Twentieth Century History of Youngstown and Mahoning County Ohio and Representative Citizens, Part 34

Author: Sanderson, Thomas W
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: Chicago, Ill., Biographical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 993

USA > Ohio > Mahoning County > Youngstown > Twentieth Century History of Youngstown and Mahoning County Ohio and Representative Citizens > Part 34

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

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 91/2 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,

Digiized by Google

256

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 181/2x221/2 in size to a long piece 1/2x8 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.

The four by four billet-mill is next reached, and duplex billet shears cut the product in the desired lengths, and the billets are then loaded, by means of an endless chain, into small cars, cooled off, and finally deposited in the railroad cars for shipment.

Under the same roof is the tin bar-mill, at present in full operation. Further on is the sixteenth-inch continuous mill, made by The Morgan Construction Company. the fastest mill of its kind in the country. Eight passes are required to the rolls, and the 4x4 billet size comes out of the last pass a rod 11/2-inch finished material, at the rate of 650 feet a minute and without stopping, by the flying

shears is cut into 30-inch lengths. These shears were built by the Loyd Booth plant of the United Engineering and Fountry Co,.

Probably the rail mill is the most interest- ing department of the entire works, and it is worth one's while to watch the formation of the steel from the bulky bloom into a finished rail ready for laying. In this mill are four rail-saws. The regular regulation rails are sawed into 30-inch lengths while still red rot.

The cold saw is used principally for orders of special lengths and a ninety-pound cold rail can be cut in twain in the remarkable short space of thirty seconds. Previous to shipping, the ends of the rails are chipped and filed.

One of the most remarkable features of these mills and one that most strongly im- presses the siglitseer is the apparent absence of men in the vicinity of the rolls. The blooms billets, bars and rails seem to come and go of their own volition, passing and repassing through the various stages of the work in a manner most bewildering and interesting. From the time the raw material reaches the yards until it is on the cars again a finished product, no human agency seems to be em- ployed while it is progressing through its var- ious steps. This work is mostly accomplished by electricity, assisted to some extent by hy- draulic power.

The electrical power is furnished by three dynamos 550 K-W and one 200 K-W. Seventy- five skilled men are employed in this depart- ment. All the ore is handled by electric ma- chinery and in the plant there are thirteen cranes ranging in capacity from 71/2 to 33 tons. The entire rail department is operated by elec- tricity and four electric locomotives are used at the plant and a storage battery is also in use since 1902.

At the works will be found modern ma- chine shops, boiler shops, blacksmith shops and every necessary adjunct to a first-class in- dustry.

An emergency hospital has been established at the Ohio Works, and skilled nurses with knowledge of medicine and surgery are con- stantly in attendance.

Digitizedby Google

257

AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS

The works are thoroughly policed, the chief being Capt. James A. Freed, and his force consists of no less than twenty men.

A splendid laboratory, with every needful appliance, is situated within the grounds, and a short distance from the works is a commod- ious brick structure, a portion of which is used for drafting purposes.

The Ohio works of the Carnegie Steel Company is without doubt Youngstown's lead- ing industry, its products are known and ap- preciated throughout the entire civilized world and the chances are that this plant will in a short time be further enlarged until it rivals the largest in the world.

The lines for the stone and iron work that will form the foundation of No. 6 furnace, in the group at the Ohio works, have lately been laid out and the work of constructing this giant smelter is now well under way.

Indications are that the group of 12 open- hearth furnaces, the first of their kind ever planned for Youngstown, will be completed at the Ohio works of the Carnegie Steel Com- pany before any of the other new work.

At the Homestead works a group of ten smelters for the manufacture of open-hearth steel was completed in exactly nine months. Just six months elapsed from the time the first drawing was made until four of the furnaces were completed and in operation. The local force desires to come up to this record, and it is possible that it may even be beaten. The work on the live Bessemer stacks that will supply basic iron for the group of open hearth smelters is also being hurried. The contract for the iron has been let to Wm. B. Pollock Co. of this city.

UNION MILLS, CARNEGIE STEEL CO.

No more wonderful mills exist throughout the country than the local ones of The Ameri- can Steel Hoop Company. In the two plants in this city, grades and classes of iron and steel products are made such as can hardly be duplicated anywhere else in the world. On their mills the experience of years and the ex- periments of the most expert have been ap-

plied with wonderful success. There are ideas and appliances put into effect on those mills which are used nowhere else in the country. Everything has been done to increase the out- put and vary the class of steel made, adding constantly new grades of work.

A few years ago some considerbale changes- and improvements were made in these works. The Lower Plant, so-called, begins a short dis- tance above Spring common and runs to West Avenue ; the Upper Plant begins just across the street from the Lower Plant on West Avenue and extends far up into Brier Hill. The Lower Plant is what was known as the Cartwright- McCurdy mill, while the Upper Plant was the Youngstown Iron Company's mill. These were consolidated first under the name of the Union Iron & Steel Company, and later became a part of the National Steel Company, finally being merged into the American Steel Hoop Co., which in turn became really a part of the Carnegie Steel Company.

In the 10-inch continuous or cotton tie mill the Upper Plant has one of the most famous- mills in the country. It is run largely on cotton ties, and supplies an enormous amount of the ties which are used in the country. This mill. was built in 1894 and the vibrator on the hot. bed is used by no other mill.

The Lower Plant of the Company has but one continuous mill, that is the continuous. guide mill. The plant has five finishing mills. which are all good and efficient and will pro -. duce 10,000 pounds a month. The products. of the 12-inch mill are giving the company a. great reputation. One of the features of this- mills is the cold straightening plant of 24 mo- chines. It straightens special Red Cross round. edged tires, channels for rubber tires, etc.,. specially fine finished and perfectly straight .. The specialty of buggy tires on this mill makes it one of the most valuable in the plant. All the puddle furnaces in the Upper Plant were torn out in 1898 to make way for the new im- provements, which have made it one of the most modern and up-to-date plants for the same kind of work in the country.

There is a boiler plant of sixteen boilers- outside of the 10-inch continuous boiler plant.

Digiized by Google

258

HISTORY OF MAHONING COUNTY

The gas producers are all hoppers, automatic stokers are used, and all furnaces fed by man- ufactured gas from the twelve 'gas producers.

The 7, 8, and 10-inch hoop mills deliver hoop longer than any other mill outside of the cotton tie (10-inch continuous), which has rolled a piece of hoop longer than any other mill in the city, 1,700 feet.

THE YOUNGSTOWN SHEET AND TUBE COMPANY

The Youngstown Sheet & Tube Company was organized November 21, 1900, under the laws of Ohio, and under the name of the Youngstown Iron, Sheet & Tube Company, the authorized capital being $600,000.00. The incorporators were Mr. George D. Wick, Mr. Wm. Willkoff, Mr. E. L. Ford, Mr. George L. Fordyce and Mr. J. A. Campbell The pur- pose of the company was to build and operate. a mill for the production of iron sheets and tubes. Mr. George D. Wick was elected presi- dent, Mr. J. A. Campbell, vice-president, Mr. Robert Bentley, secretary, and Mr. W. C. Reilly, auditor.

In December, 1900, the capital stock of this company was increased to $1,000,000.00. Pending the investigation of certain patents for the making of tubes, nothing was done for the erection of a plant or the selection of a site until February, 1901. The ground was broken in May, 1901, at the present site of the plant between Struthers and Hazelton. In June, 1901, it was decided to increase the size of the plant and the capital was authorized to be in- creased from $1,000,000.00 to 2,000,000.00.

In December 1901, the company purchased from Pickands, Mather & Company, the Alice Furnace, located at Sharpsville, and also purchased a three-fifths interest in ore prop- erty in the Mesaba Range now known as the Crete Mining Company.

In January, 1902, the company was again authorized to increase its capital stock from $2,000.000.00 to $4.000.000.00, the increase to be devoted to the pur- pose of building an open-hearth steel plant. The officers of the company at this time were: Mr. George D. Wick, president, Mr. J. A. !

Campbell, vice-president, Mr. W. H. Foster, secretary, and Mr. Richard Garlick, treasurer. Mr. C. W. Reilly, who had taken the position of general superintendent, was at that time placed in charge of the operations.

In February, 1902, the original portion of this plant consisted of the sheet mill and pud- dle mills, were started into operation, the com- pany employing at that time all told about 800 men.

In October of the same year, three pipe mills of the company were placed in operation, employing an additional 800 men.

In May, 1902, the president of the com- pany, Mr. George D. Wick, was compelled to retire owing to ill health, and his successor was not elected until July, 1904, when Mr. J. A. Campbell was elected president.

In July, 1902, the directors of the com- pany decided to abandon the building of the open-hearth plant owing, first, to the lack of funds, and, second, to the fact that open-hearth steel had not been proved to be desirable for the making of pipe, and all contracts which had been made toward the erection of this plant were therefore cancelled.

In July, 1904, Mr. J. A. Campbell was elec- ted president of the company; Mr. H. G. Dal- ton of Cleveland, vice-president; Mr. Richard Garlick, treasurer, and Mr. Geo. Day was elec- ted secretary and general sales agent in place of Mr. W. H. Foster, who had resigned early in 1904 owing to ill health. W. B. Jones was elected auditor.

In September, 1904, the company com- menced the erection of a large pipe furnace, which was completed and placed in operation in the spring of 1905, giving employment in the neighborhood of 200 additional men.

In October, 1905, the company com- menced the payment of a dividend at the rate of five per cent per annum. In October, 1906, this dividend was increased to six per cent. In July. 1905, the name of the company was changed to the present style.

In July, 1905, the company found that it was necessary for them in order to meet suc- cessfully the severe competition on the pro- duct of their manufacture to build a Bessemer

Digitized by Google

BESSEMER PLANT OF THE REPUBLIC IRON AND STEEL COMPANY. YOU'AUSIOWA

OHIO FURNACES OF THE CARNEGIE STEEL COMPANY. YOUNGSTOWN

Lig zed by Google

HASELTON FURNACES OF THE REPUBLIC IRON AND STFFL. COMPANY. YOUNGSTOWN

FURNACES OF THE STRUTHERS FURNACE COMPANY STRUTHERS

261

AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS

steel plant, and for this purpose the stockhold- ers authorized the issue of two and one-half million of bonds. These bonds were taken al- most entirely by the stockholders of the com- pany, and the company then proceeded with the erection of a large Bessemer steel plant, plate mill and a 10-inch mill for making small skelp. The Bessemer steel plant and plate mill were placed in operation in the fall of 1906, and gave employment in the neighborhood of 1800 additional men, making a total of about 3,600 men then in the company's employ.

In January, 1907, the capital stock of the company was authorized to be increased from $4,000,000.00 to $6,000,000.00, the additional $2,000,000.00 of stock to be devoted to the purpose of building two blast furnaces. This building is now under way at the present time and will probably give employment to 500 ad- ditional men. This work is expected to be completed by July, 1908.

In January Mr. C. S. Robinson, who came here from the Colorado Fuel & Mining Co. of Pueblo, Colorado, was elected second vice- president of the company.

NATIONAL TUBE CO .- YOUNGSTOWN DEPART- MENT. .

The American Tube & Iron Co., manufac- turers of wrought iron and steel pipe and tub- ing of every description, was incorporated in 1880 under the laws of Pennsylvania, with a capital of $100,000 and purchased the prop- erty of the old Middletown Tube & Iron Co., at Middletown, Pennsylvania, which had been out of business for years. They at once re- modelled and enlarged the plant, put the same into operation, and were successful from the strat. The capital stock was changed to $500,- 000, and afterward increased to $1,000,000. At the annual meeting in January, 1886, it was decided to build a branch western mill to better supply the rapidly increasing western trade, and the officials who at that time were Jas. Young, president, George Matheson, trea- surer, John J. Spowers, managing director, A. W. Momeyer, secretary, and A. S. Matheson, general superintendent, at once began to look

for a suitable location. They had about decided on New Castle, Pennsylvania, when Mr. Chauncy H. Andrews convinced them of the advantages of Youngstown, Ohio, as a manu- facturing point, and to clinch the matter of- fered for the location of the works to donate free of any cost a tract of land of about eight acres of land on the south bank of the Mahon- ing river, at what was then called Gibsonville.

After due consideration the proposition of Mr. Andrews was accepted, and ground was broken in the latter part of April; James Ma- theson was made superintendent, and Walter L. Kauffman, chief clerk and purchasing agent, and the work was pushed as rapidly as poss- ible, so that the plant was ready for operation by the middle of the following October, the first finished pipe being turned out on October 16, 1886. The first order was a line of 8-inch pipe for the Mahoning Gas Fuel Co., which line is still bringing in the natural gas to sup- ply Youngstown.

In 1890, on account of failing health, Mr. James H. Matheson went abroad and W. L. Kauffman was made local manager of the Youngstown Mills of the American Tube & Iron Co., the officers of the company at that time being as follows: president, George Ma- theson; vice-president, S. C. Young; secretary and treasurer, F. Musselman; general man- ager, A. S. Matheson ; superintendent, Jas. H. Matheson; local manager, W. L. Kauffman.

In July, 1899, the National Tube Co. was formed by the consolidation of a number of pipe and tube manufacturers throughout the United States, the American Tube & Iron Co. being one of the number absorbed. Mr. W. L. Kauffman was retained as manager of the Na- tional Tube Co .- Youngstown department, as it was then named, with Mr. W. Ed. Samp as chief clerk, and the plant was considerably en- larged and its output increased. In April, 1901, the United States Steel Corporation was formed, the National Tube Co. becoming one of its constituent companies. The plant has added to its real estate, so that it now occupies about thirteen acres. It is admirably located for shipping, having the Pennsylvania Co. and the Baltimore & Ohio R. R. tracks running

Dignizedby Google

262

HISTORY OF MAHONING COUNTY

into the grounds, and is connected by transfer switching arrangements with the Erie, the Lake Shore and the Pittsburg & Lake Erie railroad systems. The works have a capacity of 250 or more tons per day, and employ 425 men, their product going to all points of the .country.

BRIER HILL IRON & COAL CO.

The Brier Hill Iron & Coal Company was originally known as the Akron Manufactur- ing Company, and was incorporated in the year 1838, for a period of thirty years, by Messrs. „James R. Ford, Daniel Townsend, John Wil- liams, Jr., George B. Martin, David Tod, Si- mon Perkins, Jr., and Arad Kent, for the pur- pose of manufacturing iron, steel, nails, stoves, pig iron, and castings of all kinds. The capital stock of the company was $250,000. In the year 1859 the office of the Akron Manufactur- ing Company'was moved to Brier Hill, Ohio, and firm name changed to Brier Hill Iron . Company. In the year 1867 the Brier Hill Iron Company was merged into the Brier Hill Iron & Coal Company, for the manufacture of pig and merchant iron, and for the mining of .coal, David Tod. William Pollock; Nelson Crandall, John Stambaugh, Jr., and Henry Tod-all local people-being the incorpora- tors. The capital stock was $432,000.00. The original plant for the manufacture of pig iron · consisted of one blast furnace, with a capacity of about seventy-five to eighty tons of pig iron per week, and employed from twenty-five to thirty men. Additions and improvements have been made at various times until the plant now has a capacity of about twenty-five hundred tons of pig iron per week. Mr. David Tod was the first president of the Brier Hill Iron & Coal Company and Nelson Crandall, secre- tary. In March. 1860, Mr. John Stambaugh was elected president to fill the vacancy made by the death of Mr. Tod. In the year 1882. the Brier Hill Iron & Coal Company was merged into The Brier Hill Iron & Coal Com- pany, the incorporators being John Stamhaugh. William Pollock, Henry Tod, George Tod, J.

G. Butler, Jr., Nelson Crandall, and John Tod, with John Stambaugh, president ; Nelson Cran- dall, treasurer ; H. C. Marshall, secretary ; and Joseph G. Butler, Jr., general manager. The capital stock of the company was $500,000.00. In January, 1883, Mr. H. H. Stambaugh was elected treasurer and William B. Schiller was elected secretary. Mr. George Tod was elected president of the company in 1889, in the place of John Stambaugh, deceased. In January, 1890, Mr. H. H. Stambaugh was elected secre- tary and treasurer. The present directors of the company are Mr. George Tod, J. G. Butler, Jr., H. H. Stambaugh, David Tod and John Tod. The officers are Mr. George Tod, presi- dent; J. G. Butler, Jr., vice-president and gen- eral manager; R. C. Steese, secretary, and H. H. Stambaugh, treasurer. The company now manufactures pig iron and cement. The works are provided with a well equipped chemical laboratory.

THE YOUNGSTOWN STEEL COMPANY.

This company was organized in 1882 by Edward L. Ford and the late John Stambaugh, for the purpose of making steel castings. A small plant was erected on South Market street but was never operated as a steel casting foun- dry. About the time the plant was completed, the company started experimenting in refining pig iron. In the years 1884 and 1885 a plant was built at Brier Hill alongside of the Tod Furnace, which was then owned and operated by the Brier Hill Iron & Coal Co. The plant erected by the Youngstown Steel Company was for refining pig iron, making a product which has since been sold and very largely used by steelmakers throughout the world, and known as "washed metal."

In the year 1890 the Youngstown Steel Company bought from the Brier Hill Iron & Coal Company the Tod Furnace. Since that time the furnace and washing plant have been operated almost continuously. The annual pro- duction of the company is 100,000 tons of pig iron and 40,000 tons of washed metal.

The present officers are: Tod Ford, presi-

...... . ..

Digiized by Google

263

AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS

dent; Paul Jones, vice-president; John Stam- baugh, secretary and treasurer; Edward L. Ford, general manager.

THE WILLIAM TOD COMPANY.

The works of this company were estab- lished in 1856 by Mr. Homer Hamilton, and were known as the "Hamilton Works."

The plant was operated from 1878 to 1901 by William Tod & Company, a partnership, and was incorporated in 1901 as "The Wil- liam Tod Company," with the late William Tod as president.

The company is engaged in the manufac- ture of special engines in the largest sizes, sup- plying blowing engines and reversing engines for blast furnaces and steel plants, and general power engines for all purposes; municipal water-works pumping engines and gas engines ranging in size from 500 to 5,000 H. P. are also being manufactured.

The plant occupies about eight and one-half acres, and furnishes employment to from 500 to 600 men, and has an annual output of about 7,000 tons of finished machinery.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

Twentieth Century History of Youngstown and Mahoning County Ohio and Representative Citizens, Part 34

Author: Sanderson, Thomas W Publication date: 1907 Publisher: Chicago, Ill., Biographical Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 993

Author: Sanderson, Thomas W
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: Chicago, Ill., Biographical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 993