Lead Smelting and Refining, With Some Notes on Lead Mining — John Shaqi
Lead Smelting and Refining, With Some Notes on Lead Mining
Science
Lead Smelting and Refining, With Some Notes on Lead Mining
Lead -- Metallurgy; Lead mines and mining
_Southeastern Missouri._—The most of the lead produced in this region
comes from what is called the disseminated district, comprising
the mines of Bonne Terre, Flat River, Doe Run, Mine la Motte and
Fredericktown, of which those of Bonne Terre and Flat River are the
most important. The ore of this region is a magnesian limestone
impregnated with galena. The deposits lie nearly flat and are very
large. They yield about 5 per cent. of mineral, which assays about 65
per cent. lead. The low grade of the ore is the only disadvantage which
this district has, but this is so much more than offset by the numerous
advantages, that mining is conducted very profitably, and it is an open
question whether lead can be produced more cheaply here or in the Cœur
d’Alene. The mines of southeastern Missouri are only 60 to 100 miles
distant from St. Louis, and are in close proximity to the coalfields
of southern Illinois, which afford cheap fuel. The ore lies at depths
of only 100 to 500 ft. below the surface. The ground stands admirably,
without any timbering. Labor and supplies are comparatively cheap.
Mining and milling can be done for $1.05 to $1.25 per ton of crude ore,
when conducted on the large scale that is common in this district.
Most of the mining companies are equipped to smelt their own ore, the
smelters being either at the mines or near St. Louis. The freight rate
on concentrates to St. Louis is $1.40 per ton; on pig lead it is $2.10
per ton. The total cost of producing pig lead, delivered at St. Louis,
is about 2.25c. per pound, not allowing for interest on the investment,
amortization, etc.
The production of the mines in the disseminated district in 1901 was
equivalent to 46,657 tons of pig lead; in 1902 it was 56,550 tons. The
milling capacity of the district is about 6000 tons per day, which
corresponds to a capacity for the production of about 57,000 tons of
pig lead per annum. The St. Joseph Lead Company is building a new 1000
ton mill, and the St. Louis Smelting and Refining Company (National
Lead Company) is further increasing its output, which improvements will
increase the daily milling capacity by about 1400 tons, and will enable
the district to put out upward of 66,000 tons of pig lead. In this
district, as in the Cœur d’Alene, the industry is closely concentrated,
there being only nine producers, all told.
_Park City, Utah._—Nearly all the lead produced by this camp comes
from the Silver King, Daly West, Ontario, Quincy, Anchor and Daly
mines, which have large veins of low-grade ore carrying argentiferous
galena and blende, a galena product being obtained by dressing, and
zinkiferous tailings, which are accumulated for further treatment as
zinc ore, when market conditions justify.[5]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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