CO537-(36-37) — Page 287

CI

A.

2139.

If you could do away with the position of the lime

burners themselves, I could give you briefly a reason for the adulteration of lime here, if you would like

to have it.

17343.00

Be brief.

A.

The Chairman:-

44

A.

14

17.393

The lime is burned by heaping the coṛal and shell in

layers with grass in between. There in a layer of grass

on a layer of coral. There is a certain amount of sand

existing in the interstices of the foral. That sand

does not become lime, it remains as sand. The heat is

not very great in a furnace of that description.

You are talking of the old fashioned lime kilns, arent ywe

you?

I am referring to the small boy, with the fan. Sai

Kung lime. Then the kiln is supposed to be finished, on opening it up the top layer of lime is flaky, and very

light and very pure and good, and the second layer or

lower down in the mass it becomes coarser end is full

of partly burned particles of shell, which will not

slake. At the hottom of the kiln, you have a still

lower grade of lime, and sand, and ash from the grass,

and various ather burned particles which are not lime.

Now, they take off the top layer and they sell it by

measure, not by weight. Therefors the lighter it is,

and the less they can get into a basket, the more profit

they make. That is sold at a higher price than the

second, or number two lime, which is the next layer,

or the number three lime, which is the bottom layer.

If we

as Architects, give a great deal of trouble, to

the contractor, and insist upon having lime that will

stand our test, they are obliged to buy number two.

Occasionally they adulterate it with number three, but

after a time, we are able to get number two. But the

1

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