank), that would
probably have used ingot tin.....
Tinplating went on in and around Pontardawe, Briton Ferry ,Ammanford and
Llanelli, before settling down at Velindre and Trostre near Llanelli.
Keith
-----Original Message-----
From: mining-history [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
Geoff Treseder
Sent: 07 March 2010 10:20 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Tin mining Port Talbot
Keith I'm not aware of 'tin madness' (other than the financial fiasco in
the
mid 1980s), are you sure this was smelting of primary tin concentrates
rather than residues arising from other metallurgical processes.
Geoff Treseder
Carn Metals
----- Original Message -----
From: "Keith Nicholls" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Sunday, March 07, 2010 9:20 AM
Subject: Re: Tin mining Port Talbot
Geoff.....
Tin was certainly smelted in Swansea - using Cornish tin - my great
grandfather died as a result of "tin madness" he picked up while
working in the White Rock smelter at Kilvey.
Keith Nicholls
-----Original Message-----
From: mining-history [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
Geoff Treseder
Sent: 07 March 2010 09:17 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Tin mining Port Talbot
Tin ingot was imported from Cornwall not concentrate for smelting.
Geoff Treseder
----- Original Message -----
From: "Keith Nicholls" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Sunday, March 07, 2010 8:53 AM
Subject: Re: Tin mining Port Talbot
Dave
At risk of being proven wrong.....as a born and bred native of Swansea
and a geologist - it is my opinion that no mining of any tin ever
occurred in or around Port Talbot( wrong rocks!). A short distance east
there is some gold and lead / zinc mineralization (in the Carboniferous
Limestone, but I'm not aware of it ever having been commercially
exploited).
Port Talbot is sited on the coast, on the Lower Coal Measures. Mining in
the vicinity is limited to coal and associated minerals (black band
ironstone etc).
Tin was imported to the Swansea area from Cornwall for smelting, and
it's possible that some form of smelting operation may have been tried
at Post Talbot (later home of course to a large steel works).
Tin plating may have been attempted also - although subsequently this
was carried out near Llanelli (Trostre).
Keith Nicholls
-----Original Message-----
From: mining-history [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
Dave Linton
Sent: 06 March 2010 04:16 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Tin mining Port Talbot
I'm passing on a query that has been made to me. The only tin-related
connection I can think of is the south Wales tin-plating industry. Can
anyone help with this?
Dave
> I apologise for bothering you with what I consider to be a minor query
but during some research I have been carrying out on Cornish mine
quarrys it was suggested to me that there once existed tin mines in the
Port Talbot /general Neath area of S Wales.I personally can find no
evidence of the existance of such Industrial mining sites & believe it
to be a myth I dont suppose your organisation has any evidence to the
contrary .
> Grateful for any light you could shed on the matter.
--
Dave Linton
01341 280901
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