The copper era. (Clifton, Graham County, Ariz.) 1899-1911, 1910-06-17
smeIter Fumes Question Solved in Butte.

/ Boston Commercially
/ Butte, Month view Of the fact
that the United States government
has brought suit against the Washoe
and Anaconda companies to compel
them to install some smoke consum-
ing device at the Washoe smeIter
and thereby solve the smelter smoke
problem, it is interesting to note that
the Balaklala Copper company of
California, announces that the Cot
! trell fume controlling device has
proven successful after extended and
thorough tests, and that it will at
once be installed at the Coram
smelter. The Cottrell device, it is
stated, will eliminate all the damag
ing elements from the smelter smoke,
and will meet all objections of the
farmers.
Thus far the Washoe officials have
been unable to find anything that
will meet the requirements at the
Washoe smelter, although hundreds
of thousands of dollars have been eX-
pended in experiments by some Of
the most noted scientists of America
and Europe. However, the farmers
in the agricultural department at
Washington do not agree with these
experts and scientists, and say it is
possible to remedy the evil complain
ed of by the farmers in the Deer
Lodge Valley, and that the smelling
companies must provide the remedy.
The agricultural department seems
to have taken an unusual interest in
the Washoe smelter smoke contro
versy. and has published an extended
report on its investigations OF the
subject. Ti flcfe nr statements
contained in the rep .rt. are practi-
cally those that were introduced in
evidence at the injunction hearing
before Judge Hunt of the federal
court, held in Butte, several years
ago. The testimony of the experts
of the agricultural department and
other witnesses for the prosecution,
was Offset by other expert witnesses
and the court decided that case in
favor of the smelling company Re
Gently, however, the government in
stituted an action against the smelt-
ing company to compel it to install
some smoke and fumes consuming APP
paratus at the smelter, and the suit
was followed by the published report
of the agricultural department.
The department. expert says that
during his Investigations in the Deer
Lodge valley he visited twenty-Oue
ranches near the smelter region, and
his expressed opinions are strong on
the bad effects of the smoke on ami
mails, grasses, forests and soil.
"Animal and plant life have both
succumbed to the smelter's baneful
influence" says the report. "Own-
ers of live stock have suffered such
losses among animals and forage that
stock raising has had to be decreased
or even abandoned No region ad-
jacent to the smelte- is exempt from
the blighting effects of the fume-
laden atmosphere upon vegetation,
forest, and all forms of animal life.'
The report further says the losses
sustained bear a ratio to the amount
of ore handled by the smelter, and
that vast fields of grass are allowed
to die away without cutting because
of its contamination by arsenic from
the smelters. The department eX-
pert claims that from 1902 to 1906
total of 2,O24 cattle in the valley
died because of the effects of the
fumes, and that one stockuan alone,
living twelve miles from the smelter,
lost in 1903, 1Ol cattle, 81 horses and
800 sheep. This man estimated his
total losses from smelters at S3f, 5S2
during last year.