The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1907-05-07
Secretiveness Of Standard
Officials III Conceal
What is Done.
FORCE is REDOUBLED
Certain Departments Will Operate
June Entire Plant Com
pleted By July.

Because of their stringent policy of
secretiveness the public has not been
informed of the great progress made
in the erection of the Standard Steel
Car company. Before closing their
gates to the sightseers all that could
be seen of interest were the long
rows OF concrete foundations and
piers; numerous excavations for ma
chine beds ehimneys. etc, which gave
but vague idea Of the size and form
which this industry would assume
Since then however. the above
ground construction work has been
carried on with astonishing rapidity
and the contractors have fulfilled the
most sanguine predictions as to- the
early completion of the work. Angus
Bros & Company. the general con-
tractors. have recently redoubled their
working force evidently with the idea
of finishing up at once the few odd
Jobs which are uncompleted
Activity Impressive.
When inside the gate one is at once
impressed with the general atmosphere
of activity in every branch of con-
struction. The main building, in
which the steel cars will be built, is
now entirely rooted and sided, partly
painted and nearly ready for the in
stallation of the machinery. great
deal of which has already arrived. and
is being unloaded by two huge electric
cranes recently put in operation. The
IT'S foot chimney has been finished
and the other two are in process of
construction. The boilers and self
feeding boiler heaters have been set up
and are in operation, the first smoke
having made its appearance from the
chimney on Wednesday. What is
known as mechanical row, the head
quarters of the electricians, machin-
lists and woodworkers, has been in op
Grafton for some time. and serves in
the capacity OF a repair shop.
Where the Power Comes From.
In the power house the immense
thirty-ton Westinghouse dynamos have
been set and are in working order.
furnishing the power to the two cleo
trio cranes installed in the power
house. The latter is snugly located
between the two car shops in one of
which the steel cars will be built while
the other will be used for wooden
cars The wooden car shop is still far
from completion and it is not probable
that il Will be entirely finished before
the work will be begun on the steel
cars from which the company assumes
it's name. The paint shop in which the
modern method of spraying the cars
will be used, is now being rushed to
completion a large part of the carpen-
ter force being used to put on the
roof and complete the minor details
of it's construction.
C.rucSfN- azaH ITnrCA
The capacity of the plant when in
full working order is estimated to be
about one hundred and twenty five cars
per day. with force of twenty five
hundred men, although it will be run
on smaller scale at first and gradu-
ally enlarged There are now nearly
thousand men employed in the con-
struction Of the works and the force is
being increased almost daily.
The size Of Hammonds largest in
dustrial acquisition may be more fully
realized by comparison. In full run
ming order the Hegewisch car shops
will employ a thousand less men than
the Standard Steel Car company and
a daily capacity Of forty cars as COM
pared to the one hundred and twenty
five completed daily by the Hammond
concern. Yet Hammond people who
have visited the Hegewisch concern
often marveled at its immensely.
The lower class Of laborers are well
provided for in twenty $4,000
cottages one hundred and sixty four
feet in length. sanitary, through plain
" finished and with many of the mod
ern conveniences.
The opening of the concern IS not
very distant event \ few of the on
cials predict that several department!
will be IN operation by the first o
next month and all will be in runnin.
order BY the specified time. July
which time will probably serve as
date for the beginning Of what Ham
mond folk proudly call Create
Hammond"