The Iola register., 1902-06-13

Gas ClJy, TWO anu One-nuu mlIes uls-
taut.
tits said that 40 per cent of the zinc
smelted in the world is smelted at lola.
Huge roasting furnaces, fed automati-
caily, perform the first step of reduc-
tion. Large mixing devices, carried on
trucks and propelled by cables, are
drawn back and forth through the
furnaces. They resemble heavy rakes
and serve to keep the mass of ore in
motion. After this process the ore is
packed into cylinders, built perman-
emily into an iron frame work. Coke
is added to the mixture, so as to give
a flame both within and without the
tube. The opening is closed with fire.
clay. When cylinder is ripe"
hole is made in the fireclay to draw
the metal out. 1t is cast into bars and
left to cool. From distance the in
terror OF the smelter resembles large
rack OF bottles. From the smelter the
product goes to the rolling mills, to
be made into the zinc plate of com
merce. All these industries, as we'll
as several brick, cement and power
plants, are busy day and night the
year round. Work never stops in
lola. The town never rests.
The average depth of wells in the
lola district is between 800 and 900
feet, seldom more. The pressure aver
ages $50 pounds aud the flow of the
wells ranges from four to eight million
cubic feet every twenty-four hours.
Gas wells we're first found there 1874,
but was not extensively sought after
until six years ago. Many wells have
been bored but are capped and not in
use. 1t has been foun d that the pres
sure OF the old wells has decreased, in
some cases twenty pounds in FIVE years
Information on this point, however, is
not easy to get. Experts say the gas
will last another twenty or twenty-five
years, but hold out no hope beyond
that time. For measuring pressure
an ingenious instrument has been de-
vised. 1t employs mercury and meas
ures the pressure much as barometer
gauges atmospheric density.
"Home industries" is the cry in
| lola. The town wants factories to
come to it and is resisting any attempt
to pipe gas away to other parts. It's
commercial club has indicated the
sentiments of the citizens in a resolu-
tion opposing the new pipe line that is
to be. In its struggle it is enlisting
the support of farmers, advising them
not to sell or lease to Kansas City
people, nor to grant them a right of
way through their land. An old law
on the Kansas statute book is also
frequently cited 1t prohibits the ex-
portation of natural gas out of the
state. A similar Indiana law has
been declared unconstitutional by the
United States supreme court as a re-
striction on inter- state commerce.
1 For these reasons the reception OF
the Kansas Cityans was not so cordial
as II might have been. The departure
vas worse. In groups of two and
three the travellers clambered into
their cars and bade farewell To lola
after stay of six hours. Only Alder
man Lumpkin made "a hit IN lola. He
was offered Inducements 10 stay but
refused. Other aldermen made num-
erous inquiries about street lights,
paving and electric cars. All of them
seemed to like the lola street cars,
which have large door in the middle
and are divided into two comp art
ments.
The promoters of the pipe line re-
Gently applied to Kansas City for a
franchise under the name of the Natu-
raj Gas Supply company. They have
been granted similar privileges in
Joplin and Webb City. The pro-
posed line is to take in these towns as
we'll as Kansas City and lola. J.J.
Helm is at the mead OF the scheme. ~