In the 1880s, the alkali industry was growing fast on the Mersey. The companies came under increasing pressure from local and national government, from the river authorities and the Alkali Inspectorate, to clean up their noxious wastes. Sloppy filtered calcium carbonate could not be re-burned to lime by existing methods, but could easily be used as a wet process cement feedstock. The re-use of alkali waste for cement manufacture had a long history, having been attempted by William Aspdin at Gateshead as early as 1852, and the Seacombe plant used Tate's sugar waste intermittently from 1855. In 1885, J S Rigby of John Hutchinson & Co. took over the Seacombe plant, in the form of the Widnes Alkali Co., to pilot his patent waste re-processing methods. He had entered into a contract with Chance & Hunt to use their calcium sulfide process. Having sufficiently demonstrated the success of these processes and obtained a number of patents, a new plant was planned at Ditton, closer to the main waste producers at Widnes. The British Patent Portland Cement Co. Ltd was formed with great fanfare on 8/10/1888, promising to "revolutionise the cement trade". A fairly complete prospectus appeared in Building News, 28/9/1888, p 10. The following summarises the key points:
PORTLAND CEMENT FROM LIME MUD
(the lime waste of alkali works)
The British Patent Portland Cement Company, Limited
Directors:
Thomas W Oakshott, Esq., JP, Mayor of Liverpool
G H Bolton, Esq., Chairman of the Widnes Alkali Co., Ltd, Widnes
G C Dobell, Esq., JP (Messrs G C Dobell & Co.), Liverpool
Thomas Robinson, Esq., Director of the Liver Alkali Co., Ltd, Widnes, and the Atlas Chemical Co., Ltd, Widnes
Walton Batcheldor, Esq. (Messrs George Batcheldor & Son), Liverpool
Andrew Macdonald, Esq. (Messrs Macdonald & Co.), Liverpool (will join the board after allotment).
Manager: Mr John Samuel Rigby
Prospectus
This company has been formed to purchase and work all the inventions and patents of Mr John S Rigby, for the Manufacture of Portland Cement in the United Kingdom, from caustic lime mud, sugar lime mud, and the like, and also to grant licenses under the patents:
- Improvements in the manufacture of cement; 10,244; 22/7/1887; letters patent; J S Rigby
- Improvements in the treatment of lime mud and like substances, to obtain whiting and cement, and in apparatus therefor; 11,274; 18/8/1887; letters patent; J S Rigby
- Improvement in the manufacture of cement and utilisation of the lime mud, residue of the ammonia soda process therefor; 3,148; 1/3/1888; application; J S Rigby
- Improvements in or relating to the utilisation of the lime mud, refuse of sugar and other industries, for cement and other purposes; 7,456; 19/5/1888; application; J S Rigby
- Improvement in the manufacture of cement from the calcium sulphide waste of the Leblanc soda manufactures; 9,763; 5/7/1888; application; J S Rigby & A Macdonald
Working under these patents will revolutionise the cement trade, and at the same time confer a great benefit on alkali manufactures, in utilising what has hitherto been a nuisance and source of expense, as the vast unsavoury heaps adjoining alkali works now testify.
Widnes alone produces vast quantities, and large sums are paid for land on which to lay it. The supply of the raw material is practically unlimited, whilst apart from the daily production there are millions of tons in various chemical centres in the country. One of the important features of this cement is the great increase of strength with age, which will be seen from the annexed reports.
For some time the Widnes Alkali Company have made from caustic lime mud from 40 to 50 tons a week of excellent cement, which has sold readily to local users, exporters, and the Manchester Ship Canal, and has given satisfaction, as will be seen from the following letters.
Samples of this cement may be seen at the stand of the Widnes Alkali Company, in the Glasgow Exhibition.
The lime mud, after treatment, is an almost pure carbonate of lime, and is in a more suitable form for cement making than chalk, mixing readily with the clay so as not to show any particles of carbonate of lime; and by using the latest improvements in kilns and grinding appliances, Portland cement by this process can be produced of uniform quality at a cost hitherto impossible.
The process is a continuous one, and if only 1000 tons per week are produced it is estimated that at the present price of Thames-made Portland Cement, there should be a profit of nearly 18s. per ton to the Company, apart from the income from licenses. Large dividends may consequently be expected.
It is the intention of the directors to erect works at Widnes and St Helens (Note 1), with plant of the most modern description for saving time and manual labour, and wherever they may consider it desirable, to grant licenses in Scotland, Newcastle, Birmingham and elsewhere, when such may be considered to the interests of the Company.
Several applications for licenses have been made, and are pending the formation of the Company.
It is intended to use the revolving furnace (Note 2) so highly recommended by the most eminent engineers, by which cement of uniform quality is guaranteed, and a large saving is effected on the present method of calcination.
The price which the vendors have fixed is one-third of the capital, and they are so well satisfied as to the success of the Company, that they accept the purchase money entirely in paid-up shares.
No promotion money will be paid, and the preliminary expenses of the Company will be limited to the necessary legal charges, stamp duties, and other ordinary disbursements.
There followed a list of contracts underlying the sale. Samples of the lime mud and clay had been submitted to Henry Faija's test house in June 1888. These were analysed and combined (3:1, dry basis) to make a rawmix and burned and ground to cement. In his report, in addition to the raw material analyses, he gave the 28-day strength, and added:
I am very sorry that I have none of the cement left, as from the great increase shown in this test I should anticipate a very high ultimate strength.
A sample of the carbonate was also sent to A Norman Tate (Note 3) reported a somewhat suspect analysis that included 0.4% soda. He commented:
The alkali present is not, in my opinion, excessive; indeed, in the proportion in which it exists, I consider it useful.
Finally, there was appended a long report from Walton Batcheldor, manager of Seacombe, describing his few months' experience of burning Rigby's "purified" lime mud, and duly enthusing about the product's quality. He gave a set of tensile strength results at 7, 14, 39 and 61 days, showing the frequently-referenced consistent increase of strength with time. However, this really reflected the very low early strength of the cement. The strength at 61 days was only 318 psi - below the 7-day minimum (400 psi) later specified in BS12 (1904).
The flotation clearly went well, and construction of the plant began promptly. The first company AGM was held in Liverpool on 12/9/1889, chaired by G C Dobell. The report stated that the works would commence operations "in a few days". The chairman explained that the work had beeen delayed by the railway company's failure to complete a bridge on schedule for deliveries, and that work would commence "in two or three weeks". It was proposed that Rigby should be raised to the Board, but this was not accepted: he should only join the Board "when operations had been commenced". Following the meeting, a vigourous publicity campaign began, with many press accounts describing the company in similar language. Typical was the substantial article in the Runcorn Guardian on 28/9/1889 (p 4):
The town of Widnes is growing very rapidly, both in population and importance, and scarcely a year passes which does not witness some striking improvements and additions either in private or public concerns. One of the latest additions is the new and extensive works which have been erected by the British Patent Portland Cement Company Ltd, which are about to commence operations very shortly. The works, which are situated near Ditton, stand upon ten acres of ground, and about £20,000 have been spent in their erection, whilst the whole work has been carried out in the marvellously short time of eight months, and under the direct superintendence of Mr J S Rigby. The invention is Mr Rigby's, and it is perhaps necessary to state that long before the British Patent Portland Cement Company Ltd was formed, Mr Rigby's invention had been thoroughly tested at Seacombe, where the cement Works of the Widnes Alkali Company had for some twelve months or co been turning out Rigby-made cement at the rate of 50 tons per week, the full capacity of the works. There the process was tested on a scale which demonstrated the merits of the invention quite as satisfactorily and conclusively as if the cement had been made at the rate of 50,000 tons per week. The results achieved at Seacombe were of such a highly satisfactory character that when the British Patent Portland Cement Company Ltd came to appeal for capital, the entire amount asked - for £100,000 - was oversubscribed in a few hours without the slightest difficulty. We may mention that the patent, which is calculated to perpetuate Mr Rigby's name, is essentially a corollary - a necessary corollary, we may almost say - of the chemical process known as Chance's system (Note 4). Prior to the inauguration of Chance's system the by-product which constitutes the chief element of novelty in the Rigby process was valueless for the purpose of cement manufacture, owing to the presence of sulphur, which rendered the substance too brittle for manipulation. But the sucessful inauguration of Chance's system has fundamentally changed all that, and very shortly there will be upwards of a dozen of Chance's plants in operation in Widnes and St Helens, which will be able to abstract sulphur from chemical waste to the tune of 3,000 tons per week, or about the quantity now imported from abroad. All the chemical waste, therefore, which was formerly valueless for the purpose of making cement, and which cost the manfacturer not less than 3d per ton to get out of the way, is thus set free for the purposes of cement manufacture, with the result that the new British Patent Portland Cement Company Ltd will be able for a time, at all events, to procure its raw material free, gratis and for nothing, save and except a charge of 6d a ton for carriage. They have, too, at their command twenty-seven acres of the finest clay to be obtained for the purpose of cement manufacture, and should the directors be so disposed, they could turn out cement at a price which might be made spell little short of absolute ruin to those who rely on the old method of manufacture. The quality of the cement will be such as will commend itself to the purchaser, and we have it on the authority of an eminent chamist, who has very recently paid a visit to some of the chief manufactories in London, and also in Germany, that the company's products compare most favourably, if not excel, both home and foreign competitors. One result of this new method will be that the (price of) cement will be considerably reduced, or, on the other hand, the shareholders are almost certain to reap a golden harvest, what with the new process and the advantages they at present possess over their competitors. Doubtless if the scheme answers, as there is every reason to believe it will, other manufacturers in the town and district will seek to improve their position, which means a considerable addition to the labour market. Ther is one pleasing feature in connection with the erection of these new works, and it is that as far as practicable home labour has been encouraged, and no less than 100 men have been employed. The machinery, which is of the best quality, and of very great strength, has been supplied by Messrs Robinson, Cook and Co., of St Helens (Note 5). The plant is of the best, and it is expected that when the works are in thorough-going order, no less than 200 men will be found employment. We have not space to fully describe the buildings (Note 6), but we believe we are right in saying that the revolver which has been placed this week, is one of the largest, if not the largest, in England (Note 7), whilst in the drying shed there are two Lamberton and one Norman mills; the store house is also capable of holding about 1,000 tons of cement. The promoters have an ample supply of water near at hand, and cargoes can be brought right up by the side of the works with but very little trouble (Note 8), whilst the railway is in close proximity.A New Industry for Widnes
The article above, being so up-beat, almost fails to convey the fact that the plant had not yet started. Presumably, within the next few weeks, came the realisation that their rotary kiln was as useless as all the others installed elsewhere at this time. We get no account of the ensuing course of events. On 3/3/1891 a winding-up notice was issued and on 2/4/1891, the plant was up for sale. On 12/9/1891, the following appeared in the Financial News (p 3):
The British Patent Portland Cement Company, Limited
Registered by John Hands, 15, Old Jewry Chambers, EC, with a capital of £10,000 in £5 shares. Object, to acquire the undertaking of the British Patent Portland Cement Company, Limited (now in course of liquidation) carried on at Ditton Brook, Lancashire, in accordance with an agreement, made July 23, between J McNaught, H J Robinson and J Hammil (liquidators of the said company) of the one part and Andrew Macdonald of the other part, and to carry on generally the manufacture of Portland cement, whiting, &c. Registered without articles of association.
The subscribers were listed as Henry Tate junior, G T Griffiths, G C Dobell, T W Oakshott, A Macdonald, H J Robinson and W C Chamberlain - all locals. Rigby is not in evidence. The OS map surveyed in 1891 shows two blocks of chamber kilns, apparently introduced into the plant in a rather haphazard arrangement. The plant finally ceased production in December 1896, and its stock was sold off by April 1897.