The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1900-12-14
NEN SHELTER FOR lola
Natural Gas has Secured the
Location here of Another
Prosperity Breeder
LANYON ZINC CO. TO BUILD
The Plant will be Begun
Early Next Year and will
have 4 to 6 Blocks

Early in the year 1901 the Lanyon
Zinc Company will begin work on a
new zinc smelter which will contain
from four to six blocks and will em-
ploy about 200 men. This statement
is authoritive and comes from high Of
iicials of the company, with permission
to announce.
There is little more to say, except
to give three cheers. The Lanyon
Zinc Company now operates three
shelters in Allen county, all of them
using natural gas. The output con-
stitutes practically one-fourth of the
spelter output of the United States and
when the new smelter, the size of the
one at La Harpe, is built, they will
have the output of one-third the total
of the country. They now employ
about 700 men and pay out about
SOC month in wages. With the
new works in operation they will en-
ploy over 900 men and pay out about
500, 600 monthly in wages. And this
money comes from afar. about two
thirds of it from Europe and the other
third from England. 1t comes to lola
and Allen county and stays here. 1t
makes the town and buys food and
clothing and homes and joys for the
people.
Recently a man, disgruntled because
the people of Cherryvale gave help
and encouraged other industries. gave
outtothe associated press the statement
that natural gas wasfailing at Cherry
vale and thateven at lola there is barely
enough to supply the needs. The Lam
yon Zinc Company own or hold gas
leases on $1,000 acres of Allen county
land. They have possibly score of
wells drilled to hold leases and they
have used from several wells for sew
eral years. With the most delicate
testing instruments, experts in charge,
and deep interest in securing facts,
they are in a position to exactly deter
mine what if any strain the consump-
ton has made on the gas field. While
the Cherryvale gentleman is telling
the associated press from his point of
observation fifty miles away that lola
gas is failing, the canyons announce
that they will increase their smelling
facilities one third. 1t is a clinching
argument that the gas is all right and
that there are years upon years of
life for the field in which the cost of
the expensive factory may be re-
covered. 1t means an endorsement of
every investment in lola and guaran-
tees growth and prosperity for years
to come.
The company has been planning
great things for months. The board
of directors were expected to meet in
lola this month, but the sudden illness
of one of them stopped the trip and
Mr.. Rodgers has gone east to meet
with them. The last question to be
settled about the smelter, its location,
will then be decided. 1t will be built
ear the other two in lola, justeast of
town, at LaHarpe or between lola and
LaHarpe. The location is largely
immaterial. Wherever it goes it will
push everything in the field.
And this smelter is not all. 1t is
all that is now ripe" but many
other things are brewing. With 40
600 acres of gas land and factories
turning out one-third of the country's
output OF spelter, other plants are not
improbable.
THAT rolling mill proposition has
not been given up, has it," inquired a
reporter. ''Oh no. was the reply.
"but those things require large ex-
penditure of money and matured plans
for handling the market, in fact
largely creating one in this country
where rolled zinc is not used as it is
in Europe
The REGISTER confidently expects
one of these days before 1901 is old to
announce the definite location and
beginning of work on such plant
it will mean much and is worth waiting
for--and in the meantime the, addition
of another smelter such as changed
LaHarpe from a village of 100 to a
little city of 1000 is good news to last
year.