Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-05-26
A GREAT AMERICAN INDUSTRY.
Cement Resources of the United
States Important Factors in a
Country's Material Development.

Cement Resources of the United
| States Important Factors in a
| Country's Material Development
| OF the manufacturing industries bas-
ed on mineral raw materials, one of the
/ most important is the production of
| Portland cement. This is due not so
| much to the direct commercial value
| eff the finished product, though the
foutput Of Portland cement inthe Unit
ed States is now worth some sixty or
seventy million dollars a year, as to
! the way in which the product enters
| into general engineering works are
composed, in part at least, of cement;
many of the larger buildings every
/ where are built of reinforced concrete;
while in smaller individual lots, but in
q vast aggregate, cement finds use on
| farms, in mining work, in building
rai.roads and irrigation works. as
paving material, and in countless appii-
ctions, Elsewhere.
| The yentife growth of the Portland
cement, industry in this country has
| been q matter of a few decades. tor
| the American output in 1880 was only
/ AZ 900 barrels, compared with preseftkS
annual output close to 1000, goo barrels.
It's growth was at first hindcred by
mechanical difficulties in plants ana
machinery, most of which were over
| come by American genius. so that now
| we find plants in Japan. Australia,
England Germany and South Africa
| using types of kilns and other ma
chinery 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
Ilimestenes 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 localities. In placing such
information at the disposal of the man
ufaeturer, the United States Geological
Survey played an important part, and
| a long series of its publications are de-
| voted to various matters OF interest
| TO the industry. One of the most exten-
sive of these reports was pupiisheo III
| 1906 rs Bulletin and was devoted TO
| an account of the manufacture OF ee-
! ment and to detailed descriptions OF
the raw materials available for cement
} manufacture in each State IN the
| Union.
The demnd for this report was great
no coon as its industrial value became
| generally known. and Tor nu'iiper VI
wears ii has been out of print. AS the
Geological Survey still receives nun
erous re,uests for data on the points
d;scnssed in Bulletin 243, it was deeid-
, cd IN issue an entirely revised EDITION
. ne the work. The new edition, entitled
.portland Cement Materials and IN
, austrv in the United States, has JUST
appeared as Bulletin 59e. 1t contains
. in some 400 pages Of text, detailed de-
scrintions of the limestones, mars
claws shales, and other cement materi-
ale IF each of the States: ana SO Tar
&c the importance of the districts JUS
tiees IL. colored geologic maps, mostly
on a uniform base. are included, 50 '.s
~ chow the distribution of these INV
, / materials. In addition the new DUNE
! rim includes a summary of the factors
that influence the selection OF various
raw materials, notes as to processes %
cement manufacture, ana detaiis % :.
INC history of the cement lndus'rs
! since II began in the United States. ~
5 ,,s revised form the bulletin VIII. IL u
,,on.d he of the same service 10 th'
American cement industry OF the pres
2 ont day that the earlier issue was &c
the industry of 1905. ,,..,,
The United States exports very ht.l.
cesIn,ent. the quantity annually shippee
] ranging usually from to per CEN
= of The domestic production. 1t IS prop
III ah,e that in the future much more Sc
: rions attention will be given to the eN'
: hort trade, particlarly by the EASTER
/ mills. for it's development seems TO y
The simplest method of disposins OF th'
surplus which now periodically weighs
> an the eastern cement market. ~
r course an export trade in a COMMONLY
| ike cement-relatively bulky ana low
in value-does not promise any iars'
, direct profit to the individual producer
/. Int indirectly the creation and maih,e'
, nance Of such trade will beneht ul'
+ industry as whole Owing TO tne scar
itv in most parts of South ana zen ,
traI America and West lndles Vi ..'
: fuel supplies necessary to the manu- =,
: facture of cement the development u
local cement industries in those prom
,e;no markets seems unlikely.