, 1907-03-07
FUTURE is
R0SEATE
PORTLAND CEMENT POSSIBLE
TIES OF LARAMIE PLAIN
GIVE GREAT PROMISE
OF DEVELOPMENT.
Press Bulletin from United States
Geological Survey Refers to Iron
Mountain shaIe Beds, Less En-.
eouraglng Than Those Of Laramie
Rlver-MateriaI at Hand Almost
Chemically Pure.

In Press Bulletin No. 27O, series of
1907, issued by the United States geo
logical survey, as prepared for the
press by Harriet Conner Brown, the
assertion is made that Portland ce.
ment can probably be made in that
eastern Wyoming) district at a cost
below the present local prices of east.
ern brands" The bulletin then pro.
ceeds with description of the condi.
lions that exist in the vicinity of iron
mountain, about forty miles from
Cheyenne, where limestone n shale
are said to exist. The bulletin is re-
printed entire below,
Good Material Here.
Prot. L. w. Trumbull of the mining
department Of the University of Wyo-
ming, who has given considerable time
and applied considerable skill to an in
v~estigation Of the Portland cement pos.
sibilities of the state, and particularly
OF the Laramie plain, asserts that the
conditions on the Laramie river, with
in a short distance Of this city, are
equal to, and in many respects great
er, than those referred to in the bulle-
tin. He says the shales found along
the river, southwest of this city, are
superior in concentrating possibili-
ties to the Iron mountain shale, while
the limestone found near the city
springs, in quantities that will not be
exhausted In thousands of years, Is 60
nearly pure limestone as to ~astonish
those who have heretofore been con.
tent with stone having far less pro.
portions of the needed features. The
limestone is nearly pure, requiring the
easiest methods of treatment. and the
shale is free from many Of thoss things
that would deter it from becoming the
ideal Portland cement.
Comparatively No Mixing.
The professor says that while 1t is
necessary to mix several ingredients
together in order to obtain the proper
consistency in the proposition referred
to In the government report the pro-
duct found up the Big Laramie river
to the west Of this city is naturally in
about the proper proportions and little
or no mixing is required at all, which
in itself is a great saving in expense.
Fuel and Transportation.
Added to the inexhaustible beds OF
nearly chemically pure material, there
are easy fuel and transportation ia
cilities here, the beds being so near
the railroad already as to make the
handling Of both the raw and finished
material a matter of a little expendi.
ture Of time and money, and the in.
gradients entering into the manufac.
ture Of cement are so nearly pure as
to reduce to the minimum the cost OF
preparation.
The plaster mills Of the city, two
here and one not far away, are hand.
ling the shales suitable to their needs
in the most economical manner, and
the Portland cement material is al,
most as easy to come at. The bulletin
follows:
Portland Cement Near Cheyenne.
A recent report entitled Portland
Cement Materials in Eastern Wyo.
ming" written by Mr.. Sydney II. Ball
of the United States geological survey
contains the statement that Portland
cement can probably be made in that
district at a cost below the present
local prices Of eastern brands. Raw
materials suitable for its manufacture
were located by him last summer in
the vicinity of both Newcastle and
Cheyenne.
Raw Material at Hand.
The raw materials used in the manu-
facture of Portland cement are lime
stone, which must be practically free
vi mdSuSSiull ipoha@e' anu ShoiS vi
clay. The rocks sampled in the vicin
ity of Iron mountain, which Is about
forty miles from Cheyenne, include
limestones from the Niobrara forma
ton and the Minnekahta limestone
and shales from the Graneros forma
ton, and the Pierre shale. The area
to which a Portland cement plant, sit
uated in the neighborhood of Chey
enne, would ship its product, includes
the eastern half of Wyoming, western
Neraska, northwestern Colorado and ,
part Of northwestern Kansas
Limestone of Inferior Quality.
The best limestone sampled Is from