Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1889-05-11
Win Produce Tin Plate.

interest to this section, from which We
extract the following.
"We are much nearer the manufacture
of tin-plate than people suppose" said
Mr.. Orrin w. Potter, President of the
North Chicago Rolling Mill Company,
yesterday afternoon.
The North Chicago Rolling Mill Com
pany has already absorbed the Union
Steel Company by consolidation and to-
day it will complete the purchase of the
Joliet Steel Company. With a capital
of $25,000,000 behind the new combina-
ton, Mr.. Potter's statement is TO idle
matter.
"The first steel rail made in America
was made in Chicago" said Mr.. Potter.
II vas present at the ceremony. | ex-
pect the first tin-plate turned out in
America to be turned ont in Chicago,
and / expect TO be present at the cere.
mony. The North Chicago Rolling Mill
Company, or rather its legal predecessor,
made the one, and it, or rather its legal
successor, will turn out the other. The
difficulties which confronted it at the
first epoch were incomparably greater
han those which confront it now. 1t
succeeded then, and it will all the more
easily succeed now"
In ten days Mr.. Potter, accompanied
by a party Of tin-plate men and an ex-
pert familiar with the European mines,
will visit the Black Hills in Dakota to
gain full Information as to the extent of
the block-tin deposits there, investigate
the attempts already made to reduce the
ore, and secure specimens for more
scientific experiment.
what is the extent Of the Black
Hills deposits ?"
81 am told that it is greater than that
Of the Welsh, Bohemian, Saxony, and
Portuguese mines combined"
"But will not the question of labor
have an important bearing on the sue
cess Of the undertaking? Even after
you have obtained pig-tin in suitable
condition from the Black Hills can YOU
make tin plate in Chicago in competi-
ton with foreign labor?'
ave would not be permitted in Chi
cago to work women and children in our
works as they are in Wales and other
European tin centres, and, of course,
with American men could not compete
with such labor. But this part Of the
problem will be solved by the superior
machinery which we will be able to
command in this country as contrasted
with that in use in Europe"
1t may be remembered that in addi-
tiun to the point made by Mr.. Potter
there is at present q tariff of one cent
per pound or imported tin plate. This
rate is equivalent to an al valorem duty
of 1913 per cent. As no tin is manu-
featured i'm this country such a tariff is
OF course purely a revenue tax. 1t is
not likely, therefore, that it would be
removed on becoming also protective,
as it would If the native manufacture
should spring up. Protection to the *
tent Of 1873 per cent on the value Of the
tin-plate would probably coyer the
difference between the price of Ameri-
can and European labor.
what are the most notable conse-
quences which would follow the estab-
lishment Of this industry in America p
"To begin with, the country would
keep among her own inhabitants from
$~20,000,000 to $25,000.0 0 a year--a con.
stantly increasing amount-which she
sends abroad the moment she could
supply her own demand. Then there
would be an awakening in the steel
business incident upon the demand for
steel plates on which to veneer the tin.
The commercial Importance of these
two items can hardly be estimated.
Vast good will result to Chicago if the
North Chicago Rolling Mill Company
succeeds in the experiment it is about
to make, as | am firmly convinced il
will. But, of course, with one success
others will spring up over the country
and the benefit will be general"
"How soon do you expect to make
your first tin-plate !"
"Our experiment will begin as soon as
our consolidation is complete. 1t NAV
be years before we obtain successful
results, but it will not be many"
CHICAGO CAPITALISTS Will EXPERIMENT.
There are other progressive men in
Chicago who believe that the time is
quite near when American tin-plate will
be on the market.
Mr.. w. q. Hubbard and Mr.. A. b.
Bartlett, of Hubbard, Spencer, Bartlett <
Co., Mr. Cyrus III. Mccormick, Mr.. III.
w. Fowler, of the Fowler Milling Com
pany, and Mr.. Brown, the lumberman,
have bought an extensive tract of ore
land on Harvey Peak, in the Black
Hills, a few miles beyond Custer. They
have already sent out machinery and
made some experiments.
Our first effort to separate the mica
from the tin," said Mr.. Hubbard yester-
day, "were q failure. But we are not
discouraged. | am convinced that a
way to overcome this difficulty will be
discovered. At any rate we propose to
keep trying. There are only four of us
interested and our children will not 90
to the poorhouse if we should sink a
little money out there. But we are SO
sure it will not be sunk in the end that
we do not intend to divide what we now
hold with others"
Mr.. Hibbard exhibited a pig OF tin
made in connection with the expert
ments mentioned.
20, yes" he said, 1--WE have succeeded
in getting out pure tin, but only by a
process which is, so far, too expensive to
enable us to put it on the market with
profit. 1t is an augury for the future,
however"