USA > Pennsylvania > Lycoming County > Picture of Lycoming County, Vol. 2 > Part 2
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GOLD STARS
Another reminder of Lycoming County's contribution to the war were the flags and stars which families of servicemen placed in their windows. A blue star was sewn on the flag to represent each son or daughter in the military from that family. One Williamsport family had a total of nine
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stars representing their six sons and three sons-in-law in the war. Whenever a family member was killed in the war, his or her star was replaced by a gold star. In this way other residents could tell by looking at the flags in house windows whether that family had any sons or daugh- ters in the war and whether any of them had lost their lives.
THE WAR COMES TO AN END
The war in Europe came to an end on May 7, 1945, when the Germans surrendered and the Allied Forces brought down the Nazis armies. In the Pacific, the Japanese held out several months more and would surrender only after the annihilating atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nag- asaki. Finally, on August 14, 1945, the Japanese, too, recognized the futility of their effort and submitted to the American forces. The long and costly war was finally over, and life returned quickly to its normal pace and usual concerns. While no one could have preferred war to peace and killing to negotiation, the war which swept America into its greatest national mobilization brought a sense of unity, single-mindedness and sacrifice rarely if ever seen in a nation so large and diverse. Lycoming County contributed its share and more to the war with its 252 war dead, the greatest and most costly contribution of all.
When times are peaceful and the abundance of material goods and political freedom are taken for granted, it is useful to recall other times when the cost of the free and abun- dant life was paid for in human pain and sacrifice. World War II was such a time for Lycoming County and the rest of the world. The war's end -- even apart from the elation of victory -- brought a deep sigh of relief to all the for- tunate survivors of one of our nation's most traumatic periods. No doubt that relief was felt in Lycoming County with as much gratification as anywhere else in America. The county played its part well and helped bring about a happy victory out of a sad war.
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QUESTIONS CHAPTER 1
1. What was the impact of the Pearl Harbor attack on Lycoming County?
2. List civilian defense and conservation activities.
3. What consumer products were affected by the war effort?
4. Why were price controls used?
5. The war caused what changes in the lives of women?
6. Why was there opposition to the establishment of the Allenwood Ordnance Works?
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Chapter 2
INDUSTRY AND THE WILLIAMSPORT PLAN
INDUSTRY DURING WORLD WAR II
By the late 1930's, the county was pulling out of the de- pression and unemployment was declining as industrial pro- duction increased. One of the primary reasons for the in- crease in production was the awarding of defense contracts to local industries. England, France, and the Soviet Union were fully engaged in war with Germany by the late 1930's, and many vital defense products were manufactured in Lycoming County and shipped to them. Even the United States, which was not yet involved in war was building up defenses in anticipation. Productive industries increased from 199 in 1941 to 261 in 1951. Employment was up 14 per- cent. Values of products leaped dramatically by 163 per- cent, brought on in part by the scarcity of materials.
Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Lycoming Manu- facturers' Association (now the West Branch Manufacturers' Association) pulled its forces together in what they called the "West Branch Front." Manufacturers were asked to pro- duce at maximum levels for the war effort. Many manufac- turers were cited by the Army and Navy for their efforts. Some companies came into existence just for the duration of the war. Numerous industries needed to purchase dif- ferent productional equipment in order to fill a single defense contract.
Thousands of men were drafted into the Army leaving vacan- cies in industry which were often filled by their own wives. World War II was, by no menas, a war fought "over there." At times citizens of the county actually feared losing the war to the Axis; and rationing and scarcity of luxuries and some foods, as well as total involvement of industry in the manufacture of war materials, served as a constant reminder that America was at war.
The succeeding accounts of county manufacturers demonstrate the all-out effort of industry to supply the Allied Armies during World War II. They have been organized according to type of industry in order to emphasize the contribution of the industry.
METAL INDUSTRIES
Metal industries led production during the war period. Some of the major manufactureres were Bethlehem Steel Company, Avco Manui' :. cturing Corporation, Sylvania Elec- tric Products, Inc., E. Keeler Company, Darling Valve and Manufacturing Company, Sprout Waldron and Company, and Sweet's steel Company.
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The Lycoming Division of Aviation Corporation (Avco) manu- factured a special engine for the Navy's top secret bomber 0435, as well as parts for the B-29 bombers and Packard Rolls-Royce P-51 engines. Avco also manufactured engines for the Stinson Flying Jeep, the Spartan, Curtis, Cessna, and Beachcraft. Six hundred engines a month were produced, as well as engine assembly parts, propeller hubs, crank shafts, etc. Avco was the largest private employer with nearly 4,000 workers.
Many of the 1,500 men and women employed by Piper Air- craft in Clinton County were Lycoming County residents. Over the war period, 7,000 Piper Cub planes were manu- factured. Piper Cubs performed an important wartime service as artillery observation planes, ambulances, and mail and supply carriers.
Bethlehem Steel Company had begun accepting defense con- tracts before the attack on Pearl Harbor. The industry manufactured special wire rope torpedo nets which were used to snag enemy submarines that endangered the U. S. merchant ships carrying supplies to the U. S. and Allied Armies. Wire rope also was manufactured for cranes, steam shovels, and bull dozers.
Carey-McFall of Montoursville was another industry that shifted to production of war materials. In peacetime it was the nation's largest manufacturer of venetian blinds. They developed an all-metal camouflage which simulated grass and helped to hide U. S. machinery and artillery from the enemy. As steel became scarce, textile strips were mounted on chicken wire and camouflage-colored. During the war period, 8,000 rolls of camouflage were produced.
Darling Valve and Manufacturing Company became one of two producers of 105 m/m high explosive shells in the Phila- delphia Ordnance District. The Army Ordnance Depot or- dered a quality-test 75 m/m shell in 1939. Satisfied with the quality, orders were placed for 5,000 105 m/m high- explosive shells, 750,000 105 m/m projectile ends, 65,000 five-inch rocket war heads (produced after the Normandy invasion), 5,000 three-inch proof shot, 20,000 six-inch base plugs, 7,000 fourteen-inch base plugs for Navy shells, 900,000 cartridge containers and 552 radar parts. Darling Valve produced all the 24-inch "Big Inch Pipe" line valves for the War Engineering Pipe Line Company. The valves weighed 7} tons a piece and stood 14 feet high.
High pressure boilers for steam-generating equipment were manufactured by E. Keeler Company. Boilers ranged from 35 h.p. and from 100 to 500 pounds. Eight hundred units were made for domestic use, the U. S. Army and Navy and
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the Soviet Union. These plants could be set up and operating in 36 hours. One of these power plants was diverted to Sai- pan when the Americans took the island, thus enabling Ameri- can forces to work day and night preparing runways and fields for the bombing of Japan. U. S. Treasury officials said this advanced the bombing of Japan by at least three weeks.
Rheem Manufacturing Company put out 700 8-inch, high-ex- plosive shells daily, producing as many as 75,000 shells during the war. These shells had terrific demolition power. One shell could have destroyed the entire plant and a good part of the surrounding area. Radiant Steel Products manu- factured boxes for spare parts for Navy bombers, anti-tank mines and their containers for Army Ordnance, cabinets and mortar shell containers.
. A total of 250 tons of war materials were manufactured daily by Sweet's Steel Company. Over the war period, 250,000 tons of light steel rolls and accessories, concrete reinforce- ment bars, light angles and plain round bars, steel barbed wire entanglements, camouflage work and steel mine ties were turned out. Jersey Shore Steel Company manufactured 10,000 gross tons of round, square, and flat steel, as well as mine ties and angles for hospital beds and Army cots.
The Spencer Heater Division of Aviation Corporation operated a grey iron foundry, one aluminum foundry, and a boiler plant. The grey iron foundry manufactured castings for trucks, cargo and armored transports, aircraft and deisel engines, valve castings for machine tools and miscella- neous parts. The aluminum foundry produced precision cast- ings for aircraft engines. Some top secret products were manufactured for the U.S. Navy in the boiler plant. It also produced feedwater heaters, open mounts, condensers, landing barge ramps, deck houses, and bulk heads. A total of 1,000 employees melted 100 tons of grey iron and one- half ton of aluminum each day.
ELECTRICAL PRODUCTS
The Montoursville plant of the Sylvania Electric Products Company, Inc. was the sole manufacturer of some of the most sophisticated radar equipment produced during the war. These were fire control and gun-pointing mechanisms which defended B-29's against Japanese fighter planes. The plant was one of the producers of tank and ship transmitting equipment and the radar proximity fuse, which enabled U. S. troops to determine the nearness of enemy radio trans- missions. The Williamsport Tube Plant, part of the Syl- vania Electric Products Company, Inc., manufactured small transmitting tubes and related electronic devices. Seven million tubes were manufactured over the war period.
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SPECIAL PRODUCTS
Sprout-Waldron Company in Muncy manufactured special ma- chinery and equipment used in other war industries such as equipment for grinding hard rubber dust used in the manu- facture of submarine batteries and refining apparatus for producing fibers used in radar equipment. After the war, the company was informed that it had been instrumental in the A-bomb project. It had also developed a process to recycle rubber and cellulose from discarded tires. Equip- ment was manufactured for producers of plastics used in high altitude super-charges, bombers, and turrets.
The Williamsport Die and Machine Company, one of the most versatile of industries, manufactured products as large as Army tractors, light tanks, illuminating shells, and aircraft starting cartridges and as small as tools, dies, shells, rockets, bombs, land mines, and fixtures for Army and Navy footwear.
PAPER AND TEXTILES
It was sometimes necessary in the paper industry to acquire new equipment to meet special orders. C. A. Reed Company was among those that acquired new equipment. Since the company usually manufactured paper napkins, 56 special ma- chines were required to manufacture 300,000 lanterns for observation balloons, 12 million shipping bags, and frag- mentation bomb parachutes made of rayon cloth. The slow- dropping parachutes enabled low-flying bombers to get away before the bombs detonated. The Eureka Paper Box Company employed 65 people to produce 90 million folding cartons for radio tubes during the war.
The loss of silk from Japan created a critical shortage in the U. S. The textile industry substituted synthetic nylon and rayon. Holmes' Silk Mill manufactured 6,000 yards of silk and rayon flare cloth and silk and nylon parachute cloth daily. Three million yards of material were produced by this mill during the war. Nylon parachute cloth, latex and glass fabrics (fiber glass) were manufactured by War- show and Sons in Montoursville. Because they were non- flammable, they were used to insulate the gas tanks of airplanes and the wiring of submarines.
The Weldon Manufacturing Company turned from production of civilian sleepwear to production of military pajamas. The 350 employees produced 3,032,000 sets of pajamas during the war. The Williamsport Textile Corporation manufactured a total of 1,280,000 yards of flare parachute fabrics, poncho cloth, signal panels for ship to shore signaling, tow tar- gets, Navy neckerchiefs, and nurses' uniform material.
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WOOD PRODUCTS
Lumber made a strong comeback during World War II. One of the largest sawmills, Krimm Lumber Company, employed 1,400 persons. Much of the lumber was used locally, but lumber was also shipped to England, France and the Soviet Union. The majority of lumber-related industries, however, were peacetime furniture manufacturers. Many of these indus- tries also found it necessary to install equipment just to fill war contracts. Keystone Housing Company was one such company, opening in 1944 and closingat the end of the war. It employed 29 people to make custom wood shipping contain- ers for gun mounts which could carry unusually heavy parts under all conditions. Some 18,000 containers were produced during the war at a rate of 125 a day.
The Handle and Excelsior Company of Picture Rocks manufactur- ed over a million handles for commando knives, scrapers, shovels, motor starters, and files. The Lycoming Ladder Company, also of Picture Rocks, worked three years to pro- duce 2,000 ladders for the war effort.
The largest wartime employer in the lumber-related indus- tries was the Watsontown Cabinet Company. Although it is located in Northumberland County, many of its 1,200 employees commuted from this county. The company erected facilities for the production of ordnance shells and the manufacture of cabinets and files. The company also manufactured chests for intricate radar equipment, automatic gun sites, airplane parts, and assemblies for Naval aircraft.
The West Branch Novelty Company in Milton established a mold- ed plywood division which manufactured 165-gallon droppable gasoline tanks which allowed supplies of gasoline to be dropped from the air to ground troops. Parts for radar controlled, pilotless torpedoes and bombing planes were made, as well as leading edge skins for the largest plywood glider, the YCG-13. Plywood for supporting floor and wings of the troop-carrying glider, the CG-4A, book racks, cabinets, chests, and wheelbarrow handles were also manufactured.
The Williamsport Furniture Company manufactured life rafts and boats, bunk beds, cots, and an assortment of shipping crates. In Muncy, the Modecraft Company, Inc., manufactured 106,000 field hospital tables at a rate of 3,000 a day. A total of 30,000 life boats were produced out of canvas and rubber-covered balsa wood during the war by its 175 employ- ees. The Vallamont Planing Mill manufactured frames, doors, sashes, office paneling, lockers, and crating for various military and defense companies. The Mellen Manufacturing Company in Muncy manufactured government filing cabinets.
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LEATHER, GLUE, AND FOOD
Leather is one of the most important basic materials in war. Over 500 items using leather as a chief component were used by the U. S. Army. Most of the leather manufacturers turned to production of these vital materials. Armour Leather Company increased production from 12 to 20 percent to produce 75,000 pairs of insoles and outsoles a day. J. C. Decker, Inc. manufactured grips and strap assemblies for trench motors, handles, wagon pack strips, muzzle covers, and am- munition bags. Fifty-five thousand cots and 43,000 cot covers were produced during the war. J. H. Mosser Company also manufactured strap leather, holsters, sheaths, and scabbards.
Glue was necessary in the manufacture of almost every item of war material. Keystone Tanning and Glue Company was called upon for glue by almost every Navy yard and supply depot, Army-Air Force installation, arsenal, or ordnance plant in the nation.
The Boy-ar-Dee plant in Milton produced 165 cans of C-rations, employing 1,700 people. Many companies, such as O. A. Nor- land Company, Inc., were small but made contributions to the war effort. Twenty employees of the company manufactured the important foot safety devices such as ice creepers which allowed U. S. and Allied Forces to move faster and easier in Alaska and the Aleutian Islands. Lumber yards in Ly- coming County also purchased them.
PRODUCTION OF EXPLOSIVES
One of the most dangerous of war industries was the Pennsyl- vania Ordnance Works (later named the Susquehanna Ordnance Depot ) located in White Deer Valley. The security-tight industry manufactured TNT ( Tri-nitro-toluene) for use in bombs and shells. Some 200 buildings, including an on-site emergency hospital and shelters for military personnel and machinery were constructed in 1942. A railroad spur was built into the Ordnance Works to facilitate safe movement of heavy equipment and explosive materials. At peak pro- duction, manpower was 4,000 strong. This military opera- tion was administered by the U. S. Rubber Company.
Although one of the safest and most stable of explosives, TNT was, nevertheless, explosive, and precautions were ne- cessary in its handling. Further, injury and even death could result by exposure to the fumes and dust from ma- terials used in the manufacture of TNT. Safety required that powder suits, powder caps, and safety shoes be worn in the Wash and Nail houses. Employees of other depart- ments were required to wear woolen shirts and trousers and broad-brimmed felt hats. All departments required rubber
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or leather gloves to protect workers from acid leaks and splashes. Safety goggles were worn, and shoes were required to be free of iron nails. One spark from a nail could cause a devastating explosion.
Great safety precautions were taken, and penalties for non- compliance of rules were serious. An employee found at the Ordnance Works entrance with matches, lighter, or other such incendiary was laid off one day without pay for a first of- fense, a week for a second offense, and discharged after a third offense. Within the Ordnance Works, violations were much more serious. A first offender was laid off two weeks without pay and discharged after a second offense. Shake- down houses were located at the Ordnance Works entrances where guards frisked anyone entering the Works. Photo- graphs of plants producing munitions could have been of value to the enemy. Employees who attempted to bring a camera to the Ordnance Plant were discharged and liable to federal prosecution and a fine of $5,000 and one year im- prisonment if convicted.
The health hazards facing employees involved in the manu- facturing of TNT were not taken lightly. Employees were instructed in the wearing of protective gear and care was taken by supervisors to see that the employees showered thoroughly after each shift and left their clothes at the plant for laundering. Vitamins were dispensed by the plant to employees who were also required to pass a physical ex- amination at the Ordnance Works Hospital every three weeks. Signs of TNT poisoning were nausea, yellowing of the whites Moderate
of the eyes, rash or burning and itching skin. exposure to fumes from acids used in the manufacture of TNT could cause inflammation of lungs and respiratory passages. The effects were not immediately apparent to the victim who had to be extremely careful or risk lethal exposure. To avoid the danger of explosion and exposure to dust, em- ployees handled cartons of TNT with care in order to raise as little dust as possible and to keep floors and work areas free of dust. Though there was the risk of fire, lanterns were used during periods of blackout when all elec- tricity was shut off. It was vital to the U. S. defense that production of ordnance did not cease.
Despite rationing, scarcity of products, and difficulty of transporting conditions, maximum production levels were maintained among baking industries, meat packers, ice manu- facturers, job printers, dairy producers, and building supply contractors. Following the war, industry continued to work closely with the Williamsport Technical Institute to train returning veterans and sharpen the skills of workers as industry shifted its emphasis to peace-time pro- ducts.
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Williamsport Industrial Park
Remains of igloo at former Pennsylvania Ordnance Works
RECOVERY FROM WAR
Across the country, competition to attract new industry was fierce. Thousands of men and women were returning from Europe, Africa, and the Pacific, seeking employment in fac- tories which were slowing production. Many veterans took the opportunity offered through the GI Bill to attend col- lege or technical school to get employment.
In order to create new jobs in the county, the Williamsport- Lycoming Chamber of Commerce organized the Industrial Pro- perties Corporation whose sole responsibility was to create new jobs. The strategy was to make Lycoming County attrac- tive to new industry and to help existing industry expand. At the turn of the century, the economy of the county had come dangerously close to collapse after the lumber in- dustry exhausted its resources. In order to protect the economy from collapse by avoiding dependence on any one in- dustry, the Industrial Properties Corporation proposed to diversify industries. Over the next two decades, three capital fund drives raised $1,600,000 in gifts. The capi- tal is used by the Industrial Properties Corporation to buy and develop land for industrial use and to finance indus- trial building construction. The Lycoming County Indus- trial Development Authority financed numerous industrial and commercial developments through loans to new and expan- ding industries.
In 1955, under the direction of its first commissioner, Ro- land H. Dunn, the Industrial Properties Corporation purchas- ed 118 acres of land on Reach Road to develop as an industri- al park. Building shells were erected, roads were built, and all utilities were connected. The location provided transportation and shipping by three commercial airlines, ten interstate trucking companies, and four railroads. Within two years, four industries had located in the park: Steelex Corporation, Ille Manufacturing Company, Vidmar, Inc., and Tetley Tea Company; Steelex Corporation and Vidmar, Inc. have since closed. Ille Manufacturing Company is now Mar- ket Forge, Ille Division; and Tetley Tea Company is still operating. By 1978, the Williamsport Industrial Park had grown to 300 acres and 25 industries employing 2,500 people. The three largest employers in the park are Pullman-Kellogg Company which employs 400, Cobblers Inc. which employs 240, and Alcan Cable which employs 150.
In 1970 the Industrial Properties Corporation opened a second industrial park at Muncy. The 100-acre site is oc- cupied by its two original occupants: Boise-Cascade Cor- poration which employs 150 people and Data Papers, Inc. which employs 58 people. This park also has access to Interstate 80, the airport, and ConRail.
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The Jersey Shore Industrial Development Corporation re- cently purchased 18.2 acres of land to develop as an in- dustrial park. Woolrich Woolen Mills, which employs 250 people, has located there and Norcen Industries, which employs 70 people, has broken ground in the park for its building.
The four largest industrial employers in the county are Avco, Lycoming Division in Williamsport which employs 1,700; GTE Sylvania in Montoursville which employs 1,500; Koppers Company, Inc. in Muncy which employs 1,000; and GTE Sylvania, Inc. in Muncy which employs 777.
The four largest industrial employers in Williamsport are Avco, Lycoming Division which employs 1,700; Bethlehem Steel Corporation which employs 800; Stroehmann Bros. Com- pany which employs 425; and Weldon Manufacturing Company which employs 400. Williamsport is the largest employer in the county. Muncy, Montoursville, and Montgomery follow respectively. In Muncy the largest employers are Koppers Company, Inc. which employs 1,000, and GTE Sylvania, Inc. which employs 777. GTE Sylvania in Montoursville employs 1,500 people. Schnadig Corporation follows with 375 em- ployees. In Montgomery, West Company-Plastic Division employs 350 people and Grumman Allied Industries, Inc., its second largest employer, has 200 employees.
The industrial development campaign, headed by the William- sport Chamber of Commerce, has been successful in further diversifying the county's industries. Nineteen major in- dustrial classifications are now represented in the county. The largest classifications are in primary metals, fabri- cated metal products, non-electrical machinery, transporta- tion equipment, lumber and wood products, furniture, food products, apparel and related products, paper products, and electrical and electronic machinery, equipment, and supplies. In the last ten years, eighteen new industries have located in the county and 48 existing industries have expanded. De- spite the loss in the county of six industries, the Indus- trial Properties Corporation has created 1,200 new jobs in the county in that same period.
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