Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1906-06-20
Released for publication June Isl III
KANSAS CEMENT.
The Best in the worls1.


lola, KANs., June Ia Secretary d.
War Taft announces that he will not use
American Portland dement's in the con-
struction of the Panama canal, because
he can buy cheaper abroad When
Kansas first began to manufacture Port
land cement it wasldeclared with some
pride that Kansas would furnish the
cement for the big canal This, perhaps,
was an exaggeration, but it was fair to
assume that American cements would
be used, and that Kansas would furnish
her share. The Kansas article had been
tested and found to- be the best in the
world. This was the verdict of scien-
lists and of contractors throughout the
country, and, accordingly, when Uncle
Sam decided to buila the big ditch Kan
sas filed on a sharelof the cement con-
tract, and her manufacturers of cement
have been looking forward to it, while
now, Mr.. Taft, who has the last word in
the matter, decides to buy of foreign
countries. Ii
However, the Secretarys resolution
will make 20 difference to the Kansas
manufacturers. Their pride will be
taken down bit, perhaps, but that will
be all. Financially they will lose moth
ing. Every barrel they can produce is
contracted for year ahead, and it only
is by frequent engagements of their
plants and the construction of entirely
new mills that they can keep pace with
the increasing demand. For In America
this is the CEMENT AGE. Cement Is
taking the place of stone in railroad con-
structions and all other heavy building.
In western Kansas even the smaller cot
tages are constructed OF it. 1t is used in
sidewalks everywhere, and lately cement
fences are coming Not infrequently it
spans wide rivers, bearing railroad and
highway traffic safely, and in the noun
tains it forIss dams which resist the most
violent torrents. Il TN
So the refusal of the Government to
buy American cement for the Isthlmian
canal CAUSE the Kansas manufacturers
no loss of steep or of lbusiness The lola
manufactures 1.-TWO plants are turning
out 5000 barrels of cement daily and
two plants at Independence and one at
Neodesha will be crowding that output
in short time Besides these, prepara-
tions are making for a plant at Hum
boldt and for one at Chanute. The
Chanute plant will start with "a capacity
of 5000 barrels daily. Within year or
less, counting the two plants at lola, one
at independence, and one at Neodesha
now in operation and three more con-
templated or under construction, Kansas
will be producing something like 10000
barrels of cement daily. A
And all this has come from a beginning
made by the Industrial: Bureau of tile
Atchison, Topeka &. Santa Fe Railway
less than nine years ago. Before the
Santa Fe made the discovery that Kan
sas contains in her soil the constituents
for Portland cement, there had not been
a barrel of it made west Of the Mississippi
river. But the big railroad company
was after business. 1t had caused brick
works and glass works, and monster zinc
smelters to be established along its lines
in the gas region of Kansas, and why not
cry cement? THERE were beds of shaIe
and deposits of limestone, and why not
mix the two properly and make Portland
cement? Il
Such was the inception of the Portland
cement industry of Kansas, which since
has mounted into vast proportions. Tie
shale was sure, but there were so MANY
varieties or degrees Of limestone, that It
took time, patience, skill and no little
money to find the right one. Finally the
stone that formerly had been known Dis
lola marble" proved to be exactly the
limerick that was needed, and behold,
when science had mixed it with the shale.
the product was the best Portland cement
in the world! The next step was to OBJ
tain option on Shale and limestone lands
and to lease gas rights This was done,
which gave the company something tD
offer, to capital in the succeeding 1iego-
tiations for the establishment of a cement
plant. Joint freight rates also were stud
led. All this took more time and more
money, but finally it was done, and a
company of Michigan capitalists induced
to undertake the enterprise ii
This was early I'M 1898. The enter
prise, by the experiments and demon
strations of the Santa Fe, looked SO
good" that East and West, Kansas ID
Guided, subscribed to the capital stock.
Success was in, right from the start, and
the money rolled in so abundantly that
June Is, 1900, the lola Portland Cement
Company began to turn out 1900 bar
rels of cement daily The product Of
this mill entered immediately into the
worlds consumption, and at once it took
a front rank Everywhere west of the
Mississippi river there came a demand
ior Kansas cement Eventhe worlds
famous Belgium cement took SECOND
place. Of course the plant was enlarged,
and enlarged again, and now there has
been another increase of capacity, max
ing its daily output about 5000 barrels.
The remarkable success of the original
lola plant led to the formation, by the
encouragement of the same railway com
pany, of second lola company, known
as the Kansas Portland Cement COM
pany. z
This was formed in October, 1902. In
April, 1908, ground was broken for thu
plant, and in July, IbO4, the mill began
operations. Still lobking for; ssce1nent
rock" and shale in the gas region the
Santa Fe's Industrial Commissioner KEPT
his scientific men in The field and found
near Indepen dence the identical limestone
and shale that had proved tobe so valtI-
able at lola. Again land options and gas
leases were obtained, and withthe success
at lola in view it was easy to enlist capital
The result " as the Western States Port
land Cement Company, which began to
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