The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1913-11-07
ROTHFRT PROCESS
OF MAKING STEEL
Washington Steel 8 Iron Co. Turned
Out Its First Steel Last
Friday

making plant Of the Washington Steel
& Iron Co., was completed some two
weeks ago. But not until last Friday
was the making Of steel by what is
known as the Rothert process actually
tried out. With a couple OF helpers,
Mr.. Rothert, inventor of the process,
owner Of a majority OF the stock of the
company and general manager, went
quietly about his work, never saying a
word to anyone about his discovery or
that he was ready to try it out. Just
as quietly and unobtrusiyely as one
could imagine he went to work and
made steel that experts have said will
revolutionize the steel and iron busi-
ness as much as did the discovery Of
the Bessimer process sixty years ago.
At the present time the making of
steel and iron from magnetic iron ore
is carried on in but one place in the
world. For many years Sweden has
turned out high grade Of iron and
steel, supplying the whole world with
that superior quality OF metal.
There were doubling Thomas ev-
erywhere, not few right here in Lea
venworth, who said the whole scheme
is a fake. There will never be any
steel made here" Others lost faith
in the enterprise because it was so long
in building and turning out steel.
These said, IF they can make steel
like they say they can why don't they
90 at it. A little plant like this can be
built in six months, and here they
have been three years at IT." Well,
The Echo does not presume to know
why the company was so long in COM
pleting its plant, but it does know that
Mr.. Rothert came here about four
years ago and bought thirty-fve acres
of land without saying anything to any
one about his plans. Never asked
anything from the town, never put any
advertisements in newspapers about
his plans, or said anything to anyone
farther than to very quietly tell three
or four persons that he intended to
build a steel plant here. 1t is also
learned from one OF the Leavenworth
bankers that the company paid out for
labor and material in constructing its
plant a round hundred thousand dol
lars, and it knows, too, that not one OF
the doubling Thomases contributed
one cent to the funds OF the company.
The first fires were started in the
furnaces last Thursday but none OF
them were charged. Mr.. Rothert
was seemingly just as slow and delib-
crate about trying out everything step
by step, testing the heat. the draft,
the fuel consumption, the time re-
ouired to bring the furnaces up to a
certain heat, partial and complete
combustion of fuel, and many other
things connected with the smelling
process, as he was in building the
plant. Some things he won't give
YOU any information about at all, but
they are important for him TO know
about. On Friday he turned on the
oil and charged one OF the crucible
furnaces with ore, drawing of l2O
pounds Of steel which was cast into
four ingots, all of which have been
sent to experts in the east. Mr.. Roth
ert says everything worked out very
satisfactorily. The draft was too
strong, so that it prevented complete
combustion Of the oil fuel, this was
shown to an Echo reporter in one OF
the two large furnaces which were
raised TO a white heat, but IN the bot
tom of which there was a residue OF
oil. showing that it had only been
partly consumed. Some minor changes
are now being made TO check the
draft. 1t is possible that other minor
changes will have to be made. But
in a general way everything meets the
expectations of the builder and proved
satisfactory. To further try out differ
ent kinds Of iron ore and test the work
ings Of the plant the furnaces will
again be fred up next week. In last