Lead mining and processing in 1948

[Warden Callaway]

 

 

[Waimea]

Interesting film.

 

[Eyesa Horg]

I'm impressed after watching the mega processes that rock went through to turn into dust and then more mega processes, out come lead etc. How did they, centuries ago, figure out there was lead in them that hills. 400 feet down!

[Warden Callaway]

It's my understanding the early lead mining was mostly picking up chunks on the surface.  After the Louisiana Purchase,  the Spanish and French land owners were geven several years to refile their land holdings.  Many failed to refile their claims and lost their properties to filibusters.  The best locations were already known and often stolen. 

[Sedalia Dave]

I found it odd that the lead concentrate was transported to the smelter in a box car.  I would have thought a covered hopper car would have been easier and  less labor intensive.

[irish ike, SASS #43615]

Ahhhhhh, thats it, breath in the toxic fumes. Its good for you!

[Three Foot Johnson]

I worked at an ASARCO lead smelter here for 23 years, and performed all the jobs described. In '78 when I started, the 100 lb molds had been discarded in favor of 20,000 lb molds, but the hundred pound pigs were in use all over the plant as counterweights on various pieces of equipment. We would cast 10 ten ton pigs per lot, which were loaded into rail cars bound for further refining in Omaha, or to the end customer. We averaged two lots per day - 200 tons - 365 days a year. Toward the end, we had to fab 5 ton capacity molds because our main customer at the time, South Korea I believe, couldn't handle the 10 ton pigs. The plant closed in 2001, and today there isn't a trace of it left, other than the slag pile.

 

Edited September 18, 2025 by Three Foot Johnson

[Warden Callaway]

I worked in a large transfer factory for 33 years. Every nameplate had a line that read, "no PCB oil".  Our facility never used the PCB additive but required to add that note. PCB were outlawed as a cancer risk.  Old timers who had worked in older factories told of workers dipping their hand, elbows,  etc in the PCB oil to relieve arthritis.