American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1907-10-05
ELECTRIC SHELTER
TO COST $35O,OOO
Practically Assured, Says the
Pocatello Tribune.
Will Be Located Here and Utilize Our
Great Electric Power--Advantaxes
Of Electric Process Over
Blast Furnaces.

In its issue Of Monday the Pocatello
Tribune has the following TO say re-
garding the Electric Smelter to be
built at American Falls by the owners
of the so, 900 horse power here:
1T is practically assured that this
electric smelter. ]. H. Brady, whose
irrigation and power enterprises have
contributed largely TO the growth of
Bannock, Bingham and Oneida eoun-
ties, has for more than a year given
serious attention 70 smelling by cleo
tricity. He has visited some of the
successful electric smelling plants and
has consulted with many experts as to
the feasibility of erecting such plant
here.
While no definite plan has as yet
been adopted, it is intended 10 build an
electric smelter at some point that can
be readily reached from the various
wealthy mining sections of Southern
Idaho. There is every assurance of
adequate power for the operation and
maintenance of a plant with a capacity
of 1000 tons a day. The construction
and machinery Of a smelter of this ca
pscity would entail an expenditure of
about $3.50. 900. The smelter would
+ furnish employment to large number
Of men and enable mining operators to
reduce their crude ores to saleabIe pro-
ducts at cost considerably less than is
required in the present blast furnace
method. In addition. an electric smell
ter would provide valuable by-products
of sulphur and sulphurous acid. 1t is
also possible to produce Stag forma-
tigas that would ee available for first
class Portland cement.
Some idea of the process and its
+ advantages can be gained from the fol-
lowing interview with a prominent
mining expert, who is ar authority on
electric smelling:
COST AND OPERATION.
The cost of plant capable of smelt-
ing 1000 tons of ore per day in, say,
5O-ton units. will probably not exceed
f $3.50. 600: whereas a blast smelling
plant of the same capacity would cost
about $500. 600. in both cases using
+ Salt Lake prices for material and con-
struction, The exact power consump-
+ tion in E. H. P. hours required to smelt
one ton of ore depends upon the pro-
cess used. It's, however. conserva-
4 lively estimated at about two-thirds
the coke cost of smelling one ton of ore
by present blast methods: basis. Salt
Lake coke prices, one very important
factor being the absence in electric
I smelling of enormous sums continuity
tied up in coke reserves.
NO SMOKE Or FUMg NUISANCE.
''Curiously enough, the electric
f smelter minimizes the smoke or fume
nuisance. In the blast furnace the
exit gases contain from , to per cent
( tby volume) sulphurous acid gas and
the ore roasters from to s per cent.
In both cases this PERCENTAGE is low
/ for economic recovery of this valuable
MATERIAL either as sulphur or sulphur
Gus acid. The electric smelter will
produce matter for converter treat
ment with practically no suiphurous
acid gas fumes and the converter pro-
cess will produce gases rich enough to
recover prohtsbly.
CEMENT BI-pgoDUcT.
The electric smelter has no such
thing as fiue dust, the bane of the
blast furnace smelter, nor will the loss
of silver and gold in arsenical. anti
monial, or zincy ores amount to an APP
preciable factor. Also. the compost
tien of a charge may be so regulated
that the resulting Stag will be available
/ for first class Portland cement as has
been amply demonstrated on basis of
several thousand barrels daily at Joliet,
Illinois. That is, low, iron Stag may
be regularly produced with no danger
of freezing up, 'scaffolding. etc.
METHOD OF SMELLING.
Electric smelling consists simply
in using the current for the melting of
ore, entirely by resistance or arc ap-
plications. The crude ore is melted
and the valuable contents. such Is lead
OF copper sulphides, including silver
and gold. being Of higher specific
gravity than the molten gangue rock.
b separated in forehearth. precisely
- the process is now performed in the
ordinary blast fnnace. It is essential