The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-03-17
SHELTER SMOKE
CHANGES PLANS
American Company to Select New
Site for Contemplated Works
on the Coast.
FUME NUISANCE DISCUSSED
WHY FARMERS LOST OUT IN
CALIFORNIA.


Guggenheim interests, otherwise
known as the American Shelters Sc
curities corporation, will build a large
copper smelter in the vicinity of San
Francisco, says the Mining and Sci
entffic Press The size Of the plant is
yet to be determined, but 1t is not
likely to include a refinery; that last
stage of the metallurgical process wilt
be completed in Tacoma, where a re-
fnery exists already
The northeastern end of the bay of
San Francisco has been the favorite
site for smelters; the Shelby works,
the Copper King plant and the nUw
Mountain Copper smelter having been
erected along that shore Of the Sacra-
mento estuary. This locality is near
the trans-cOntinental track of the
Southern Pacific railway, of the Ore
gon and Northern California branch
lime and, latterly, of the Santa Fe
railroad.
But the farmers have a habit of
getting busy with damage suits in
that part of the country and poor look
ing horses are found to increase in
value when they eat smelteT fume, so
that such practices have become iTk-
some to the Smelter managers and this
important industry now fights shy of
Port Costa, Benicia or Martinez.
San Bruno Selected.
It is understood that the new plant,
large copper smelter that will sup
plement the SeIby lead reduction
works, will be erected on the south
west shore of the bay, at Point San
Bruno. in San MateO county, about six
miles south of the city of San Fran
cisco. The prevailing winds, for nine
months in the year, are the westerly
trades, so that the smelter smoke will
drift across the water, here four to
five miles wide, and in its crossing be
rendered harmless to even the most
susceptible COW.
Speaking of smeIter fume, we Eote
that the United States circuit court Of
appeals has reversed the decision
whereby an injunction was granted
against the Mountain Copper company
at KeSWiCk, Shasta county, Cal, on the
ground that the acids generated by
the smelling works were injuring gov
eminent property"
Smoke Nuisance Discoveries.
Two of the judges decided that it
was contrary TO public good to stop
the operations of a large industrial
establishment in the interest Of the
owner of 1000 acres Of granite ter
ritory. worthless for agriculture. and
already defOrested. Judge TIawley, the
minority pronounced the dictUm that
"the innocent are not to suffer either
in their property or comfort for the
promotion of another's interest or
profit" And this idea is undoubtedly
at the base of all Matchmaking suits
brought against the shelters They
are always willing to buy l3nd or
compensate the owners OF it when such
land comes within a radius of their
smoke nuisance, but they are not al
lowed to treat such cases equltably;
on the contrary, they are put IN the
position of enemies of the public good
We regard the smelters as represent
ing a beneficent industry, the we'll
being of which is essential to profita-
BILE mining; and in taking his view of
them we disregard the financial
schemes involved in their Organization
and the speculative share market
which some of them afford.
AS the promotions of clever finan-
ciers they do not interest us, they are
able to take care of themselves, but as
an integral part of the vast operations
by which the mineral resources of the
country are exploited, it does appear
to us that they should not be hunted
from pillar to post by Matchmaking
pseudo-farmers who trade on the no.
ton that a ranChman is a benefactor
and a smelterman a criminal.
Greatest Good to Greatest Number.
The greatest good of the greater
number is the aim of intelligent gov
eminent; a right Of way for railroad
can be obtained through another's land
by proper legal proceedings, a city
can extend a street by condemnation
suits, and, in general, the individual
who obstructs a development condu-
Give to the public benefit Is politely
told to be reasonable, and, eventually,
cornneIIed to take fair compensation.
Fair compensation the smeltcrs have
always been willing to offer, unending
blackmail they have fought. 1t would
be to the injury of our community and
of the state of California If the idea
should prevail that a people whose eX-
istence was founded on mining has
-,odo III, itS mind TO treat all smelling