The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1888-11-08
EEFE GRE,AE' sTEEE. WORKS


Baltimore ID lead the Country.
The greatest Industrial enterprise now
actively under construction in America is
the gigantic iron and steel plant which
the Peans} val.ia Steel Co. is building near
Baltimore This lsa strong staff ment, but
The facts. wi support il. The influence
of this enterprise VIII I've far reaching and
it will largely help TO make up for the loss
Of our sugar trade.
The Pennsylvania Steel Company is one
OF The greatest iron ard steel making con-
Germs IN this country. 1t is Il large i'm
porter of foreign iron ore, used ID making
Bcssemer steel, and has imported many
thousands Of tons through Baltimore.
Approaching the Importance of having
furnaces and steel works on the Atlantic
coast. thai the cost of freight OH the ore
might 0e lpssened and water transporta.
tion be secured tor its product, the man
ayers of this company made careful in
vestigaJion as to the relative advantages
of all the leading Atlantic ports for their
business. Baltimore was finally selt cted,
and no greater endorsement of the SUI
perior advantages of this city for manu-
featuring purposes could be asked. A
tract OF land :. few miles below he city,
embracing 200 acres, with ii i.e frontage
Oh the patapsco river. was selected and
| the work of preparing to burial this great
| plant was then commenced Some OF the
usual delays in carrying uut extensive I'M
| "a or W+-rt &
enced, and espe cially in securing the light
Of way Tor the railroad which is To Connect
this place with the Baltimore Il Ohio and
| the Pennsylvania SyStt ms. AS rapidly as
| possible. however, The work has been
pushed forward, and visitor to sit elton
the name OF this new tuwn-can | ow
form some conception OF The magnitude of
this enterprise. The town has been laid
off, d large number Of brick house built,
churches and schools estaplisbed and q
good foundation laid Tor ii great industrial
centre. Over 700 men are even now at
work at Steelton. Two furnaces have
been nearly completed, and these will be
followed by two more in lie near future,
and others later on. These furnace have
been built with the view TO making them
the largest in the country, and their esti-
mated output IS 30 TO 800 tons of iron Il
day each. In a ShOit Tine work will com
mence on two more.
1t is the intention Of this company to
eventually build furnaces of $50 tons
each daily capacity, a Bessemer rail mill
with daily capacity of 900 tons, works
for making steel plates for ship building
and other enterprises, possibly including
the construction Of steel steamships
When completed it will be one of the
most perfect as we'll as one Of the greatest
irtN,, o,lA O. co in no hn
pig iron will run directly from the furnace
in lis molten state to the rail mill and
The plate mill. Every improvement known
to modern science for reducing the cost Of
steel making to the lowest possible figure
Will be introduced regardless of expense.
Between 5000 and 1000 men will probably
he employed in these works when com
pirted. and this giant plant will attract
many Others until the shores of the Pa
iapsco are lined with great iron, steel and
s.io building works.
We may gain some idea of the vast bust
ness that these works will develop from Il
few figures. when the 8 furnaces which
it is intended to construct shall have been
finished, their consumption of ore, coke
and limestone and their production of pig
iron will be almost beyond COMPREHENSION
They are expected to make 2 600 tons of
pig iron a day. This will require about
4,C00 tons Of ore every day. or two full
steamer cargoes daily. averaging 2 600 tons
each. Of coke and limestone vast quaint
ties will also ha needed. The making of
0th tons of iroa day would nrceSsitate
the handling of upwards of II 600 tons of
material counting the inward freight of
coke. ore and limestone and the out ward
freight Of iron. This would mean the
equal of 600 ear loads of 40 000 pounds each
daily. or g, 900 coo tons or 900 car loads
year. Ia freight tonnage this wonld be
greater than 100 900 600 bushels of wheat.
These figures enable us to form some con-
cepti0n of the magnitude of this great
enterprise. But even in this way we do
not get full understanding of it. for in
addi ion to these furnaces there are 10 be
steel rail and plate works. machine shops
ard kindred industries.
OF course it will be several years before
this plant is fully completed, as such enor-
nous works cannot be hurried through in
10 pnth or in q year, but even now vast
traffic is being deveioped; hundreds of
hai DIS are at work. and before the present
year ends two OF these furnaces, it is ex-
peeted will be IN blast turning ont 500
tons of pig iron q day. The people of Bal
timOre have not appreciated the magni-
tude Of the Steeiton works nor the ire.
mendous Influence which this location
here is destined TO have upon the future
of this city. They mark the beginning of
new era not simply in the history of this
city. but in the history Of thu iron and
steel trade Of the country. Here is to he
worked out under more favorable condi-
tions than those possessed by any steel
works now IN operation in this country.
the question of producing steel rails and
steel plates for ship building purposes and
other kinds of steel 4 t the minimum cost.
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