Document K6pXeVvbJDBpwMeQ9GzxdBKL2

ma n u f a c t u r e r s OZL.O (LEADED ZINC PIOMINT) PKRMOLITH L1THOPONE WHITE LEAD--LEAD OXIDES--CHEMICALS AND COLORS SMELTERS--COFFEYVILLE, KANSAS MINES--MAGDALENA. NEW MEXICO Smaltor Dpartmnt COFFEYVILLE, KANSAS December 28, 1935 56 Ys aj s s Im Szev/ce, PREFACE Recently while rummaging through some of my old papers, I found the following diary, written from 1897 to 1909 inclusive, covering the history of what later became the present Ozark Smelting & Mining Company* These notes have been misplaced for many years. For fear they might be lost again and inasmuch as 1 am the only one now with the Sherwin-Williams Company that started with the original Zinc Oxide Company--the only one, therefore, that is in a position to write the early history of this business--I shall endeavor to do so, thinking that perhaps it may be of interest to some who are now with the Company. However, to keep the article from being too voluminous and due to the fact that this writer has been so closely identified with the progress of the business--1897 to 1909, including its many "ups" and "downs*1--I feel there would be so many I*a in the story that it would sound as though I were either very much conoeited or merely trying to advertise myself; therefore, I am omitting many, many of the more or less interesting details. From 1897 to 1935 is quite a span of years in anybody's language; nevertheless, this article brings back to my mind quite vividly the many things that have taken place as mentioned in the narrative. It will be noticed that the narrative brings the story down only to 1909. However, it is my present intention to bring it on down to date at some future time. Just when depends largely on circumstances over which I have no control. N15905 EBP:RK THE BEGINNING In 1897 the writer was living in Howell County, Missouri. This county is located in the south central part of the state. In the latter part of that year two men, James Forrester and Chris Byers, moved to this section of the state, settling on and homesteading a quarter section--eighty acres each--of Government land. Being brothers-in-law, with their land lying side by side, they more or less pooled their interests. On this land there was a rather peculiar looking place, in this respect: on a spot of some four or five acres the surface was thickly covered with iron ore of a very peculiar formation. In fact, so peculiar that it was quite noticeable and created considerable comment among the natives. It so hap pened that Forrester and Byers were from the Joplin mining district and, therefore, knew something of and were more or less interested in the mining game. After building their houses, getting settled down, ete., and hearing the natives' stories regarding the above-mentioned spot, they, too, became very much interested and after examining the place, decided to start prospecting for anything they might find. N15905.01 7 SUP 0521 After taking stock of their resources, how ever, they found they did not have sufficient funds to prospect to any appreciable extent; whereupon, they de cided that one of them should go back to Joplin and try to get someone to finance the proposition. Byers final ly made the trip and apparently had no trouble in get ting a man with some money Interested to the extent that he came back with him. After going over the property, the newcomer agreed to finance the project and finally made arrangements with Forrester and Byers to do the prospecting. After getting tools, etc., and getting them well started on the job, he returned to Joplin, agreeing to return in a short while and pay them for their labor. After working some four or five weeks with out receiving any pay or hearing anything further from their partner, Byers and Forrester suspended operations, as they had exhausted all their own meager resources and could not continue. Unknown to them, however, they had already discovered ore, but, not being familiar with carbonate ores, they did not recognize it as such, since in the Joplin district they had mined only zinc blend and lead sulphide (galena). Nevertheless, the weight of the ma terial told them, in a measure, that it had some value; therefore, they brought a sample of it down to the near by Post Office one day when a Mr. W. F. Gordon happened to be there. Mr. Gordon was prospecting another property same four or five miles northwest of theForrester and Byers place; consequently, being more or less familiar with this type ore, he readily recognized its value and, inasmuch as Forrester and Byers' partner had never re turned or paid them for their labor, Mr. Gordon, appar ently, had a perfect right to bargain with them for the prospect. This he did, finally getting the/lease, in cluding the prospect, for almost nothing. And the mine turned out to be a good producer, lasting several years and turning out thousands of tons of approximately 35% lead-free carbonate ore. In a abort while the mine was developed to the extent that they were getting out quite a tonnage of ore. It was then that Mr. Gordon began looking around for a market and, after shopping around for some time, decided to sell to the Hew Jersey Zinc Company, located at Min eral Point, Wisconsin. In eight or ten months this or, owing to its low metal content, declined in price to the extent that it was no longer profitable to mine, considering the fact that the mine was twenty miles from a railroad and that it was necessary to haul the ore to this railroad by wagons over very poor roads at a cost of $2.50 per ton. So Mr. Gordon decided that, if he and his mine were to survive, it would be up to him to find some other means of disposing of his product. It was then -3- 7 SUP &52179 KH ha conceived the idea that it might be possible for him to make zinc oxide and, to prove his theory, he decided to build an experimental furnace. This decision was reached after Mr, Gordon had made several trips to Mineral Point, The trips were made, ostensibly, to get the price of his ore ironed out. But, in fact, they were for the purpose of getting as much information as possible, together with a mental picture of the factory; and, in the meantime, through some hook or crook, he obtained a blue print of Hew Jersey's Mineral Point Plant, It later proved, however, to be a print of an old obso lete type furnace; nevertheless, it was of consider able value in building the factory. Soon after get ting this information, blue prints, etc., he made a \ final decision to build the experimental furnace. Right here is where this writer entered the picture on December 28, 1899, at the grand wage of one dollar per day. The Company being badly in need of someone with some mechanical and engineering ability, and no one else, apparently, being available, I landed the job, Mr, Gordon, in the meantime, had taken his brother-in-law. Prank Gregg, as a partner in the busi ness; the Company, therefore, became know at this time as the G & G Mining Company. -4- UJP 0521 SO This experimental furnace vas a unique job, as follows: Furnace was built of stone--brick not being available. Mud was used for mortar. The grates were taken from an old hand, ore jig. The motive power was a so-called wheel road scraper, turned upside down, with a hole bored in one of its wheel spokes and a wooden peg inserted for a handle, which, of course, was rotated by hand--however, not by this writer. The blast fan, which was the only fan used, was taken from a small water-well drilling rig, and the fan belt was run off the scraper wheel to the fan. The pipe line was made of common 6-ineh stove pipe, using muslin bags very similar to what we now use, only smaller and shorter. Fuel was charcoal made on the ground. There were no buildings--everything simply being out in the open. Well, to make a long story short, a product was made that, by a long stretch of imagination, could perhaps be called zinc oxide; however, be that as it may, this was the beginning of the zinc oxide game for this Company. Immediately after this experimentation was completed, Gordon began looking around for enough fi nancial backing to build a zinc oxide factory on a com merclal basis and, strange to say, he succeeded and in a very short while, too. However, he was a "plenty" good salesman, and that's just what he was--a shoe salesman. In August, 1900, ground was broken for this plant at West Plains, Missouri, a town of approximately 5,000 population, located on the Frisco Railroad, some 125 miles southeast of Springfield, Missouri. At this time the writer was put on a salary of $40.00 per month--working 12 hours per day, 365 days per year. The title of the concern now was the G & G Zinc Oxide Company and it was a one-block job, using ore from Gordon's mine and coal from the Bernice Mine, Rus sellville, Arkansas. The factory did not have electric lights; instead, only lanterns and so-called miners' torches were used. Remember, this was a 24-hour-a-day plant. The first carload of zinc oxide manufactured at this plant, suitable to be put on the market, was shipped to the Louisville Paint and Color Company, Louisville, Kentucky. The capital for this plant was furnished by several local men, but it proved to be insufficient for the continuation of the business, considering the inexperience of everyone connected with the concern and the doubtful wisdom of the management. Therefore, after operating more or less periodically for some six or eight months, and with very poor success, it final ly suspended operations for good--everyone connected with the concern being practically "broke." -6- 7 SUP 052182 Nevertheless, Gordon's head was like an "angle worm," that Is, working all the time, and In a short while he had found another "'Angel," namely, the W. N. Matthews and Sons Company, a firm of brok ers of St. Louis, Missouri, with considerable capital to back him In his new factory. In August, 1901, ground was broken for the Joplin plant. The title of the concern was TheOzark Zinc Oxide Company. This plant was also a one-block job to start with, but in 1902-3 the second block was built. There were several changes made on the #1 block compared with the West Plains plant, especially \ in the baghouse distributing system and the pipe line. The West Plains plant had the so-called New Jersey overhead type, distributing system--this was changed to our present type. The West Plains pipe line was also New Jersey's type; that is, a com paratively small round line with the exhaust fan lo cated in its center, half way between furnace and baghouse, the line entering the baghouse at the top of the room Instead of at the bottom, as it does now. As stated above, the distributing system being at the top of the room, it was neoessary, of course, to fas ten the bags on the system at the top instead of at the bottom. Just try to imagine anyone going to the top of the room, in the gas and heat, each and every -7- 7 SUP 0521 time it was necessary to put on a new bag, or to re hang an old one. The pipe line was changed to the so-called "Goose-Neck" type, patterned after the pipe line of the Picher Lead Smelter at Joplin. Mr. Gordon and Col. Bartlett, one of the big shots of the lead plant, were great friends and Mr. Bartlett rendered a lot of valuable assistance in shaping up this #1 block. The #2 furnace was equipped with a pipe line very similar to what we are now using; otherwise, the two blocks were identical except the ash pits. The West Plains furnace and the #1 furnace at Joplin did not have ash pits suitable for putting water under the grates; consequently, the grates warped and burned out so badly that the replacement cost was one of the big items of expense. Averaging around 50 grates per block per month and with the grates costing approximately flO.OO each, it is very easy to see that this was the "neck" of one of our "bottles." However, this did not seem to bother Mr. Gordon in the least, as he apparently took it for granted and let it go at that. It was my thought, however, that something could and should be done about it and I so advised Mr. Gordon, explaining to him that inasmuch as the grates warped Tinder heat without breaking, it was my opinion that they could be straightened in a like manner and -8 - 7 SUP 052184 that I had in mind making a rig that would get the Job done at practically no cost, whatever, to the Company. (If badly warped grates are not removed from the furnaces as soon as discovered, they will be com pletely destroyed, which will, in turn, cause a condi tion that is very detrimental to the grade and color of the finished product. This condition will also be the indirect cause of high unrecorded slag losses; therefore, it is imperative that the grate surface be kept as nearly flat and level as practical. And, ob viously, this cannot be done with warped grates in the furnaces; hence, the important need of some method or means of straightening them, if and when they do warp.) Notwithstanding my arguments and belief in the matter, all the satisfaction I received from sev eral of these interviews was a "headache." In substance Mr. Cordon finally said for me never to mention this to him again, that he was too busy to be bothered with this sort of thing; besides, it was a silly idea--and that any one at all familiar with cast iron should know that our east iron grates, once they warp, could never be made straight again in any circumstances. Nevertheless, being just a green country lad and not knowing that the grates could not be straight ened, I made the rig and straightened them!! . However, with Gordon feeling as he did re garding this matter, I decided to wait until he was -9 - 7 SUP 052185 away on one of hia periodical "sprees"--for which he was somewhat noted--before making the straightener. In a short while the expected happened and while he was away, I made the rig and had it working in good shape when he returned. To show how appreciative he was, although he saw the grates being straightened almost daily from that time on, he never ms the man to acknowledge the straightener1s worth or, in fact, to mention it to me in any way whatever. However, he was like that! (In 1935 we are still using this type straightener and, obviously, its tangible, as well as intangible saving has been of inestimable value to the Company.) When it came time to build the #2 block, it was my suggestion that, inasmuch as the grate cost had been so high on the other blocks, we make water-tight ash pits and try putting water under the grates in the hope that it would eliminate, at least, a part of this trouble and expense. Mr. Gordon had the erroneous idea--and in this he was backed up by the Company's chemists--that any moisture put in the furnaces was never entirely eliminated and, therefore, in the end was bound to wind up in the finished product. And, inasmuch as the S02 was already too high in the oxide (It was the general opinion of Mr. Gordon and the Company chemists - 10 - 7 SUP 052186 that moisture originating in the furnaces was the indirect cause of SO2 in the oxide.), he did not think it advisable to take any chances by putting water under the grates. For the same reason, water had never been put in the furnace charges. Nevertheless, after several rather heated arguments, he finally consented to making the ash pits as suggested; however, very reluctantly. When the block was completed and put in blast, water was put under the grates and, to Kr. Gordon's and the chemist's great surprise, the SO2 did not increase in the oxide. This being the case, in a short while water was put in the furnaces charges, also, and still the SO2 did not increase. So that argument was settled once and for all, as this was fairly conclusive proof that moisture in the furnaces had nothing whatever to do with SO2 in the finished product. Not only did water in the ash pits reduce the net grate loss at least 50#, but the addition of approx imately 10# water to the charges made even a greater sav ing, in that the charges burned much better which, in turn, lowered the metal content of the slag and made for greater production. (In order to keep the story within certain brief limits, there is room here for only the few afore mentioned changes and improvements; they are more or less typical, however, of numerous incidents that were con tinuously coming up, especially, in the earlier days of this business.) - 11 - 7 SUP 0521 (Perhaps it will not be out of place for me to say that up to the year, 1904, there had been no one connected with the Company who had had any previous training or experience in the manufacture of zinc oxide. It was quite obvious, therefore, that practically everything we were doing was by trial and error methods and, without any precedent to go by whatever, it goes without saying that the "hits" were few and far between compared with the "errors." While the school of experience may charge high tui tion, nevertheless, in the circumstances, if we were to progress, there was no other way for us to learn!) When #2 block was finished, a small gener ator was installed and, for the first time, we had electric lights. This plant was operated on ore from Gordon's mine and what carbonate and silicate that could be picked up in the Joplin district, using Arkansas coal from the Russellville and North Spadra fields. The factory did not have much luck as a money-maker, in fact, just about the same as its pred ecessor, the West Plains plant. Its financial backers, however, were considerably stronger and, therefore, it lasted longer. But, apparently, any well can be pumped dry if it is pimped fast enough and long enough--and that's just what happened here. - 12 - 7 SUP t?-521 ) So, after worrying along, apparently going from bad to worse for some two or two and a half years and practically breaking his backers, Ur. Gk>rdon sold the plant to the Sherwin-Williams Paint Company who re tained him as manager, but send down a man by the name of H. E. Galloway as assistant manager. When the Sherwin-Williams Company purchased and assumed control of the business, it was placed un der the general management of Ur. George A. Uartin, whose headquarters were in Cleveland, Ohio, the home office of the parent company. (Ur. Uartin impressed one at the time, 1904, as being an outstanding, high-type, shrewd, and capable business man--a great leader with a commanding person ality. Obviously, one of the factory's great needs at the moment was an experienced and capable local man ager with the ability to build up an operating organiz ation that could and would make the most of what we had to woik with, it was my opinion that, with Ur. Uartin in control, the Company's interests were in good hands and that, in the end, this matter would be well taken care of.) The writer at this time being Stationary Engineer, Uaster-Hechanic, Superintendent of Construc tion, and what-have-you, at the fine salary of $75.00 - 13 - 7 $UP 052189 per month, was still working 12 hours per day 565 days per year, with no thought of a vacation. Mr. Galloway, in my opinion, was a fair ly capable man and one of the finest fellows to meet personally, that it has ever been my pleasure to come in contact with. Nevertheless, he made what proved to be--for him--a serious mistake, in this way: he "fell" for Mr. Gordon, instead of getting in the game and making at least an effort to get the organisation together, for a "blind-man" should have been able to see that this was one of the factory's greatest needs. In my opinion, Mr. Gordon was purely a sales man and promoter; nevertheless, he deserves no small amount of credit for his vision--together with his in itiative and ability to Interest those financially able and willing to back him--practically an unknown--to the extent that he was able to build and, after a fashion, operate three sine oxide factories. As an operating manager, however, it was ob vious that he was entirely out of his elements. Appar ently, his very nature rebelled against the ordinary routine of factory operation. Consequently, in lining up with him, it was also quite clear that Mr. Galloway Jockeyed himself into an untenable position with the Company and my guess was, at the time, that, in the not too distant future, it would be just too bad for him. Among many other things, the Joplin plant, - 14 - 7 SUP &52196 with only fire acres of land and no more available, was very poorly located; that is, right down in a gulch some two miles east of Main Street on what would be East Eleventh, if this Street were extended. Therefore, everything considered, the idea of building this plant any larger was entirely out of the question. This being the case the Company decided to build a new factory, and Coffeyville, Kansas, was se lected as the place to build. No doubt, this decision was made, almost solely, from the fact that Coffeyville and its surrounding territory, at the time, was sup posed to have practically an unlimited and everlasting supply of natural gas. The Company obtained a very advantageous gas contract; that is, Zi per thousand feet for the first five years and 5j^ per M for the next five years. As stated above, with everyone in these parts. Including Mr. Cordon, being of the opin ion that the supply was unlimited and Inexhaustible, there was no thought that the price of this commodity would ever go much higher; consequently, Mr. Gordon did not consider it worth while to obtain a longer contract. This fuel advantage, together with the fact that the available supply of carbonate and silicate ores was getting inadequate for the Company's needs, made it necessary that they use more or less sulphide ores and, before this type ore could be used, it was - 15 - 7 SUP 052191 J necessary that it he de-sulphured (roasted). To do this and meet competition, it was very imperative that the Company have a good and sufficient supply of cheap gas; hence, the decision to build at Coffeyville. And in August, 1905, ground was broken for the Coffeyville plant. The writer came to Coffeyville January 6, 1906. There certainly was a lot of activity in and around this town at the tiige and, "believe it or not," there seeming ly was more and deeper mud here than any other place in the world--bar none. It was so deep at the smelter grounds that it was necessary for everyone to wear rub ber boots in order to get around. In fact in my opin ion, everything considered, this was a "Helluva town"-- only two automobiles here; there was very little use for them, however, as there were no roads suitable to drive them on and no pavements, except the Plaza block, and very little sidewalk--just mud everywhere and plenty of it. Mr. Cordon came over here as manager, but I never knew what finally became of Mr. Calloway, as I never saw him again after I left Joplin. The title of the business was changed at this time to The Ozark Smelting and Mining Company. "A" block was completed along about the mid dle of 1906 and put in blast immediately. Erection was started on "B" in the latter part of 1906 or early part of 1907. It was, however, just the same old story-- - 16 - 7 SUP 0521 9 J poor organisation, no system. So, along about this time, a "new" man came to town--and to the smelter-- by name, H. J. Hain, and, "you can take it from me," it didn't take him very long to find out the true sit uation; that is, that Mr. Gordon, among many other things, was apparently incapable of building up an organisation that could get the job done. Consequently, in a short while, Gordon did the "fadeout" and Mr. Hain was the new manager. While Mr. Hain was comparatively a young man, he certainly knew how to "get organised" and, judging from the way he handled the situation here, it was quite evident that he was not lacking in experience along that line--and, be it ever remembered, "Experience can not be purchased and it has no correspondence course." Mr. Hain was also a tireless worker, always on the job, early and late, lending his aid and assist ance at all times. This fact, together with his appar ent ability to pick capable men, soon enabled him to have the factory on a fairly smooth operating basis. One of the "thorns" in Mr. Hain's "side," however, was the fact that Gordon was still living in Coffeyville, at least temporarily, and causing more or less trouble by telling the workmen, when they were up town, that he would soon have another company organized and would build a new factory and give them all better - 17 - 7 SUP 052195 V* i X jobs. And, owing to the fact that he had quite a rep utation for doing this--building factories, Ms talk carried considerable weight wMch, in turn, caused no small amount of discontent among the workmen. In fact, there were very few loyal men on the plant for some little time--caused, no doubt, largely by the aforementioned incidents. Neverthe less, Mr. Hain soon began to "weed-out" the most dis loyal ones and to impress on the others that it was either "get in the game and be loyal to Mm and the Company," or "Get to hell out." Consequently, after a few of the "ringleaders" were pitched out on their ears, tills trouble was over, wMch obviously was a great relief to Mr. Hain. We were also having, among many other troubles, all kinds of grief with the furnaces--in this way: they were burning out about every four or five months because Mr. Gordon had a "yen" for run ning them too hot, which Mr. lain insisted, almost from the time he came on the job, was, in Ms opinion, unnecessary. As soon as Mr. Hain got the orgaMzation lined up and pulling together, he began lowering the heat on the furnaces and, as he surmised, tMs did not decrease production or Increase the metal content of the slag. In fact, with some mechaMcal changes, together with some few changes In operation including - 18 - 7 SUP 052194 more intelligent supervision, production vas great ly increased, grade and color of oxide improved and, last but not least, slags levered, (While on the slag subject, I will mention what every successful manufacturer of zinc oxide knows; that is, high and low slags spell the difference be tween success and failure in this business.) With reduced heat and improved operation, the furnaces were not shoving any of their old-time distress; therefore, were lasting much longer than they had in the past. This change was a great sav ing in money, besides making the furnaces much easier to operate. After the above had been accomplished, Mr. Hfein conceived the idea of a mechanical mixer to mix the furnace charges. The charges had always been mixed by hand--a job which, it goes without saying, was "mankilling" and very crude. However, Mr. Brown, the Ozark's chief chemist and supposed-to-be technical advisor, whom I shall mention again later, did not agree with Mr. Hain's idea, saying it was not practical. Besides, it was Mr. Brown's opinion that the charges would not be as well mixed as they were by hand, etc., etc. Nevertheless, and to his credit, Mr. Haln, apparently, paid very little attention to Brown's opin ion or objections, especially in tills instance. With - 19 - 7 SUP t?.f> 2' 1 5 the help of this writer, the mixer was finally Installed and, "believe you me,R it was a huge success from the beginning. Notwithstanding Ur. Brown1s opinion that a mechanical mixer would not be practical and would, therefore, be a waste of the Company*s money, it was, as stated above, a huge success, saving the Company a great amount of money besides greatly simplifying the furnace operations. (These mentioned changes and improvements, were only a few of the many inaugurated by Hr. Hain. However, as stated before, in order to keep the story as brief as possible, I will not go into further de tails at this time.) But regardless of changes and improved con ditions, there was still plenty of grief in and around the factory for sometime. In spite of the fact that Mr. Hain is, in my opinion, one of the best judges of "men" and "affairs" that it has ever been my pleasure to be associated with, it takes time to build up a capable operating organization. Within the year, however, he had worked won ders along this line and, as mentioned, the factory was showing the effects of his guiding hand by its smoother and more business-like operations and, for the first time in its history, it began to show signs of being on a paying basis. - 20 - t . In the meantime, the Company had sent down a Mr. R.V. Brown a a chief chemist or sort of tech nical advisor and Incidentally to learn the business under Mr. Hein's guidance with the view In mind, no doubt, of replacing Mr. Haln when Mr. Brown had be come thoroughly familiar with the business. I mean by "replacing" Mr. Haln that the Com pany obviously was recognizing his capability by pro moting him to a bigger and better position. Consider ing the Ozark's miserably poor showing prior to his management, the fact that he had put the factory on its "feet" and, incidentally, on a paying basis after it had been "flat on its back" for years, certainly justified that confidence. So, In the latter part of 1909, Mr. Haln was promoted to the GeneralSuperintendency of Manu facturing of the entire Sherwin-Williams Company, in cluding the Canadian factories, with headquarters In Cleveland--and Mr. Brown was the Ozark's new Superin tendent. | | "1897 to 1909, inclusive" '? SUP 052197