In reading my April edition of Civil Engineering for once, I found a most interesting article on the Bethlehem Steel Mill in Eastern Pennsylvania.
"Founded in 1857 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and shutter in 2003, Bethlehem Steel was once one of the largest steel producers and shipbuilders in the United States. It remains a symbol of American manufacturing. Steel from the Bethlehem furnaces helped to build such renowned structures as New York City's Chrysler Building and Rockefeller Center, the Golden Gate Bridge, Chicago's Merchandise Mart, the George Washington Bridge, Hoover Dam, and the federal penitentiary on Alcatraz Island, in San Francisco Bay.
The Company's roots date to 1857 with the founding of the Saucona Iron Company. Development at the Bethlehem site commenced in 1860 with the construction of the first furnace and rolling mill. In 1873 the plant adopted the Bessemer steel process, and by the 1880s it had added a heavy forging plant, focusing its production on rails for the railroad industry and armor plates for the U.S. Navy. It took on the name Bethlehem Steel Company in 1904, continued to expand through the early part of the 20th century, branched out into shipbuilding, and started making such structural steel shapes as I beams. During the two world wars, Bethlehem Steel was a major supplier for the U.S. Navy. During World War II it had 15 shipyards in operation, built 1,121 ships, and carried out repairs on 38,000 vessels. After the wars, it supplied steel for the construction industry, reaching peak production in 1973, when it produced 22.3 million tons of raw steel and 16.3 million tons of finished steel........."
"The former Bethlehem Steel site now includes an arts center, a music pavilion, and a casino, and the new walkway connects and highlights these attractions."
Cheers,
Raimey
rse
