The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-01-06

each casting Seton heats and practically
doubling the present capacity of the mill.
The additional tonnage will be rolled in
the present blooming and rail mills which
| just now are being reinforced for the
purpose of taking care of the increased re-
quirements. The old plant has a capacity
of $1,000 tons a month, and with the addl
ton should produce about 10000 tens
monthly
| On the completion of the new work the
old open hearth steel furnaces will be re-
moved in sections. gradually making room
for furnaces of the new type.
! In this connection it may be of interest
to note that the steel now produced at
Ensey is made by the so-ealled duplex
process. in which the preliminary purif-
cation of the iron Is effected in Bessemer
converters. In the new mill two con-
verters, each of twenty tons capacity.
be the largest in the world The mill will
be served by an Allis and Chalmers blow
ing engine Weighing about 600 tons. Steam
for this plant will be provided by bat
terry of boilers now under construction,
Blast Furnaces.
The Tennessee Republic companies have
in the Birmingham district sixteen blast
furnaces. Six of these are at Ensley. No.
was built and in operation before the
new interests came into the Tennessee
company The rebuilding of No fol-
lowed the completion of No. and it was
put in blast during the summer.
No. has been entirely RACED and the
foundation for new stoves and furnace is
now we'll advanced. 1t will blow in" dur
ing the latter part Of spring After No. 4
is lighted No. will be similarly treated
that is to say 1t will be taken down and
rebuilt. Eventually the company will have
at Ensley battery of large, modern pig
makers
The Tennessee company is erecting near
the blast furnaces a new power plant,
| consisting of three 1000 Kilo-Watt genera
| tors and the generators are being installed
now. The power at this plant will be
driven by surplus steam from the furnace
| boilers. AS the current is to be of high
tension. it will be possible to economically
| distribute 1t over a wide scope of terri
| tory.
A desirable site is being prepared for the
erection of large machine shop, N
blacksmith shop, pattern shop and a
pattern storage building all of which have
beer made necessary as the result of the
additional work called for by the COM
pany's development.
! A site also is being prepared for new
casting machine which will insure the
more economic handling of pig iron, for
this projected plant will be much more
accessible than the old one; and thus
will result the elimination of grades,
curves and time.
Many other Things.
New railroad tracks and new hydraulic
pipe lines are among the hundred and
one items on the list of improvements.
The Birmingham Southern is being ex-
| tended six miles, and when this undertake
ing is completed new territory will be
opened in the Tennessee company's Pratt
coal field. Work on two new shafts, ~ and
49, will be vigorously prosecuted from
now on.
With view of improving the quality of
| its coke, the Tennessee company is erect
ing four new coal washers-now rapidly
nearing completion-while contracts for
! three additional washers have been let.
| and before Midsummer the company will
| be producing all its coke from washed
coal
At the Republics furnace plant at
| Thomas old boilers are being removed
and being replaced by water tube boilers
Of the Sterling type. Six additional blow
ing engines are expected to be delivered
! i'm the near future to replace the present
walking beam engines A new casting
machine is almost completed at Thomas.
The Tennessee Republic company have
recently completed 100 new houses for
employees, and are building 800 more. These
houses are located for the most part at
| the mines.
Important improvements were made in
the Birmingham rolling mill last summer
and this large plant will be in operation
/ continuously, instead OF intermlttently as
in past years. The Gate City rolling mill
is being worked to its full capacity and
so, too, is the mill at Bessemer The lat
ter is owned by the Tennessee company
and the two others by the Republic COM
pany
| While a vast deal has been accomplished
! by the Tennessee Republic within the last
| six months, the work is of a character
which fails to make a great showing, the
matter OF grading, excavating and con-
cretlng being necessarily slow and usually
below ground.
During the next few months the struc-
| tura material will have been assembled
and the erection of the buildings will be
well under way. The public will be better
able then to appreciate the extensive work
planned.
! An the meantime IT Is easily worth
| trip to Ensley to see what one Will see
Goes to Montgomery.
Col. Il. l.. Higdon, who will assume
the duties of sheriff of jefferson county