The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1917-05-17

been my assistant, practically since
the beginning of the construction of
the plant in 1897. That was my first
association with Janney.
You went to Salt Lake?
No. Clement had resigned; and I
went at his suggestion as consulting
engineer to design mill and process
for some mines at Republic. Wash
ington. Clement had known some-
thing about these mines, and thought
they had pretty good prospects.
Was Clement connected with these
mines at Republic?
No, but his friends Volney Will
Hanson and Patsy Clark. of Spokane,
were. However, before | went there,
they had sold out the larger part, il
not all. OF their interests In the Re-
public mines to some Canadian people,
Clarence McCuaig and other capital
lists. I was employed by McCuaig
and A. A. Aver, Of Montreal, to 60 to
Republic and design a bigger plant
than the one they had there, and a
more economical one, which l did. Up
to that time they had been using
small mill employing the Peletan-
Clericl process. l sent my metallurg-
list, Herbert Fox. to Republic in the
latter part of 1899. and he worked out
most of the metallurgical data, SO
that when I went there in 1900, we
were pretty well prepared to go
ahead. We built 250-ton mill that
year. and started it In the winter,
running it the better part of the next
year 1t did economical work and
made good recoveries, but the ore de-
velopments and reserves were not up
to expectations, so the mill had to
close down late in 1901.
What did you do then?
I went back to Colorado again as
consulting engineer for the United
States Reduction & Refining company
under engagement by my old friend
MacNeil.
You mean consulting metallurgist?
No. the title was consulting engin-
Gel was SCttlllS out VI Zig lcCllul-
cal metalurgy and more into engin-
eering and construction lines.
AS | have said, went back to Colo
RADIO, and about that time the United
States Reduction and Refining com
pany gave its attention to the util-
zation of low grade lead and zinc ores
more particularly from the LeadvilIe
district, as employed in making zinc
lead pigment at Canon City; and they
sent me there to look into f. L. Bart
let's plant. The result of that ex-
animation was that the u. 8. Reduc-
ton and Refining company purchased
the Canon City pigment plant and
sent me to rebuild and operate It.
stayed there during 1902 and 1903,
and we developed the business to
profitable condition. 1t would have
continued to be profitable for long
time but for the fact that metallurgy
was developing more rapidly In other
ines.
TO what do you refer?
The electro magnetic separation of
zinc and lead ores had commenced to
interest people in the west; instead
of the Canon City plant being able
to get such ores practically on q lead
basis. whereby they paid for
the lead while the zinc was penaliZed,
1t found Itself having to compete with
people not only willing to take mixed
ores without penalizlng them, but be-
ginning to pay something for the
zinc, using the Wetherill process. The
Empire Zinc company in the mean
time had built an experimental plant
at Canon City and was buying ores;
and other plants grew up in Colorado
of similar kind, or at least designed
to dos the same thing, SO that event.
ually they put the Canon City pig
ment plant out of business-but not
until some time after had left 1t.
Continued next weekly