Anton Eilers

[1] He grew up in the farming community of Mensfelden in the Duchy of Nassau, then attended the German High Schools of Weilburg and Wiesbaden.

The next year, in 1865, while Anton was on assignment for Adelberg & Raymond in Marietta, Ohio, boring for oil, his son Karl Eilers was born.

In 1866, following the Civil War, Anton secured a position as manager of the Hale Copper mine in Hillsville in Carroll County, Virginia.

In August of that year, Eilers appeared ready to work through the challenges in Virginia, as the family bought property near the copper mine.

For the next 7 years, the Raymond and Eilers travelled the West, compiling information and reporting on issues related to mining.

Normally, while executing their duties and doing their research in the West, Anton and Raymond travelled separately, but in 1871 they decided to explore a region of the United States now known as Yellowstone National Park.

Daugherty of Wabash City, Indiana, August F. Thrasher (photographer), Calvin C. Clawson (reporter for the New Northwest) and Gilman Sawtelle, who acted as their guide.

That January, he became manager at the Saints John smelter near Montezuma, Colorado, where he constructed works with the help of Franz Fohr, Henry Vezin, and Frank Cazin.

In September of that year, Gustav Billing approached Anton about joining him at the Germania Smelting, a lead-silver ore smelter south of Salt Lake City, in what is now Murray, Utah.

By early November 1876, Anton had the lead-silver smelter working day and night, an amazing feat at the time.

Together, these three refined Anton's concept of slag-types, a way of mixing ores depending on their mineral and chemical makeup to generate predictable products, including lead-silver bullion, matte, speiss, slag, and flue dust.

The use of slag-types allowed the Germania to produce bullion on a constant basis, no matter what lead-silver ore the facility received.

However, the high mountain location, cold winters, and some health problems led the pair to a friendly split.

Anton sold out to Gustav, then headed to Germany, his first return to his mother country, with his oldest daughter Else for six months.

In 1910, he retired from the company so he could focus on technical issues he hoped to solve, such as reducing the pollution caused by smelting.