The Bismarck tribune., 1929-01-28
Greater North Dakota Associa.
ton Guests Watch Million.
Dollar Factory Start
SLOPE Development SEEN
High Grade Coal, Ignite Tat
and Fuel Gas Are By-Prod.
ucts Of New Operation
SLOPE DEvEL 0PMENT SEEN

l
Of an industrial future for North Da-
kota. more than 800 visitors jolrneyed
Sunday to see what sort of enterprise
the Lehigh Briquetting company had
created out OF an expenditure Of
nearly 81 100000.
! They were guests Of the Greater
North Dakota association, taken BY
special train to view the plant and
see initial manufacture Of briouette
fuel out Of Ignite. OF the 800, Bis.
marck contributed 1856, Mandan 20,
and 70 were picked up along the way,
the last addition being made at Glad
stone, where q boarded the special.
For three hours the visitors cx-
plored and studied the plant, which
Is OF such complex and costly char
acter as to suggest that the states
great industry has definitely arrived.
The cOmpany'S guests did not, how
ever, look upon mechanical equip
ment alone. The plant was in opera
| t1on, having started Saturday, and in
every unit OF the group OF buildings
there was some one OF the complex
processes Of manufacture under way,
to myStify the beholders with the
amazing adaptation of mechanics,
chemistry and electrical energy.
Incites Industrial Expectancy
When the special train left Dickin.
son the visitors carried away witt
them a jumbled mental picture Of
towering tipple above a lower group
of units in a snow-blanketed land
scape. It was vision of an industrial
future for North Dakota in which its
535, 600 900 900 tons of carboniferous
fuel, spread in vast beds of Ignite
beneath its soil, was the grimy treas
ure united into streams Of wealth x
enrich an empire whose only gold
heretofore had been its vast. spaces
LOT wavix,gy rspened Sgrains4 s.s,.5ss y
Many OF the visitors carried away
with them samples of the briquetted
fuel. The name suggests brick form,
but the fuel is not made up in that
shape. It is formed into nuggets that
look like eggs, being Of that size, witt
q tendency to acquire polish. The
dried and pulverized Ignite is poured
down on the face of reciprocating
pressing drums with spoonlike de-
preSsions on their face, and each
drum In the revolving contact molds
one half of the nugget, with a light
rim around the midlength of the egg.
Another Story Of By-Products
| What holds the pulverized fuel to-
gether in its pressed form is q binder
mainly Of pitch, which is extracted
from the Ignite itself in the initial
stages Of manufacture. It Is then ap-
piled in q fluxer, SO that the Ignite
does not require outside ingredients
to produce the briquetteS. Extractiong
made in the crushing and vaporing
treatment give off valuable by-prod-
uctS that provide much of the profit
on which the industry expects to
thrive.
Eventually the fuel will become the
by products, chiefs Of the plant and
the company stated. What 1t means
in the plans of the company is to
supply the Northwest with q cheap
master fuel that will relieve it Of the
heavy coal bill 1t now has to meet In
SO to $l8 coal from the East.
First Plant in Country
| The plant at Lehigh Is the first
completed American installation for
the low temperature carbonization Of
Ignite coal, development of the
Lurgi- Corporation which is one Of the
chief subsidiaries Of the international
Metal Bank Of Frankfurt, Germany.
Between 80 and 100 men were oper-
ating 1t Sunday, producing 80 to 100
tons Of brtquettes per a hours. All
departments except the carboniza-
ton plant are ready to house four
times this capacity. This company
plans to build three more carbonizers
this year and increase production to
100 tons daily.
Dickinson Supplies Cars
When the special train arrived at
Dickinson. shortly afternoon. q fleet
Of cars was parked up and down the
streets, waiting to rush the party to
the plant. This was the courtesy Of
the Dickinson Association Of Com
merce.
The first step at the plant was to
get the crowd into the garage under
the office. where buffet lunch was
served. Then the trip through the
Iplant began.
Trips through the six departments
were, made n stnall groups, q guide
accompanying each group and cx-'
lplaiuing the various steps through
which the coal goes in being changed
from raw product to finished bEi.
Iquettes No visit was made under
lground to the mines
| Legislatogs Inpseesed