Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-05-05
MAMMOTH STEEL PLANT
Largest of Its Kind to Be Built
In Indiana.
COST ESTIMATED AT s76,oO0,oOo

About the Plant ON the shores Of
Lake Michigan Calumet Rivers
Course to He Changed.
Detailed plans of the mammoth steel
plant the United States Steel corpora
ton is building in Indiana on the shores
OF Lake Michigan We're laid before the
directors Of the company at the reg
ular quarterly meeting of the board
the other afternoon. The new plant,
which Is to cost $75,OOO,O0O, Is to be
built by the Indiana Steel company, a
subsidiary organization of the United
States Steel corpora ton, formed for
the purpose of carrying out the COM
pany's plans for this new steel plant,
which will be the largest and the best
equipped of its kind in the world. The
plant is being built primarily to serve
the western market, but it is so locat-
ed that it's product can be marketed
advantageouSly in the east as we'll as
In the west, says the New York Times.
The furnaces, rolling mills and other
parts Of the plant itself will cover
square mile. and In addition the COM
pany owns thousands of acres which
will be used for town site, for vast
railroad yards and for other facilities
needed to insure the effective opera
ton of this gigantic plant After the
meeting of the directors Judge L. II.
Gary. chairman of the board Of di-
rectors, after whom the town which
is 10 be built up around this new steel
plant is to be named. announced some
x,f -. III
The plant will consist of large ag
gregation of blast furnaces, open
hearth furnaces and finishing mills.
but the whole Is to be so thoroughly
co-ordinated that 1t will, In fact, be
single plant. There are to be sixteen
blast furnaces, eighty-four open hearth
furnaces and six finishing mills, some
Of which, individually, will be larger
than any of the single mills owned by
the Steel corporation. The rail mill,
for example, will be built at n cost of
S2,500,OO0 and VIII be capable OF roll
ing about 5000 tons of rails a,month.
The first of the big rail mills construct
ed by the Steel corporation in the Pitts
burg district, which at the time was
considered a very large mill, cost but
100000.
Some idea of the amount of mate
rial which 1t will take to SUPPLY these
mills is gained from the company's es-
innate that fully 100000 tons. of iron
ore will be required by the plant annu-
ally. This will be brought down from
the company's mines in the Lake Su
perior region and will be brought In to
docks Immediately adjoining the COM
pany's blast furnaces, (which form the
first division of the Indiana plant
This ore will be converted into about
100000 tons Of pig iron, which in
turn will produce from 100000 to
100000 tons of steel. Every ton of
iron ore used will'call for the consump-
ton of at least anotheriton of coal and
coke.
The erection oftthe company's plant
will require a vast amount OF struc-
tural steel, the production of which
will keep some tof the company's pres
ent mills busy for many months. A
small army of5men will be employed
for two years rcr more in the conStruc-
ton of the plant, and when 1t is COM
pleted it will!give emphoyment.to about
$1,000 men.
The location of the plant includes a
portion of the present bed of the Calu-
met river, the course of which is to be
changed SO that the waterway will fit
in with the complny's plans for the de
velopment of the land between the lake
front and the Calumet river.
In addition toi the Elgin, Joliet and
Eastern and thej other railroads owned
by the Steel corporation. the new
plant will be ser we'd by four great rail
road systems. the Pennsylvania. the
New York Central. the Baltimore and
Ohio and the wabash. The Erie also
passes withini easy connection OF the
new plant. The Steel corporation will
own vast railroad yards to the west
of the plant, which will be connected
with all these railroad systems.
The Lake. Shore and Michigan South
ern of the New York Central system,
the Baltimore and Ohio and the Wa
bash are engaged in altering their lines
in the neighborhood of the new plant
so as to avoid all grade crossings and
to make them fit in better with the
Steel corporations scheme of construc-
ton. The Baltimore and Ohio and the
Lake Shore and Michigan Southern will
have a union station In the town of
Cary, and the Pennsylvania and the |
wabash will have separate stations of |
their own
The town of Gary. which primarily |
will be the dwelling place of the men |
employed In the new plant, is expected |
by the officers of the Steel corporation |
within four or five years to have a |
population Of fully 100000 people, |
which will place it in the front rank |
of the smaller cities of the United |
States. This population would make
the town Of Gary larger than Albany
The town Is to be constructed as a
model one, tbut the officers of the Steel
corporation. say that no use will be
made of faids.
Already the Steeltcorporation has re-
ceived applications from many direc-
tons for the privilege of estahlishinui