Originally Posted by
Neil Miller
Are you sure, Carl? I thought the 19th century saw an explosion in the use of lead: lead pipes, lead sheeting, damp proofing, lead solder, lead paint, battery cells, silver refining, pewter making, photography, etc, etc. In fact England was the world's leading supplier at the beginning of the 1800s, what with lead being mined in Derbyshire, Somerset, Cornwall, Wales, Scotland and many other places producing 17000 tons at the beginning of the century and rising to 66000 tons by 1850.
What is the significance of the late 1800s and early 1900s? Even though production in real terms declined due to the use of other metals instead of lead, the production figures in tons for 1893, 1896 and 1897 was 40000, 60000 and 40000 respectively. Still a lot of lead!
Regards,
Neil