Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume IX.djvu/833

KERR KERTCH 813 use for some time was that of the gas retort, long cast-iron boxes, with an opening at the end that projected from the furnace in which they were set, and shaped in their section like the letter Q . Others were made of cylindri- cal form, were set upright in the furnace, made to be charged at the top and discharged at the bottom, and furnished with exit pipes for the volatile products either at the top or at differ- ent heights. Earthenware retorts were sub- stituted in some works for those of cast iron, as in the manufacture of gas. In the use of all of them a loss resulted from the unequal degree in which portions of the charge were heated, a part being rapidly overheated so as to produce gaseous matters, while other parts were acqui- ring the heat necessary for the generation of the oily products. This defect was however corrected by means of a revolving retort which was invented in France, and which produced a more uniform distribution of heat. Methods of distillation were also in use by which an external fire was dispensed with, and the heat required for the expulsion of the volatile matters was produced by the combustion of a portion of the material, as in the process of making charcoal. Near Wheeling, Va., this plan was in operation, the coal being collected in pits of 100 tons' charge, and covered with earth. Other forms of kiln were in use, but as the process of obtaining kerosene from coal is abandoned, more than the above notice is superfluous. In 1860 the establishments on the Atlantic coast alone produced about 200,000 barrels. At that date, according to the census returns, the total value of all the kerosene produced in the country was estimated at $2,142,693. The marvellous production of petroleum during the years immediately fol- lowing led to the abandonment of coal as a crude material. Those establishments then using coal rapidly changed to petroleum refi- neries, and many new refineries were erected at different points. (See PETROLEUM PRODUCTS.) kKKK, a S. W. county of Texas, watered by Guadalupe and Medina rivers; area, 818 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 1,042, of whom 90 were col- ored. The surface is diversified, and much of the soil of superior quality. The chief pro- ductions in 1870 were 45,781 bushels of Indian corn, 10,963 Ibs. of wool, 19,095 of butter, and 236 tons of hay. There were 486 horses, 2,511 milch cows, 10,128 other cattle, 4,848 sheep, and 2,620 swine. Capital, Kerrsville. KERRY, a S. "W. county of Ireland, in the Erovince of Munster, bordering on the At- intic, the estuary of the Shannon, and the counties Limerick and Cork ; area, 1,811 sq. m. ; pop. in 1871, 196,014, of whom a con- siderable proportion speak only the Irish tongue. The coast is much indented with bays and inlets, the principal being Brandon, Va- lentia, Kenmare, Dingle, Tarbert, and Tralee bays. Numerous small islands lie off the coast. The chief rivers are the Feale, Maine, Laune, and Roughty. Many beautiful lakes are hid- den among the hills, including the famous lakes of Killarney, the two lakes of Carra, Currane, Derryana, and Lanan, and the Devil's Punch Bowl, near the summit of Mangerton. The surface in the north is open and undulating, in the southwest wild and mountainous. Oarn Tual, the highest mountain in Ireland, is 3,414 ft., and several others are 2,000 and 3,000 ft. Minerals have been but partially explored, yet copper, marble, and rooting slate are worked, and lead and iron are known to exist. Agri- culture is in a backward condition. The soil is inferior, except in the central lowlands, where it is a rich loam, resting on limestone. The climate is the mildest in Ireland. The fisheries of the Kerry coast are important. The chief towns are Tralee, Killarney, Dingle, Listowel, Oaherciveen, and Kenmare. KERSHAW, a N. county of South Carolina, drained by Wateree river ; area, 776 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 11,754, of whom 7,945 were col- ored. It has a hilly surface. The soil of the uplands is sandy, but susceptible of profitable cultivation, and the river bottoms are remark- ably fertile. The Camden branch of the South Carolina railroad terminates at the county seat. The chief productions in 1870 were 6,389 bush- els of wheat, 108,420 of Indian corn, 11,161 of peas and beans, 16,595 of sweet potatoes, 4,161 bales of cotton, and 30,530 Ibs. of rice. There were 501 horses, 651 mules and asses, 1,432 milch cows, 2,214 other cattle, 1,247 sheep, and 4,224 swine. Capital, Camden. kKKK II (anc. Panticapaum or Bosporus), a city of Russia, in the Crimea, on the strait of its name or of Yenikale, commanding the en- trance to the sea of Azov, lat. 45 20' N., Ion. 36 28' E., 112 m. E. N. E. of Simferopol; pop. in 1867, 19,616. The place as it now stands is of recent date. It is handsomely built of stone, with wide and regular streets. It has been a free port since 1822, and is rapidly growing. The inhabitants are mostly engaged in commerce. The exports are building stone, soap, candles, salt in large quantities, and her- ring and sturgeon, the produce of the coast fisheries. The government has a foundery and ship yard here. The harbor is good, and is fortified. PanticapKum, the capital of the an- cient kingdom of Bosporus, was founded by Milesians in the 6th century B. 0., and was annexed to Rome by Pompey, 63 B. C. The Huns seized it about 375, and the Genoese in 1280. They were compelled to abandon it by the Turks in 1475. These were displaced by the Russians in 1771, to whom the place was formally ceded in 1792. It surrendered to the allied forces of France and England May 25, 1855, and was restored to Russia by the treaty of Paris, March 30, 1856. Kertch is still called Bospor (Vosfor) by the inhabitants of the Crimea. In the Italian charts of the middle ages it is called Pandico or Pondico, as well as Bospro or Vospro. Foundations of ancient buildings and heaps of brick and pottery are still scattered over the hill of Mithridates, on