The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-05-12
The Holiness OF a He'll.
This is $500 degrees fahrenhe

This is $500 degrees fahrenheit.
The light from the huge furnaces,
really magnifed arc lights, is almost
unbearable TO the eyes. At night II
atids another long strength of won.
derful brilliancy to the right bank OF
the Mississippi at Keokuk and
doubles the remarkable sight for
people on the steamboats, and rail-
road trains.
Carbide OF calcium Is chemical
combination of carbon and calcium
which can only be effected by In
comprehensive heat. Coke is nearly
pure carbon; lime is calcium, com
bined with oxygen which last gas is
used to increase the heat in the
furnace.
Coke and lime are put in big
electric furnace, and from the bottom
of the furnace melted carbide OF cal
cium is drawn off into steel recep-
tacles.
Big Man Came to Keokuk.
The Gas Tank Recharging com
pany is q big Milwaukee corporation
making acetylene there. Acetylene
is made by adding water TO carbode
OF calcium. The company grew SO
big that it determined TO make its
own carbide instead of buying it.
In seeking for location, 1t natur-
ally thought OF keokuk. Its manag-
ing director and secretary, +.
Pagel, came here, investigated, and
found this to be the logical location
for the plant Then he proceeded TO
build it with not the least fuss and
feathers. Many people never heard
of it. Mr.. Pagel SHE'D at reporters
and simply kept busy.
When he said 1t would be operat-
ing this spring, experts laughed at
him and said he could not get his
transformers and furnaces before
the end OF 1919. But he cheerfuily
began in the middle OF the war, built
the plant and started it just eleven
days later than he planned in the
beginning.
Starts Off Surprisingly Well.
All first runs of electric metalurgi
cal plants are necessarily test runs
1t is very good work to get them to
running normally and permanently
within three months.
Mr.. PageI says his will be tuned
up perfectly within week, and OBJ
servations made last evening tended
to verify this forecast. Three tons
of carbide were made yesterday be
fore supper time, running slowly and
watchfully, but the furnaces were
functioning SO well that it looked
like the plant might be speeded vi
to capacity within a few days easily
r. Al VT fS q
where every batch of carbide made
is tested carefully and with tbs
utmost nicely for its contents O
acetylene The tests of the first ru-
showed up very well indeed, ever
before there had been opportunit!
to adjust the coke ovens and Inns
kilns to the raw material used II
them. The furnaces were showing
high efficiency also.
! is Building the First Dock Here.
The dirt taken out Of the excaya
ton for the large concrete founda
lions of the plant, and some othe
waste material, was used to build
| dock on the river bank along th'
plant site.
/ This dock will be protected by ;
wall of cypress faced with riprap
and will afford perfect river shipping
facilities for the company
/ On both the river side and th'
land side of the long black building
/ is the sign in very large letters
Carbide Plant of the Gas Tank Re
charging Company.
! From every angle, this new indus
try is an excellent thing for Keo
kuk. It looms up well; it advertisei
! the town day and night; it employ!
many men at good wages; it is
permanent institution which Is SUR
to double itself within a year: 1t II
the only thing of the kind In thu
middle west: it is really a big thing
] from the very beginning.