The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-11-14
At THE LOWER Smell TER
The Large Matte Furnaces in
Successful Operation.
GREAT OUTPUT OF MATTE
Important Changes in Contemplation.
A Brick Stack Rising Five Hun
drsd Feet Above the Valley.
Giant Flue.

At the great smelter there Is but
little to report this week in the way
Of new improvements. There are many
changes in contemplation, but not
much being done outside of routine
repairs. Many of the matte furnaces
are being so thoroughly overtauled
that it amounts to a practical rebuild
ing.
At these works interest centers
chiefly in the new large matte fur
naces that have just been built These
are three in number, and they are re-
spectively 81, IS and AZ feet in length,
being uniformly IA feet wide, both the
length and width given being inside
measurements.
These are all working well, but the
best work relatively is being done by
the smallest of the three-the 31-foot
furnace. From this furnace some As
or 80 tons of matte is drawn each "a
hours. It Is tapped three times a day
and about Is or Is tons drawn off at
zach tapping.
doing quite SO good work, they are
constantly improving, and Captain
Kelley, who Is in charge of the works,
has great hopes Of their ultimately.
and at no distant day, fully equaling
in relative efficiency the smaller one
referred to.
1t is thought that shortly after the
first of December next several more
of the small furnaces on the lower floor
Will be torn out and replaced by larger
ones similar to the three already de-
scribed, and that in the end there will
be complete substitution of large fur
naceS for small ones throughout the
entire plant. There are now % Of
these smaller furnaces, their average
capacity being about u tons Of matte
per day for each furnace.
The present output of matte from
this department is about 200 tons a
day, which is sent directly to the con
verter, half a mile below, by means
Of a small electric railway.
Incidentally it may be mentioned
that, at a very early day, changes will
probably be made whereby the matte
can be taken to the converter in a
molten state, instead of pigs or bars,
as at present, which will save remelt-
ng. The distance between the differ
emit parts Of these vast works is so
great that it has heretofore deferred
efforts along this contemplated line
but in the general work of remodeling
which Is now in progress the purpose
seems TO pc TO make improvements
wherever feasible.
This immense smelter is eauipped
with 96 huge Bruckner revolving fur
naces for calcining the concentrates
before they are sent to the matte fur
naces. These Bruckners are about Is
feet in length by 10 feet in diameter
and carry IA tons of concentrates at
a charge. ,s..-4.,-,,5s, F. -
The purpose of this roasting is to get
rid of the most of the sulphur con-
tanned in the ore, and it is, in fact,
reduced from about So per cent to
or 5.
In this process, as in converting, the
sulphur is valuable agent, uniting
with the oxygen of the atmosphere to
form combustion which gives the
necessary heat, and makes other fuel
unnecessary except to start the fire
This is what is called pyritic roast
ing, one of the most important fea-
lures of copper smelling.
Sixty of these Buckners are in the
lower building and 36 in the upper.
The 60 lower Buckners all connect
with one great brick stack which
stands far uc on the hill above the
works This stack is said to be near
~ 200 feet high from the base, with
an inside diameter of 20 feet. The hill
perhaps 800 feet above the valley, So
that the total height of the top Of the
stack must be from 400 to 500 feet.
The f1ue which connects the Bruck-
ners with the stack is 1sx22 feet in the
clear.
The reader will get a better idea
Of this size when it is suggested that
the fiue would hold two trains of Pull
man cars side by side
There are two other brick stacks,
somewhat, smaller, connecting with the
matte furnaces and the upper Bruck-
rers.
During the last month the matte
furnaces are said to have done ex-
ceedingly good work, the matte aver
aging about SO per cent, copper.
A new mill has just been set up for
the grinding of brick-bats into clay
for general use about the furnaces
The mill is about the same as those
In use at the converter, the grinders
being two large solid iron wheels with
eight-inch faces.
1t Is also reported that additional
hlast furnaces are to be erected at
the converter, but of that anon.