Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-01-01
SCHWAB DESCRIBES
EXPENDITURE OF
HUNDRED MILLION
Big improvements at Steelton
and Other Plants of Bethle-
hem Steel Co.

South bethlehem, Pa, Jan. 1.-The
Bethlehem Steel Corporation to-day
announced detailed plans for an ex-
penditure of over $1O0,000,O 900 in i'm
provements during the next two or
three years.
The Bethlehem Steel Company to-
day took over the American Steel and
Iron Manufacturing plants at Read
ing and Lebanon, and the coke ovens
OF the Lackawanna Iron and Steel
Company at Lebanon. These plants
VIII be included in the enlargement
plans. Some of the work which is
part of the big work is already COM
pleted. Others of the improvement
are now under way and still others
Will be started by spring.
Steclton's Slice
At the Steelton plant, purchases in
clude broad gauge locomotive steel
coke cars and locomotive cranes. This
year also will find three additional
50O-ton blast furnaces in operation.
Work is now in progress on this i'm
proVement. These furnaces will re-
quire new ore bridge, and seven
Bethlehem gas-driven engines, now in
course of construction. To supply
coke for the new furnaces orders have
been placed for 60 Hopper ovens, and
large extensions made to the by-prod-
uct plant.
Large expenditures will be made in
improving the steel making depart
ment. The changes and additions now
under way will include:
A new twenty-ton converter; one
2000-ton fitting furnace; installation
of waste heat boilers at all fitting fur
naces; an additional pit furnace to the
44-inch bloomer, and q new 40-inch
bloomer with 35-inch rough, and "a
inch finishing stands, when the old
bloomer and slabbing mill now in SER
vice will be replaced by more modern
methods and machinery.
The forge shop will get four new
forge presses, one 300-ton, one 500
ton, one 10O0-ton, and one 1,200-ton,
including auxiliary equipment for an
healing furnaces, and overhead
cranes. The machine shop is being
enlarged, an addition covering 800
feet is now being built. New ma
chinery and tools for machine forg-
1ngs have been purchased and will be
installed when the new building is
ready.
Power Plant Improvements
The power plant will get three g.
OOO-kilowatt generators, to be driven
by Bethlehem gas engines; modern
grinders and planer will be installed
in the frog and switch departments,
and the capacity of the steel foundry
hreproof pattern storage building
will be doubled. Plans are under con-
Sideration for improvements to the
steel foundry that will bring so per
cent. increase over the present out
put. Improvements at other branches
now under way and contemplated
follow:
AT the Lebanon plants plans for
large extensions are under way. The
work at this plant will be consolidated
with that of the. Cornwall ore mines.
The capacity of the plant will be
doubled, the total products to be about
100000 tons each year.
Lehigh plant, South Bethlehem =
New machine shop for rough and
finished machining or large gun forg-
1ngs, now under way. 1t VIII be equip
PED for forging II, IA, 10 and 1S-mch
guns. The new building will be lSUX
400. Another building similar in di-
mensions Will be erected ana equipped
with large car bottom furnaces and
oil tanks for heat treatment of the
gun IorSlngS. The complete eXpendi-
Jure tor Il plant for manufacturing
large guns Will be $5,0OO,OOU. A new
seNen-story hreproof office building
has been completed along with a we'll
equipped building for the safety and
welfare department..
Other improvements are three
crane scrap breaking plants; new coal
ing station; ASH handling and sand
drying pants; locomotive cranes,
steel gondola cars 1or broad guage
ana marrow guaSe tracks, locomotive,
steam poilernouSe, with 5000 horse
power capacity, installation of three
5,OUO-klloWatt generators IN an en-
larSed poWerhouSe; Bethlehem gas
drIV ell engines; installation of two
strand lining casting machines in the
blast furnace department.. The new
blast furnace "G" with Its gas blowing
engines and other auXllarles is near
ing completion. Plans are also under
way Tor the erection of an open hearth
department to include the installation
OF pulverlzed tuel preparing equip
ment Tor operating this plant on pull
Verlzed fuel. In the open hearJh NO.
) NTH open-hearth furnace was put
In operation.
one lO-Lon Girod electric furnace
was installed; additional equipment TO
the steel, iron and brass founurIeS was
installed; tour-story brick fireprooI
building added to the pattern shop;
installation OF new machinery in Tie
merchant mills; additional cranes
erected, additions built to the bulld-
ings, gas producers erected, and the
introduction of a new 2,0O0-ton forge
hydraulic forge press, motor driven
press pumps, and other auxiharies.
An additional blacksmith shop was
put in service early in the year. In
the ingot machine shop new boring
machines have been added; additions
maze to machine shop No. 2, and sew
eral hundred machine tools purchased
and installed. Tie general treatment
department was considerably aug
mented by the addition of a large
building containing full equipment of
vertical and horizontal furnaces for
heat treatment of moderate sized
forgings of all descriptions.
Improvements in progress include
the installation at the open-hearth of
an additional 5-ton bessemer vessel,
two 200-ton fitting furnaces, new 1900
ton mixer, new stock yards, mold
yards, gas producers. This new plant
will be ready about June l. The new
1S-inch mill is complete and will go
into service this month. The 12-inch
mill is still in course of construction,
and will be completed about June 1.
Improvements aggregating $50,000,-
1000 are included in the plans for en-
argement of the plants at Reding-
an, Pa, New Castle, Del, limestone
arries at Bethlehem, ore plant at
nstable Hook, forging and machine
mt at Titusville; elaborate changes
Maryland Steel plant at Sparrows
int Md, enlargement of Sparrows
int ship building plant; extension to
ANTS in California, at the Union Iron
orks at San Francisco and Almeda,
hid enlargement of shipbuilding plant
Hunters Point, San Francisco.