The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1883-12-14

rank OF Mtnue6Ota Clues.
At the conclusion of his remarks
Mr.. Farmer proposed the following
toast. "City of Mankato, the coming
Metropolis of Southern Minnesota.
May she become all that her geOgra-
phical situation, and the enterprise Of
her citizens merit"
Gen. Baker was called upon to an
swer this toast, and he did it in his
usually happy way. The substance of
the Generals remarks are these:
No other locality I'm this country contains
such q wide variety OF limestone and clay, as
that between Kasota and Minneopa creek, u
distance Of some ten miles on the great
all this locality, Mankato Is the geographical
aud pivotal center, and by her system of rail-
ways. the grand distributing point. Here Is
the pin NIX stone Of kasota which must Us
architecture Of the future. 1t extends sever
al miles up the river. at an average thickness
OF over twenty feet. Thence to the very
deposit OF blue lime stone, seventy feet in
thickness. Specimens Of this remarkable
stone may be seen I'm the vast arches of the
great stone bridge OF the Manitoba railway
below the Falls of st. Anthony. In this vi
cinity also are exhaustless quantities of
stone for quick lime. Passing by the western
limits OF our city, we speedily encounter the
great deposit OF the cement rock. the very
center OF which Ii now Sd molly decorated
with the ample buildings Of the Standard
Cement Company. II we may believe the
results OF the very exhaustive tests, this Is
perhaps the most remarkable deposit of by
draulic cement stone in the United States 10
the west OF the cement deposit, Is now I'M
covered u stratified sand stone, rs IL special
ly designed for paving purposes. North Of
Lodges Of light-coiOred limestone. Here are
grouped q family Of limestones which, for
quality. variety ana commercial utility, are
unrivaled The discovery OF this hydraulic
cement stone Is one of the most notable fea-
lures In the development Of our State. We
are rejOiced to know that II has fallen into
the hands or company, who, by long ex-
Perience thoroughly understand the busine
In which they are engaged, and who have the
means and purpose to push the manufacture
Of the cement to point which will meet every
demand cd the great Northwest. With
still; be pressed far beyond that. With such
q prospect In view, the Standard Cement
Company is not only welcome to the people
Of the State OF Minnesota The family OF
clays so recently found to be interpreted
throughout the same locality are no less re-
markable, and only less important. We have
the pOtler's clay In abundance: brick clay,
State, and tile clay, of which tiles are now
being made. Now comes the discovery OF
clay In abundance, for fire-brick, which has
withstOOd the severest tests and ia now being
used in the furnaces of the Standard Cement
company. And more recently still, is the dis
covery OF good porcelain clay, which we
have some promise of its speedy utilization:
To these must also be added the mineral
points long known to exist I'm this locality.
This Is plain outline of the rich endowment
nature has showered at the center Of the
Souther I'm bend or the Minnesota river. What
Lyons IL to silk and velvet. what bordeaux is
Newcastle is to Goals, that MankatO bids fair
10 be for stone and hydraulic cement. There
Ia no estimating the Importance to city and
to the whole State OF the opening OF this new
industry. II ia a permanent source OF wealth,
dinusing It's benefits all around; to this
city, by increasing its population and indus
to ne %Sse g
tribut1ng new and necessary article Of use.
We hope II may prove to the gentlemen who
have so literally invested their energy and
their money In the enterprise, such success
as will cement them to us In bands which
may not be broken.
Hydraulic Cement; its relations to
Mankato," was eminently replied to
by Mr.. U. Cummings, Superintendent
of the Cement Company, and one of
the best posted cement men in the
United States. He said:
NJ. Chairman and Gentlemen:
The subject Of hydraulic cement is one 80
vast and comprehensive 10 It's character that
give even brief outline Of Its prominent
| features. The lateness Of the hour warns me
that must be brief, and therefore perhaps
disconnected, yet hope not entirely uninter-
Hydraulic cement rock IL sedimentary in
its character. having been deposited In water,
the latter holding In solution the ingredients
that are found by analysis to be contained In
these rock formations
These ingredients are simply clay and car
Donate OF lime. The clay as Is well known
tions OF which, as found In cement rocks,
have much to do with the question oc quality
| In the ultimate results. The carbonate OF
| lime may and often does contain quite a
these carbonates are very similar in their ac-
ton, we will for the sake OF brevtty classify
them under the head of lime.
The question Of quality of the resultant
cement Ii governed to q very great extent by
! the relative proportions Of the clay and lime
"a found In the natural cement rock. This
point will be discussed farther ON.
Portland cement Is an artificial mixture OF
clay and lime, and is simply an imitation Of
natural cement. ats manufacture was estab-
lished by an Englishman named Aspden,
some 80 years or 80 ago near London: This
closely resemble the Portland sand stone of
England, and so he conceived the idea of call
ing 1t Portland cement; and from that time
on all artificiallv made cementS have been
called Portland cements, wherever manufac-
tured. The question of comparison as be-
tween the natural and artificial dement's Is
one open to discussion. The engineering
! fraternity are generally to-day in favor of
the artificial product. Whether they are
correct in their judgment is in my opinion
| open to serious doubt. Judged by the ten
SIZE strain tests as applied by machinery to
ascertain the strength of square inch of
cement that has been moulded into briquettes
for the purpose of testing, 1t may be admit
| ted that the artificial cements usually show
| the best results. But this Is no proof OF its
superiority when reduced to actual practice.
| IL has frequently been found that natural
cements will bind bricks together fully as
| firm II not firmer than the artificial products
The question OF hardness Is also taken into
account, and by many Is considered con-
| elusive evidence that the artificial product Is
superior to the natural; but this argument
completely upset simple aef 1nst
when used rs mortar, are. often found to
| be more durable than either the natural or
artificial hydraulic cements.
The manufacturer OF artificial cement GER
| tainly has an advantage over the producer Of
natural cement. inasmuch as that he has en-
tire control Of the proportions OF ingredients
while the manufacturer OF natural cement
IL compelled to use the material as formed In
| natures labratory Yet this advantage Is
compensated for In the fact that no machin-
cry has ever been, and In my judgment never
will be, able to give the clay and lime mix
ture 80 minute, SO perfect, so complete as is
found to obtain In the natural cement rocks
| of this country. And when it is considered
how much depends on a thorough admixture
Of the ingredients, and the advantages the
natural product has over the artificial in this
respect, II Is not difficult thing to believe
that our own natural products will be able to
hold their own in the markets Of this coun-
try.
Ii may be allowed to dwell for a moment
on this question, i would like to make the
idea little clearer, as 1t Ia the really vital
more or less intimate contact of the lime and
clay In all hydraulic dement's whether ma
| tural or artificial.
The composition of the cement rock as We
have stated IL clay (silica and alumina) and
carbonate OF lime or lime and magncsia, the
latter beng composed OF carbonic acid and
lime in the following proportions: 100 parts
OF carbonate Of lime contains A parts OF lime,
anu 2i0 parts OF carbonate of magnesia con-
tains loo parts Of magnesia. During the pro-
cess OF caicination the carbOnic acid is driven
on, but In escaping II serves to convert the
silica into stlicic acid. which In It's turn while
under state of extreme heat is made to
form q chemical combination with the bases,
thus forming what is termed silicate, which
upon the application Of water is converted
Into an bydrated-silicate Of iime-magnesia
and alumina, the latter assuming crystal
lied form, or what is termed setting or hard
ening when applied In masonry. 1t is evident
that this conversion cannot be complete, I'M
less the silica and the bases are brought into
the most intimate contact, as we have briefly
attempted to show.
The amount of available natural cement
rock In this country probably extends over
an area of about 10000 acres. and il quite
evenly distributed throughout the country.
The annual production is now az million
barrels and the product is universally good:
cement now being manufactured in this
country. Some Of the products set quicker
than others, owing to the variation In the
proportion Of ingredients, but they all have
their uses, and with such q variety, the cOun-
try may be congratulated that we have SO
Valuable q material af home To bring this