Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-03-31
Counsel Go Back to Their College
Laboratory Days in the
Smelter Case.
BAG HOUSE INTEREST CENTER
Attorneys and Witnesses Revert
To Class Room Memories
To Uphold Theory.
Interesting Session Under Way in
Connection With the Modification
OF the Present Decree.

As interesting as day back in the
chemistry laboratory is the discussion
going on today before L. S Judge Jno. A.
Marshall. Two eminent attorneys back
ed by Managing Director Holden OF
the United States Smelling Refining &
Mining company, are matched against
two more attorneys. equally eminent.
and backed by Prof. w. c. Ebaugh,
head OF the chemistry department OF
the University of Utah
The two groups are asking each 9th
err the law of gases, the nature of at
mospheric composition the manner of
diffusion of gases in the atmosphere.
the chemical composition OF various
gases under consideration and a thou
sand other questions that belong to
the secrets of the laboratory.
Not all the wise words OF the law
yers are furnished them by the scient-
lists at their elbows The lawyers ara
college men. So are their witnesses, and
in the effort to prove that sulphur di-
oxide gas, in such quantities as the u.
:. smelter will send Il OFF IL modi-
flcation OF the present decree is allow
ed, all parties revert to class room
memories.
OLD MEMORIES.
Don't you remember in the labor
atorS','' asked Atty. Joseph Rawlins
of witness. that the professor pour
ed pitcher Of invisible carbon d-
oxide upon set of scales and that
the scales lowered, So that the gas
could be weighed. aud that it was
several hours before the scales righted
themselves. thus showing that diffu-
| sion of the heavier gas occurred very
| slowly"
| The question was addressed TO a
| witness for the other side, which
seeks to prove that tho law of diffu-
sion makes sulphur gas harmless, and
| the answer was framed accordingly.
| NO indeed, my memory Is quite
| the contrary. Tho professor poured
| the gas out Oh enc scales, and they
dipped down, showing that II WAS
heavier than the air, but they righted
themselves before the lecture was fin
lshed."
Judge Marshall was a keen listener
IN the expert testimony on affairs of
chemistry this morning. He watched
The witnesses much more closely than
is his custom. and his face betrayed
his interest instead of the usual pla-
cidity of countenance with which he
conducts most of the cases before him.
JUDGB TAKES A HAND.
Sometimes when witnesses we're
| naked with lawyers In the most TECH
| nical kind Of questi Ions. he put in one
| of his own TO bring out the response
that seemed to be the one that they
were seeking to arrive IT.
The application of the United States
smelter to get new lease on lie OH
account OF the construction Of a bag
house at it's plant, was carried through
another day of severe fighting, and
II is evident that the farmers regard
the application as one that win undo
all of their previous work TO have the
smoke problem solved. Judge Will
liam II. King led IN the examination
of witnesses today FOR the farmers.
while County Commissioner John Z.
Mackay, chairman OF the farmers COM
mittee, was at his side, and took a
keen interest in the testimony.
MIR. NLACKAYs SIDE.
When asked for his view of the pres
ent case. and TO state why the COM
mittee was opposing the move so de-
cidedly, Mr.. Mackay declared that the
bag house was mere delusion In that
Il was the sulphur gas as sulphur diox-
Idle which did most OF the damage
especially at some distance from tho
smelters, and that the bag house did
not IN the least prevent the escape OF
this gas but increased IL. since IL was
constructed, with the new roasters. TO
prevent the formation OF the sulphur
ic acid within the plant, leaving II TO
be later made in the trees and Vegeta-
ton OF the outlying farms.
MR. HOLDEN is PRANK.
Managing Director Holden OF tho
United States smelter was asked for
"a ThiG fAoitag nd 10. A
clared that the smelter had frankly
admitted In its petition IT'S inability Ia
control the sulphur dloxide through the
bag house, aud that Il was freely ad-
United that this gas would escape un-
restricted. we do claim" however
forms of sulphur except the dioxide.
and all arsenic lead and copper dust"
This makes the turning point OF tho
case on the Possibilities % sulphur diox-
ide 10 do damage, as there In no contest
over the fact that Il Is thrown OH into
the Atmosphere. This morning ths ties
timony was 10 show the impossibllity,
or possibility. according the leads in
REORGANIZATION followed by the two
sides respectively. OF one part OF sui
phur dioNide In 1000, 600 parts OF air, 10
settle on "A plant and destroy Il. The
winds prevailing around the smelter
were figured upon and submitted IN evil
dence. one side thus hoping 10 show
that they we've too frequent 10 permit
damage from tho sulphur gas and the
other TO show that In spite Of them,
damage would still result.
EXPERIMENTER TEsTIFlEs.
The nrst witness OF the day was Mr..
Spragle. whom the smelter advanced
as the eHperimenter, through whose
work science had been made 10 ad-
vance. and whose inventions and dis
coveries had heen the cause through
which the anielter could now come I'M
"a court saying that ways We're known
to control smoke and fumes that were
not known when the decree " Judge
Marshall was entered,
Mr. Sprague outlined the nature OF
the experiments with the bag house and
told OF tho fact that II solved problems
which could not he solved bafor1 II was
erected He was positive IN stating that
the American smelter used no such de
vice on us smoke, and told OF patents
now pending on features of the bag
house.
Judge Howatt for The smelter and