The article that follows captures a transformative moment in the 150-plus year history of the cement industry in Howes Cave. It documents the creation of the Helderberg Cement Company and the company’s plans to end production of Rosendale, or “natural” cement, to move to the preferred “Portland” cement. Doing so allowed the company to close the underground mines and move above ground to quarry the high-level, calcium rich limestone strata.
This adds considerable detail to the story told in “Unearthing Howes Cave: A Community and a Quarry from 1842 on,” which appears as Section II of Underground Empires.
Reproduced here is the article as it appeared in The Cobleskill Index, March 8, 1898. as well as the Albany Argus, Feb. 27, 1898.
NEW CEMENT CO. ■ Howes Cave Booming
Two Cement Companies Consolidated. Important Discovery of Clay and Limestone Deposits.
The Sunday Argus presents the following relative to the proposed Cement Works at Bowes Cave: The organization of a new cement Co., in which Albany capitalists hold the majority of the stock was consummated last week.
The new concern is to be operated under the charter of the Howes Cave association, and will have a capital stock of $300,000, divided into shares of $100 each. [This was soon soon to become Helderberg Cement Co.]
The new Howes Cave association is a consolidation of the Howes Cave Lime and Cement company and the former Howes Cave association.
The Howes Cave Lime and Cement company had a capital of $100,000 and was the owner of 100 acres of mining and mineral lands at Howes Cave. The former Howes Cave association had a capital ci $200,000. It was the owner ot the celebrated cave, the beauties of which are familiar to many Albanians; conducted a large Summer hotel at Howes Cave and was also engaged in the manufacture of lime and cement.
The association owned 103 acres of mining and mineral lands in the same vicinity.
Last Summer, Mr. Sheldon Norton of Hokendauqua, Pa., while visiting at the cave as a guest of the hotel there discovered that the clay and limestone deposits in that vicinity contained just the right properties to make the best kind of Portland cement.
Be analyzed the deposits and had other chemists do the same, and their results corresponded with the analyses of the best German cement. This surprising and valuable discovery was communicated by Mr. Norton to a few of his friends, and experiments were conducted which satisfied them that they had on hand tn easy, available, and abundant supply of raw material for the manfacture of one of the best grades of cement in the world.
A syndicate of Capitalists was next formed to cany out the manufacturing at Howes Cave Prominent among those forming the syndicate were well-known Albanians and a few prominent residents of Binghamton.
The new company formed bought all the stock of the Howes Cave Lime and Cement company and of the Howes Cave association. It also purchased about 200 acres more land in that vicinity, including the farm of Eli Rose and a portion of the farms of Richard Richards and Myron Fellows.
This gave . . . the ownership. . . over 400 acres of land having a frontage of over a mile of the tracks of the Albany and Susquehanna railroad.
The purpose of the new owners of the Howes Cart association is to manufacture the Portland cement, and to continue making natural cement, which latter work it has already entered up. The present natural cement beds are to be remodeled and new and improved machinery substituted.
The large Portland cement plant to be erected is to have a capacity of 1,000 barrels per day.
No costly plants where Portland cement is made will be required at Howes Cave. The floor of j j be cave proper is covered with clay already prepared by nature for just such purposes.
The removal of this clay from the cave will add to its beauties and open many more spacious new rooms for the inspection of visitors. The company, which now owns all the property at Howes Cave except five buildings, the schoolhouse and railroad property, is to continue to operate the handsome big summer hotel.
It is believed that Howes Cave will become even more popular in the near future In the estimation of the summer tourist and pleasure seekers.
The officers of the new company are T. Henry Drumary, of Albany, president; Charles E. Lee, of Binghamton, vice president and general manager; Charles H. Ramsey. of Howes Cave, secretary and treasurer; Sheldon Norton of Hokendauqua, Pa., superintendent.
Besides Mr. T. Henry Dumary, the list of the Albany stockholders includes the names of ex Judge John McNamara, Thomas E. Murray, Charles H. Armatage, and Miss Julia Merrick. Former assemblyman John J. Cassin of Rensselaer, and Messrs. Lee, Norton and Armatage are other prominent stockholders.
The company expects to open a sales office in the Benson building in this city and Mr. Lee. the generaI manager, expects to become a resident Albanian.