Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1885-01-28
OUR LOCAL SHELTER.
ITS OPERATIONS. Last YEAk, SHOW
An .UNDOCBTED PROFIT.
The Annual Ciean.l'p to BE Made Soon,
but Orr to be Bought Right Along
Superintendent MOnitOn's Stan An
Excellent List Of Officers.

COMPLIMENTARY WVustVu0 otN0
Excellent List Of Officers.
Most Of the readers of the TIMES,
who frequently read in these columns
Of "matte' aud "roasting" furnaces
in connection with smelting- works,
are probably at loss TO know what
position these occupy in the process
of reduction. Most OF the smelling
ores carry more or less sulphur, and
this substance renders their working
or reduction more expensive in pro
portion to the quantity which they
contain. For instance, ore CARRYING
from 10 to Is per cent. of sulphur
might cost as much as $50 per ton to
smelt, even though perfectly friable
in other respects; while ore carrying
less than four per cent. of sulphur,
and desirable in other respects, can
be srnelted for sl5 to $50 per ton, and
even less.
At the Philadelphia Company's
works, at Ketchum, the matte or
furnace residue, and all ores carrying
four per cent. or more of sulphur are
roasted, in order to destroy the sui
phur-to burn or heat it out Hence
the necessity of roasting furnaces.
Just now, the most desirable ore re-
ceived at Ketchum comes from the
Idahoan NINE, near Bullion, and car
ries less than four per cent. OF sui
phur, with just enough silica to make
the 60 TO Ga per cent. lead in the ore
''run" well in the smelter. The Elk
horn ore is also vetv desirable. These
are, OF course, not roasted; in fact,
they are used for taxing to certain
extent.
The roasting furnaces of the Phil
adelphia works now have capacity
Of % to so tons per day, and there
fore turn out just about enough roast
Ell ore to keep one stack going, when
mixed with small proportion of un-
roasted or raw ore. But another
double roasting furnace will soon be
ready. and when that gets well to
work, at least two smelling stacks will
be kept going uninterruptedly.
The Philadelphia works will show a
clear profit for the past 1? months
That is known by the management
But how much this profit will be can
not be known until a general cleanup
and stock-tai:ing is had. The stack
will have to be cleared, the odd bits OF
. bullion scraped from mouids, tanks
: wells, tables, etc; the ores, flakes
hand weighed, and their value ascer
tanned. All this will require abou
six weeks. After which a balance
will be struck, and the net results as
certained. The management is per
; fectly confident of making GOO
showing.
The cleaning up will require TIKI
Temporary st ppaye of smelling opera
. tons, but all ores offered for sale will
!, during that time as now, be bough
I on the SIM weight, and paid for a
soon as sampled, Mr.. Moui'on beng
t DESTROYS of getting supply OF or
: ahead, and of convincing local pro
: ducers chat they can do better by sell
), ing to him than by shipping else
: where.
The TINES has so far credited Su
perln:endent and Gene,ul Manage
Moulton with the entire rcmodelin
r and reorganization of the works an
: its business. That was right, becaus
S all are aware thu t, in smelling as i
5 every other large business, most dc
e ponds upon the wisdo n and sagacit
: of the directing head. Bnt it woul
"a not be fair to overlook Mr.. Mouison
U very efficient staff of assistants in tn
q various departments.
Il H. J. Hardess is the metallurgis
Mr.. Hardess is a graduate of the Ere
!" berg School CT Mines, and had seve
or eight years experience as meta
lurgist at the Grant works in Denye
and else where. When Mr.. Ilarie.
" left the Grant works it was stated I
TINES reporter that he was the mo-
- valuable man connected with tn,
leading institution. He has been wit
:. NJ. Moulton since that gentleman a
sumed charge of the ketchnm work
A. L. Dean is the nalytieal chemi
5 and assayer. He IS also graduate