Century history of Youngstown and Mahoning County, Ohio, and representative citizens, 20th, Part 33

Author: Sanderson, Thomas W., comp
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: Chicago : Biographical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1074

USA > Ohio > Mahoning County > Youngstown > Century history of Youngstown and Mahoning County, Ohio, and representative citizens, 20th > Part 33

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All of our leading iron and steel works, and, indeed, very many small works are now supplied with systematic chemical investiga- tions by their own chemists, who are often men of eminence in their profession. The man- agers of blast furnaces, rolling mills and steel works are themselves frequently well-edu- cated chemists, metallurgists, geologists or me- chanical engineers and sometimes all of these combined. Our rapid progress in increasing our production of iron and steel is not merely the result of good fortune, or favorable legis- lation, or the possession of unlimited natural resources, but is largely due to the possession of accurate technical knowledge by our manu- facturers and by those who are in charge of their works combined with the characteristic American energy which all the world has learned to respect and admire. The "rule of thumb" no longer governs the operations of the iron and steel works of this country.

Owing to the extreme reticence which modern iron and steel manufacturers preserve in regard to the details of their business, we have been unable to obtain full and reliable statistics of a later date than 1902, which we here append.

THE VALLEY AS AN IRON AND STEEL CENTER.

The aggregate tonnage of raw materials consumed in the blast furnaces, rolling mills,

steel plants, foundries, structural iron and plate works, etc., together with the tonnage produc- tion of the industries of the Mahoning and Shenango valleys in 1902 were as follows :

BLAST FURNACES

Production-

Pig metal

2,604,344 tons

Stock on hand 32,087 tons

Receipts-

Ore 7,604,071 gross tons

Cinder 34.342 gross tons

Coke 2,827,973 net tons

Slack Coal 205,476 net tons

Limestone

1,344.643 net tons

Sand 108,211 net tons

FOUNDRY AND MACHINE WORK. Production-

General machinery and machine tools,

engines, rolls, mills, steel plant, blast furnace, machinery, stoves, in- got moulds, etc. 58,551 tons

Grey iron, machinery, malleable, steel,

semi-steel castings, used in con- struction at same plant and shipped

13,603 tons

Total

72,154 tons

Brass and bronze castings

994 tons

Receipts-

Pig metal 50,455 tons

PLATE WORK AND CONSTRUCTION.

Receipts-

Plates and sheets, steel. 30,805 tons

Structural iron 148 tons

Structural steel

10,703 tons

Rivets

1,001 tons

Castings

2,198 tons

Total

44,855 tons

SHAFTING.

Finished shafting

7,939 tons

ROLLING MILLS, BESSEMER AND OPEN HEARTH STEEL PLANTS.

Production-

Muck bar 215.110 tons

Skelp & plates 13.583 tons

Billets 584,955 tons

Tin bar 100,110 tons

Sheet bar

265,259 tons

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HISTORY OF MAHONING COUNTY

Bars, iron & steel

423,229 tons

Hoops, bands, cotton ties

147,232 tons

Sheets, black & galvanized.

86,223 tons

Wire, barb & plain.

54.816 tons

Wire nails

739,639 tons

Rails

325,000 tons

Pipes & tubing

39,513 tons

Ingots & blooms

1,599,699 tons

Wire rods

77,316 tons

Scrap

79.698 tons

Tin plate

77,500 tons

Total

4,828,882 tons

Receipts

Pig metal

372,886 tons

Muck bar

6,474 tons

Skelp

42,666 tons

Billets

193.806 tons

Sheet & tin bar

50,272 tons

Scrap (iron, steel and old rails)

116,917 tons

Slack & coal

1,248,024 tons

Bar iron & steel

12,106 tons

Total

2,043,151 tons

Patterns

490,051 feet

Lumber consumed

LIMESTONE, BRICK, CLAY, ETC. Production ---

Limestone

2.039;401 tons

Brick (all kinds)

88,705 tons

Clay

13,726 tons

Total

2,141,832 tons

The Mahoning and Shenango valleys above referred to include the towns and cities

of Warren, Niles, Girard, Youngstown, Struthers, Powellville, Hubbard, Wheatland, South Sharon, Sharon, Sharpsville, West Mid- dlesex and New Castle.

The returns above given represent an ag- gregate of the reports submitted to the stock- holders of the several independent interests and directorates of the combined concerns, gathered after the close of the year's business, and were first published in Industries, Youngs- town, Ohio, March 26, 1903.

The feature of the result is probably in the vast output of the valley furnaces, of which there were then thirty-two. Their combined output for the year was 2,604,344 tons, which represents nearly 14 per cent of the entire product of the United States, which, according to the American Iron and Steel Association, was 17,821,307 tons. This includes all kinds of pig iron, as does that of the accompanying report.

The above is in spite of the fact that, ow- ing to coke shortage, all the furnaces, except six stacks, were obliged to bank at one time or other during the period, losing time rang- ing from one week to two months.

In June about one-half of the average month's output was lost by reason of the fur- nace strike.

More detailed information in regard to the county's principal manufacturing establish- ments may be found in the following chapter.

CHAPTER XIX

MANUFACTURES

The County's Chief Manufacturing Establishments.

REPUBLIC IRON & STEEL COMPANY.

The Republic Iron & Steel Company, of New Jersey, was organized in May, 1899, its main offices being located in Jersey City, with executive offices in the First National Bank Building, Chicago, Illinois. The officers were : President, Alexis W. Thompson; vice presi- dent and treasurer, John F. Taylor; vice-pres- ident, Archibald W. Housten, in charge of pur- chases; vice-president and treasurer, John F. Taylor, of Southern Works; vice-president, George A. Baird, in charge of sales. Execu- tive committee: Colonel George W. French, chairman; Harry Rubens, Alexis W. Thomp- son, Archibald W. Housten, George A. Baird.

In addition to the above named the com- pany had the following directors: Charles A. Wacker, L. C. Hanna, Peter L. Kimberly, Edwin N. Ohl, August Belmont, Grant B. Schley, George R. Sheldon and John Crerar.

When in full operation, the company em- ploys a total number of 21,000 men.

The Republic Iron and Steel Company owns extensive mining properties in the south, operating three blast furnaces in Alabama and the mills which were formerly owned by the Alabama Rolling Mill Company, and the Bir- mingham Rolling Mill Company. These are now operated under the names of the Ala- bama Works and the Birmingham Works.

The new blast furnaces are, without doubt, the best blast furnaces in the south and are now operated under the name of the Pioneer Min- ing and Manufacturing Company, the product being exclusively foundry and mill pig iron.

In addition to the southern mills, the Re- public Iron and Steel Company have a number of rolling mills located throughout the central west, namely, Centrai Works, Brazil, Indiana ; Corns Works, Massillon, Ohio; Eagle Works, Ironton, Ohio; Indiana Works, Muncie, In- diana; Inland Works, East Chicago, Indiana ; Mitchell-Tranter Works, Covington, Ken- tucky; Muncie Works, Muncie, Indiana; Springfield Works, Springfield, Illinois; Syl- van Works, Moline, Illinois; Terre Haute Works, Terre Haute, Indiana; Toledo Works, Toledo Ohio; Tudor Works, East St. Louis, Illinois; Wabash Works, Terre Haute, Indi- ana ; Wetherald Works, Frankton, Indiana.

These works, together with the local ones at Youngstown, New Castle and Sharon, have a total finishing capacity of 1,200,000 tons per annum, distributed among all kinds of ordi- nary merchant iron and steel, with a number of well-known shapes and specialties, consist- ing of trun-buckles, harrow teeth, spikes and splice bars, nuts and bolts, track bolts and shafting.

Besides the southern mills and mining property, the company owns a large acreage

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HISTORY OF MAHONING COUNTY

of good Connellsville coke, a portion of the property being developed and operated by the Connellsville Coke Company, with main offices in the Frick building, Pittsburg, of which company George L. Pearson is general super- intendent. Edwin N. Ohl has had a great deal to do with the development of this property. They also own, or control under favorable leases, vast quantities of ore in the Lake re- gions.

The local properties of the Republic Iron and Steel Company consist of the works for- merly operated by the Brown-Bonnell Iron Company, to which has been added the Besse- mer Steel Works, the old Mahoning Valley Iron Company's property, now operated as the Mahoning Valley Works and the Hannah Furnace; the Andrews Brothers Company, now operated as the Haselton Furnace, and the Andrews Works. In Sharon they have the plant formerly known as the Sharon Iron Company, in which Mr. F. H. Buhl was interested, and the Hall Furnace, which was acquired with the Sharon Iron Works property. At New Castle the Republic Iron and Steel Company own the stock of the Atlantic Iron and Steel Company, and these properties are operated under the name of the Atlantic Iron and Steel Company.

These local properties are operated from the district office of the Republic Iron and Steel Company, located in the old Brown-Bonnell Company's office in this city, with Mr. Charles Hart as general manager and Mr. J. W. Deet- rick, district superintendent.

The Brown-Bonnell Works consist of twen- ty-six double and one single puddling furnaces, eight gas and six coal heating furnaces, one 7- inch, one 8-inch and one 10-inch continuous train ; one 8-inch, one 10-inch and one 12-inch guide train ; one 8-inch hoop train ; one 18-inch and one 20-inch bar train; one 20-inch univer- sal train; two 20-inch puddle trains ; five spike and two washer machines, 8,000 spikes and 400 tons washers. Product, engine, stay bolt iron, angles, channels, universal plates, bar iron and steel from 14 to 5 1-16 round, 14 square to 41/2 inches, flats up to 20 inches, etc. Annual capacity 250,000 gross tons. Fuel,

producer gas and coal. The number of men employed at these works is over 1,200.

The Mahoning Valley Works consist of 24 double and two single puddling furnaces; one double and one single busheling furnace ; seven coal and five gas heating furnaces; 55 cut nail machines with an annual capacity of 120,000 kegs; two 20-inch muck trains and seven trains of rolls, one 7-inch, one 9-inch, one 12- inch, one 16-inch, two 18-inch and one 24-inch. Product, merchant bar, angle, tank and plate iron, etc. The annual capacity is 110,000 gross tons. There are about 1,040 men em- ployed at these works.

The Shafting Works Company of the Re- public makes the well-known brand of Acme shafting, and is located at the Mahoning Val- ley Works. They have an annual capacity of 10,000 gross tons.

During the summer of 1903 the Bessemer Steel Works were remodeled and the capacity doubled. The semi-annual statement of this company for the first half of that year credits these works with an annual capacity of 400,000 tons, and there is no doubt that this figure is within easy reach. The equipment consists of the necessary cupolas, five in number, for smelting the pig iron which is furnished by the company's own blast furnaces and such iron as they may buy from outside parties. The converters are two in number, of ten ton capacity and of the eccentric type. The air for blowing the steel was furnished by the Allis-Chalmers Company, of the vertical steeple type and 3,000 horse power. The ingots are stripped from the molds by Aiken strippers, from which they are transferred to soaking pits of the usual type used at steel works for this purpose.

The fuel used is producer gas, made in producers of the Laughlin Water Sealed Gas Producer variety. For reducing the ingots from molds to billets, a pair of William Todd reversing engines is used. These engines are 54x66 inch cylinders and have a horse power of approximately 6,000. These engines drive a 40-inch blooming mill, which has the power of reducing ingots weighing 21/2 tons in about a minute and a quarter. This mill is one of

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AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS

the best in operation in this country and was designed by Willis McKee, chief engineer, and is used to supply blooms to the 26-inch mill, which comes next in line, or for rolling slabs which are sheared and shipped from the bloom- ing mill proper.

The 26-inch mill is a 2-high, semi-continu- ous mill with three pairs of rolls, and will re- duce a 71/2×61/2 bloom to a 4-inch billet in five passes and to a 3-inch billet in seven passes. Four-inch and 3-inch billets are sheared and shipped to the other mills, or the entire piece is transferred to the 18-inch billet mill, of the Morgan type, which reduces it to a 2-inch, 134-inch or 11/2-inch billet, depending upon the size desired. The 26-inch mill is driven by a tandem compound engine, built by the William Todd Company of this city, with an accredited horse power of 5,000, and the 18- inch mill is attached to a 5,000 horse power Filer & Stowell engine. These mills are en- closed in one building. The engineering work in connection with the same was done by S. V. Huber, the well-known engineer, having offices in Pittsburg. The mills proper were built by the Lloyd Booth Department of the United Engineering & Foundry Company, and most of the tables and other parts were made by the Youngstown Foundry and Machine Company. Great credit is due both these concerns for the excellence of their work. The power for operating these tables and the other auxiliary machinery is furnished by a separate power plant. The installment of this department consists of two generators, one of 50 K. W. capacity and the other of 300 K. W., which are driven by tandem compound Buckeye en- gines. The steam is generated throughout this plant by Stirling boilers.

The Hannah furnace is equipped with three new Weimer blowing engines with Stirling and Wheeler boilers. The Haselton is equipped with two E. P. Allis engines and one new Weimer engine, with Heine and Cahill boilers. The balance of the equipment is of the usual type and having the necessary stoves, trestles and other equipment. Both of these furnaces are equipped with the Rader Bosh Jacket, designed by Charles I. Rader, former

manager of the blast furnace department, and are giving excellent results. Hannah furnace employs a total number of 140 men, and Haselton furnace employs 150 men.

The Republic last year (1906) erected at Haselton two new Bessemer furnaces of 500 tons daily capacity each, making three in all on the site of the old Andrews Bros. & Co. works. Another furnace just ready to be blown in, after being remodeled and enlarged, is located at New Castle, and is known as the Atlantic stack, while a fifth furnace, the Hall stack, is located in Sharon. From the three Haselton furnaces the molten metal is con- veyed to the Bessemer steel mill in ladel cars, while the pig metal from the Atlantic and Hall furnaces is remelted in the cupolas at the Bessemer mill here.

All of this system is purely Bessemer and it has been officially announced that the next additions that the Republic Iron & Steel Com- pany will make in Youngstown will be for the manufacture of open-hearth steel under the basic process. The Republic Iron & Steel Company several months ago purchased the Lansingville site to build from ten to twelve open-hearth furnaces, a billet mill, finishing mills, and either a rail mill or wire mill. The open-hearth furnaces will be built in pairs until the additions have been completed. It is in- tended that the new plant will turn out 2,000 tons of finished steel every twenty-four hours.

The progressive spirit of John W. Gates at the helm of the Republic Iron & Steel Com- pany, and the fact that the great corporation is passing through an unprecedented period of prosperity, with the operating department hardly able to keep up with the deluge of or- ders, gives those in a position to prophesy cor- rectly the impression that the plant planned for Lansingville will be built within the next two or three years.

OHIO WORKS OF THE CARNEGIE STEEL CO. :

Throughout the industrial world there is not a more extensively known plant of its nature than the Ohio works of the Carnegie Steel Company. The works are splendidly

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HISTORY OF MAHONING COUNTY

situated on the south side of the Mahoning river in the extreme western part of the city. The Ohio Steel Company was organized by Youngstown capitalists and the first finished material was turned out February 4, 1895. The first officers of the company were Henry Wick, president; J. G. Butler, vice president, and W. H. Baldwin, secretary and treasurer.

The plant was absorbed by the National Steel Company, February, 1899, and after- wards became constituent to the United States Steel Corporation. Today the Ohio works of the Carnegie Steel Company is recognized as one of the most important and and best paying investments of that great corporation. One of the first movements of the original company was to secure the services of Thomas McDon- ald as general manager, a step that has never been regretted by the successors of the old company. Under his capable management and direction the plant has developed with a rapidity that is wonderful. Mr. McDonald has no peer in his line of work. He has sur- rounded himself with a corps of capable as- sistants, who have added to the success of the local works.

The immense plant is laid out with the idea of continuous progression in the manu- facture of iron and steel. All raw material, such as ore, coke, and limestone, is received at one end of the plant and deposited in an enor- mous yard capable of holding 500 cars at one time. There are altogether forty miles of track in the yards.

Four first-class stacks constitute the blast furnace department, which are built in almost a straight line, near what is known as the ore yards, facing the Mahoning river with suf- ficient frontage to allow for the tracks. Being in operation almost constantly, these four stacks furnish an output which keeps the plant running to a certain degree. The diameter of the bosh is 23 feet and the height of No. I and No. 2 is 10612 feet. At the time of erection No. 3 was the same height as the other two, but since then it has been found that it did not give good satisfaction, therefore 1612 feet were taken off.

These furnaces are equipped with closed tops, thereby allowing the ore to pass through a mixing-hopper to the throat; then to the small bell, from where they pass through what is called the gas seal onto the large bell and from there into the furnace. There are sixteen tuy- eres through which each blast furnace is blown. There are seven cross-compound condensing horizontal blowing-engines used to supply the furnaces with blast. There are three engines 54x102x108x60, two engines 50x96x100x60, two engines 58x110X108x60.

The William Tod Company furnished all the engines with the exception of two, which were installed by the Allis-Chalmers Company. At Nos. I and 2 there are located three engines,. at No. 3 there are four. A 48-inch Worthing- ton condenser is used to condense exhaust steam at Nos. I and 2 furnaces, and at Nos. 3. and 4 there is installed one 54-inch Alberger condenser. The Worthington condenser also takes care of all exhaust steam from auxiliary machinery, electric light plant and the pump- ing station.

There is a battery of 15,000 H. P. Sterling boilers, which supplies the entire furnace plant with steam, and a large quantity to the steel works. Furnace gas is used under the boilers, as is also coal to keep up the fires. Large cinder ladles take care of all slag which runs. directly therein while still in a molten state, and is taken away for filling-in purposes about the plant. After the iron is turned into the: ladles in the furnace, it runs direct to the mix- ers at the converting mill. When the iron can- not be cast in this way there is what is called a pig-casting machine installed by Heyl & Patterson. On Saturday and Sunday nights the iron is not taken to the mixer but sent to: the casting machine. This machine consists of four strands of moulds. There is a trough through which the molten iron is poured into the molds, which operates on an endless chain .. The strands pass through a large vat of water, thereby cooling the iron, and upon reaching the other end of the machine pass up an incline. from which point the iron is dropped in the: shape of pigs into a car and prepared for ship-

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ment. After the iron has gone through this process it is taken to the concerting mill where it is remelted in the cupolas.

Much has been said of the excellent work these furnaces have done in regard to produc- tion, as they have produced since the first one was put into service to December 1, 1904, in- clusive, 2,033,589 tons of Bessemer iron. In January, 1902, No. 2 stack produced in one month after being in operation one and one- half years 19,645 tons, which established a world's record. It was in March, 1902, that No. I furnace took the record by producing 19,734 tons. This record held first place until October, 1904, when No. 2 furnace of the Du- quesne furnace produced 20,659 tons. The im- mense magnitude of these furnaces can well be imagined when the four stacks forming the furnace department of the National Steel Company in Youngstown can produce almost as much iron in a year as the 21 furnaces in Virginia.

J. C. Barrett has established an enviable record as superintendent, and has worked earn- estly to bring the department up to its present standing in the iron world. He has had years of experience as a chemist and superintendent and has been with the company since its or- ganization.

The next step is to the two convertors, or vessels, where all impurities are blown from the metal. The converting mills are located in the center of the plant and consist of a mixer building, cupolas, converting-house, ingot strip- per building, bottom-house and engine-house. The mixer building is two stories in height, containing two metal reservoirs of 250 tons capacity, each located in the second story. An elevated track leads to the building on which the ladles filled with molten metal from the furnaces enter and are hoisted by hydraulic jacks to the mixers and are poured in.

An electric engine shifts the ladles to their positions and place them for the return to the furnaces. Iron is poured from the mixers into the ladles at the other end and sent to the con- verting house to be concerted into steel.

In direct line with the mixer building comes the cupola house. This building consists of

four stories 78 feet high, containing five cu- polas 24 feet high with a diameter of 101/2 feet for each cupola, and blown through 12 tuyeres with a melting capacity of 1800 tons in 24 hours. A double hoist 62 feet high car- ries all raw material to the top for consump- tion. In front of the cupolas are bins 560 feet long containing pig iron, coke and limestone and other material necessary to the manufac- ture of iron through the cupolas. In tapping the cupolas 2 iron ladles with a capacity of 131/2 tons each are run under the tapping hole and filled. The ladles are then conveyed to the converters by means of an electric motor pulling a cable attached to the ladle. These ladles also travel to the mixers for the iron.

To convert the iron into steel, the iron when brought either from the mixers or cu- pola is poured into the converters, one of which is located at either end of the building. The converters are 912 feet in diameter with a ca- pacity of 10 tons each. The iron is poured through a trough leading to the nose of the vessel into the converter, which is placed at an almost horizontal position. The converter is then raised to the vertical position and the blast turned on. The blast is conveyed into the interior of the converter through the bot- tom, which contains 19 tuyeres imbedded in a highly refractory material. One horizontal cross compound Allis engine 40x78x60x60, and one steeple-type nose, compound engine, 42x84x68x60, are required to blow the ves- sels.

The iron usually requires blowing about eight minutes in order to remove therefrom the impurities ; the vessels are then tipped over and the contents poured into a 10-ton ladle, operated by a 20-ton hydraulic crane placed in the center of the house, and which can be swung from either side. The ladle is then brought to the pouring platform and the steel poured into the molds. Each mold when re- moved leaves a solid piece of steel weighing 21/2 tons and measuring 181/2x221/2x70 inches. The steel is then conveyed to the heating furn- aces to be heated with gas. In the process of conversion the brilliancy of the flames is daz- zling, and the sparks fill the converting house,

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HISTORY OF MAHONING COUNTY

lighting it up with a wonderful brilliancy and keeping its spectators entranced. As the blast burns out the impurities the variety of colors is amazing. L. N. McDonald is the efficient superintendent of this very important depart- ment of the works.

After passing through the converters the purified metal is next cast into molds or ingots and conveyed to the blooming mill. Here the steel is rolled down into great lengths and cut automatically.

There are 24 pits holding four ingots each, the entire building being commanded by two 5-ton capacity traveling cranes, whose duties are divided between placing the ingots in the pits and withdrawing them when ready for rolling. When the steel has remained in the pit the required length of time, it is withdrawn and placed on an ingot dumping car, electric- ally operated, which removes the ingot to the blooming train table ready for the rolling. Here it is quickly reduced from 181/2x2212 in size to a long piece 12x8 inches. This is done in 13 passes through the blooming mills and the time averages a minute and a half. It is then brought down to the shears and cut into several lengths called blooms. In this mill, as in the other departments of the plant, the steel is handled without manual labor, the ingot is passed back and forth through the rolls on its 13 passes and is operated entirely by the ma- chinery controlled by the roller from a sta- tion over the rolls.

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Century history of Youngstown and Mahoning County, Ohio, and representative citizens, 20th, Part 33

Author: Sanderson, Thomas W., comp Publication date: 1907 Publisher: Chicago : Biographical Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1074

Author: Sanderson, Thomas W., comp
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: Chicago : Biographical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1074