The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1901-09-27


diutrict was sulphide, while that of
Wisconsin wasa silicate, and required
an entirely different process of treat
ment. Robt. Lanyon mastered the
method, and with very cheap fuel, a
short haul from the ore field, an I'M
limited supply of ore at So q ton and a
strong metal market, he prospered
and rapidly built up fortune. s. H.
Lanyon e. Co. and w. and j. Lanyon
came from Winconsin to Pittsburg and
engaged in zinc smelling. All were
closely related and made money.
Other shelters started bht only the
canyons succeeded in remaining per-
manently in business against the on
slaughts of the Matthiessen & Hegeler
Company, until the prosperous period
of 1888 to 1890 appeared.
For a time there we're numerous
other shelters. Then a combine was
formed in 1896 by which the canyons
sold their coal shelters to the Chero-
kee-Lanyon Spelter Company. This
combine embraced the St. Louis and
Pittsburg smelter at Pittsburg, and
other shelters at Weir City and Cher
okee, adjoining coal towns. The new
combine had hardly fair start in
business until two sons of Robert Ian
yon began erecting smelter at lola,
Kansas, where natural gas had but re-
Gently been encountered. Smelling
from manufactured gas was just sup
planting the coal method at La Sale
and Peru, Ill. Still the idea of using
natural gas was an untried experiment.
Rebt. LANNON'S two sons worked out
the secret Of smelling with natural
gas. For three months they labored
without removing their garments for
a nights rest, watching and studying
the flow of gas, its regulation and
figuring out plans for an automatic
device to feed the gas to the smelters
at the required eveness of heat tenn
perature. They won the victory, and
scracely had they become factor in
the market as the Robt. Lanyon S
Sons Company until they sold their
plant and pending patents to the Ian
yon Zinc Company. The Forest Oil
Company, an offshot of the Standard
Oil Company, was gathering up all the
gas and oil land of the new territory
The promoter saw big future for the
canyons gas smelter and it was gath
cred in by the Standard Oil people.
There always has been an apparent
fate to fight against and overcome in
zinc smelling. The Lanyon Zinc Com
pany soon got into it with the Mat
theissen e. Hegeler Company, and then
the Edgar Zinc Company sued them
for an infringement of calcining
patent. Now these three contending
interests seem harmonized. But for
the Standard Oil wealth behind the
Lanyon Zinc Company, it would never
have survived the squeeze given it
during the prolonged Sight for supre-
macy in the metal market, but the
Standard Oil wealth won. Standard
Oil magnates are interested in union
of the strongest shelters and those
who do not come in may expect to find
their business as variable within Il
twelve-month as is that of the indie
pendent oil company today.
With the Standard back of the Lam
yon Zinc and the United States Steel
Corporation back of the Edgar Zinc
Company the lines began tightening on
the Matthiessen & Hegeler Company
and foreseeing only final disastrous
outcome of prolonging war it is said
they agreed to terms. But it was a
fight to the last ditch before surren-
der. AS pointed out last week the
Illinois company capitulated only
after their acid field had been invaded
and preparations were begun for the
erection of mill to roll sheet zinc by
the Lanyon Zinc Company.
The invading of the acid field has
one feature never brought to the pub
lie mind 1t is we'll understood in the
markets that the Standard Oil Com
pany, as the principal user of ulphur-
ic acid, through an acid company con-
trolls not only the price but the supply
of this commodity. When the Mat
theissen g. Hegeler Company were con-
tending to retain their position in the
metal market their leading acid men
secured more lucrative positions and
their smeltermen went out on a strike.
The acid men went almost Immediately
to lola, Kansas, where there was be-
gun the erection, reported to be by the
venerable Robt. Lanyon, of sulphur
ic acid plant in the vicinity of the Lam
yon Zinc Works. 1t was spoken of
as an independent concern. 1t was
named the Standard Acid Company,
and Robert Lanyon denied to his Jop-
lin friends at the time that he had any
direct interest in it, and since develop
m ents have shown that it is practical