廖树蘅与甲午战后的常宁水口山铅锌矿——兼论湖南近代矿务机构的设立及其演变

Liao Shuheng and Shuikoushan Plumbum-Zinc Mines in Changning After the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895——Also on Establishment and Evolution of Modern Mining Institutions in Hunan Province

常宁水口山铅锌矿的开采在甲午战后卓见成效,与廖树蘅悉心经营密切相关。主要体现在两个方面:一是改进开采方法:发明"明窿法",取代传统的"暗窿法",大幅度提高了矿藏开采产量;二是改进冶炼方法:舍弃传统土法冶炼,借用国外先进技术或直接将矿砂销售到国外冶炼然后再回购到国内,大大提升了成砂出产率和产品质量。廖树蘅对水口山铅锌矿的经营是在湖南成立专门矿务管理机构并对矿藏开采进行有效管理的基础上展开的。其中湖南矿务总局和湖南矿务总公司是近代湖南矿业发展史上两个最重要的机构。

After the Sino-Japanese war of 1894-1895,the exploitation of Shuikoushan plumbum-zinc mines in Changning made a lot of progresses due to Liao Shuheng＇s careful management. It was mainly reflected in two aspects. Firstly,improved mining methods are introduced： the open-pit mining methods which replaced the traditional underground mining methods raised substantially the output of mineral mining. Secondly,improved smelting methods are also introduced： through the advanced foreign techniques instead of the traditional indigenous methods or repurchasing the refined products after exporting ores abroad to smelt,the output rate and product quality of refined ores increased dramatically. The operation plumbum-zinc mines by Liao Shuheng was based on the establishment and effective supervision of the specialized administrative institutions for mining in Hunan province,among which Hunan State Administration for Mining and Hunan National Mining Cooperation were the most important institutions in the development history of modern mining industry in Hunan.