Series 4 > Scottish industrial history

BEGINING AND END OF LEWIS CHEMICAL WORKS 207
refiner Till in 1874 The L.C. Works Ceased to exist Both at Creed
and refinery. When soon after All the Metal Condencers, Pumps,
Stills, Pans, Tanks etc at the Three places, Creed Works, the Re¬
finery and New Works was Broken up and sold as scrap Iron. As
was the light Rails (3! Miles) laid at Creed Works deverging
through the Peat Ground. The Iron rails at the Refinery not sold
as may be seen, off the Main Road, Striches of the Iron rails put up as
Fences by the Crofters.
And So end the Queens Enemies.
The foregoing will show how the Noble ententions of Sir
James and Lady Mathison in spending large sums of Money with
the View of benefiting the unskilled Labour on the Estate was
frustated by the L.C. Works getting into the hands of uncapable
Men, If otherwise would have been a profitable Concern. It maybe
seen from the foregoing breaf accent of the Lewis Chemical Works
from the beginning of 1859 till end of 1874 That if the Eminant
Chemist and Analyst Dr B. H. Paul had the Practical experience
in 1859 as he had in 1862, he could have erected the Creed Works in
6 Month in the state he left it at | the Cost and the Whole Work
would be placed together and in a more convenient place, and in
many ways more economical in working. This Dr Paul discovered
when too Late to remedy. But for all the draw backs, he had no
dought of being able to make the affair a profitable Concern, but
unfortunatley left when the Works was at a stage when he could
put his Chemical Knowledge to profitable use.
After leaving the Lewis Dr Paul read a paper at the meeting of
the British Association on the Distillation etc. of Peat by him in
Lewis, Considered then the most exhaustive ever wrote on Peat.
Tables showing the percentage of the Various Products of Lewis
Peat to be supereour to Irish Peat in oils, Parifine Wax and By¬
products, when compared to the results found by the Chemists of
the Irish Peat Co. It may be remarked that by improvements on the
Works after Dr Paul left, the Cost of the Crude Hydrocarbon
was fulley £ less then when he read his paper, a copy of which I
had from him.
On the third year after leving the Works Dr B. Hariot Paul
Visited the Island as a Tourist, saw the Works Improved, on leaving