The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1916-08-03
ANACONDA ZINC PLANT
TO START AUGUST 10
COMPANY OFFICIALS TO WITNESS
STARTING THE GREAT
FALLS REFINERY.
(Anaconda Standard)

zinc Fei1HeIy dI SiSdl dis Will De
put into operation. This is nearly
month earlier than the date set for
starting when ground for the new
plant was broken last year.
When Vice Presidents Kelley and
Thayer visited the Great Falls plant
on May % they were greatly pleased
with the progress that had been made
and orders were given at that time to
use every available man and get the
plant ready for operating at the ear
Hest possible moment
In June there were $500 men all
told on the payrolls at the Boston &
Montana reduction department, and
this was the largest number of men
that has ever been employed at one
time there.
The electrolytic and rooster depart
ments of the zinc refinery are almost
finished now and within two weeks
everything will be in readiness to start
operations at the greatest zinc refinery
in the world It will have capacity
of 100000 pounds of zinc per month,
and the fact that this zinc will be Of
that high grade and purity that it is in
great demand now will add materially
to the value of getting this new de-
partment into operation.
BY August 5.
The 2000-ton concentrating plant at
the Washoe smelter at Anaconda is
almost finished, and it is planned to
have 1t ready to operate by August 5.
party of men prominent in the mining
world are making arrangements to be
present on that date and witness the
starting up of the concentrator, and
they will go to Great Falls on August
10 to watch the starting of the refin-
cry. The completion of this work will
place the Anaconda company among
the foremost producers of zinc in the
United States. The company will have
the advantage Of owning and operat-
ing not only the zinc mines, but the
mills, plant COMMENTATORS and REIN
cries and the selling agency to put the
finished product out to the manufact-
urers The zinc refinery at Great
Falls is one of the largest buildings
under one roof in the entire west. 1t
is of mill construction and in 1t are
located the electrolytic tanks in which
the zinc Is made. 1t is located in the
same district as the big copper refin-
cry that was completed and put into
operation some months ago, and which
has a capacity of 100000 pounds of
refined copper per month.
The development of the electrolytic
process for manufacturing zinc and
bringing it to a point where it could
be used commercially and at profit
was one of the great achievements Of
the Anaconda Copper Mining COM
pany. An experimental plant was
built at Anaconda and put into oper-
alton on october of last year. Three
oil-fired melting pots were used, with
a capacity of 10 to IL tons. The cleo
trolytic process devised was very sim
liar to that used in refining copper.
This experimental plant was enlarg-
ed and improved and the process prov
ed so successful that the directors OF
the Anaconda company decided to put
up refinery at Great Falls with ca
pacity of from 60,O00,00O to SO,OOO,OOO
-
Work was started ON this before the
copper refinery was put into operation
the first of this year.
With the operation of both the zinc
concentration at Anaconda end the re-
finery at Great Falls, the zinc produc-
ing mines of the company, which IN
clude the Poulin, Lexington, Emma
Gray Rock and Alice in Butte, and
the Douglas mine in Idaho, recently
taken under option by the Anaconda
company will be called upon to sup
ply 1000 tons of ore per day and 1t
is probable they will all be operated
with a full force of men.
The Pioneer Company.
The Anaconda company is practic-
ally the only company in the world
in a position to give the new zinc
process a fair trial. AMI it was able to
do this through it's control 1T vast
quantities of power, which are re-
auired in the manufacture OF this
high grade zinc.
The process at the ne" TIC plant
will be as follows: The zinc ores first
will go to the roasting plant. where the
zinc suiphides will be converted into
oxides and sulphates. The calcium
from this goes to the teaching plant
and the zinc is dissolved in a solution
of sulphuric acid The solution II
subjected to publication treatment.
The pure zinc sulphate solution goes
into the electrolytic cells and there Il
taken on to the sheets. The residue
from the teaching operation contains
lead silver, gold and copper and Il
sent to the smelter for treatment. TIL
general features of the process ar
old The zinc Is cast into cakes Il
molds and is 1919 per cent pure zinc
It is the finest grade of zinc manu-
featured and is used in making higl
ie of at1ah ntIrifv tina