244  CONTRIBUTIONS    TO    ECONOMIC    GEOLOGY,   1906,  PART    I. 
would  approximate  40  cents  a  barrel,  which  is  over  one-half  of  the 
total  cost  of  manufacturing  a  barrel  of  Portland  cement  in  the  East. 
It  is  possible,  however,  that  coal  coming  over  the  Colorado  and  South- 
ern Railroad  from  the  north  woidd  be  cheaper. 
COST  OF  A  PORTLAND  CEMENT  PLANT. 
It  is  perhaps  worth  while  to  add  some  general  estimates  of  the  cost 
of  installing  a  Portland  cement  plant.  The  cost  varies  with  the  num- 
ber of  kilns  constructed,  although  the  proportional  increase  in  cost 
is  less  with  increase  in  the  number  of  kilns.  An  8-kiln  plant,  manu- 
facturing 1,200  barrels  of  Portland  cement  in  twenty-four  hours 
would  cost  from  $360,000  to  $400,000,  while  a  6-kiln  plant  would  cost 
from  $300,000  to  $360,000.a  Besides  this  first  cost  a  large  reserve 
capital  is  needed,  since  (1)  each  new  plant  during  a  period  of  experi- 
mentation makes  cement  that  is  below  the  grade  required  by  con- 
tractors; (2)  contractors  arc  accustomed  to  use  certain  brands  of 
Portland  cement,  and  a  new  brand  must  establish  a  reputation  before 
it  can  make  large  sales;  (3)  a  Portland  cement  plant  sells  much  of  its 
product  on  long  payments,  but  many  of  its  own  bills  must  be  met  at 
once.  Mr.  E.  C.  Eckel b  further  gives  the  following  as  an  average 
cost  per  barrel  at  an  8-kiln  plant,  with  80-foot  kilns,  producing  2,000 
barrels  of  Portland  cement  a  day: 
(  ost  of  Portland  cement  per  barrel. 
f.  mi  hi,  i  materials $0.08 
Power  coal 08 
Drier  coal  c 01 
Kiln  coal  «' 10 
Labor 10 
Supplies,  etc II 
Office  and  Laboratory <>:; 
Administration  and  sales 05 
[nterest,  etc ■ 12 
.(is 
In  Wyoming  the  item  of  labor  would  be  at  least  twice  thai  here 
given,  while  al  places  near  coal  fields  the  item  of  fuel  would  be  less 
by  one-half,  and  for  points  distant  from  coal  fields  should  be  multi- 
plied by  two.  It  is  therefore  evident  that  Portland  cement  can  be 
made  in  eastern  Wyoming  at  a  cost  below  the  present  local  prices  of 
eastern  brands. 
a  Eckel,  E.  ('.,  Cements,  limes,  and  plasters,  V  Y..  L905,  p.  556. 
blbid.,  j).  561. 
cAt*2aton. 
