The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1906-12-07
Site of Standard Steel Con
Germ Bristles With
Activity.
GRAND STAND IS USED
Transformed Into Temporary Offices
For Company and Hotel
For Employees.


has passed since the site of the new
Standard Steel Car company plant was
purchased, the latter is already the
scene of remarkable activity. 1t was
on Oct 20, that the announcement was
made that the Standard Steel people
would build $4,000, 900 plant in Ham
mond.
The temporary offices of the company
are located in the old race track grand
stand which has been remodeled for
the purpose. The upper floor of the
building has been converted into a no.
tel with twenty five rooms for the en-
gineers and surveyors and a kitchen
and mess room where the men Will get
their meals.
on the lower floor is the machine
shop and a large store room with sec
tions partitioned off for the general
offices. A blue print plant will be in
stalled for the use OF the draughts
men and there will be every facility
for carrying on the work with dis
patch. Nearly a mile southeast Of the
temporary offices the real work of the
plant Is going on. Parallel spurs of
track have been laid from the spur
that juts out from the Indiana Harbor
railway and dozens of cars stand on
these tracks laden with cement. crushed
stone, lumber, scoops, graders, cement
mixers, steam shoyels and other ma
chinery used in the construction work
Bunk Rooms for Laborers.
A dozen houses have been built for
the purpose of storing supplies and as
bunk rooms for. the laborers. In one
of these buildings one hundred of them
are Quartered. Despite the claims of
a few of the discontented ones that
they were mistreated and were poorly
housed 1t is plainly evident that they
were being given the best treatment
possible under the conditions and really
have no kick coming.
The concrete pillars which are to be
the foundations of the largest building
on the grounds are already partly laid
and it is possible to get an idea of the
enormous size of the structure. Long
rows of concrete moulds have been put
in and it is impossible to appreciate
the size OF a building that is to be
6OOx10O feet until the actual work of
construction begins.
1t is said that there are to be several
others almost as large as the one now
under construction and in addition
many smaller buildings such as the
paint shop, machine shop. and a large
office building.
Angus brothers, who haev the con-
tract for the grading, have about fifty
teams on the work and would put on
fifty more If they could be secured.
One of the Angus brothers said that
there would be work all winter for the
teamsters regardless of the weather
and that 1t would be a fine opportunity
for some local teamsters who have been
expecting to have their teams idle this
winter.
Now 300 Men at Work.
1t is estimated that there are now
800 men working on the Job and If the
weather is not too cold, this number
may be increased to 400 or 500 before
spring.
Both Mr.. Angus and Engineer Grant
are dissatisfied with the progress that
has been made so far in spite of the
appearance OF great activity and say
that things will have to move along
| faster IL the plant Is ready for car
building by July 4.
There are dozens Of surveyors on
the ground preparing the way for the
graders and marking out the locations
of the various buildings and together
with the foremen. contractors and
bosses who hurry from one Job to an
other. the scene is an animated one.
East of the site of the Standard Steel
Car company the broad acres are be-
ing cut up into lots and streets are al
ready being cut through with great
rapidity and as many OF the lots have
already been sold 1t is expected that
there will be great activity in that vi
cinity before spring.
The important matter of the location
of the gates and the general Offices has
not been determined and II may not
be known for some time whether the
great stream Of employees will go west
| to Columbia avenue and thence north
to State street where they will be dis
tributed over town or whether the
gates will be located near the inter
section OF Columbia avenue and the
Nickel Plate tracks and the 1000 en-
ployes viii be compelled to go dowr
Summer street State street or Plum
mer avenue.
| President Hansen OF the STANDARD
! Steel Car company was IN Hammond
yesterday on a good deal the same mis-
sion that President Roosevelt went. tc
| Panama-namely: to make the dirt fly
He found it flying in great shape ow-
! ing to the fact that the men have not