Alabama Blast Furnaces

Sloss City and North Birmingham Furnaces: Birmingham, Jefferson County

SLOSS CITY FURNACES Birmingham, Jefferson County Sloss City Furnaces No. I-April 12, 1882 No.2-Oct. 1883 North Birmingham Furnaces No. I-Oct. 1888 No.2-Feb. 1889 ALICE FURNACE No.1 in Birmingham had gone into blast Nov. 30, 1880 and was producing a good grade of coke pig iron. Col. H. F. DeBardeleben was not only one of the owners of the Alice but he also supplied all the fuel from his coal mines. Success of the Alice furnace prompted DeBardeleben to suggest to J. W. Sloss the erection of two more blast furnaces in Birmingham. Col. DeBardeleben contracted to furnish all the coal for five years at cost plus 100/0. Sloss alone could not finance the project and a large part of the capital was supplied by the Louisville and Nashville Railroad and by B. F. Guthrie. Thus in 1881 the Sloss Furnace Company was formed with Sloss as president and Guthrie as vice-president. A tract of about 50 acres was purchased on the north edge of Birmingham on what is now First Avenue and on this site a blast furnace was begun in 1881 and blown in on April 12, 1882. This stack was 65' x 16'. In 1882 a second and larger furnace, Sloss No.2, with a stack 75' x 161 /2', was begun. Due to a shortage of coke this furnace was not blown in for more than a year after completion. At this time, all the coke was supplied by the Pratt Coal and Coke Co. J. W. Sloss had purchased two small bodies of ore, one near Steele in St. Clair County, and one on Red Mountain. This supply was inadequate and had to be supplemented by the purchase of are from independent mining companies. Despite the fact that the Sloss Company owned but a small portion of its raw material requirements, pig iron was produced here in 1883 for $11.90 a ton which was considered quite low during that era. In 1886 an option on the Sloss Furnace Company was secured by a group of local men and a new company, the Sloss Iron & Steel Company , was organized on Nov. 29, 1886 with an authorized capital of $3,000,000. Organizers of the new company did not have sufficient capital to exercise their option so the necessary funds had to be raised in Wall Street. This was successfully accomplished and the new man_ '0+at 128 ~+o.- View of Sloss City Furnaces. First Avenue in Birmingham. as they looked in 1889. North Birmingham furnaces of Sloss-Sheffield Steel & Iron Co.. just after completion of North Birmingham No.2 in 1889. ALABAMA BLAST FURNACES agement assumed control, immediately thereafter instituting a program of expansion. Additional land was acquired in North Birmingham and construction of two new furnaces was started. The Coalburg Coal and Coke Company was also bought and red ore property near Bessemer was purchased. The North Birmingham Furnaces, know as the Sloss No.3 and No.4, were both 75' x 17'. The No.3 was blown in during October 1888 and the No.4 went into blast during February of 1889. Even before the No.3 was blown in, however, the new Sloss Iron & Steel Company had become involved in serious financial difficulties. Its new management was in the hands of men wholly unfamiliar with the iron business and they greatly over expanded. In 1888 this management resigned and was succeeded by men of experience. Under their direction the company slowly regained its financial health and in 1899 was reorganized as the Sloss-Sheffield Steel & Iron Company. This new company acquired three North Alabama furnaces-the Lady Ensley, the Hattie Ensley and the Philadelphia Furnace-which had failed and were in the courts. Failure was due principally to the long freight haul on purchased coke, some of which came from Virginia and some from the Birmingham district. Along with the three furnaces, the Sloss-Sheffield Steel & Iron Company also acquired large tracts of brown hematite ore lands in North Alabama and Tennessee. With a company owned source of fuel thus made available, the furnaces were operated economically for many years. Other coal and ore lands were purchased and in 1900 with the acquisition of these various properties, the new Sloss-Sheffield Steel & Iron Company had absorbed thirteen smaller companies. To supply all seven furnaces the company operated 1,000 beehive coke ovens at five coal mines. In 1920...