Handbook of the federated Malay states - Sabrizain.org

Federated Malay States. 55
The wash contains about one or two per cent, of ore as an
average. There are portions of it which contain sometimes
as much as twenty-five per cent, and on the other hand, very
poor parts which hardly pay for the trouble of washing.
The shifting and raising of the earth in the mines is all
done by digging with large hoes called Changkols, and the
earth is then filled into baskets, two of which are carried by
each man by means of a yoke or stick over his shoulder.
The water is pumped from most of the mines by Chinese
overshot water-wheels, and endless chain pumps. In the
larger mines steam engines are used in conjunction with
centrifugal pumps.
Mining by means of small vertical shafts is carried on to
a considerable extent by the Chinese. It is only possible on
dry hilly ground. A deep mine is at work at Tronoh with
both vertical and inclined shafts, with steam pumps, winding
apparatus and buddies, but it is doubtful if it is alluvium
which is being mined.
In the year 1892 the first hydraulic mining plant was put
up at Changkat Pari, but owing to there being an insufiicient
fall below the sluice the tailings could not get away and it
was abandoned. The next installation was erected at
Gropeng, in the same year, and has been in successful
operation ever since. Other plants have been worked at
Bruseh and Bentong in Batang Padang. At the present
time a number of hydraulic sluices are being laid down. In
this method a jet of water at high pressure is directed
against the tin-bearing earth, which is washed down by it
into a long sluice furnished with devices for retaining the
tin sand ; with a properly made sluice like those at Bruseh,
about eight men at a shift are sufficient to work it and it
does the work of about 200 to 250 men.
The Chinese mines are worked on the truck system, all
food and other necessaries being supplied by the mine
owners or money advancers. Some mines are carried on
which could not pay if the profits from the sale of food to
the coolies did not come into the advancers' hands. The
commonest arrangement is called the co-operative system,
where all the coolies have a share in whatever profit is made
after repaying the advancers' loans, and settling with him
for the value of food and other supplies.
The tin-sand after being re-washed, is smelted in rude
blast furnaces, charcoal being used as fuel. The loss of tin
is rather high in the poorer class of ores when treated in
these Chinese furnaces, and the slag is several times resmelted.
A very large proportion of Perak tin is now