The Taney County republican., 1913-05-15
A GREAT AMERICAN
INDUSTRY.
Cement Resources Of the United States
Important Factors in the COHntry's
Development.

the most important is the production
OF Portland cement. This is due moi
not so much to the direct commercial
value Of the finished product, though
the output OF Portland cement in the
United States is now worth some sixty
or seventy million dollars year, as TO
the way in which the product enters
into general industry, Practically all
our great engineering works are com
posed, at least in part, OF cement;
many of the larger buildings every
where are built Of REINFORCED concrete;
while in smaller individual lots, but in
a vast aggregate, cement finds use on
farms, in mining work, in building
railroads and irrigation works, as a
paving material, and in countless APP
pllcal0nS elSeWHeIe.
The entire growth Of the Portland
cement industry in this country has
been a matter Of few decades, for
the American output in 1880 was only
$4,000 barrels, compared with a present
annual output close 10 $4,000, 900
barrels. Its growth was at first bin
dered by mechanical difficulties in
plants and machinery, most OF which
we're overcome by American genius,
so that now we find plants in Japan,
Australia, England, Germany, and
South Africa using types Of kilns and
other machinery that were originally
invented or perfected in the United
States.
AS the early difficulties were over
come, attempts were made TO extend
the manufacture into new localities,
and in doing this it was found that
knowledge as to the geologic relations
Of the proposed sites, and as to the
limestones and shales that were avail
able at different points was Of the
greatest possible assistance to the con-
Germs wishing to build plants in new
and untried locanities. In placing
such information at the disposal OF the
manufacturers, the United States Geo
logical Survey played an important
part, and a long series Of its publica-
tions are devoted to various matters Of
interest to the industry. One OF the
most extensive Of these reports was
published in 1905 as Bulletin DAB and
was devoted 10 an account Of the man
ufacture of cement and to detailed de-
scription OF the raw materials available
for cement manufacture in each state
in the union.
The demand for this report was great
as soon as its industrial value became
generally known, and for number Of
years it has been out Of print. As the
Geological Survey still receives nu.
merous requests for data on the points
discussed in Bulletin 243, it was
decided to issue an entirely revised
edition Of the work. The new edition,
entitled Portland Cement Materials
and Industry in the United States"
has just appeared as Bulletin 522.
1t contains, in some 400 pages Of text,
detailed descriptions Of the limestones,
maEls, clays, shales, and other cement
materials in each OF the states; and so
far as the importance Of the district
iustifes it, colored geologic maps,
mostly on uniform base, are included,
so as 10 show the distribution Of these
raw material. In addition the new
bulletin includes a summary OF the
factors that influence the selection Of
the various raw materials, notes as TO
processes Of cement manufacture, and
details as TO the history OF the cement
industry since it began in the United
States. In itsrevised form the bulletin
will, it is hoped, be Of the same ser
vice to the American cement industry
Of the present day that the earlier issue
was 10 the Industry of 1905.
The United States exports very little
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