The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-06-28
PLANS FOR A COKE PLANT
Empoztant Addition to the baltimore
steel works

SAeeE - oEA~N-
BALTIMORE. June 2S-The great steel
works at Sparrows Point. Baltimore, are
to be enlarged by the erection Of a coke
oven plant, whereby it viii nave at hand
all the coke necessary for smelling its
ore and making steel. This announce
ment has been made in New York by
William /. EIkins, il. President Of the
United Coke and Gas Company. The des-
patch continues:
The coke is to be Of a very high order
and of equal grade to that of the famous
ConnellsviHe blast furnace Just what
viii be done with the gas to be made at
Sparrows Point Mr.. Eikins was not pre-
pared to state. There are also further
possibilities in the production OF coke at
SparroWs Point on which ne is silent At
Everett, Mass, for example. steel plant
produces enough surplus coke 20 furnish
fuel for a large railway system in Maine
The Sparrovs Point works recently pass
ed into control OF Pennsylvania Railroad
interests
In addition TO Illuminating gas from the
manufacture Of coke there are valuable
by-pr oducts-tar, sulphate Of ammonia
- IT, cyanides, benzine. and, as the
CHI SIS keep on with their discoveries.
there will without doubt be many other
articles of large commercial value saved
in the making Of coke
The plant to be built at SparTows Point
will be of the latest design and equipped
with all modern improvements vital
point of general interest is that by the
United Coke and Gas Company's process
es soft coal Of any character and from
any section OF the country can be success
fully used in the manufacture OF metal
he NON
opinion has been that coke suitable for
smelling iron could be obtained only from
the ConneIIsviIIe district This theory has
been exploded. as the great number of
the United Coke and Gas Company's ov-
ems shows
Without being technical, the gas es-
Gaping from the coal is of two grades.
7 he richer. OF Illuminating. gas is drawn
from the ovens during the early process
of coke-making- By the shutting Of
valve the poorer, or heating. gas. escap-
ing in the latter stages Of the cOktng pro-
cess, is turned into a different pipe and
is used afterward in furnishing the heat
for the ovens themselves. All the prod
ucts Of condensation and scrubbing are
collected in underground cisterns. The
ammonia liquor is pumped into a factory
for distillation. The salts, chlorides, sui
ptate. the sUlphocyanide of ammonia,
etc. are decomposed by the addition Of
milk of lime, which, combined with the
acids. sets the ammonia free. This am
monia is then converted either into sui
phate of ammonia, a most valuable com
merciaI fertilizer, or into concentrated
ammonia liquor. used in the manufacture
of soda or for refrigerating purposes The
tar is easily collected and is subsequently,
converted into pitch. roofing paper, and
great number of chemicals The coke
coming from the ovens is usually Of coli
umnar pieces about nine inches long and
is very hard and dense
Baltimore has a very favorable location.
It is a centre for all sorts of manufac-
lures. with coal in close proximity. Balti-
more is also peculiarly fortunate in her
means Of transportation She has the
vast Middle and Far West bound to her
by roads Of steel and a waterway 10 the
Atlantic opening up to her merchants
and manufacturers the markets of the
world 1t is in no way strange that Bal
timore should be deeply interested in an
other enterprise. promising coke for the
blast furnaces and foundries that glow
proved coke oven system. which IS con-
tr0lled in this country by the United
Coke and Gas Company, has already syl-
perSeded all beehive ovens in Germany.
William l. EIkins. IT. o. the United
Coke and Gas Company reports that 2 210
of their ovens are in vaf5Ous gas and
steel plants Throughout the country