The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1917-03-22


zinc market. Producers have as
played anxiety to sell whenever quo
tations showed an upward tendency.
Early In January offers of the metal
we're made at figures so low that buy
ers treated them with suspicion. Oh
January 10 1t was stated that broK-
er offered January delivery at 9,2b,
February at Q, and March at S.75c.,
81 Louis. and more zine was FORTH
coming at those prices than was
wanted. The next day selling was
still more active, causing a decline OF
n l,c, and the offerings were maze
openly by a firm with alleged German
affiliations. II was suspected that the
German interests were seeking to un-
load at advantageous prices; but the
New York brokers were evidently on
the wrong scent. A shrewder APP
proximation to the truth was gained
in the conclusion of our correspondent
4 from analysis of market conditions,
that Joplin ore-now quoted around
500 per TOMS not fixing the price OF
zinc. but zinc is fixing the price OF
the ore. The virtual retirement from
the market of one heavy buyer of ore
hnd concentrate would suffice TO bring
about the conditions existing. ltSbe-
n came known at this time that the
United States Steel corporation was
seeking zinc material for its smelter
at Donora, in Pennsylvania The
building OF this battery of furnaces
with d total of 1920 retorts was one
OF the metalurgical surprises OF 19l5-
1915. The plant was more solidly con-
structed than are zinc furnaces gem
orally. the erection was an example
az the CELEBRITY characteristic OF the
housing of war brides. Ground was
broken on October 90 1915, and the
fires were lighted on March 81 1915,
Here was a brand new smelling ca
pacity Of 100000 tons of ore, or nearly
10000 tons Of metal per annum, sud
denly added to the country's zine pro-
ducing equipment. The threat Of an
Invasion of the spelter market by An
aconda, with designs to meet post
bellum price of sc per pound even u
e,ectralytie zinc should then fail to
command a premium for purity, had
not been taken seriously enough to
affect the situation. Butte 4 Super
ior Was "a more disturbing element.
The United States Steel has recently
been negotiating with that company
for zinc concentrate. 1t may seem
like a long haul, but it is no more sur
prising than the solution ultimately
reached for supplying the retorts at
Donora. The Butte & Superior, how
ever was involved in other plans Or
isinally it's output was contracted to
the American Metal company, which
ii the representative in this country
oil the Metallgesellschaft of Frank
fort This contract called for a GER
tain minimum output, and conceded
an option on the maximum. Failure
to exercise the option set the Butte 4
Superior free to deal with the United
States Steel If 1t chose, but instead
OF so doing II is now understood that
II has contracted its excess product,
amounting to over 100000 tons an
nllally, to the American Zinc Lead 4
Smelling company, controlled by the
same interests as the Butte X Su-
perior. Not only was this concern
contemplating expansion of its own,
which precluded the sale of concen-
trate to the United States Steel, but
il had taken options on 1900 acres Of
land in southeastern Kansas directly
north of the Eagle Picher company's
ground in Oklahoma. A subsidiary
organized under the name of the Mi
ami Zinc syndicate has been keeping
II churn drills busy testing that field
for several months.
No other large tonnage of zinc ore
or concentrate being available for the
Donora smelter. the unexpected has
happened. The United States Steel
Products company. a subsidiary of
the Steel corporation, has been i'm
porting large quantities of zine con-
centrate from Australia for the past
three months. One consignment of
over 5000 tons passed through San
Francisco last week. At this rate it
WOULD appear that practically the to-
tai capacity of the smelter can be sup
piled from that source. The Broker,
Hill concentrate averages about AZ per
cent zinc Thus the estimated annual
output of 10000 tons of spelter would
be slightly exceeded by the average
Of 5000 tons per month now coming
forward The disturbing factor in
the eastern zine market is hereby
largely explained. Joplin was count
ing on an expected demand that had
been eliminated, No one would have
suspected Australia of entering tie
American field as Il competitor of the
Mississippi valley zine districts, es-
pecially With ocean freignts soaring
to such unprecedented heights, but Il
great corporation can overcome the
obstacles thai are insuperable 10 the
smaller fry. Moreover, the possibili-
ties Of reducing the cost OF 5000
mile haul across the continent after
the Union Steamship company of New
Zealand had landed its cargo at SaE
y,ntcon p,ivbt baNn failad az an