The dust-flue extending behind the furnace-house is arranged to discharge into cars on a tramway in the cut below the ground level. This flue, which is of brick, connects with the main flues leading to the chimney. The main flues are built of concrete, laid on a steel frame in the usual manner, and are very large. For a certain distance they are installed in triplicate; then they make a turn approximately at right angles and two flues continue to the chimney. At the proper points there are large dampers of steel plate, pivoted vertically, for the purpose of cutting out such section of flue as it may be desired to clean. Each flue has openings, ordinarily closed by steel doors, which give access to the interior. The flues are simple tunnels, without drift-walls or any other interruption than the arched passages which extend transversely through them at certain places. The chimney is of brick, circular in section, 20 ft. in diameter and 225 ft. high. This is the only chimney of the works save those of the boiler-house.
The boiler-house is equipped with eight internally fired corrugated fire-box boilers. They are arranged in two rows, face to face. Between the rows there is an overhead coal bin, from which the coal is drawn directly to the hoppers of the American stokers, with which the boilers are provided. Adjoining the boiler-house is the engine-house; the latter is a brick building, very commodious, light and airy. It contains two cross-compound, horizontal Allis-Chalmers (Dickson) blowing engines for the blast furnaces, and two direct-connected electrical generating sets for the development of the power required in various parts of the works. A traveling crane, built by the Whiting Foundry Equipment Company, spans the engine-house. In close proximity to the engine-house there is a well-equipped machine shop. Other important buildings are the sampling mill and the flue-dust briquetting mill.
A noteworthy feature of the new plant is the concrete paving, laid on a bed of broken slag, which is used liberally about the ore-yard and in other places where tramming is to be done. The roasting-furnace houses are floored with the same material, which not only gives an admirably smooth surface, but also is durable. The whole plant is well laid out with service tramways and standard-gage spur tracks; the intention has been, obviously, to save manual labor as much as possible.