 |
 |
Peter, You might want to look at our website (www.derbyscc.org.uk) as Henderson (I presume the same one) worked for the Alderley Edge Mines in the 1860s. There is a series of letters by him in the Mining Journal in 1860 and I have transcribed them. I have also produced a diagram of the process from the information in his letters. The transcription of his letters is available on our website at http://www.derbyscc.org.uk/alderley/mining_process_4.htm (look in the first paragraph of this page). I have also put a short biography of Henderson at http://www.derbyscc.org.uk/alderley/history_biographies.htm#wh but you will see that I had no information about him after 1863 but your e-mail suggests that he may have been elsewhere selling the process. I would be most interested to receive further information (off-line if you prefer to [log in to unmask]) to add to the biographical note that I have put on-line. Regards, Nigel [log in to unmask] (*** Please change your address book to use this e-mail address if you have not already done so. ***) -----Original Message----- From: mining-history [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Peter Bell Sent: 17 October 2008 08:16 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Henderson Process I am seeking information about Henderson plants. In 1860 William Henderson of the Tharsis company in Glasgow patented a process for extracting copper from pyritic ores by roasting the sulphide concentrate with common salt to form copper chloride in solution, and then precipitating copper metal out onto scrap iron. The best description I have seen is in Manuel Eissler's Hydro-Metallurgy of Copper (1902), which says the process was "largely employed in Europe", which I think means Spain, the UK and perhaps Norway. I am investigating the remains of a Henderson plant which operated at Kapunda in South Australia from about 1866 to 1877. The ruins are fragmentary, and the site is very difficult to interpret. I have a feeling such plants were probably built to a standard plan drawn by Henderson, so the remains of one may help to understand others. Can anyone guide me to photographs, plans, other documents or site remains of Henderson plants anywhere else in the world? Peter Bell