The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1906-06-22

try cementi There were beds OF shale
and deposits of limestone, and why not
mix the improperly and make Portiano
cement?
Such was the inception of the Portland
cement industry of Kansas, which since
has mounted into vast proportions. Inc
shale was sure, but there were SO many
varieties or degrees of limestone, That IL
took time. patience, skill and no little
money to find the right one. Finally the
stone that formerly had been known as
q lola marble" proved to be exactly the
;ma-rock that was needed, and behold,
when science had mixed it with the shale,
The nroduct was the best Portland cement
IN he world The next step was to OBJ
tain option on shale and limestone ianos
and to lease gas rights. ms was done,
which gave the company something 10
offer to capital in the succeeding nego-
tiations for the establishment OF cement
plant. Joint freight rates also were stud
| led. All this took more time ana more
money, but finally it was done, ana
company of Michigan capitalists induced
to undertake the enterprise.
This was early in 1898. The enter
prise, by the experiments and demon
STATIONS of the, Santa Fe, looked so
" good" that East and West, Kansas in
Guided. subscribed to the capital stock;
Success was in, right from the start, ana
the money rolled in so abundantly that
June Is. 1900, the lola Portland Cement
COMPANY began to turn out 800 bar
rels OF cement daily. The product OF
this mill entered Immediately into the
worlds consumption, and at once 1t took
a front rank. Everywhere west OF the
Mississippi river there, came demand
for g Kansas cement Even the worlds
famous Belgium cement took second
place. OF course the plart was enlarged,
and enlarged again, and now there has
been another increase OF capacity max
ling its dali, output about 5000 barrels:
The re. .rarkable success of the original
Iole p;ant led to the formation, by the
encouragement of the same railway conf
pany. of second lola company, known
as the Kansas Portland Cement Com
pany. 1910
This was formed in October, 1902. In
April. 1908, ground was broken for the
plant. and in July, 1904, the mill began
operations. Still looking for cement
rock" and shale in the gas region, the
santa Fe's Industrial Commissioner kept
his scientific men in the field, and found
near Independence the identical limestone
and shale that had proved to be so valu-
able at lola. Again land options and gas
leases we're obtained, and with the success
at lola in view it was easy to enlist capital.
The result was the Western States Port
land Cement Company, which began to
make cement in November, 1905, and is
now turning out about 5000 barrels daily.
Still another plant at Independence, on
the line of the Atchison, Topeka 4 Santa
Fe, located by the same methods as be-
fore, is branch of the Kansas Portland
Cement Company, whose head is Mr..
George f.. Nicholson, of lola. Its capa-
city is $500 barrels daily.
The Neodesha plant is only in its be-
ginning, and is turning out about 1900
barrels day.
Following these will come the Hum
boldt and the Chanute enterprises which
the Santa Fe commission now is working
on, and after them others all over the
Kansas gas region, so long as the demand
for cement continues.
Of course, the Atchison, Topeka d
Santa Fe Railway Company has by its
share in these enterprises made new pa
irons and additional revenues for itself,
but, more and better than that, it has
added to the States population and
wealth and given employment to very
many men. 1t is profitable employ
ment, too.
1t takes big money to establish and
conduct a Portland cement plant. For
instance, the lola Portland Cement Com
pany's plant is said to have cost two
million dollars, and outside of that it has
a working capital of one and one-hal hall
millions. The company employs 700
men, and the mill runs night and day.
Its payroll is said to be 100000 month.
Its plant is one of the largest in the
United States. The lola people say the
largest in the world, and probably it is.
The other plants in the State are smaller,
but they are coming, and they employ
their proportionate share of labor and
turn ont their full share of cement.