pa1778data.pdf
pa1778data.pdf
pa1778data.pdf
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U.S. STEEL DUQUESNE WORKS<br />
HAER NO. PA-115<br />
(Page 4)<br />
AM OVERVIEW HISTORY OF THE U.S. STEEL DUQUESNE WORKS<br />
When the Duquesne Works first opened in 1889, its design and<br />
technological make-up both reflected and extended the<br />
revolutionary developments taking place in the American iron and<br />
steel industry. These developments made it possible for the<br />
industry to dramatically increase productive output while<br />
significantly reducing production costs. Over the succeeding<br />
years, until the works closed in 1984, Duquesne continued to lead<br />
the industry in these two vital areas. The works' layout and<br />
technology also provided the basis for linking Duquesne with<br />
other steelworks in the area, the development of labor-management<br />
relations within the works, the growth of the city of Duquesne,<br />
and the character of the city's environment. The history of the<br />
Duquesne Works can be divided into three distinct chronological<br />
periods: 1886-1917, a period of innovation in plant layout and<br />
technology; 1918-1945, a period of relatively minor technological<br />
developments, marked successful labor organization; and 1946-<br />
1988, a period during which facilities were modernized and<br />
equipped with new pollution control devices only to be shut-down<br />
when faced with the realities of a declining regional industrial<br />
base.<br />
PART ONE: 1886-1917<br />
The first period from 1886 to 1917 was characterized by<br />
innovation in layout design and technology. The nature of the<br />
physical layout and technology of the works — actual or<br />
projected — had an important influence on corporate development.<br />
The mill's technological character undercut the basis for the<br />
development of strong labor unions, while creating the need for a<br />
sizable workforce. Like other industrial communities along the<br />
Monongahela River, the city of Duquesne developed upon the<br />
hillside adjacent to the mill as the company acquired the<br />
available flat land along the river suitable for building. The<br />
community's proximity to the mill had an adverse effect on the<br />
environmental quality of residents' lives.<br />
Technological Development, 1886-1917<br />
The history of steelmaking at Duquesne began on June 4,<br />
1886, when a group of Pittsburgh businessmen and manufacturers<br />
invested $350,000 to organize the Duquesne Steel Company for the<br />
purpose of producing Bessemer steel ingots and blooms. A large<br />
tract of farmland near the banks of the Monongahela River was<br />
purchased as the site of operations, and construction of the mill<br />
began shortly thereafter. It soon became apparent, however,<br />
that the project was undercapitalized, and construction was<br />
suspended amid serious disagreements among the partners.<br />
Construction did not begin again until March of 1888 when the