The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-12-31
Smelters Enlarge and Build New Plants, But
Cannot Keep Up With Production.

Al OTHING better illustrates the mag
nitude and worth of the mines of
this region than the tremendous
efforts being made by the smelters TO
keep pace with production. More than
once during the past year the American
company has been compelled to throw
up its hands and cry Enough" That
mas irritated the producer, of course,
but not more than it has the Smelter
arrangements, for they. too, like to
make money and would undoubtedly be
only too glad to handle every ounce
of ore that was offered. The United
States and Bingham Consolidated COM
panies have relieved the situation to
some extent, but the prospects for the
coming year are that the number of
available furnaces will not be adequate
TO the demands that will be made upon
them.
At a cost of approximately 100000
the American Smelling & Refining
company has secured lands, water
rights, etc, fifteen miles west of this
city and is now hurrying construction
upon smelling works that viii have an
initial capacity of 5000 tons of copper
ore per day. This plant will, in a
measure, relieve the situation for a
time SO far as il affects the classes of
ore that it will be able to treat there;
but these immense works offer no
measure of consolation to the producer
of silver, lead and zinc ores, nor that
class of ore which carries the four
metals in combination. The big plant
at Murray is capable of handling only
| 200 tons per day, and it is being
worked to the limit now. That being
true, it would appear that the company
will either be compelled to enlarge the
works at that point or else provide for
the treatment of other ores than cop
per and gold at its new smelter town
of Garfield. This viii involve the eX-
penditure of 100000 to 81, 000 600 more,
and that it will be ordered during the
next twelve months is more than pos
sible.
Need More Lead Smelling Capacity.
Some hope of relief is fostered by the
! producers of this region in the eX-
pressed declaration of the United
States company that it was in the
field as a direct competitor of the
American company. 1t is already able
to take care of a few hundred tons Of
outside ore per day, and it may decide
to provide additional facilities during
| the coming year. Someone has got to
do il. There is no denying that fact,
for in ninety days the Honerine and
other mines of Stockton, and the Buck
horn and Ophir Hill, of Ophir. viii
alone be supplying not less than 500
tons per day AS much more will be
coming from Park City and by next
summer Alta will be asking for ac-
commodations for another 500 tons per
day. Then the capacity of all present
plants is covered. Beaver county mines
are now sending out about 100 tons of
llead-silver ore per day, and mines
down there are now getting ready TO
supply more than double that amount.
Tintic mines have got to have accom-
mediation for not less than 500 tons per
| day of the class of ores that cannot be
] treated in copper furnaces; Bingham
must be given space for more than
that while American Fork, West Tin
| tic, Dugway, Fish Springs and several
other camps, including Phoebe, Good
| Springs and other Nevada camps. will
| demand room for anywhere from 500 to
| 900 tons more. It is, therefore, ap-
parent that smelling capacity for dou-
| BILE the amount Of ore now being
treated must be provided soon. If the
companies already in business do not
provide it, the field win be invaded by
someone who will.
/ While little has been heard on the
subject as yet, there seems a proba-