San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-11-21
rHAr GUN FACTORY.

Washington, have left behind them
unmistakable evidence of the favor in
which they regard San Antonio as a
candidate for the location of the pro
posed ordnance mandatory. That
plant can be secured for San Antonio
with proper effort, and the securing
of that plant definitely and success.
fully settles the question of manufac-
turing in Texas for all time. 1t GEN.
ters that business at San Antonio
and makes of this city the great steel
producer of the South; not OF Texas
alone but of the entire South.
To secure this plant two things
will be necessary. A railway
must be at once constructed to the
ore beds from which the steel is TO
be manufactured; and, plant for the
manufacture of the steel blooms from
which the guns are to be made. The
government makes the guns, that is
works up the steel ingots, forgings,
blooms, or whatever they may be
called, into the completed guns, Dor
ing, turning, finishing and putting
the parts together. These gun facto-
ries, the factories for making the guns
from steel ingots, are erected by gov
eminent and are government works.
The blast furnaces for converting the
ore, and the FORCES for making the in
COTS must be established by private
capital, the government buying the
blooms or ingots at certain fixed
price. At the board Of trade meet
ing held yesterday afternoon it was
stated that the government paid
thirty cents per pound for steel
blooms and they could be manufac-
tured here for about one-third that
amount. The examination made of
the Llano ores by the government
hoard was most satisfactory, and
great surprise was expressed at the
superior quality of the ores. The gen.
tlemen composing the board were
more than surprised, they were en-.
thusiastic over the unexpected find of
such ores, and did not hesitate to
pronounce them superior to any ex-
amined by them elsewhere. The
work of securing this plant involves
as Its first step the completion
of the railway to Llano, as on
ly by this line can the
ores from which the steel is to
be manufactured reach this city.
San Antonio can do this much. She
can secure the completion of rail-
way line to the magnificent ore beds
that lie only one hundred miles away
to the northwest and which have no
superiors on the continent as steel
producing ores. This road built and
the location of the finishing works by
government decided upon for San An
tonic, the establishment of a steel
plant by private capital as neces-
sary condition of such govern
ment works would be readily
effected. Such an opportunity
would at once challenge the
attention of all steel manufacturers
and there would be no trouble
in putting in a plant such as is re.
quired. This plant would cost from
81 500, 900 to So, 10000 and, with the
government plant, would es ia lish at
this point manufactures of steel re-
curing at least from sc, 00O, 900 to S.
DOC, 900 capital. These works estab-
lished others of a similar character
would grow up around them, and the
steel manufacture of the south would
be conferred here. Conferred here
because government has guaranteed
the superior quality of the ores of this
region; and also, because the plant
for steel being already established
the steel supply for other steel
manufactures of all kinds could
be absolutely depended upon.
This is about the size of it; a $4,000
600 steel plant would be the result
of establishing that government
foundry and finishing factory for
large guns. Not only so, all manu-
factoring would naturally center
where such large supplies of men,
material and fuel would be required
and the manufacturing supremacy of
this CITY forever established upon