Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-07-28
RUSHING WORK ON
PLOW co. PLANTS
Three Hundred Men and Forty Teams
Busy at Site in Eastern Part OF
Rock Island.
WALLS OF FOUNDRY RISING
One Building viii Cover Acre and a
Half of Ground-Eight Houses
Disappeared

The extremely hot weather of the
last few weeks has not halted the
work of constructing the Molina
Plow company's new plant at Forty
second street, Rock Island. ]. l..
Brown. the superintendent, states that
the entire plant should be finished by
Oct. 1.
The rapidity with which the build
ing is rising is made possible by the
large number of men employed in the
work They number 500, and in ad-
dition there are being used 40 teams.
Walls of the gigantic foundry have
already risen to a height of about
twenty feet. When this building is
finished, about one and one-half acres
will be under roof. 1t will be, prob
ably, the largest foundry in the coun-
try.
The foundation for the enormous
machine shop is almost entirely laid
This will be the largest building of the
seven 1t will be 300 feet long and the
roof will cover more. than two acres.
Three weeks ago, when the work
first started, there were 10 houses on
tn site. At present only one of these
frame buildings is TO be seen. The
others have either been torn down or
removed. The last one is now on roll
Iers and will be taken away before the
day is over.
In the evening, a short time before
the days work ends, remarkable diff
ference may be seen from conditions
in the morning Early in the day a
force of 900 strong is busily at work,
/ laying bricks, grading. mixing and
doing carpenter work Forty teams,
too, are busily engageu.
But, when the full force of the aft
ernoOn sun is shining down on the
wOrkmen, there is a great difference.
Every day since the building first
commenced from twenty-five TO eighty
men have been forced to leave their
pObs There have been no actual pros
trations. but men have been sent home
sick from the excessive heat
LCse One Horse.
A surprising feature; however, is
the fact that only one horse has died
during the operations The cause of
this, says Mr. Brown. is that the
teams are given a. rest every hour or
two. If this were not done, Mr.. Brown
believes that new teams would have to
be purchased each day
When the seven buildings are fin
ished they will cover total of four
and One-haIf acres. The two largest
buildings have already been started.
The ground for the others is being
graded at present. Although this
grading is the hardest work to be done
on the site the men doing it seem to
be exceedingly cheerful.
They are a cosmopolitan bunch. In
a cursory glance six natiOnalities
were counted. There were Americans,
negroes, Greeks. Hungarians, Next
cans and Italians.
Would Move Tracks.
There seems to be little anxiety
among the officials in regard to the
election of Tuesday, Aug. s. At this
time Rock Island people will decide
whether or not the car company shall
be given a franchise on Forty-third
street
1t is necessary to move the tracks
from Forty-sceond street because the
city has vacated the street in order
TO give the pillow company the required
room.
The officials, however, believe that
the plant Will be OF sufficient benefit
to the city to make the vote safe. The
final registration for voters of the
proposition takes place next Tuesday.