Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1903-09-18
POSSIBLY A NEW AGE
Cement may be the Material to
Designate it. Does IL
Exist Here

Exist Here
A rumor in the lower end Of this
valley points to Indications that
parties interested in cement have
been prospecting in this county with
a view to ascertaining whether there
is deposit Of that rock here. Down
in Northampton county there has
been a marvellous growth in the
cement industry and should it be
found that a deposit exists in our
hills a tremendous impetus would
no doubt be given to our prosperity
A recent article in the Manufae.
turers Record points out the great
and growing demand for the min.
eral. 1t says it has been customary
to call certain periods of the world g
history by the name of the principal
means by which the inhabitants of
that age have been able to advance
in wealth and civilization, such as
the "Stone Age, the Bronze Age, -
the Iron Age" the "steel Age. "
The propriety of the last two desig-
nations is recognized by all, while
the transfer of the scepter from iron
to steel is so recent that we have
seen the transformation and are
sharing in the patronage Of the
new dynasty.
The increase in an ever increasing
progression in the demand for iron
and steel per capita is almost a
mathematical demonstration and no
one doubts that the next ten years
must require an enormous increase
of output above even the large
figures of today Where is it all to
come from9
What is true of the iron and steel
industries is equally true in an
aggravated form of the lumber
industry, While this is something
whose production may be made per-
petual by proper forestry methods,
it is quite evident that no effectual
means will be taken until we are
brought face to face with the actual
scarcity which is already in sight to
the more careful observers. To the
difficulty of getting iron, therefore,
is to be added sharp and sudden
scarcity of timber With what will
we supplement our needs in this
respect, and how can we assist our
iron and timber resources to meet
the calls made upon them2 II we
could find something that is general
ly distributed in very large quanti-
ties, that is capable of taking the
place of iron and timber in many
uses and supplementing them in
others that will give good results
with unskillful handling, and with
skillful handling will meet the most
rigid requirements the problem
would be largely solved. Clay will
do this in part but by far the most
valuable adjunct is cement. It's
manufacture is getting on a firm
basis, it can be put in form easily
handled, with care can be kept as
long as desired, and is capable, on
proper mixture with a large amount
of cheap inert material, universally
distributed, of taking the form of
any space which it is desired to
occupy, and of changing in a short
time to material rock-like in
character and resistent to all forces
of decay, The growth of the cement
industry has recently been enormous
From 1882 the import of Portland
cement has increased from 1900
tons to over three million tons In
1902. The production of cement
was greater in 1902 than the entire
iron production In 1882. Certain
localities like the Lehigb valley
which produces sixty per cent Of the
Portland cement shows that the
AREA of production is at present
limited but this condition may not
continue and should cement sub
stances be found here we might
share in the output Portland
cement is defined as a hydraulic
cement made by ealeinining lime
stone with clayey matter, as chalk
and river mud.