The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-12-19
PREPARING TO RESUME WORK.
The New Machinery of the Rolling Mill To
BE in Operation in Two Months

Within two months the Indianapolis Rolling
Mill Company expects to have its machinery in
operation. 1t began last September to repair
and equip its plant with the best means for max
ing steel rails with view TO beginning work
the first of the year, but in enterprises of this
kind one cannot calculate accurately as to time.
A delay has been caused in the fulfilling OF GER
tain contracts, but enough is accomplished to
show that the mill is to become
one of the most important in
the West. Steel rails alone will
be produced, and that after plan covering all
the latest improvements In fuel and melting
processes. One of its principal works the COM
pany has almost completed Is that for using
gas as fuel The Siemens Martin process has
been adopted and off from the mill proper has
been placed the expensive plant for this pur-
pose In manufacturing the gas twenty fires
under as many receivers of coal will be
used Each fire will be air-tight, and
an aperature for injecting steam
on aud through the coal. which is thrown into
the receiver through chutes at the top The
steam thus utilized will produce carbonic oxide
and hydrogen gases, the heat from which VIII
cause a distiation giving hydrocarbon. From
stack which will then pass up, across and down
again into a large main flue, six by five feet ex-
tending to the rail-mil with branches to the steel
furnaces. In reaching the latter the gas passes
through valves into chambers. and finally
combines with cool air introduced through an
other line of hues. Tine waste product of the
combustion caused by the air and gas will then
go into other chambers and heat IN the brick
work of the furnaces A reversal of the valve
will carry the heat in another direction so as to
Decure uniform high temperature for all parts
of the furnaces. These two furncces Will nave
daily melting capacity of sixteen tons, from
three charges for each every twenty-four hours
1t will require from six to seven hours TO melt
sixteen tens, the pig-iron and scrap being
brought to the furnaces by an elevated railway
The molten steel is to be tapped into ladle with
Il capacity of about twenty tons, and from this
poured into the ingot molds
The ngots taken out by three hydraulic cranes
and loaded on bugeies. will be taken to the rail
mill. In this part of the work all machinery
is to be operated by water under pressure of
300 pounds to the square inch In the mill
proper the ingots will be charged into furnaces
built on the same principle adopted in the steel
melting process. When the metal is brought to
bright red heat it will be rolled into rails sixty
fvefeetong. Automatic machinery is to be used,
that it will not require any manual
labor TO turn the melted ingots into rails. After
this the sixtyive feet rails will be cut into prop
er lengths by saws. The capacity of the melting
department is to be from seventy Ave to eighty
tons of rails every twenty -four hours, but the
company expects to buy steel ingots in addition,
AS often as required, the capacity can be raised
TO 200 tons per day. 1t is contemplated to double
the present plant in time to erect Bessemer
works in connection with it. Engineer Eichhoff
has the work under his direction When the
mill is ready for operation it will employ at least
TWO hundred hands.