Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-12-17
JUDGE MARsHALL's DECISION.
Comment of an Eastern Mining Jour
nal on Smelter situation.


The recent decision by Judge Mar
shall of the United States court at
Salt Lake City, granting an INJUNCTION
against all the smelters in the SAT-
Lake valley on the ground that their
operation is injurious to other inter-
ests, especially the agricultural. be-
cause Of sulphurous gas discharged in
to the atmosphere, is a serious mat
ter. says the Engineering and Mining
Journal Judge Marshall held that
the smelters could not escape injunc-,
ton because Of the benefits arising IN
many respects from their operation,
which could not be considered as an
offset TO the damage inflicted by them.
The shelters OF the salt Lake val
lay, among whom are Included the
American Smelling and Refining COM
pany, Utah Consolidated, Bingham
Consolidated and United States Smelt-
ing company, are now confronted BY
a condition, not a theory. According
to the terms OF the injunction, they
may not smelt any ore containing
more than 10 per cent of sulphur, by
which we understand that no ore of
higher sulphur content may be roast
ed. and similarly no ore, or rather
furnace charge Of higher sulphur con-
blast furnace The enforcement of
this injunction has been postponed for
six months by appeal by the shelters,
but in the meanwhile plans must be
seriously considered for readjusting
their practise on a new basis How
ever, this Is not a new matter. some
action having been anticipated for
a long time, and elaborate experiments
for the naturalization of the sulphur
Gus acid having been conducted by
several companies.
1t Is certain that the recent troubles
over this question which have been
experienced by shelters not only at
Salt Lake. but also in California at
Butte and elsewhere, will bring TO a
head technical investigation and leg
islation upon this subject. Evidently
we are coming to the point, even in
some Of the smelling districts OF the
west, where some such requirements
as exist In Europe must be conformed
TO. The requirements are often ex-
tremely onerous, even In Europe, and
reinforced In some OF our western
districts would not only be more oner-
Gus, but also might be pr0hihitiye.
The great problem is TO fix or absorb
the sulphur IN some way that our
particular conditions will permit
At the present time we know OF
only three ways OF overcoming the
sulphur nuisance. one Is the dispers-
al Of the gas 40 high In the air that Il
will be diluted so much that 1t can
not possibly cause trouble, the Sec
ond method Is naturalization with milk
Of lime, which Is a feasible through
costly and rather troublesome pro-
cess the thirl method, which Is the
one generally followed in Europe, Is
the MANUFACTURES OF sulphuric acid.
Unfortunately. If all the sulphur burr.
cd at Butte ana salt Lake City were
converted into sulphuric acid no one
would know what 90 do with the acid
a fourth expedience Is the perform
ance OF the desulphulizatlOn at places
whore no one would object There Is
talk HOW Of erecting roasting furnaces
In Bingham canyon, where the sui
phur would be no particular nuisance
However, that would be only a par
tlal solution ~ the problem and would
not help the ease Of the large ore
supply from outside districts. which
some OF the smrlters Of the Salt Lake
valley receive. all Of thopl with the
exception Of The Utah Consolidated,
having become substantially custom
plants. as the works OF the American
Smelling and refining company and
III cUnited states dlelting company
are essentially The ideal solution IL
the employment Of the sulphurous gas
FOR some useful netallurgica purpose
Tine question IL ono which VIII deeply
engage the attention at metailurglsts
IN America The fret stem IL 10 study
carefully the elaborate investigations
made IN Europe. as 20 which there is
O considerable literature