Combination Steel and Iron Company
Encyclopedia
The Combination Steel and Iron Company was a steel mill
founded in Chester, Pennsylvania
by shipbuilder John Roach in 1880. Unlike Roach's other companies, Combination Iron and Steel was initially established not to support the operations of his Chester shipyard, but to produce steel rails and other products for third parties. Roach lost control of the company after his shipbuilding business entered receivership in 1885.
, which was utilized mainly for supplying steel parts for his ships. Roach raised capital for his new company from a number of business associates including George E. Weed and his brother Charles, Samuel Chalfin, Jerome Keeley and Roach's eldest son John Baker Roach.
The Combination Steel and Iron Company was established in 1880 with Roach Sr. as president, George E. Weed secretary and treasurer, and Charles A. Weed as general manager. The new plant's main building was 280 x 80 ft in size with a 70 foot wing, and the plant, which eventually employed 175 workers, commenced production on January 17, 1881. One of the company's first orders was for 15,000 tons of steel rails for the Northern Pacific Railroad Company, but when Roach had trouble sourcing the steel from existing suppliers, he decided to establish his own steelmaking firm, the Standard Steel Casting Company
, which commenced production in 1884.
The Combination Steel and Iron Company was soon producing 150 tons of steel a week. By the mid-1880s, the company plant included eight furnaces, plus a rail mill with a capacity of 30,000 tons per annum, a 20-inch angle mill with an annual capacity of 10,000 tons, and a 12-inch bar mill with an annual capacity of 6,000 tons.
In 1885, the Roach business empire was forced into receivership after the U.S. government voided one of its shipbuilding contracts. Roach was subsequently forced to sell most of his companies to pay off his creditors, including the Combination Steel and Iron Company.
Steel mill
A steel mill or steelworks is an industrial plant for the manufacture of steel.Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon. It is produced in a two-stage process. First, iron ore is reduced or smelted with coke and limestone in a blast furnace, producing molten iron which is either cast into pig iron or...
founded in Chester, Pennsylvania
Chester, Pennsylvania
Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States, with a population of 33,972 at the 2010 census. Chester is situated on the Delaware River, between the cities of Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware.- History :...
by shipbuilder John Roach in 1880. Unlike Roach's other companies, Combination Iron and Steel was initially established not to support the operations of his Chester shipyard, but to produce steel rails and other products for third parties. Roach lost control of the company after his shipbuilding business entered receivership in 1885.
History
After noting the rapidly growing demand for steel products in the United States, Roach decided to take advantage of it by establishing a second steel mill in addition to his existing mill, the Chester Rolling MillChester Rolling Mill
The Chester Rolling Mill was a large iron rolling mill established by shipbuilder John Roach in Chester, Pennsylvania, United States in 1873...
, which was utilized mainly for supplying steel parts for his ships. Roach raised capital for his new company from a number of business associates including George E. Weed and his brother Charles, Samuel Chalfin, Jerome Keeley and Roach's eldest son John Baker Roach.
The Combination Steel and Iron Company was established in 1880 with Roach Sr. as president, George E. Weed secretary and treasurer, and Charles A. Weed as general manager. The new plant's main building was 280 x 80 ft in size with a 70 foot wing, and the plant, which eventually employed 175 workers, commenced production on January 17, 1881. One of the company's first orders was for 15,000 tons of steel rails for the Northern Pacific Railroad Company, but when Roach had trouble sourcing the steel from existing suppliers, he decided to establish his own steelmaking firm, the Standard Steel Casting Company
Standard Steel Casting Company
The Standard Steel Casting Company, commonly referred to as Thurlow Works, was a steel production and steel casting facility founded in Chester, Pennsylvania in 1883 by shipbuilder John Roach...
, which commenced production in 1884.
The Combination Steel and Iron Company was soon producing 150 tons of steel a week. By the mid-1880s, the company plant included eight furnaces, plus a rail mill with a capacity of 30,000 tons per annum, a 20-inch angle mill with an annual capacity of 10,000 tons, and a 12-inch bar mill with an annual capacity of 6,000 tons.
In 1885, the Roach business empire was forced into receivership after the U.S. government voided one of its shipbuilding contracts. Roach was subsequently forced to sell most of his companies to pay off his creditors, including the Combination Steel and Iron Company.