| The Flame - Part 1 |
| June 15, 2011 |
| STEELWORKERS ARCHIVES, Inc. Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem Room 215 77 Sands Boulevard Bethlehem, PA 18015 |
| The Steelworkers Archives appreciates the fact that the Great Allentown Fair invited us to be part of the Agri-Plex exhibits last year…And we note the great response we had from both the general public and the former steelworkers that visited our exhibit in the hall … Former Steelworkers know full well that in years prior to the eventual total closing of the Bethlehem Steel Plants in Bethlehem Pennsylvania there were agonizing reductions of operations in the Plants that made the then surviving employees emotionally feel like they were suffering a slow death … And yes the death eventually occurred and each individual affected by these closures offered their own personal autopsy on what happened… |
| Hello … My name is Dennis Pearson … And I am the Chairman of the Historical Intake Committee of the Steelworkers Archives. Since 2007 I have had the privilege of interviewing over a hundred former steelworkers in our oral history project. Once these interviews are processed and edited into video snipits for the web and into interpretation stories these interview will be available to the public … Now this oral history program for the Steelworkers Archives is ongoing and there are no plans to sunset the project, therefore we are constantly PA 18015) or telephone (610-861-0600 or (484) 777-7502) and such a session could be arranged. In truth, We would interview ASA PACKER, ROBERT SAYRE, JOHN FRITZ , CHARLES SCHWAB AND EVEN EUGENE GRACE IF WE COULD. BUT I UNDERSTAND THAT THEY ARE NOT AVAILABLE AT PRESENT … |
| To the left --- Charles Schwab and to the Right --- Eugene Grace |
| Truly they would be disturbed to hear that after 122 years of steelmaking and the employment of up to 165,000 people corporate wide in 1957, the once mighty No. 2 U.S. Steelmaker, Bethlehem Steel, made its last cast of new iron in Bethlehem on November 18, 1995 and by June 19, 1998 had ceased all hot end production of any kind as well in the Christmas City. “For an equal amount of the years, the lives of the people in the Lehigh Valley have been bound to the Bethlehem Steel industry as it flourished and as it declined. Night and day, the pulse of the life of the people in the Valley beat with the sounds of the steelmaking. Then there was silence and remembrance.” Using baseball terms, the public was shocked that mighty Bessie had struck out… Relating to football, the Steelmaker had snuck out of town ala the Colts with its production operations and raised its battle flag in Burns Harbor Indiana…The reaction – many now former employees were either in shock or embittered … And to some this bitterness remains to today … While others to have a shot at a pension needed to transfer to either Pennsylvania Technologies, Sparrows Point, Lackawanna, Lukin's Steel or Burn’s Harbor. And some of these stories are horror stories for these families that either had to relocate to new homes in their new work areas or spend some time apart as spouses made arrangements to be housed with other transferees during the work week. |
| Curtis "Hank" Barnette |
| Duane Dunham |
| Carol J. Loomis wrote April 5, 2004 in Fortune Magazine: If you call the main number of Bethlehem Steel, and cool your mind while the polite, automated female voice on the other end tells you what to do if you know the four-digit extension of the person you want, and how to key in a name if you don't, and how to reach billing and accounts payable, you will finally hear this chilling statement: "We have no one to answer questions." That is what Bethlehem Steel had come to--this builder of 1,127 ships during World War II and of the Golden Gate Bridge, this supplier of metal for every bridge and tunnel that takes you from New Jersey into Manhattan, and for much of the skyline you see when you get there, this munitions maker once called the Krupp of America, this mighty symbol of industrial power through great sweeps of the 20th century. This pillar, in fact, of the FORTUNE 500 when the list was begun: Bethlehem was then very near its top, peaking at No. 8 in 1955. And then it waned, dropping inexorably in rank, as U.S. industry in general grew and Bethlehem stalled or only sputtered upward. Later, disaster arrived: 15 years of losses, the first wiping out 1977, the others papering long stretches in the 1980s and 1990s. Even then, the losses understated reality, because for years the company's books--in line with practices throughout America--lowballed the costs of pensions and almost totally ignored bountiful health-care promises that the company was making to retirees. Bethlehem meanwhile kept falling on the 500 list, descending in 2002 to 440. But it was by then in bankruptcy, ignominious, once-unimaginable bankruptcy. Next the finale: Last year Bethlehem's assets--mainly six plants to be kept running--were bought by Wilbur Ross's International Steel Group. With that, the steel artist formerly known as Bethlehem disappeared into the land of no one to answer questions At the Agri-Plex we have seen this week a gathering of former steelworkers who related among themselves their experiences and sought to provide answers to lingering questions … In some ways I liken this to a public wake that former steelworkers never had for the deceased… |
| The Steelworkers' Archives was formed in 2001 to ensure that the legacy of the Steelworkers is preserved. Indeed the goal of the Steelworkers' Archives is to create a permanent community center in Southside Bethlehem for the preservation of the history of steelworkers, their rich heritage and diverse cultures, their struggles, accomplishments and acts of heroism. To accomplish this goal the Archives will collect and safeguard artifacts and memorabilia, and produce a collection of audio and visual recordings that would detail the extraordinary lives of the men and women who toiled to create steel. Our Speaker’s Bureau currently headed by Les Clore represents an important tool and important outreach to the community to carry out this mission, And upon invitation this group of former workers in steel will go to any venue to tell our story At the same time our Historical Intake committee will interpret the historical record we have received and make it available to the public in the state of art video format of the day and by exhibiting this historical records at venues such as The Great Allentown Fair. .. After The Great Allentown Fair our next Public Outreach was at the Walnutport Canal Days in Walnutport, PA. On August 30, 2011 with Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem approval the Steelworkers Archives will celebrate the 10th anniversary of its creation with a open house and an exhibit in rooms approved by Casino Managers . |
| The Bethlehem Plant of the former Bethlehem Steel Corporation was located about 50 miles from Philadelphia and 90 miles from New YorkIt covers approximately 700 acres of land, extending along the Lehigh River 3 ½ miles. The Bethlehem Plant was a modern, integrated Steel-producing unit, processing raw materials into finished iron and steel products, with quality control at each step: coal to coke and coal chemicals; coke,limestone, and iron-ore to pig iron; iron, stone, and scrap to steel; steel to cast, forged, rolled and manufactured products |
| West End Bethlehem Steel Plant |
| Martin's Tower |
| At this point Dennis Pearson in the Allentown Fair demonstrated the interview process using Richard Check but presently we substitute a video snippet of the late Wilbur Freitas as our subject of the demonstration …. In this snippet Mr. Freitas was asked to detail what he thought he liked best about the Bethlehem and conversely what he disliked about the steel the most and whether he had to say anything more about himself |
| In the Oral Interview process what we are looking for is for former steel workers to tell their own story and feelings about their experiences. Indeed there will be familiar stories … What we don’t want is for those interviewed to say the same story because they pre-conspired to say the same message … |
| On June 19, 1998 # 2 Boiler House became the last Bethlehem Steel - Bethlehem Plant production facility to close. Upon its shutdown I had served twenty-five plus years in the Steam, Water, Air and Power Department of the Bethlehem Steel Company, mostly in # 2 Boiler House --- # 2 Feedwater Pumproom. For twenty-five plus years I have worked in an integrated steel mill that traditionally has made quality steel from raw products rather than scrap, and used this freshly made steel to produce a quality-finished product for shipment to the customer. I offer this eulogy about the Bethlehem Plant: Etched in my mind will be the image of mountains of raw material nearby the new Minsi Trail Bridge; Etched in my mind will be image of an elevated ore car or transfer vehicle taking ore to the Blast Furnace; Etched in my mind will be the image of the steel towers of the Blast Furnace with fire shooting out its stacks to consume excess blast furnace gas, a by- product of the steel-making process; Etched in my mind will be the image of the steel towers of the Blast Furnace without fire shooting out of its stacks after the last cast and the Boiler House continued operations. At night the area around the Blast Furnace was so dark and eery. Etched in my mind will be the image of blast gas highways leading into the Boiler House for consumption in the Boilers; Etched in my mind will be image of the inner parts of these highways, which I had to sometimes enter to clean; Etched in my mind will be the image of the giant ladle in the Basic Oxygen Furnace. As a substitute teacher in the Bethlehem School District I had charge of a class, which visited the BOF in operation; Etched in my mind will be the image of a red hot I - beam sliding down the line of one of "old Bessy's" many beam making rolling mills; Etched in my mind will be the betrayal by the Bethlehem Steel Board of Directors of its former flagship plant. Members of the Tri-locals 2598, 2599 and 2600 had made concessions to management in exchange for modernization of Bethlehem's former flagship plant. But management failed to live up to its end of the bargain Etched in my mind will be June 18 and June 19, 1998 when the Steam, Water and Air Department finally ceased operations becoming the last production operation at the Bethlehem Plant to cease operations. Production activities had continued at the Boiler House despite the shutdown of the hot end, the shutdown of the Combination Mills and the shutdown of the Cokeworks… Our continuance as a production facility depended on providing water, steam and air services to The Lehigh Heavy Forge Company a former Bethlehem Steel Company operation known as BethForge which had been sold off to WHEMCO, a western Pennsylvania steel company and when that need ceased the bell rang for the end of Boiler House. And in relation to this event, Etched in my mind was the visit of Donald Young to #2 Boiler House on June 18, 1998. Donald Young had received the moniker as the Angel of Death for his propensity to appear at any production facility where shutdown were taking place … And for the Boiler House his appearance spelled doom. Therefore, etched in my mind was the call around 2:00 PM on June 18, 1998 to begin the process to shutdown the last remaining boiler in # 2 House … And the follow-up on June 19, 1998 when I was ordered by Richard Fenstermacher the Station Operator to turn off the Pilot Fan. Medically I liken this to taking the patient off life support and allowing the patient to die. After this happened, there was an eery quiet on the Boiler House Front. The continuing noise we all were accustomed to was gone. For the working leaders, water gang and a few mill wrights there was still some life in the Boiler House as the patient lied cold … Their job was to remove from Boiler House equipment all electronic and computerized devices that could be used in sister Bethlehem Steel Plants … And this was done … All that remained was for three of this crew – the millwrights --- to transport these items to Burns Harbor in Indiana by truck … And when this transport was accomplished the men were given a plane ticket home and laid off. And etched in my mind have been the numerous interviews I have conducted … The comment of the man now living in Akron that as a High School Student he had visited the Rubber Plants in Akron and found them so dirty he never wanted to work there. But ended up in the Coke Works and found the place even dirtier. The comment of a man who served as foreman of the last cast and on commenting on the Morning Call picture of the last cast said that except for Angel Dias who appeared in the picture none of the characters appearing them was assigned to tapping the last cast that day … It was his team doing the work behind the furnace as the last cast was flowing on the runners. The comment of another man how disappointed he was with Bethlehem Steel Management… He asserted that the Tisch family would have backed up a proposed plan to keep the Bethlehem Plant going. |
| Dennis Pearson Speaks Out |