Smelters In Utah

Utah Smelters and Their Daily Output Daily Tonnage

Efficiency rather than expansion was the policy of the smelting Industry for the year 1911, and the coming year starts with the greatest daily capacity that the State has ever known. As a result of the low price of metals that prevailed during the year and the lack of high grade shipments, the various ore treating concerns of the state naturally turned to increasing the low-grade tonnages. Consequently, efficiency in every detail was sought. At no time in the history of smelting in Utah has greater progress been made in the four large plants which are now running. Their advance in metallurgy has done more to aid the mine operator than anything that has happened in years. In order to bring out the low-grade ores the smelters have reduced treatment charges to a great extent, the railroads have assisted by granting rates on low grade ores, and other conditions have been brought about which are fast making Utah the center of the smelting industry of the west. Although there was little expansion and new building done by the various smelters during the year, Utah's daily smelter capacity was increased over 1,000 tons a day. The state now boasts of being able to care for 12,950 tons of ore a day. With a higher price for copper, and a relatively higher price for the other metals, nearly every smeller in the state would be running.

Out of nine smelters only four worked throughout the year. They were the Garfield and Murray plants of the American Smelting & Refining company, the United States plant at Midvale and the International smelter at Tooele. The Yampa smelter closed down in 1909, and the year before the Tintic smelter closed. Neither of these plants have been started since. With the return of activity in the mining industry they also would be running. The four smelters that are now running are capable of taking care of 10,300 tons of ore a day.

Every plant that was operated during the year greatly added to its efficiency. The metallurgical problems have been smoothed out in a way that will add greatly to the income of the smelters during the coming year. New machinery has been put in in various places so as to cut down expenses, and a hundred and one little details were perfected. Although the earning power of the smelters for the year was not as great as during the previous year, it has resulted in greater prosperity for the miners through the work of the smelters and the railroads to a great extent, the number of dividend payers of the state was increased from 14 in 1910 to 19 in 1911, and the amount of money distributed to stockholders was also greatly increased.

Smelters operating in 1913 included the American Smelting and Refining plants at Garfield and Murray, the International plant at Tooele, and the United States Smelting and Refining plant at Midvale.

Equipment in 1913 at the American Smelting and Refining copper smelter at Garfield (owned by Garfield Smelting Company, a subsidiary of American Smelters Securities) included: 16 miles of standard gauge track; five 6-ton general Electric locomotives; three 3-ton general Electric locomotives; four other General Electric locomotives; one Browning 15-ton locomotive crane; two bay City 15-ton locomotive cranes; two American 26-ton saddle tank locomotives; and one American 45-ton saddle tank locomotive. (Wegg, p. 114)

Equipment in 1913 at the International smelter in Tooele included four 12-ton electric locomotives. (Wegg, p. 111)

Equipment in 1913 at the United States smelter at Midvale included: four 10-ton electric locomotives used at the lead blast furnace, possibly operating on 6-foot gauge track. (Wegg, p. 109) United States Mining shipped 78,165 tons of lead ore to their Midvale lead smelter during 1913, along with shipping 123,757 tons of copper ore to the other smelters. (Wegg, p. 49)

Although ores from Bingham were the focus of smelters by this time, other metal ores were coming to the smelters from other mining districts, and were mainly used to balance the metallurgy of the smelting process. The Salt Lake and Alta Railroad was completed between Sandy and Wasatch, at the mouth of Little Cottonwood canyon in November 1913, to transport the Alta district ores to the smelters. (Wegg, p. 69)