The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-08-25
A Factory Which Democratic Tin Plate Liars
of All Grades Are Urgently Requested
to Visit and Carefully Inspect.
Features of the Plant, Process of Manu-
facture and Wages Paid Employees.
Nearly Twenty Million Pounds ofTin and Terne
Plates Made in the United States in the
Past Year-The Industry Growing.


The EIwood Factory Now Turning Out 200
Boxes a week-A Big Industry.
No other industry in the United States is
exciting more interest at present than the
manufacture of tin-plate. This is due in
part to the fact that 1t is q new industry
now Just being established under the Nc
Kinley law, and in part to the fact that it
has been singled out By the Democratic
press of the country as special object of
opposition, misrepresen tation and abuse.
In order TO answer numerous inquiries on
the subject and set at rest various conflict
Ing rumors Journal reporter was in
structed to visit the American tin-plate-
works at Elwood Ind, and tell the truth
about them.
Elwood 10 situated in the northwestern
part of Madison county, in the heart of the
Indiana natural-gas field. The town has q
population of nearly seven thousand. most
of which it has acquired during the last
two years. and is growing rapidly. 1t has
several large manufacturing establish
ments, employing from 200 10 900 hands.
but the present report has to Go W tn one
only.
The reporter found the American tin
plate works located about half a mile from
Elwood. Oh grounds eligibly situated for
water, drainage, switching facilities, etc.
The natural gas well which furnishes fuel
and light for the entire establishment is
within the Enclosure. Mr.. w. Is. Leeds,
treasurer of the company. was present and
showed the reporter through the works,
and kindly gave all desired information.
The company was organized Sept 10. 1891.
It's capital stock Is $500, 600, and the num-
Der of stockholders about one hundred.
The stock 10 held In Cincinnati, Chicago,
Boston. Columbus and GAINESVILLE, o., and
Richmond, Kokomo, Peru and ElwOOd, Ind.
One of the largest stockholders is Hon. A.
l.. ConRer, of Ohio, who 10 also president
Of the company. He Is in several large
manufacturing enterprises, and is noted
for bis energy and success In business. Mr..
Leeds. treasurer and managing director of
the company. Is well known In railroad cir
cles. being division SUPERINTENDENT on
the Panhandle road. The other officers of
the company are John K. HaZen. of Cincin-
natl, vice president, and &. 5. Tarlton, SEQ
Rotary.
The company owns ten acres of ground.
all of which 1t expects To utilize evenru-
ally. Work on It's buildings was COM
menced Nov. 6. 1891, and the compile
tion of the plant has been pushed
three buildings completed. The first.
called the "hot-miil." is $50 by rs feet,
and is constructed of iron. This Is where
the black plates are heated. rolled. doubled
and separated. The second building the
cold-roll-mill,' is $50 by GO feet. and con
structed OF brick and stone. This build
Ing contains the boilers, cold-roll machines,
plckling machines and annealIng ovens.
The third building. the tinning-house and
feet The three buildings cost $50. 00O..
OTHER FEATURES OF THE PLANT.
These buildings are occupied by engines.
furnaces, tanks, rollers, shears aud other
appliances, all the machinery having been
cd in, try
gines in constant use two large and three
small ones. the largest being 1000 horse
power. The three buildings consti-
tute four mills at present but
are arranged for six, and will
be enlarged to this capacity very soon.
Mr.. Rogers Welsh tin-plate manufact-
urer, who recently visited this country,
and who 10 now preparing to establish a
large tin-plate factory In Grant county,
this State, visited the American tin plate
works. and pronounced them tho finest be
had ever seen-not the largest, but the
most convenient and best equipped. They
have been in active operation about six
weeks. The company's tin has been on the
they have filled sixty-one orders. includ-
j6g orders from Chicago, Cincinnati,
Elgin and Peoria. H.. Louis
vile. KY, Detroit, Mioh.. PittsburG. Pa.
Evansville. Upton, Mishawaka,. Ind, and
other places. They took $4,000 of orders
I'm Chicago in two days. At present they
are turning out about 200 boxes per week.
Their full capacity. with their present
facilities, will be 800 boxes per week, and
they expect to reach that quantity in Sep
TENDER. Their present product is about
Blk carloads of tin-plato per week, and
they have a steady demand for all they
can make. Their tin is sold in competition
with wellknown foreign brands. and
equals them In every respect, If it does not
surpass them. Norton Bros. of Chicago
who recently gave them an order for three
thousand boxes. say 1t works mp into cans
ter Ocean. referring to this purchase, said:
Last Friday the American Tin-plate Company.
or Elwood. Ind, through their agents. the Ha-
zen Company, of Cincinnati. took an order from
Norton Brothers, or Chicago. for three thousand
boxes 4. e. bright coke tin-plate, l4x20, and one
thousand boxes of the same quality. 20x2s, 10
be used by them in, the manufacture OF cans.
This Is probably the largest order yet booked by
On American tn-plate-works. IL Will weigh
o4o. 600 pounds and require train of twenty
10 transport it from Elwood. Ind, TO Chicago.
The order Is to be filed within ninety days and
was taken at a lower price than the foreign
ticle could be bought at. and the quality stated
by Norton Brothers to be much better than cor
Iespondins Engiish grades: especially in the
ductility or the steel sheets from which the
plates are made.
Manufacturers of tinware who are using
it say it gives entire satisfaction.
The company employs at present 228
ndDoB. OF whom thirty are DOy9, t0lrt,
girls and the remainder men. The payroll
runs about g. 600 week. the highest wages
being $50 q week. which 10 paid To- a roller
man. The average rollerman makes about
81 per day. doubler makes from "a to
$3.50, a heater So 20 $3.50, a catcher SO. The
boys and girls earn about 81 q day. All
these wages are more than double those
paid for the same work in Wales.
The American tin plate works use Amer
lean steel exclusively, that being found
more pliable and easily worked than the
English Bessemer steel. They make all the
black plate they use. In the process of
manufacturing they use one thousand
pounds OF sulphuric acid per week, which
comes from Cleveland. o.. and z, 500 pounds
per week of palm oil, which comes from
Africa. A carload of palm oil costs 81, coo.
They use carload of pig tin per month.
kinds of tin-plate in the market. viz:
Terne or roofing-tin. charcoal or bright
tin, and coke tin. and they challenge CON-
pacison between their product and the
corresponding grades of foreign tin. The
capacity of the mills il one-iifth terne or
roofing plate, and four fths bright plate.
HOW TEMPLATE Is MADE.
The process of manufacturing tin-plate
10 interesting Mt every stage. 1t starts
with the steel bar. called tin-plate bar, an
American product. seven inches wide and
fifteen inches long. This goes through q
series of heatinTs. rollings and doublings.
and comes ont IN thin sheets. eight TO a
pack These are sheared TO size and
separated. then '.pickled" in sulphuric
IL