The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-04-09

ish Columbia and Colorado is also ship
ped here for treatment The Colorauo
ore carries some gold and silver ana
the factory that handles it also mas
gold and silver smeIter That is the
Cherokee-Lanyon concern
OF the nine smelters here three are
owned by a New Jersey company, three
by the Lanyon Zinc company which IS
really a Rockefeller enterprise. one by
the United Zinc and Chemical COM
pany, owned principally by A r. Mey-
er of Kansas City, the Cherokee-Lan-
yon company and the Braun Spelter
company. The Cherokee-Lanyon used
to own all the coal shelters. They
were purchased from Robert Ianyon
by a syndicate formed by r. r no
bart of St. Louis. The contract pro-
in the smelter business again. He
didn't but his two sons did They or
ganized company under the name OF
the Robert Lanyon Sons Smeltlhg
company. The Rockefellers acquired
this property and consolidated it with
the Palmer Oil and Gas company,
which has leases on 10000 acres OF gas
land. They are still running their string
of factories. The Lanyon boys then
built another smelter and sold it to 4
company headed by A. r. Meyer OF
Kansas City. The Meyer plant-the
United Zinc and Chemical company
also runs an acid works IN connectlo1h
with it's smelter. 1t manufactures SUI
phuric acid from the smoke from tEe
smeIter furnaces. This is the only
plant that makes use of its smoke.
The difference in the cost of run
ming a smelter with gas and coal IS
not so much in the price OF the 1uels'
but the cost of handling. 1t takes a
vast number of men to heaVe coal IN
coal shelters The gas neaVes user.
There are from 200 to 400 retorts IN
a block of coal shelters while there
are 1900 retorts in a block in a gas
smelter. The nine shelters in TINS
field employ about 1000 men. y.
Louis is the big American market for
spelter but most of the product is eX-
ported. The Rockefeller plant manu-
features sheet zinc out of which IS
made zinc shingles, electric batteries
and the like.
electric light plant and uses gas to
run them. 1t gave $4,000 recently
for a gas lease on so acres of land.
A bout five years ago the city nad a
chance to buy the gas plant for $40
600. Three different elections were
held and the proposition was voted
down each time. The gas plant now
nets it's stockholders a profit of $780,
600 a year. The city has contracted
for 100000 of brick pavement for
this season. Most of the remaining
unpaved business streets will be paved
and several residence streets will also
be paved.
Gas was first discovered here in 1871
by some men who were drilling for coal
They hit a mineral we'll, the water from
which had great cure-al qualities ana
would burn. 1t was the sensation Of
the west at that time and a big hotel
was built near it. The hotel has been
abandoned for many years In the SOS
a local company was organized 10 grill
for gas and coal. The city voted $1,000
in bonds to aid it. It soon squandered
its money and that donated by the city.
w. s Pryor then came onto the scene
and was given a franchise providing he
would drill six wells. He sank five but
only got a little gas. On the sixth well
he hit big flow. That well burned all
winter and the blaze ran from forty to
sixtv feet in the air. It kept the ground
so warm around it that grass grew all
winter He piped the town and then
sold out.