Quicksilver Memories of Hard Times in Texas

[SHANEA]

Quicksilver Memories of Hard Times in Texas

and I think I have a hard job.  Staring at a computer all day long, sitting in a climate controlled environment, etc.  Don't know how good I've got it. 

[BigBendHiker]

The life of those miners was hard.  They mentioned their teeth falling out from the mercury vapors from the smelting of the cinnabar.  The other symptoms they experienced were constant salivating from the mercury vapors.  They carried the mercury home on their clothing and their children would get affected from it and suffer severe cognitive problems from it.  And, to top it off, one of the byproducts from the smelting of the ore was sulfur dioxide and sulfur trioxide...so you had the smell of rotten eggs around the furnaces.  Not good at all...


BBH

[SHANEA]

And, to top it off, one of the byproducts from the smelting of the ore was sulfur dioxide and sulfur trioxide...so you had the smell of rotten eggs around the furnaces.  Not good at all...


BBH

Thanks for the information.  I'd never even thought about what the smell of the smelting of the ore would be like.  I guess there would have been great plumes of smoke rising laden with mercury vapor.  I wonder what the "level" of mercury contamination is around the site?  Probably an EPA #1 super fund site.    Reminds me of how Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin described what the moon smells like.

[SHANEA]

H Paul Garland Nemome impune lacessit. No one provoks me with impunity.

[BigBendHiker]

I guess there would have been great plumes of smoke rising laden with mercury vapor.  I wonder what the "level" of mercury contamination is around the site?  Probably an EPA #1 super fund site.    Reminds me of how Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin described what the moon smells like.

Yes, indeed.  I think the NPS has a sign posted at the Mariscal Mine site warning to not handle any of the bricks from the furnaces or other stuff from around there.  At one time, I had heard that people were taking some of the bricks from the old furnace as souvenirs.  Not good.  When the old miners started up those furnaces, it took as much as a year before they actually began producing mercury.  It took that long to saturate the bricks with the mercury so that you could finally produce it.  So, taking a brick introduces the mercury into your home!


BBH