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The Cyclopedia of New Zealand [Otago & Southland Provincial Districts]

The New Zealand Drug Company's Chemical Works

The New Zealand Drug Company's Chemical Works (Kempthorne, Prosser and Company, proprietors), Burnside, Otago; Mr. George B. Smith, manager. Bankers, Union Bank of Australasia. Telephone, 203. Manager's residence, “Kuri Mari,” Main South Road. These works were established in 1881, for the manufacture of sulphuric, muiratic, nitric, and other acids. Most of the sulphur used comes from Japan, and after being burned in specially contrived furnaces, the fumes and steam pass into large leaden chambers, for condensation. Afterwards the acid is run into leaden passes so as to be concentrated, and it then passes into the platinum boiler for final concentration. The acid is then, previous to being put into jars ready for the market, run through a cooler made of platinum. A large portion of the sulphuric acid manufactures is used in making superphosphates. Muriatic, Nitric, and Acetic acid, and liquid ammonia, are also manufactured at the chemical works, where special retorts are provided to deal with the ammonia. The manure department of the firm has become once of its leading industries, and occupies a large space of the buildings. Heads and bones of cattle, and blood and offal from the abattoirs, are treated by a special process, after which they are used largely in the composition of manures. The heads and bones are first put into digesters, and after being treated, are drawn out and strewn on the floor to dry, previous to being crushed. Superphosphates also play an important part in the manure industry. The phosphate rock, found forty miles from the works, after being crushed very fine, is hoisted by elevators into a hopper, run into a mixer with the sulphuric acid, and is then run out of the mixer into pit, where it is left for twelve hours to harden, before being removed by excavators into trucks, and conveyed to the store shed. Another department of the works is devoted to the manufacture of linseed oil. The raw linseed is passed through two sets of friction rollers, and comes out as linseed meal. Then it passes under heavy edge-runners, and is placed into heaters, from page 593 which it is conveyed in iron buckets to the cylinders, and compressed by hydraulic pumps, the oil being squeezed out, and stored in four hundred gallon tanks to settle. It is then put into five gallon drums for the market. The linseed cake is disposed of to farmers, who use it largely in feeding young stock. The works, which are of brick, cover two acres of land, and the most up-to-date machinery obtainable has been installed.