The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1908-05-18
INLAND STEEL MILLS
NEARING COMPL ETION
Gigantic Plant to Run Full
Force Within Six
Weeks at Harbor.
WILL EMPLOY 1000 People
Tunnel Connecting Blast Furnace
With Open Hearth Plant Is Mar
velous Engineering Feat.

It will be interesting to the people
of Indiana Harbor and the Calumet
region generally to learn that the ex-
tensive improvements which have been
under way at the Inland Steel plant
will be completed within six weeks
Immediately after this it is disclosed
by good outside" authority and de-
MED by inside ditto, that the plant will
open up in full force. This in view
of the improvements would mean an
addition of several hundred men over
and above what in the old days of pros
perity spelled normal. However, as
stated before. those most qualified to
speak with authority namely. Vice
President L. E. Block, denies that this
Is so. At least he denies that there is
any reason at the present to look for
ward to the speedy resumption of full
force conditions.
While THE TINES, from time to time
has referred to the work in hand.
full account of which is in progress,
has never been made.
Tunnel Most Impirtant.
The most important of these i'm
provements is the tunnel which con-
meets the blast furnace plant with the
open hearth steel plant. This will en-
able the use of molten metal as it
comes from the blast furnaces, causing
a great saving by retaining the metal
| heat and speeding the operation of
making ingots-
! The fuel saved by melting the metal
once instead of twice, will be an i'm
portant item saving the company
| thousands of dollars each month in
coal.
/ Saves Much Time.
Besides this, there is the saving of
much time which in rush seasons is
money. The tunnel is several hun
dred feet in length crossing the rights
of way Of the B. and o, the Lake Shore
and the C. L. S. and E. railroads in ad-
dition to the property owned by the
steel company on each side of the rail-
road.
The tunnel is one of the most solid
and of best possible workmanship and
is required the most convincing proof
of absolutely safe construction, the
railroads whose rights of way
were to be tunneled in order te
gain their consent to allow the worl
to proceed.
Blast Furnace to he Busy.
The blast furnace department, under
the new arrangement will make pis
iron in liquid form from which viii
be conveyed means of ladle bars to the
open hearth department to be convert
I'd into ingots.
Another important improvement Is
that in the blooming mill department
The company is installing a new thirty.
six inch mill of this character to take
the place of the old thirty-two inch
mill
In this department the ingots twenty
inches by twenty inches by six feet
are reduced to billets required by the
various finishing departments.
There is also a new continuous mill
which will roll all sizes of rounds, from
three Fights to two inches and all sizes
of fiat bars from three-fourths inch tc
four and one-half inches wide and viii
have a capacity of 800 tons per day.
This mill is equipped with all modern
appliances, having a cooling bed 800
feet long. 1t is all contained in &
building $50 feet long and lis fee
wide, being served with several owe,
head cranes.
Addition to Boiler Plant.
Last, but not least, is the addition
to the boiler plant which furnishes tn,
power to drive the machinery in thi.
Herculean work. To this plant will b,
added eight 500-horse-power Sterlin,
water tube boilers representing a tota
7 addition of 1000 hoorse power
Layman Does Not Realize.
1t is difficult for the average laymal
to comprehend what this all means
/ without visiting the plant and notfn.
, with his own eye the extent of the i'm
privements.
, However, some slight idea of wha
is in. progress may be gained by tn
: foregoing.
When it is stated that the flnishe,
: plant will provide for the employment
/ of 1000 men representing a population
( of 10000 people, perhaps the outside
! may form better idea of the vast tines
. of the undertaking.
The Inland company is doing tn
| runrlr nf cor, or r,,ntinr, i+rolf