Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1910-04-05
GREAT Cement PLANT
POLK COUNTY TO SUPPLY ROCK
FOR OSWEGO FACTORY.
Two Hundred Carloads of Machinery
and Supplies Will Be Used
In Construction.

The new cement factory now under
construction at Oswego, and having its
heaviest land holdings west of Dallas
in Polk County, is the subject of an
extended descriptive article in the
Sunday Portland Journal. The pro-
moters of this enterprise own tract
of 645 acres near Oakdale in this
county, where the immense deposits of
stone are declared by experts to be
the best for cement purposes in the
United States. The preliminary survey
for railroad from Dallas to these
quarries, mention of which was made
in the Observer last is being rushed,
and it is probable that the road will
be ready for operation before the be-
ginning of the rainy season next Fall.
The Portland paper says:
Not since the closing of the iron
plant about 20 years ago has such
activity been displayed in the quiet
little village of Oswego as during the
past week. This activity has at last
aroused the residents to the realization
that the immense Portland Cement
factory so much talked of is at last
becoming a reality. Yet few people
not familiar with the inside facts real
ize the vastness and magnitude of
this enterprise which is now under
construction.
During the past week the company
has had force of carpenters at work
completing it's office and engineering
room; another force of men erecting
poles and completing a telephone
around the 3S acre factory site, with
in which enclosure the huge plant will
be located and another force clearing
off debris and shrubbery.
Barges Unloading Material.
Many barges have been kept busy
unloading crushed rock, sand, gravel,
cement, lumber, tools, concrete ma
chinery, steel bars, and other supplies
and equipment. A force of engineers
has been engaged in laying out the
system of trackage to connect with the
Southern Pacific railroad, and in many
other ways the activity going on in
dicates to the observer the nature and
extent of the vast undertaking.
This construction work now well
under way will employ several hun
dred men for the next year before the
factory is completed and ready for
operation. After it's completion 1T
will continue to employ about $50 to
200 men during operation. Some idea
may be conveyed as to the magnitude
of this enterprise, when the quantity
of material to be consumed is known.
Much Cement Needed.
1t will require approximately $50
carloads of Portland cement; $50 car
loads of sand and gravel, 40 carloads
of lumber, 25 carloads of bar steel
for re-enforcing the concrete construc-
tion work in the buildings and 20
carloads of brick, including fire brick
and common brick. More than zoo
cars will be required to haul the
machinery from the east. This ma
chinery will include huge crushers,
rolls, rotary dryers golfers, kilns,
grinding machinery, elevators, convey
ors, electric motors, scales, packing
devices, and a vast amount of other
equipment.
1t will take one year to complete
this immense plant, the first unit of
which will have an output of 1900 bar
rels of Portland cement daily. The
plant is so designed that by extending
the gable ends of the buildings, the
plant can readily be increased by add
ing the second, third and fourth units.
Capacity to BE Great.
The company expects to begin con-
struction of the second unit before the
first is completed. At the end of two
or three years the plant will have
capacity of 6000 barrels of cement per
day. This enterprise has been under
way for some time, although little has
been known of the vast amount of ex-
ploration work that has been prose-
cuted by this company. For the past
four years experts have been employed
securing the country in this vicinity to
locate suitable materials for the man
ufacture of Portland cement.
The present company has finally
crystaIized after having secured all the
present and known available cement
material within 200 miles Of Portland.
The company now owns in addition TO
its ss acre factory site at oswego, $40
acres near Roseburg in Douglas coun-
ty; 2O2 acres near Marquam in Clack-
amas county; 524 acres near Rufus in
Sherman county. and GAS acres near
Dallas in Polk county.
It has been estimated by experts
that these deposits contain enough
raw materials to manufacture over
I. .O0O. .OO0, 900 barrels Of cement which
would be sufficient quantity to supply
a 5000 barrel plant for many years.
The supply is inexhaustible.
In addition TO the experts In the
cement business that are now connect
ed with the company. outside experts
have also been employed in connection
with the exploiting Of these proper
ties
The factory at Oswego will be the
only factory on the Pacific coast that
VIII Ie Aoealtu ou AdfAAahAN NaANA-
This will give il a decided advantage
over all other plants in supplying ce-
ment to its tributary market including
the coast region Of the entire north
west. Alaska, Hawaiian Islands. and
the Philippine Islands
Looks VIII Help.
When the Cello locks are completed
the company will deliver cement by
water inland as far a. Lewiston. Idaho.
and az the present time can distribute
is product south BY the Willamette
river 70 salem and as much farther
south as the Willamette is navigahle. I
Among the Portland capitalists in
terested in this enterprise are the fol-
loving well known bushes and pro-
feszlonsl men
A L Mills. president q the First
Bank q Portland. Thee. p.
wilcox. president q the Portland
FIGURING Muls Company Andrew C.
smith. presideut q the HIbernia saw
inzs Bank q Portland. Charles r
I.add. president Ladd Estate company