Evening star., 1917-12-08

Portland cement was Originally patent
ed in 1924 by an Englishman named Asp
din While other products such as nat
uraf cement and Parker's "Romen" ce-
nent were known before the time OF
Aspdin, this date may be said to mark
the Inception of one Of our most i'm
portant modern industries. The theme
of this article. therefore. is the phepome-
nal growth and economic significance of
this" industry up to the present time,
says q writer In the American Contractor.
Some of us have, no doubt, wondered
why the product is called Portland" ce-l
ment. 1t is said that the inventor. Asp
din, noticing that his product resembled
somewhat certain building stone which
was common in Portland, England. ac-
cordingiy named his artificial cement after
that town: hence Portland cement
Until the decade 1910 to 1850. the manu-
facture of Portland cement was practi-
caIly negligible, but from about 1850 for
ward there came steady growth in the
Industry in England and Germany, until
fnaAy the older and better known nat
ural cements'' were finally displaced in
the markets of the world.
Although Portland cement was manu-
factured in England and imported to
America, 1t was not until 1875 that this
country began to manufacture the product
for itself. The first few cement projects
IN this country were not successful com
ynercialy. although they were valuable
for the technical knowledge they gained.
Tho foundations were being laid at this
time for the later rapid development of
LAhfxh district OF the east was soon to
become the chief producing center for
Portland cement Just as it had been be-
fore that time an important center of
natural cement production.
Early Manufacturing Crude.
OF course at the start methods of
cumbersome millstoneS for grinding
and the stationary kiln, were used un-
til 1889, when the much more efficient
rotary kiln" and improved grinding
machinery were introduced from Great
Britain. These improvements in man
ufacture, together with the substitution
of powdered coal for petroleum as
fuel. mark g. new era in the growth
of the industry. Today there are two
distinct processes, first the dry proc
ess. in which limestone and cement
rcels-is used. and second the wet proc
ess. where mari is the material
The different cement establishments
are located within access to raw mater
1al and fuel, and as a rule are SO situated
vantageously. The Lehigh district in
Pennsylvania. the oldest in the coun-
try, Is especially well situated and is
easily the most important In the United
Sf9tes In this district alone between
25,61o.o00 and 3o.0oo.o00 barrels per
year are turned out. q quantity equal
to more than half the total German
output and equal to % or 80 per cen,
of the annual total for this country.
The district comprising Illinois. In
diana and Michigan is next in import
ance, and the territory adjacent tc
Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma shodld
be-1nentioned as next in order.
It was not until the decade 1S10-1sSC
that Portland cement began to come
into noticeable commercial promi-
nence in the United States. During the
last fifteen years the cement output
has been multiplied eight times, an6
in 1916 production for this country
reached the enormous volume of 81,
5Sz.296 barrels!
One of the features of the cement
business from a historical and eco.
nomic standpoint is that although tn.
industry has expanded tremendousl,
and increased the quality and quantit,
Of its output MANIFOLD, nevertheless
the average price Of cement has stead
fly declined-that is, until the pas
year or two, when another radical ad
vance is registered. While Portland
cement sold for $500 per barrel, at tn,
n{f1,-in 1880, by the year 1915 the aver
age price had fallen to Sc cents.