The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-08-29


 Lindley c. Morton, president of the company. made formal announcement of the new industry yesterday and says the plant will be rushed With hope and prospect of having it in operation by May. 1923.
 R. J. Hawn will be superintendent of construction and have charge of the plant when completed E. P. Haubert, secretary and purchasing agent, will spend considerable time here in the early stages of the con- struction. R. s. Scott, consulting en- ,gineer. is on the ground making the power layout.
 Immense Deposits
 Incidentally, President Morton de- clares that diamond drills on the property have disclosed deposits of limestone of high quality sufficient for the manufacture of 200. GOO, 900 barrels of the best Portland cement
 Among the contracts already let are these: Cinverters to the Wellington Pump and Machinery company; drlers and kifns to the Vulcan Iron Works. Wilkesbarre, Pa; tube mills to the Iraylor Engineering and Manufac- turing company. Allentown, Pa. elec- trical equipment to the General Elec- tric company; locomotive cranes to the Orton and Steinbrenner company, Huntgondon, Ind: traveling cranes to the Champion Engineering company, Kenton, O.; Bradley Hercules mills to the Bradley Pulverizer company. Allentown, Pa. Many other contracts are to be let and I..aterial to be bought.
 Adds to Prestige
 Coming of the new mill. which will be the largest south of the Mason and Dixon line, will further add to the prestige of Birmingham and Alabama in cement manufacturing and purveyors of the same to the southeastern states. Present Portland cement plants in Alabama are tho National at Ragland with capacity of 750,000 barrels n year; Gulf States, at Demopolis, with capacity of 300, 900 barrels, and Atlas company at Leeds. with capacity of over 100000 bar rels. The Southern Cement company, Birmingham. has an annual capacity of 150.000 barrels of slow setting hydraulic cement. With the Phoenix mill Alabama will have an annual capacity of 3,550.0O0 barrels of Port land cement per annum. For two years the Alabama mills have been taxed to utmost of capacity to sup ply their trade in the southeastern states.
 The L.ehigh Portland Cement com pany has a tract of 250 acres of land at Tarrant City and has let 1t be known that it intends to start work or 100000 barrel mill this fall.
 The following statement is made by Llndley c. Morton, president cf the Phoenix Portland Cement coni- pany, which will build the new mill:
 The Best Location
 For some time the splendid pos- abilities in the south have strongly appealed to our company, and, about a year ago, we quietly started our department on search to locate the best possible southern site for the location of a modern plant for the manufacture of Port land cement
 After looking over some 20 de- posits of raw materials and plant sites in three different southern states, we finally located what we consider the most ideal site in the United States, right here in the heart of the Birmingham district.
 The site consists of tract of so acres of a very high grade lime stone and cement rock, located in 4NOi th A'iA mn <tuJolulfH tae D1R by-product plant of the Sloss-Sh@f- field Steel and Iron company. After carefully drilling the property and proving the high quality of the de- posit to a depth in excess of 200 feet. the site was purchased from the Sloss-Sheffield Steel and Iron company.
 "The materials are the finest that we have examined in any section of the country, and will make pos- sible the manufacture of the very highest grade of Portland cement.
 Work Is Started
 Work Is being started immedia tciy on what will be the largest and most modern Portland cement plant in the south The plant will have an ini- tial capacity of 1,500,000 barrels or 6,000,000 bags per annum, and will represent an investment In excess of $2.5o0.o00. Ample allowances are be- ing made In the design of the plant for increasing the capacity as soon as market conditions warrant it. Con tracts for all machinery and equip ment have been placed and construc- ton work Is starting at once and will be rushed to a completion, as 1t Is our hope to have the plant In operation in May. 1923.
 Steel and Concrete
 The plant will be constructed en- t!rely of steel and reinforced coa-l crete and should be a credit to the district It will contain many new features of design that have never before been incorporated in a cement plant. and should be the most ef- ficient and up-to-date plant of It's kind in this country.
 We are very enthusiastic about the future of the south. and par ticularly the Birmingham district. The uses of Portland cement are growing in leaps and bounds in all types of construction. and particular- ly in the highway construction. where it has been thoroughly proven that concrete roads and streets are the only type that withstand the present motor vehicle traffic.
 Shipping Facilities
 This plant will insure the Bir-. mingham dealers and contractors of a constant supply of the highest grade of Portland cement within easv trucking distance. The plant will be served by all of the seven railroads in the Birmingham district either direct or through the Mary Lee rail-
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