The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-12-23
SHELTER WAR
IS THREATENED
American Smelling Co. Has a
Fight on Its Hands in Cole
Ryan Enterprise.

The ROckefellers have sold out all OF
their holdings in the American Smelt-
ing Refining company and have taken
stock in the new combination. smelt-
ers' war of big proportions appears inn
minent, says the Boston News Bureau.
The recent failure of the Guggenheim
interests to make a satisfactory smelling
charge to the Utah Consolidated was an
incident which has fastened the deter
mination of the Amalgamated and Cole
Ryan interests to organize a company
which would be absolutely independent
in every way of the American Smelling
ton has not been hastily conceived; it
has beeen under consideration for some
months.
The Cole-Ryan people, backed by the
experience gained in the operation of the
WashOe plant of the Anaconda Copper
company, the largest in the world; in the
operation of the Boston & Montana smelt-
-er at Great Falls. and in the rejuvenated
smelter at the Greene-Cananea property,
claim that they have a call on the tai
ents of the best smelter and metallur-
gical men in the business There are
few if any men in smelling who stand
on a par with Mr.. Matthewson of the
Washoe plant. and L. D. Ricketts,, who
built the Old Dominion smelter and is
now in charge of the Greene Cananea
company's plant in Mexico. These men
will associate themselves with the new
company now forming.
The American Smelling & Refining COM
pany, by reason of its eXtOrtionate and
autocratic business methods, has for years
been the object of bitter hatred on the
part of the independent copper, lead and
silver producers who were obliged. by
virtue of necessity, TO send their ores
to the Guggenheims and to accept with
out recourse any settlement which the
smelter trust might demand.
We have knowledge of one incident
which illustrates in some degree the
methods of the American Smelling &
rD..ecw4s
per producer in the Butte camp was
shipping his ores to the Washoe smelter,
where was levied a treatment charge OF
$3.50 per ton The Washoe Smelter peo-
them on this contract Of at least So per
ton. When it became necessary for the
Washoe plant to refuse all but the ores
of the Amalgamated companies. the in
dependent producer above referred to was
compelled to transfer his ore shipments
to the Helena plant of the American
& Refining company. 1t Is a
matter of record that the GuggenheimS
on these particular shipments,
q treatment charge of no less than $21.75
per ton.
Many incidents along the same line
might be reviewed TO demonstrate how
smelling field for the investment of new
and competitive capital Many indepen-
dent producers. who have hong been
obliged to subject themselves to the tyr
amy of the American Smelling & Re
timing company, are enthusiastic regard
ing the possibilities of fair treatment in
the future at the hands of the new
company
1t cannot be denied that there has been
in evidence diSintegration in the bust
lress of the American Smelling & Refin-
ing company Its operating forces arc
lacking in harmonious cooperation; there
are internal jealousies, and the difficult
ties at the 100000 Garfield smelter-the
of the American SHELTERS Sc
curities company-have done not a little
still further to create a spirit of distrust
among the Guggenheim officials them
selves. Incidentally it may be said that
he Guggenheims not long ago appealed
% the Amalgamated Copper company tc
allow Mr.. Matthewson at Anaconda to
make a visit to the Garfield plant and
ell the Guggenheims what the trouble