The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1915-11-04
Future of American Zinc Industry.
| loo to ZOO tons weekly.
lotto Ruhl in Mining world)

The rapid increase In demand for
brass special spelter soon used stocks
Of high grade concentrates held by
most Of the smelling concerns, and
caused those whose products had been
confined to ordinary grades from mix
ed and low grade. concentrates, to
change their practice to turning out a
better quality of spelter. Some smelt-
ers that had been taking large ton
nages of low grade concentrates re-
stricted their contracts to the mini
mum, accumulated product in stock
piles, and began the purchase of high
Iture of speter suitable for brass maxi
ing This action again was reflected
In the Joplin district by an increased
demand, and prices began to soar
above the 800 level.
In addition to the desire for high
grade concentrates for making a good
brand of spelter, the desire for maxi
mum capacity on the part of the smell
ters led to the increased demand for
Joplin go per cent zinc concentrates.
A zinc silicate or carbonate product
able, while a sulphide carrying less
than so per cent Is not being sought.
Thus while many western mines cap
able of producing large tonnage of
40 to SO per cent zinc concentrates
were finding that they could not mar
ket their product, the demand upon
the Joplin district was constantly in
creasing
Responding to this demand, the
Joplin district during the first six
months of 1915 has shown a weekly
production of $3.50 tons of zinc con-
centrates, equivalent to $4,000 tons
annually OF this nine tenths is sui
phide that will average 81 per cent
zinc, and the remainder calamine that
will average 40 per cent. This shows
an increase of approximately 20 per
cent in output for the half year. It Is
creased demand and prices is just now
at the point where 1t is being mos
felt, and the results are certain to be
made more manifest In the second half
of the year
Practically all the mines in the sheet
ground that are normally classed as
going concerns at normal prices of $40
to $45 for concentrates, are now work
ing at full capacity. Every soft
ground property capable of production
lat normal prices is also working "a
full capacity When 1t became GER
tain that the period of high prices had
come to stay for the period at least
of the war those sheet ground mines
previously mentioned as Colossal fail
ures," but now potential profit makers
received attention. They are begin
ming to show in the production coll
umns, and before the year ends there
will be much larger list of active
properties of this class. Their life, of
course. will be confined to the period
of high prices
The early demands for ore naturally
fell to the Joplin district, and other
districts suffered neglect except where
ores were contracted The operating
mines of Idaho, Montana and Colo
RADIO pressed their outputs to the
maximum, but the restrictions on low
grade ore purchases were so severe as
to discourage idle western mines from
reopening where they were not able to
produce at least so per cent zinc con-
centrates, Wisconsin with it's concen-
trates carrying heavy iron pyrites,
sent its products to magnetic separat-
ing plants to eliminate the iron and
raise the zinc content, and this ten
dency has caused the erection of q
number of such plants and increased
the capacity of the old ones in that
field and has permanently placed 1t in
the class Of high grade camps. But
throughout the country the interest In
zinc mining is intense and there is I'M
der way potential production of zinc
ore that promises surprising tonnages
before many months.
Smelling Conditions.
Zinc smelling showed just as much
activity as mining. Idle and aban-
doned smelters have taken on new
lease of life under the stimulus of 10
to 25 per cent spelter, and every sta
tistician in the country has been GO
ing round in circles trying to revise
his tables of smelling capacity to fit
the daily advices of reopened plants
new additions and announcements OF
entirely new plants. According to the
survey C. f. Siebenthal es-
Inmates the zinc retorts in commission
at 1S0642 on June 3d. as contrasted
with 1924 on December 81, 1914, or
an actual increase of Is per cent. From
the production tables, however, II APP
pears the output of spelter for the
first six months of 1915 was 216,5S2
tons as compared with 1891 tons the
previous six months, an Increase of 81
per cent in the metal Siebenthal alsc
reports under construction or planned
FOR early construction 34,04S additional
retorts. This means an increase of
retort capacity of practically 80 per
cent by the end of 1915 OF this large
Increase In the retort capacity II |
mist he renpmharad TINT n vary la rs,