The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-03-17
IB|G IMPROVEMENT
 AT STEEL WORKS Present Management is Mak- ing Some Great Records RESUME OF YEARS WORK Steel Making at Ensley Is Placed More Firmly Than Ever on a Solid
 and Substantial
 Basis.
RESUME OF YEARS WORK

Ensley, March s.-(special)-sincet the building of the steel works here, Ensley has no doubt been the most widely talked of town of any in the industrial world The first three years operation of the l open hearth department might be re- ferred to as entirely experimental, as the handling of the southern ores was so entirely different from what the steel workers had been practicing at other places, that some of the best known steel melters met their Waterloo, and could not , fathom the phosphorus propositions, so as to eliminate that element, which is so detrimental to the product. Frequent changes were made In the | management of this department and the prominence of the men in the steel world, who would come down and stay only a short time attracted much attention, and one of the former superintendents re- | marked that Ensley was as well known to the steel workers in Russia Germany | and other foreign places where there are steel industries as any of the towns located in their vicinity.
 They found a way, however, whereby they could handle this unruly element, and the next thing that attracted the at. tentlon of the entire steel world was the installation of a converting mill in con nection with the open hearth department, starting what Is known as the Duplex process of manufacturing steel It is said that this proces had never been at tempted at any place in the United States, and it is known that some of the most prominent steel men in the country came to Ensley to see it's operation. This was one of the most important experi
 ments that was ever made by the com pany and 1t is evident that 1t has proven success, as new and more modern | converting mill is being constructed in connection with the several new furnaces that are also being built.
 There has been more improvements un- der the present administration than were made under all of the others, not only in the adding of new and modern equip ment in the different departments, but in
 the general appearance of the entipe mill. Although there has been many new | railroad tracks laid through the yards | there appears to be much more room about the place, the many small shanties | that adorned the yards have disappeared, and where needed, good substantial build. l ings have been erected. The scrap, etc,
 that was formerly piled promiscuously around the main yards is conspicuously absent. and all in all a wonderful change 1 has been made.
 l Recent changes have been made in the
 rolling department which it is thought
 will increase the production of finished | rails 90 or 40 per cent.
 | Competent and thoroughly practical men
 are at the heads of all the departments,
 and the management has the labor propo- l sition well in hand, and are not suffer- ing from the want of men.
 l The inability to get cars for outgoing | shipments has been 0 great handicap, | and the situation from this standpoint
 continues very unsatisfactory. An idea of the amount of construction | that Is going on can be gathered from ] the fact that It Is said that there Is over 1900 more men at work in the steel
 works division alone, than was employed | there a year ago.
 | There is a regular little army of work
 men on the new converting mill and l open hearth end, and when the four new | furnaces that are being put in are com l pleted, and the two new 20-ton conVerters
 are put in operation, Ensley's shipment ] tonnage will be doubled, and the town 1 will have a place in the industrial world,
 that will make the other steel towns sit l up and take notice, more than ever be- | fore.
 | The foundations and retaining walls
 are nearly completed and part of the steel structural work is already up on 1 some of the building in the new plant. The open hearth building will be 460x150. | The converter building will be 262XS5. 1 The new gas house, which is to have
 twenty-three modern gas producers, will | be A2x24.
 | The blowing engine and pump house, l which Is 60x16O, steel construction, is near l ly completed This will have monster l blowing engine and two hydraulic pumps.
 The blowing engine will furnish blast
 for the converters, and the pumps will 1 furnish hydraulic pressure for the fur
 naces. which are to be of the tiltng de- | vice.
 There will be a 25O-ton hot metal mixer l in connection with this new addition. l Since these buildings are beginning 10 | assume proportions, the real estate n | that part of town has been very active,