34 



INJURY BY SMELTER WASTES. 



To further prove that the Deer Lodge Eiver water when applied 

 to the land adds excessive amounts of copper thereto, the soil irri- 

 gated by said water was sampled at various distances from the 

 smelter to determine both the soluble and insoluble copper present. 

 To further demonstrate that any large amount of copper found was 

 not naturally present in the soil, samples not irrigated by the Deer 

 Lodge Eiver and not exposed to the action of the flue dust (Nos. 4163 

 and 41 G5) were also subjected to analysis. Following are the results 

 obtained b}^ the examination of the samples gathered in the summer 

 of 190G : 



Table X. — Copper content of surface foot of soils collected in 1906. 

 [Calculated to dry basis.] 



Serial 

 No. 



Origin and description of sample. 



4185 ' 8| miles NE of smelter; irrigated by Deer Lodge River 



4183 9J miles NE of smelter; irrigated 12 ypars by Deer Lodge River.. 



4184 I 12 miles NE of smelter; irrigated by Deer Lodge River 



4182 ' 12 miles NE of smelter; irrigated by Deer Lodge River 



4186 ' 14 miles NE of smeltei-; iirigated 16 years by Deer Lodge River.. 



4165 15 miles W of smelter; not irrigated by Deer Lodge River 



4163 10 miles SW of smelter and about 2 miles beyond divide; not 



irrigated by Deer Lodge River 



Insoluble 

 copper. 



Parts per 

 million. 



1,549.4 

 458.4 



1,4.51.6 



2,790.8 

 870.4 



Trace. 



13.0 



Soluble 

 copper. 



Parts per 



million. 



20.4 



3.4 



n8.2 



118.2 



7.1 



None. 



Trace. 



It is evident from the preceding table and what has been said of 

 the action of copper on plants that the soils irrigated from the Deer 

 Lodge River contain very large quantities of copper, enough of 

 which is in a soluble condition to interfere seriously with the growth 

 of many forms of vegetation. It is also evident that the soils beyond 

 the range of flue dust and not irrigated by Deer Lodge River water 

 contain very small quantities of copper, practically none of which is 

 in a soluble condition. 



The analyses given in Table X show such excessive amounts of 

 copper in the soils irrigated by Deer Lodge River water that the writer 

 was not willing to publish the results until they had been confirmed 

 by collecting and examining new samples. The results given in 

 Table XI were obtained on samples collected in 1907. 



Table XI. — Copper content of surface foot of soils collected in 1907. 

 [Calculated to dry basis.] 



Serial 

 No. 



4871- - 

 4872- _ 

 4873-- 

 4874- 

 4875_. 

 4876-. 



Origin and description of sample. 



8 miles NE of smelter; flooded by Deer Lodge River; no sam- 

 ple taken from this field in 1906 



8h miles NP: of smelter; iirigated by Deer Lodge River; sample 



from same field (No. 4185) taken in 1906 



9J miles NE of smelter; irrigated twelve years by Deer Lodge 



River; sample from same field (No. 4183) taken in 1906 



12 miles NE of smelter; irrigated by Deer Lodge River; sample 



from same field (No. 4184) taken in 1906 



12 miles NE of smelter: irrigated by Deer Lodge River; sample 



from same field (No. 4182) taken in 1906 



14 miles NE of smelter; irrigated sixteen years by Deer Lodge 



River; sample from same field (No. 4186) taken in 1906 



