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| HistoricPittsburgh The Crucible Steel Company of America was formed in 1900 when 13 steel manufacturers joined in partnership. One of these manufacturers included Sanderson Brothers & Company, whose roots go back to Sheffield, England. In 1911 the Halcomb Steel Company of Syracuse, a producer of tool, stainless, and alloy steels, joined the Crucible family. In 1883 Crucible was the first steel mill in North America to use gas-fired melting furnaces for tool steel production. In 1906 Crucible became the first mill in the Western hemisphere to install an electric arc furnace. In 1907 Crucible created the first patented vanadium high-speed steel, and in 1955, it was the first company to commercially produce vacuum arc re-melted steels. The Crucible Steel Company’s Midland Works (pictured here) was located in Beaver County, Pennsylvania. |
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| Jackson-Township historical preservation posted Aerial photo showing the Crucible Steel complex in Midland, Beaver County, during its peak years of the 1950s. Bruce Roknich posted Kenneth Treharn: Looks like 10 Furnace Open Hearth Melt Shop and two Blast Furnaces. Lots of Workers making Union paying Jobs. 👍 |
I'm surprised to see coking done this far down stream. There were a lot of coke ovens in middle Pennsylvania because that was were the coal was.
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| Little Beaver Historical Society posted Postcard view my collection bee hive coke ovens Crucible Steel Midland . Coke is used as a fuel and a reducing agent in melting iron ore. It is produced by baking coal until it becomes carbon by burning off impurities without burning up the coal itself. When coke is consumed it generates intense heat but little smoke, making it ideal for smelting iron and steel. Andrew Radomski shared Don Whitacre: There is a reasonably good example of early beehive coke ovens at Cherry Valley, Leetonia Ohio. |
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| TimesOnline, 1920, Beaver County times "The Midland area was a typical farming community throughout the 1800s. A riverman named J.A. Neel arrived in 1859, purchasing 396 total acres of farmland over six years. His farm was a local spark to the economy, employing men and producing tons of fine produce....The modern story of Midland begins in 1905. In an earlier column, we outlined the history of Aliquippa and the first steel men who arrived to begin the transformation from farmland to industrial company town. In Midland, that man would be T.K. Miller, a Pittsburgh agent for a group of industrialists who were searching for a nice-sized chunk of Ohio riverfront property. Miller started out by approaching the biggest landowners, including Neel, and purchasing their land. After buying up the four biggest farms in the area, the industrialists formed Midland Steel Co....In 1911, Midland Steel Co. sold its coke ovens and blast furnace to Pittsburgh Crucible Steel Co., which was a major turning point for Midland. Pittsburgh Crucible was a division of the massive Crucible Steel Co. of America, which at the time was the largest producer of specialty steel in the country. Almost immediately, Pittsburgh Crucible set out to expand the former Midland Steel Co. facilities and create a premier American steel mill and steel town. Crucible built eight 60-ton open-hearth furnaces and a 40-inch blooming mill, which both opened in 1913. That was followed by the construction of a 24-inch bar mill and maintenance shops in 1914, two more open-hearth furnaces in 1915, a 28-inch billet mill in 1916 and finally the last two open-hearth furnaces in 1917, which gave the company 12 in Midland....Business boomed in Midland. By the end of WWI, Crucible was employing 2,700 men. It expanded many more times over the years and by 1950 was employing nearly 7,500." |
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| David Holoweiko posted Crucible Steel Midland PA Thanksgiving Blizzard 1950. Robbie Stein: This picture was stolen give credit to the guys dad who took the pic lol, this was taken on Virginia ave in midland I forget the guys name on the original post James Robert Dinsmore: Robbie Stein I wouldn't call it stolen. He's one of our historical society guys. I think he gets a free pass. Bradshaw took the photo. Kenneth Treharn: 12 Open Hearth Furnace Melt Shop upper left. |
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| Little Beaver Historical Society posted 1954 Photo Crucible Steel Midland blast furnace . Kids always knew it was the Christmas season when that star lit up on top.. |
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| Charlie Piquet commented on the above post, cropped From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. [At least the headlines are readable. So the star is 77m above ground.] Jack Davis shared |
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| David Holoweiko posted Amazing piece of history original drawing showing the enlargement of #1 Blast furnace Crucible Steel Midland PA |
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| David Holoweiko posted Crucible Steel Midland PA Beaver County 1915 |
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| HS House Camping posted January 1941. "Houses and Pittsburgh Crucible Steel Company in Midland, Pennsylvania." Medium format negative by Jack Delano Jay Krajcovic shared |
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| Jon Wolfe posted Crucible/JL/ATI Midland pa Mark L Stull: Use to haul a lot of slag pots out that build for Harsco before Ati shut it down. |
An illustration of the importance of galvanizing.
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| ValmontCoatings-bridge via ValmontCoatings Mario Cuomo (new Tappan Zee) Bridge Not only were components exposed to the elements and the stay cables galvanized, they galvanized the rebar. |
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| J.E. Gadd posted Below is a picture close to what the reheat furnaces looked like at the Crucible Steel Midland, PA Bar Mill. Does anybody have a picture of the "charging cranes" used to load and unload these furnaces? They looked like Prehistoric Monsters. An overhead crane was fitted with hydraulic operated tongs that reached inside of the furnaces. TIA. Carl Jacobson: I worked on a lot of cranes in lot of mills, but those in Midland were some of the most unusual that I ever saw! I also would enjoy seeing a photo of them! Frank Leopardi: We called them batch furnaces and the door's had cable not chain. At carpenter they were called billet grabbers. Allen Simon: At Carpenter Steel we had special Hyster Forklifts with a long hydraulic Arm approximately ten feet long to reach in and grab the billet you didn’t stay in front of the furnace too long or fun things would happen !!!! Temp Approx 1800 degrees F. Sam Klein: Ours that charged and discharged billets were called peels. Basically a set of water cooled hydraulic flippers on an outside carriage that moved in and out |
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| David Holoweiko posted Ore bridge and blast furnace Crucible Steel Midland PA Clayton Passmore: Operating an ore bridge has some very scary moments |
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| David Holoweiko posted Ore Bridge 1950's Crucible Steel Midland PA Beaver County . |
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| David Holoweiko posted 24" bar Mill Crucible Steel Midland PA 1950 |
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| David Holoweko posted Tapping first heat "D" furnace Crucible Steel Midland Pa. |
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| David Holoweiko posted #2 Hi Mill 1956. Crucible Steel Company Midland Pa. Norbert Mong: I remember that roughing mill and the tandem mill. Chuck Karcher: Worked at Crucible from 1974 till lay off December 18th, 1981. One week before Christmas. Was fortunate enough to be recalled to in 1986 for J&L Specialty Steel. Continued to work after the sell off to ATI and was thrown out again in 2016. Still survived all the layoffs and heartaches and doing well! Seamus Donahue: Chuck Karcher u we’re a great boss👍 |
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| David Holoweko posted Slitting operation Crucible Steel Midland PA Justin Miller: Love it no hard hat n probably a 6 pack in his cooler. |
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| David Holoweiko posted 1998 New Drap Line at Crucible Steel Midland PA Dean Rueschman: Biggest mistake J&L ever made who thought running a temper mill at A&P speed was a good idea. This was the downfall of J&L Specialty. [Other comments agree that this was a failure.] Scott Patton: Too bad it’s just sitting there. The only thing they are doing at ATI is cutting. |
Christy Baker posted seven photos with the comment: "I would like to say how much I enjoy all the stories and pictures on this site:-). My dad worked at Crucible Steel in Midland, PA. He ‘retired’ in 1982 when the Mill closed. Here are the pictures that he had from there."
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| David Holoweiko posted 1954 agriculture department Crucible Steel Midland PA . Made steel discs for farm disc harrows . Neil Mor: They made millions and millions of these discs. |
David Holoweiko posted two photos with the comment: "1952 Crucible Steel Midland PA constructing a new Blast furnace . Cost was 7million in 1952"
Alex Martin: About $82 million adjusted for today.
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| David Holoweiko posted 1950 view cold mill Crucible Steel Midland PA . |
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| HS House Camping posted January 1941. "Stacks at the Pittsburgh Crucible Steel Company in Midland, Pennsylvania." Medium format negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration John Boles shared |
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| David Holoweiko posted 1906 Mrs J. Ramsey Speer lights the first blast furnace at Midland Steel Midland PA . Midland Steel went on to become Crucible Steel in 1911 |
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| David Holoweiko posted 1956 Tandem Cold Mill Crucible Steel Midland PA . Capacity of 4000 tons pr month of stainless steel strip and rolls widths ranging from 18-50 inches . |
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| David Holoweiko posted 1950 the merchant mill Crucible Steel Midland PA |
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| David Holoweiko posted 1954 photo Crucible Steel Midland PA blast furnace . Kids always knew it was the Christmas season when that star appeared on top. |
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| David Holoweiko posted Building the open hearth furnaces Crucible Steel Midland PA 1912 |
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| David Holoweiko posted 1950 open hearth department teeming ingots Crucible Steel Midland PA. |
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| 48" Universal Plate Mill Restoration posted This twin tandem compound reversing engine was built by Mackintosh Hemphill for the Pittsburgh Crucible Steel Co. in Midland, PA in 1913. Similar in design to the 48" mill engine, this one had four cylinders and much more horsepower. Rick Rowlands shared |
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| David Holoweiko posted 1954 photo slag car derailed Crucible Steel Midland PA Brian Jobe: Remember back in the late 70s playing on those Slag Piles, We would cross over them on our way to the river, would go fishing at a place we called hot waters where the mill would release its water into the river, We would even swim there. Remember getting little tar balls stuck to your skin when you got out of the water, looking back now funny any of us made it this long. |
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| David Holoweiko posted Filling bottle car Crucible Steel Midland PA Beaver County Photo was taken by Don Parker who took many photos of Crucible . Don's daughter is my next door neighbor and sadly all his negatives were thrown away when he passed away, Denny Paderewski: But how did they unload the bottle cars into the open hearths? |
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| David Holoweiko posted Crucible Steel Midland PA 1973 caster . Anthony Grandovic: I was involved in the purchase of this caster from Mannesmann Demag Corp. When Crucible shut down, I went to work for Demag. |
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David Holoweiko posted
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| Graham Whitfield commented on Denny's comment The bottle cars or torpedo ladles as they were also called were emptied into a huge brick lined container called a Hot Metal Mixer. The molten iron was kept hot until required for conversion into Steel. The Mixer was tilted and the iron poured into charging ladles to be re poured into the Open Hearths, Scrap and alloys were also charged. Open Hearths really died out ( with some exceptions) in the 60’s and 70’s with the introduction of BOF. (Basic Oxygen Furnace) [I did not know about the mixer step.] |
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| David Holoweiko posted 1950 filling a ladle Crucible steel Midland PA. Little Beaver historical Society posted with the same comment Bryan Kraynik: There are still EAF’s and AOD’s in Midland that can compete with anyone in the world! If they can start up Three Mile Island…. They can start up the Midland Melt Shop!!! Where is the USW??? Hell, the Melt Shop Maintenance crew would have that mill humming!!! Carl Jacobson: Open Hearth furnace, notice the runner to the ladle. On the left of the ladle is a cast iron slag thimble. Jon Wolfe shared John Horn: Amazing photo hard for some to understand what is going on. Dennis DeBruler: John Horn I'm no expert, but I provide at least 2-cents worth. A comment in the base post indicates that they are tapping an open hearth furnace. Slag floats to the top so as the steel ladle gets full, the slag pours into the thimble ladle on the side. It looks like the slag spout should have been wider to prevent slag from overflowing onto the floor. When the tap is done, a big overhead crane will move the ladles to their next stage of processing. Michael Sweeney: Dennis pretty right [Which makes me wonder what is not right.] Barry Bennett: We never used a slag pot just let it run out in the pit then loaded it on a truck sent it to the crusher |
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