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' 60 THE MarRINE REVIEW The New Blast Furnace Plant of The Wickwire The first of the new industries to locate along the ship canal now being created in the Niagara river, which is the Wickwire Steel Co.'s blast fur- nace plant, began business Oct. 19. Inasmuch as the industry was among the first to answer to the call from the Niagara frontier, much in- fevest 148 centered in the turning, Over Of the machinery for -- the first time. The Wickwire Brothers eo. of Cortland, N. Y., a corporation Steel Company. market. Arrangements have been made by the company with B. Nicoll & Co. of New York to place the surplus product, which will include all the grades of foundry iron used by the trade. Eighty acres wire Steel Co.'s comprise the Wick. site on the east shore of the Niagara river, with 1,500 feet of water front, between Buffalo and the Tonawandas, 114 miles north of the Buffalo city line. The property burg, who also superintended the con- struction. Being located on the river, the furnace plant is approached by docks built by the company and equipped with all the essential ma- chinery, such as Hulett ore unloading machinery, ore handling bridge, bins and skip hoists. The ore handling machinery was put to the first test June 27, when the initial cargo of ore was docked. It came down in the steamer Kensington--3,800 tons-- GENERAL controlled by similar interests, is a pioneer in the manufacture and devel- opment of the steel rod and wire in- dustry. Its consumption of pig iron grew 'to such an extent that about two years ago the Wickwire manage- ment decided to build a furnace of its own. When the plans were worked out it was found advisable to con- struct a plant sufficiently large to fur- nish all the pig iron needed by the Cortland plant and to supply the trade. The Wickwire Steel Co. will, there- fore, become a factor in the pig iron VIEW OF STEEL CO.S BLAST FURNACE WICK WIRE has excellent shipping facilities, it be- ing connected and crossed by the Erie Gamal and a spur of the New York Central railroad. The electric lines of the International Traction Co. pass the plant, giving direct connection with Buffalo, Niagara Falls and Tonawanda. On Aug. 2, 1907, the first pile was driven for the new plant and in Sep- tember of that year when the railroad tracks had been laid, the work of construction progressed rapidly. The plant is a typically modern affair, de- signed by Julian Kennedy, of Pitts- PLANT. this being the first large cargo of ore tO pass down Niagara river, but:.a cargo of 6,000 tons soon followed on the steamer J. J. Boland. At present the Niagara river draught cannot ex- ceed 14 feet 6 inches and the Wick- wires have lately become interested with Boland & Cornelius, vessel owers of Buffalo, in a project to con- struct two steel ships which will be built along lines making heavy ore cargoes and light draught possible. These boats wil have an ore tonnage of 5,500 and 6,000 tons, respectively,