The Mena weekly star., 1896-09-16
Hydraulic-Cement Industry, Fort
 Scott, Kas

From the Ninth Annual Report of the Bu. i reau Of Labor and Industry of Kansas: i Hydraulic cement rock was first discoy-
 cred at Fort Scott, Kas., in 1867 by A. H Bourne Samples of the rock were sent to Professor Louis Agassiz, of Harvard uni verslty, Cambridge, Mass. which elicited
 the following reply;
 "Cambridge, Mass, April IT. Isss Your curious specimens are recefved
 ana are valuable acquisitions to our cabi-
 net or minerals, for which please accept
 our thanks. The rock, if properly calcined,
 VIII make very superior quality of hy-
 draulic cement, and, I hope, fortune to you. Yours, thankfully V
 LOUIS AGAssIz."
 hlgnest authority in the United States)
 very small works were built for the
 manufacture of hydraulic cement in 1888 and were known as the Fort Scott Cement works works In 1868, c. F. Drake and Dr. Hepler associated themselves with the company in the manufacture of the ce- ment. In the fall of 1869, they had invested $4,000 in the works, which had canacitv of producing ten barrels of cement a day day The price of Louisville cement in that market at that time was $lO per barrel. to $5 per barrel The demand for hydraulic cement in the West at that time was ex- GGeedingly limited. When the Missouri. Kansas & Texas railroad reached Fort Scott they commenced to use the Fort Ecott cement, and used it in all their brjdres between Fort Scott and Texas with the pest of results and have used large cream tItles annually since.
 The. first full carload of Fort Scott hv- oraullc cement shipped was in 1870 and was used in the Arkansas river bridge The Fort Scott x Gulf railroad about that time also adopted the use of the Forf scott cement. The New York Construc- ton Company, of New York used 300 bar rels in building the gas works at Jefferson Slty, Mo, paying for the same $500 per barrel, fob. cars Fort Scott. In 1871. the capacity of the works was increased 10 fifty barrels per day, and the price reduced to $3.00 per barrel. In 1872 the Fort Scott cement was used at Humboldt, Emporia, Wanego, Junction City and Topeka; a carload being shipped to each place at $3OO a barrel, which gave eneire satisfaction In the same year, the Fort Scott hydrau- ic cement was introduced at Kansas City. Mo, Ind other points. Tn 1873 the Fort Scott hydraulic cement was used in tbe construction of the water works at Kan sas City, Mo. The reservoirs built in that , year and lined with Fort Scott cement are 1 In most excellent condition, after twenty | years of use.
 In 1874 MT c. H. Boyle bought tha works and increased the capacity to 100 ba arrels per day In 1879 MT. C. F. Drake purchas- ed back the works, still further increased leased the same to B. F Gardiner who operated the works until the time Of his death, after which they were purchased by the Kansas City and Fort Scott Cement Company, the capacity increased to 700 barrels per day, and have since been oper- H.. Gardiner superintendent of works. This company has Bundled the product of inc mills since 1873. Owing to improved the cost of producing hydrauI- ic cement for the last several years has been greatly reduced and it is now sold at a price not exceeding S1 per barrel From this, it may be seen that the industry started small, has become one of con. siderable importance, and has been a great advantage to the city of Fort Scott as well as to the state. fi The Fort Scott hydraulic cement is pro. lounced by the best authority to be not only equal but superior to any of the nat lral hydraulic cements manufactured in he United States. It is an industry that he people of Fort Scott and the people of he state should be justly proud of The employs a large number of men n it's quarries. and in it's mills in the man. fracture of the cement, for which it finds 'eady sale. Its cement has been used by learly all the railroads throughout not only Kansas. but the adjoining states and the company markets its product in Kansas Missouri, Texas, Arkansas Iowa Nebras- I "a, Colorado and New Mexico. Some 3O0O0 'arrels or more are used annually in the I 'ublic works of Kansas City, Mo-. and the ompanys annual output is 10000 barrels er annunn. It should be borne in mind hat. with the improved machinery of the } resent day, hydraulic cement can be pur- s hased so cheaply that 1t is sold in the T