Omaha daily bee., 1906-09-16
CEMENT COMES TO THE FORE
CONTINUED from Third Page.)
while new walls of concrete were being
put up within a few feet

while new walls of concrete were being
put up within few feet.
Railroad Bridges of Cement.
The big railroads are all adopting the
cement bridge. 1t is cheaper, more en-
during. more quickly erected. and 1t re-
leases the builders from slavery to the
steel mills.
The tremendous boom in cement build
ing Is shown by the difference In the out
put of cement now and eight years ago.
In 1897 this country produced about
million and half barrels. Last year
this had grown to twenty-six and half
million, and the total for 1906 viii exceed
even this great amount
Fortunately the supply is virtually un-
limited. The Lehigh Valley region in
Pennsylvania alone can turn out 2OOO0,0Oo
barrels a. year indefinitely
Cement was found in this country as
early as 1850. and was first used by the
Lehigh Valley Coal and Navigation COM
pany.
The great Pennsylvania cement belt ex-
tends from Fogelsville. Lower Macungie.
to the Lehigh Valley river at Caplay 1t
runs In northeasterly direction, and Is
the same belt that later crops out In
New Jersey. One company alone employs
an army OF some q. 900 men in connection
with the manufacture OF its ceTent. There
are hve prominent companies and their
Investment is constantly being increased,
for the demand for cement has forced
them to erect new mills and to install
new machinery, whose value combined
would run into the millions.
| AS In blast furnaces the chemist Is the
most important factor. so In the nanufao-
ture OF Portland cement the chemists en-
ployed in these mills represent the top
notches In their profession. Portland ce-
ment is simply a combination of argilla-
ceous limestone with the natural cement
rock: but to secure the necessary high
tensile strength, ground to the utmost
fineness, with uniformity OF color (thus
assuring that all construction work will
improve In strength by age and stand for
ever IL 50 required), all demanding
analytical skill Of the highest order.
There IL much OF the romantic in the
discovery and development OF the cement
region in this country as well as in North
anpton. Farmers who for years had sue
ceeded In making only a bare living from
the stubborn soil suddenly found them
selves rich beyond the widest flights Of
| their imagination.
| Barren, rocky soil, on which the wild
carrot. the goldenrod and the Canada this
| tie were almost the most bounteous har-
vests. and where the tiller of the soil
often cursed the rock which was yet to
prove his fortune. sold for hundreds OF
dollars per acre.
One farmer sold his land for 100000. and
placing no trust IN men or banks. made
them give him the money In cash.
| ID. o. saylor was the pioneer OF the ce-
ment industry In Pennsylvania, and the
mill in which he made the first Portland
cement is still standing.
| The average price for good cement rock
| Is about $500 an acre. but the soil that has
limestone In It Is virtually worth almost
any money. 1t even pans out to beat gold.
Tor a good acre of limestone land win pan
out for its owner $40 or so per day An
enormous amount of limestone rock is
brought into the cement belt from Sun
| willie, Lebanon county. Pa.
| Once the rock is taken out of the earth.
everything in the manufacture OF cement
is done automatically. Machinery carries
II to the roastersi from the roasters it is
carried to the crushers; from the crushers
It goes to the stockhouse. and from there
to the sacks or barrels without having been
touched by the workmen.-Brookiyn Eagle.