The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1907-01-11
No Fear that Gary Will En-
tirely Supplant It AS a
Producing Point.
10000 men EMPLOYED
Additions to Steel Plant. Ore Docks
and Ship Yards-Completed
or Under Way.

South Chicago Jan. 1o.-Judging by
the increase in capacity of the Illinois
Steel company's plant here during the
past year, there is no danger of the
new plant at Gary interfering with the
business at South Chicago where TO-
coo men are now employed. The new
additions to the plant consist of an
open hearth furnace for the manu-
facture of a superior grade of steel, a
slooming mill. structural iron mill,
and additions to the blast furnaces.
The company now has forty blast furn-
aces in operation at these works.
On account of the increased demand
for steel plates throughout the coun-
try 1t has been necessary to also erect
an additional plate mill. the original
enc proving inadequate Early last
spring improvements were commenced
on the ore docks and these were COM
pleted in time to handle the ore un-
loaded during the past season. The
unloading arrangements and machinery
are of the latest types. consisting of four
travelling cranes. operated by cleo
tricity, and each carrying two clam
shell grabs" which scoop up five tons
of ore each descent. With these facili-
ties 1t is possible to unload q $4,000 ton
cargo IN six hours.
The dock capacity was also In
creased. During the season the com
btned consignment of ore for the South
Chicago and Joliet works Of the COM
pany was s.4eo.e0o gross tons.
Mere Work at South Deexfngs
The IRteshational Harvester company
q aiso Increasing the capaeity OF it's
aeath Chicago steel plant by the erec-
xion OF a merchant mill which viii cost
$4,000. 1t will not be ready for oper-
alton for several months.
On the east side Of the river at 10Sth
street, the new blast furnaces of the
Federal Furnace company are nearly
ready for work to commence. During
the summer large consignments of ore
were received and the two new furnaces
will start in the course OF a month to
convert this into pig iron. This new
plant will employ about 1900 men. 1t
1t the purpose of the company to start
erecting another furnace as soon as
construction work is finished on the
present two.
Ship Yards Busy.
At the yards of the Chicago Ship
Building Co, 101st street and the river.
Building company, 101st and the river,
there is great activity. There are two
boats on the ways now. One 500 feet
long, being built for the United States
Steel corporation, will be ready for
launching about the end OF February
The other measures $50 feet and will
be the property OF w. A. Hawgoad
and company of Cleveland. to be
launched in the summer. Following
these a passenger boat will be built for
the Goodrich transportation company
OF Chicago.
Besides the contraction work there Is
a large amount of repair work to at
tend to, and a number of vessels walt
ing for the dry dock About 1000 men
are employed at the yards, but this
number is scarcely enough to handle
the work on hand The company finds
It hard to get enough ship builders, as
the present activity is universal in all
the ship yards on the lakes. None OF
them are in a position to take a con-
tract for a boat to be delivered before
late In the fall. Tho United States
Steel corporation proposes to build for
" ore carrying vessels within the next
ten years, that is at the rate of -four
a year These boats viii all be 500 feet
long and have capacity OF $4,000 gross
tons, 1t is probable that one of the
four each year will be built at the
local yards.
Business Men Pleased.
At the South Chicago Business Mems
associations annual business meeting
an6~election of officers last night, j.
Sehlossen, the retiring president. ad-
dressed the meeting before retiring. He
spoke briefly on the growth and ad-
vantages of the association. The Of
ficers elected were: President. A. r
KestermIsr; vice president, T. NJ. Tobin;
secretary, A. l. Blocker; treasurer
Chas. Beigmer; executive committee. ].
Schlossen, John Black, r. NJ Brown
Chas. Kriewitz. jr.. Mil Lykke. A. L
Blackwood and ]. Sorensea.
Library for Judge.
About 500 volumes Of law books have
been placed in the local branch of the
municipal court for the nucleus of q
law library. The library will be for the
use of the presiding jurist. Judge Good
now, the members of the court stan ant
the attorneys. The library will be II
Judge Goodnow's Office.