The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1915-06-10
MUCHATTENT|ON BEING GIVEN SMELLING
Of COEUR D'ALEHE ORE IN DISTRICT
PROGRESS BEING IN NEW PROCESS BY THE BUNKER
ALL coMPANY-BuslNEss BOTH LEAD AND ZINC
sMELrERs-oF GREAT BENEFIT DISTRICT
ing the past few weeks there hass :

hean much discussion of the question
of smelling Occur d'Alene ores IN lht
district. 1t is known that within the
past year several of the large mlhms
companies have gone into the suo1ec'
thoroughly, having the advice OF eX-
perienced smelter men, and the result
of their Investigations have left ne
doubt that the smelling of the silver
lead ores of the district is perfectly
feasible and that 1t would result in a
large saving in the matter of freight
and treatment charges over the most
favorable contracts that can be mace
with the distant smelters. The difti-
culties that formerly acted as a bar
rjer to the operation of reduction
works here have to great extent been
overcome through the discovery and
adoption of improved metallurg1caf
methods and the chief obstacle that
now seems to stand in the way OF a
home smelter Is the large initial In
yestment for the erection of an ace
ouate plant and the equally large sur
plus necessary to insure its successful
and profitable operation. This could
without doubt be overcome, particu-
larly If several companies united in the
enterprise, but even then there would
still be a measure of uncertainty as 10
its success, which taken in connection
with the enormous capital invested,
i i,{n Act o1 no 10
disposed to bear the ills they have
rather than fly to those they know not
of. But the time will come, and 1t
may not be long either, when the sii-
ver-lead ores of the district Will be
smelted here thus saving the heavy
freight charges and establishing an
other branch of the mining Industry
here that will give employment to a
large number of men and contribute
to the general prosperity,
The Bunker Hill Method.
Again there may before long be
complete revolution in the methods of
ore reduction. and the difficulties and
doubts that now stand in the way Of a
smelter may vanish entirely. While ne
official announcement has lately been
made, it is nevertheless known that
steady progress is being achieved by
the Bunker Hill & Sullivan company
in adapting the electro-chemical pro-
cess with which it has long been eX-
perimenting to commercial use. Hav
ing proved the process long ago in lab
oratory tests, in which all metallic con-
tents of the ore was recovered, efforts
in the treatment of ores on large
scale with most encouraging success
President Bradley, of the Bunker Hill
company, who Is noted for measuring
his words before they pass his lips
has publicly predicted the complete
success of the process, to be followed
by a great plant for the reduction of
Bunker Hill ores. This would mean
trict would. be treated by the same
process and in fact complete revo-
luton of the smelling system of Coeur
d'Alene ores. The Bunker Hill & Sui |
livan company has devoted much time
and money to the development of this
process and is still doing so, and Its
success on commercial scale seems |
now only matter of time
Smelling Zinc Ore.
When ex-senator Clark, of Montana |
few years ago began the develop |
bent of his famous Sunset property, 1t !
was stated by parties in close touch |
with the senator that his plans con-
templated the erection of a smelter at |
some point on Beaver creek or the /
North Fork for the treatment of his |
own ores, In the event that the ore
bodies proved equal to his expecta'
tions. In one respect at least the MINIS
has not developed in accordance with
his expectations, and that is in the /
character of the ore, for zinc appears
to predominate over the lead and
will no doubt be more pronounced at
greater depth. OF course the Sunset
is long way from needing smelter
now, but there are now in that section i
properties already furnishing large
tonnage to zinc smelters and all over
the district zinc is coming to be big
factor in the mineral output. Practi- i
cally all the zinc smelling plants are
located in Kansas, Oklahoma, Illinois
and the far east. Why not save this I
long haul and expense by reducing the
zinc ore to spelter right here in the
district? If Senator Clark was plan
ming to build lead smelter to treat
the ores from his own mine. why
would he not be disposed to build
zinc smelter even little in advance of
his own requirements? or course there
may be obstacles in the way that can
not for the present be overcome, but
tn the layman II does seem that some
plsn could be worked out that would
make It more profitable to smelt the
zinc ore here than to ship It two or /