Technological breakthroughs brings prominence

Continued from page 3

whose mineralization was
cluttered with zine and
whose complex ore defied the
existing levels of metallur-
gical sophistication.

The mine, named for John
Sullivan, the first white man
to go over the Kootenay
Pass, yielded enough rich
hand-sorted lead, ore, that —
combined with Cominco's
other sources — it helped the
Trail lead plant to become
the largest in the British
Empire by the start of hos-
tilities in WW I.

. The Sullivan Mine really
atarted paying big dividends
after 1916, when the second
major technological break-
through — this one home-
grown, right in Trail — set
Cominco's course for the fu-
ture. This was electrolytic
zine production which finally
unlocked the real wealth of
the Sullivan and prompted
the company's goal of energy
le sufficiency with the pur-

chase of West Kootenay
Power and Light Company.

The ‘20s really roared for
Cominco, as both metal pro-
duction and hydroelectric
capacity were expanded and
the Trail-based company
broadened its exploration
programs across Canada and

, internationally.

Some pioneering steps re-
sult from initiative, other are
taken in response to a
healthy push, As might be
expected by the cynical, most
environmental improve-
ments in the industrial area
are generated by the second
method,

A Sluke of geography and
an imaginative approach to
problem solving combined to
push Cominco into produc-
tive pollution control more
than 50 years ago.

Prevailing winds chan-
nelled sulphur stack emis-
sions from the smelter
through the narrow river
valley, south to the crops of
Washington State orchard-

Public offers
daily service

2 Public Freightways Ltd.
provides daily scheduled ser-
yice to and from Alberta and
the coast,

: Castlegar branch manager,
Lioyd Wilson ssys “we now
provide a regular complem-
pnt of eight truck schedules a
gay from these points into
the West Kootenays. The
heeds of our shipping custom-
ers are foremost in the minds
‘of Public employees.”

7 Public continues to ree-
pgnize the economic buoy-
ney ¢ of the Kootenays and is
providing facilities and equip-
ment to meet the shipping
needs of the regional econ-
‘omy. Kootenay sales repres-
jentative Peter Picton says
we look forward to 1981
with optimism. Like any
‘other business, it is difficult
for us to keep up with our
paler inflationary cost in-

creases, particularly in the
area of fuel, which is such a
major cost factor for trucking
operators. We continue to
strive for a high level of
customer service at a reas-
onable level of rates.”

Public Freightways Ltd.is
a member of the Johnstone
Group of companies head-
quartered in Vancouver.
Transportation revenues of
the Johnston Group this year
will exceed $125 million,

‘The group of companies is
100 per cent owned by its
senior employees,

Johnston's Rempel-Trail
Transportation Ltd. also pro-
vides regular transportation
of tanker commodities
throughout the Kootenays
and West-Trade Transport
Ltd. provides full-load char-
ter trucking service to the
area.

PUBLIC FREIGHTWAYS LTD.

The leader in

ists, The resulting legal a

tion — some of the first
ecological lawsuits on record
— guaranteed Cominco an
additional footnote in history,
one which the . company

would have been just as:

happy to omit.

However, real creativity.
thrives on adversity, and
Cominco, scientists and en-
gineers developed processes
and plants to make sulphuric
acid from the smelter smoke,
and further, to manufacture
chemical fertilizers from the
new sources of acid.

Despite the problems of
introducing a relatively un-
known agricultural product
on the eve of the Great
Depression, the fertilizer
venture has proven to be far

. more than an aesthetic suc-

cess: Cominco bagged over a
quarter of a million tons of
ammonium sulphate and

Hx

READY TO SERVE left to right, Jack Dun-.
-ean, Isobel. Brady, Debbie George and

phosphate fertilizers in the
low-familiar Elephant brand
sacks last year at Trail.

In fact, successful technol-
ogical innovations spring
from Cominco's fertile R&D
section with a frequency that
keeps the company’s produc.
tion team on the leading edge
of smelter and refinery tech-
nology.

Just two months ago,
B.C.'s minister of industry,
Don Phillips pushed a button
to startup a revolutionary
zine pressure leaching plant,

Pressure leaching, a pro-
cess which has been used for
copper and nickel — but
never successfully applied to
zine — was developed by
Cominco engineers working
in partnership with Sherritt-
Gordon Mines, _

The plant, with annual
capacity of 70 thousand tons,
cost approximately $23

on to build and replace the
conventional process where-
by zine is roasted, releasing
large quantities of- sulphur
dioxide gas.

Currently, development
work is going on in the lead
smelting area where Cominco
metallurgical engineers: are
taking a long, hard look at a
new ‘flash” smelting process,

Conventional smelting of
lead is a two-step procedure
involving burning off sulphur

to provide, lead oxide, fol-,

lowed by putting the lead
oxide. into’ a -blast furnace
with coke. There the carbon
in the coke converts the lead
oxide to metallic lead.
Flash smelting combines
these steps, ‘providing im-
proved productivity and
much better working condi-
tions, Based on iron curtain
technology, in large part,
nevertheless, Cominco engin-

Eldine Mair with Lloyd Wilson. seat
the fdessly . Publis Eralah

pis LTL and
truckload

eers anticipate having a
working model of the furnace
at the production stage be-
fore the Soviets .have com-
pleted theirs.

Keeping abreast of current
technology — while in the
middle of a full-scale, long-
term retooling — puts special
demands on the engineering
and design staff, who, accord-
ing to Cominco-watchers
have responded superla-
tively.

But, as dynamic and suc-

KEN’S

cessful os the hisfory of
Cominco had been in. i

West Kootenays, a couplé'o

years ago the future was
obscured by considerable
cloud. Facilities which had
adjectives such as “largeat”
and “busiest” also deserved

“although based in the
Kootenays, the company op-
erated an several continents.
Concentrates for Trail were
now coming by rail from the

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new Pine Point Mine in the :

North ‘Weat Territories.
Other potential ore sources
were being identified and
proven in Greenland and th
high Arctic.”

There was.'no queatlo:

about staying in the busine: 8°

of smelting lead, ‘zine
thelr companion ; metals‘

but where? A $1 nillfon

study was commissioned

analyze modernization

possible relocation. Happll
More on page.

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Grand Forks 442-3837

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Bartio and Gibson may not
be.a household name yet but
the’ way: the company.
rains its name will soon be

niliar: as Tide.

pened in'1974 ‘and last year’
the upper level was -reno-..
ated to make it one of the

large warehouse
stocked with ‘everything

above ai

sive “faucets”. of, their: busi.

ness but the most impressive
are.the number of. products

that they carry and i the uni-:

ai
room’ fixtures,.. whirlpool:

baths, antiquesiste bath-

re Joni Tomlin and Montea Glebott int

wumerous

sannas, ;
‘and ‘medicine cabinets,’ the
mirrors,

famous Willard hall’

‘bulltin vacuum systema, and. fi

eabinets: are some.‘of ‘the
items you'll find there...
You can pr

anything
through Bartle and Gibson in
would ©

that had

- years and. planning © pro-

ceeded on a massive $425

-‘mnilllon * modernization pro.

“a program | with “one

y mandate: to become the best
ite th

-’ exease’ productivity;'to

ee
‘all new environmental stan-
ards; and, ( to”: make’ sub>

v stantial improvements inthe

eA workplace.

think’ you! would ‘hav
travel toa large centro *suieh -
as Vancouver

: or Calgary to
"Gud: But wbst te just as im
‘ portant ‘these -days’ as: the «;

uniqueness snd seleettons is.
and

ladies fashion department down:

cured Klothes Kloset. This section of the store was renovated only one year Gag and is
‘combined ith a jean shop which carries about 3000 pairs of jeans in numerous tyle les, name.
b and cal ours: These: downstairs departments are known as J.. of 's. i

‘Watson, officially. Manager.
‘Trail Modernization Project,’
leads‘ 20-man technical eam
supported by 800 design and’

management'person-’ rf
*all'eited ‘Trail.’

Tho eight-y lerniza.
tion program! vaio to wrapup

- by 1985) ‘is

‘time ‘and on budget,” accord-

+ is ticketed for environmental .

improvements.) During: my.

. 84 years here, we've done'a

pretty good job; considering

the nature of our operations. «|

“There are more ..trees
around here than there were
at the turn of the’ century:

. a8 Downie is converied, re

going to be in the essential
nature of the- workplace. ||
“Certainly. with increased:
productivity we're going to

eliminate jobs,: but the jobs
that; are: going ‘are dirty,
heavy jobs. Modernization is‘.

i going t to change the nature of
E kf

“Our. new: ae wal
attract skilled work

enjoy the, ov
ural attributes of this re;

Unicn Poters was estab

and portable le unite, Banyo.
nina and Brother ‘-sewin, ie"
mith-Corona’ and ’ Brother
Toshiba
ous miscellaneous items: “
The: staff “consists “of
a sewing machine ‘and type-

writer repairman, the man-
lished in downtown ‘Trail in © TV's, stereos, etc.,.and Ber. ager," two: salesman, / two
|. 1955 approximately the same
location as it is found today. in Emilee As well, it handles

oepers anda part. ‘the
employee.

Union Pete is immed

Cedar. ‘Avent. where, und
neath the awning, the :bus-

Pansso fulltime electronic techaletany iness’ friendly staff is waiting;
We atereos, microwaves;

‘to'serve ‘the: public,