The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-19

Washington, October 1S.-(Special.) )-No 2 line of industry in the United States has increased in importance more rapidly than , has that of the manufacture and use of cement. '- <. .1ss ss e}s f The steady decrease in timber supply and other building materials as well as ! the many economic uses to which cement 2 can be put mainly responsible. Dura- 2 Eility of this material is another reason. The total quantity of Portland, natural and puzzolan cement produced in the J United States during 1910 was 77,7s5,1H , barrels, valued at s6s, ,752,O92. As compared ! with, 1909, when the production was 66,- 6S9,715 barrels valued at s53, 610,56S, the ] year 1910 showed an increase of 11,095, ,426, or 166 per cent in quantity and an in crease of s15,1l,529, or 2S.2 per cent in value. The increase in quantity is one of ! the largest ever recorded and exceeds all experts estimates made during the year 1910 of more than 1,5o0.eoo barrels
 The amount of Portland cement, the principal form of the product, last year was 7s,54s s51 barrels. Tn 1880 the amount Of the annual production of Portland ce-
 
 farrels The production did not reach a million barrels per year until 1896, when ie was 1,543,023 barrels. The annual pro- Cuction did not reach 10,o00,0 900 barrels until 1901, nine years ago. when it was 12111,225 barrels. The increase to moro than 75,000,OO0 in 1910 has been by leaps and bounds.
 In 1909 there were in the United States 10S Portland cement plants. Last year there were Ill plants.
 Two plants reported from Alabama last year. They are. the Standard Portland Cement company at Leeds and the Allan tjr and Gulf Portland Cement company at Ragland.' Another plant, the Alabama Portland Cement company. near Demop- olis, Ala, is not reported as being in op- craton, though the recent annual report of the United States Geological survey says. that the material in this section is very valuable. a f3
 The group of states made of Alabama. Georgia and Tennessee report four Port land plants in operation in 1910, two in Alabama and one each ill the other two states Misrepresentation of these four plants last year was 1.4s1 359 barrels, val ued at s1,32S495 against 1.07o,474 barrels. valued at $S7S. SS5 in 1909. But in 1909 only one plant was in operation, in Alabama. Alabama gives the approximate increase shown in these figures.
 One Pazzolani cement plant is in opera tion at North Birmingham and has been fer several years
 The cementing materials included under tke, name of Puzzolan are made by mix ing powdered sacked lime with either a volcanic ash -or blast furnace slag. The process is,. therefore. a mechanical mix trrc of two ingredients, as the mixture is rot burned at any stage of the process. After mixing the material is finely ground. The resulting powder will set under water.
 Pazzolan cements are usually a light bluish and of lower specific gravity and less tensile strength than Portland ce- ment. The production of this olassfof ee- 1nent is gradually decreasing in the J7rited States. Only four plants were in operation in the country last year, against 10 in 1906. The production of the country last year amounted to 95,951 barrels, val ued at S6j,2s6
 The total imports of all cements into the United States last year amounted to 50GS63 barrels, while the exports amounted to 2,415,s57 barrels
 CT the cement industry in Alabama the recent report of the United States Geolog- teal survey says: 4.
 fIn Alabama several series of limestone capable of furnishing excellent raw ma telldi Ioi tiie, s3iidlluidctuic ol Ioi tioii' cement soutcrop extensively, and shale and clay necessary to mix with the limestone nre found even more generally distributed There is marked geologic as well as geo graphic distinction between the materials that lie in the northern part of Alabama sId those that die in the southern part of the state.
 Tn northern Alabama the raw materials suitable for the manufacture of Portland cement are found in. the Palezoic forma-