MODERN ELECTROLYTIC COPPER REFINING. -- 1903. -- INTRODUCTION AND ACKNOWLEDGMENT. . THE great difficulties encountered in preparing the following monograph can be fully appreciated only by those who have undertaken a similar publication, and might have prevented the consummation of this work, undertaken at the request of several distinguished foreign engineers, had I not been assured of the cooperation of these gentlemen and of some of the leading electro- chemists and refiners in the United States. It is a well-known fact that the managers of but few electrolytic plants grant technical visitors, and especially writers, access to their works, and that it has hitherto been extremely difficult or impossible, therefore, to secure accu- rate descriptions of certain American and European refin- ing appliances, methods, and works. Fortunately, I have had the opportunity of personally inspecting many of the most important electrolytic refineries in the world, in several of which I have worked, and am therefore enabled to present certain desirable information accurately for the first time in print, and to supply close estimates of other much-sought-for data. Requests for information were addressed directly or in- directly to practically every electrorefiner here and abroad, with the object of making the following monograph as far as possible an authoritative accurate, comprehensive and thoroughly up-to-date handbook. Its scope is indicated by the numerous items of the table of contents. Every electrolytic copper-refining plant in the world that is now in commercial operation, I believe, is herein tabulated with its actual or estimated output, arrangement of electrodes, location, etc., and is described as fully as a personal inspection and inquiry, examinations of American, British, German and French patents and literature, or special means of securing information at my command, permitted. The data thus gatliered at the expense of con- siderable work will, I trust, be appreciated by copper re- finers especially, and aid in stimulating progress not only in their rapidly extending art, but in electrometallurgy gen- erally. I take pleasure in acknowledging my indebtedness to Mr. Lawrence Addicks, Raritan Copper Works, Perth Amboy, N. J. Mr. Ottokar Hofmann, Director of the South- west Chemical Co., Argentine, Kan. and Mr. R. L. White- head, Manager of the Seattle Smelting and Refining Co., Seattle, Washington, for permitting my use of their ex- cellent articles in The Mineral Industry, vols. ix and X and to Dr. Jos. Struthers and the other editors and pub- lishers of the Engineering and Mining Journal and Min- eral Industry for a similar kindness extended by them Mr. Wm. Thum, Asst Supt of the Balbach Electrolytic Copper Works, Newark, N. J. and Mr. J. B. C. Kershaw, Electro- chemist, London, for their valued cooperation Prof. W. Borchers, Aachen, Germany, for placing technical data in his Elektro-RTetallurgie at my disposal Mr. Victor Engelhardt, Chief Engineer, Siemens and Halske Co., Vienna, who assisted in obtaining information regarding European plants and furnished descriptions of the Austro- Hungarian refineries Dr. Gustav Koelle, Director of the Von Siemens Copper Works, Kedabeg, Russia, whose in- teresting description of the Kalakent Works is given in INTRODUCTION AND ACKNOWLEDGMENT. v Chapter 11, and to he following electrochemists, metal- lurgists or engineers for rendering valuable assistance, or managers of refineries for allowing me access to their plants Mr. A. L. Walker, Manager, Perth Arnboy plant of the American Smelting and Refining Co. hlr. Ed. Balbach, Jr., President, Balbach Smelting and Refining Co. Mr. 31. B... --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.