San Francisco Paper - The Advantages of High-Lime Slags in the Smelting of Lead Ores (with Discussion)

During the year 1878-79, Anton Eilers, who was then interested in the lead smelting and refining business near Salt Lake City, Utah, made a somewhat radical departure from the regular practice at that time, which was to use but little lime in the slag, with a high percentage of iron. Lime was not only a cheaper flux than iron, but it enabled the metallurgist to make a more siliceous slag, an economical advantage in smelting where the smelting companies had to purchase either iron or lime to neutraiize the excess silica, and penalize the ore shippers accordingly. The larger amount of both lime and silica in the slag also made it of lighter specific gravity, and a better separation of the metals and mattes was secured. This change in the formation of slags for lead smelting was brought about by Anton Eilers, prior to the Leadville mining excitement of 1879.. We must also give Mr. Eilers credit for the general introduction of the hollow water-cooled cast-iron jacket for the blast furnace. Again referring to the use of more lime and less iron in the formation of slags, there is no doubt but that it prevents the formation of a great many so-called "sows" in the lead crucible, such as were made in the early history of lead smelting in the Rocky Mountains; these sows consisted of lead, iron, arsenic, sulphur, copper, and other metals, including gold and silver, mixed with unconsumed fuel, and often, after vain attempts to cut them up or melt them to a suitable size for handling, were buried in the slag dumps to get them out of sight. Another advantage derived from the adoption of high-lime slags when smelting ore containing arsenic is the production of less speiss (a byproduct heavier than matte, resulting from careless operation of the furnace, in the lead being driven out of the crucible and sows built up). This speiss, while usually not as rich in precious metals as matte made at the same time, is too valuable to be thrown away; but it is difficult to treat, and it was thrown away or piled on the slag dumps in the pioneer days of lead smelting in this country. About the time of the introduction of the lower iron and higher lime slags in lead smelting, sulphide ores were encountered in Utah and Colo-