Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-02-11
PROF. JONES ON
SHELTER FUMES.
Well Known Chemist Tells How
Vegetation Has Been Damaged
Or Killed.
VAST RICHES co INTO THE AIR.
Statement Made That Local Plants
Lose s., 600, 900 Annually While
Smoke is Uncontrolled.

Prof, Marcus =. Jones, the we'll known
chemist geologist and motalurglst has
handed tho News" a contribution
bearing on tho local smelter smoke con-
troycrsy, which he undertakes TO treat
from technical view point and IN a
very terse way offers some remedial
suggestions ,or the benefit OF the smell
Ter managers.
Prof Jones has been employed as an
expert witness in behalf OF the farmers
IN number Of the smoke damage
cases filed against the local smelling
companies and naturally, some would
make II appear that he Is against them,
yet he does not claim this, but declares
nc has endeavored 20 give a plain
statement OF facts as TO the conditions
rs they now exist IN the salt Lake wall
ley. Prof. Jones makes emphasis Of
the statement that the smelling COM
panies are losing great sums Of money
every day probably 32,OOO,0OO annually.
by allowing the fumes, which deals
death TO vegetation. 20 escape into the
atmosphere, that "A valuable bl-product
can be saved the marketing OF which
many future dividends could be earned
The smelling companies are carrying
on their investigations under the direc-
ton OF DR.. Franz Meyer. the noted New
York chemist, and the public is prom
Used something OF interest from that
source in the near future. Prof. Jones
says;
II Is notorious fact that here smelter
smoke has become an intolerHble nui-
sance, and. II not abated will practical
ly ruin the greater part of this most
beautiful and fertile valley OF Utah.
Tho smelter men have spread abroad
the statement that the damage done
by smelters Is slight but must be en-
dured or the smelters will be compelled
10 shut down and remove and with
them will go their immense business
which they bring TO this city. They
have stated also that there II no way
known TO science by which they can
remedy the smoke evil. Both these
statements are known to be false by the
smelter men themseles, and have been
known from the beginning but the gen
eral public does not know II or they
would have compelled change Ions
Dgo.
The magnitude or the injury from
smelter smoke and the possibilities or
damages TO this valley are enormous.
Already tho three shelters, Highland
Roy (Utah COM, United States, and
Bingham Consolidated have In three
years devastated the farms in the best
part OF the valley, covering an area
elliptlcal In shape, four miles long and
two miles wide, running from north.
west 20 southeast, and II permitted 10
vol Isf
this area proportonately TIN they viii
ruin from one-thlrd 10 onc-half the vail
ley, killing the nsh and bees, and most
Of the stock IN the valley With arsenic
and making n great increase I'm the
mortality of human beings, In addition
10 tho destruction Of the vegetation
over the area mentioned.
DON'T NEED TO MOVE.
II this were a necessary evil connect
ed with the smelling OF about S2O, 900 900
worth OF ore annually. there might be
some excuse for It, but II ~ wholly
unnecessary. and the amelter men know
II as well as the writer. In addition
there Is no necessity for the removal
Of any Of the smelters nor the stoppage
of any for an hour So far the produc-
tlon OF smelter smoke has been purely
selnsh proposition NJ It has been cheap
err 10 fight the farmers than TO stOr
the nuisance. since any increase I'm the
cost Of abatlng the smoke, even a dol
lar a ton on the ore smelted would
cost more than all the ruined farms and
law suits put together. But lately
the bringing OF injunction suits, the
general indignation Of the public, the
threatened legislation against them
and the loss Of their case I'M
the United States district court
whereby they are compelled 10 pay full
value Tor All farms, pay for an iu,
1uries of every Kind, ana are liable &c
be shut down at any time by order
OF the court II II finds that they an,
unwilling to abote tho nuisance, all
these have tended 10 bring them 10 d
realization of the fact that they cannot
always continue 10 ruin their neigh.
bors without punishment, hut the mos
potent factor I'm the matter rs that thcl
have begun 60 discover that there is d
possibility Of saving enough vuucs
from the smoke 10 make II "a paying
proposition FOR thcm. Philanthropy
does not enter 1t is SIN 20 purely
selfish proposition,
VALUES LOST ~ FUMES.
10 show what are the LOSSES To IN,
three smcltes from 'hc waste of this
smoke the following facts are present
ed;
Loss OF copper per day loo
pounds gt ~ cuts...,........,S 12'
LOSS Of arsenic per day ioO hounds
at 10 cents OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES, (.
Loss Of iron gs Copporas 1000
pounds per day at . cents. .,.,... 81
Loss of sulphur as sunhurc acid
per day 100000 pounds or 100
NfH Cd ItHH
Total loss per day.,.,..,.......SJ, Iil
Thls would equal profit of S. poI
ton ON an ore gmalter or over 81 U00 OOl
o. year I'm the above table ! hav,
taken no account OF the silver los,
which is considerable. This would in
crease the total.
DIVIDENDS COULD Bic EARNED
From the total sum must bc deducto.
the interest on and cost ot mainteuanc,
Of three smoke consuming plants a
about 100000 each But this sum o
$500 600 could be cut 90 $4,000 by th,
three smeltelS combining TO erect on,
plant for all their smoke II can b.,
readily seen that after deductlng al
charges there would still be prof
enough left 90 pay handsome dividends
larger from the smoke alone than they
are paving now But the smelter mel
Will reply that the copperas and sui
phurlC acid produced would glut III,
local market i'm week and there Woul,
be no sale for the surplus, which is twi,
under present conditions. But grant
Ing that these two elements were los