A TRIUMPH FOR RESEARCH.

Taranaki Daily News, 24 September 1921, Page 10

A TRIUMPH FOR RESEARCH.

HOW THE BRITISH BEAT THE GERMANS.

Development of the Sullivan mine in the East Kootenay district of British Columbia affords one of the most remarkable instances in the progress of metallurgy to be found in any mining country in the world, says a Canadian correspondent. The mine was originally owned in Spokane, Washington. Years ago the company installed a smelter, but was unable to operate it successfully because the zinc in the ore choked the furnaces. An attempt was made to solve the problem by obtaining lead ore from the St. Eugene mine to mix with the Sullivan ore, but all efforts failed, and it lay idle for a number of years. The Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company finally acquired the property for the outstanding debentures. The war came on and zinc went to 40 cents a lb, so the company redoubled its efforts to find a. way of dealing with the complex ore. It was a question of money and brains. It proposed to the British Government that if the money were supplied the company’s engineers would do the rest if it were possible. It was agreed that if the plan was successful zine should be sold to the Allies for 15 cents a lb. The British Government accepted the offer, and through the Munitions Board in Canada a million dollars were advanced to carry on research work. The -best metallurgists who could be found were engaged, and a solution was evolved in an electro-chemical process. In 1915 the production of zinc from the Sullivan mine was only 100,000 lb. By 1916 it rose to 14,840,000, and the company made good its undertaking to supply tlie British Government. Ger-man-America interests, which had up to that time controlled the world’s zinc supply and had been reaping a harvest from/their artificially high prices, immediately dropped their rate to 15 cents a lb, and the Allies in world markets were thus enabled, to save millions of dollars. By 1917 zinc production from the Sullivan went to 20,705,000 ]b, and it went up by leaps and bounds until =n 1920 the mine was producing 70,000,000 lb annually. There is probably no more remarkable instance in recent history of mining of the favorable results of research work, and it is an achievement regarding which British Columbia naturally -feels proud.