This will be our last day looking at Sloss Furnaces. The bridge above has an interesting story; it was built to take traffic above the giant piles of slag the furnace dumped on the ground (it’s been cleaned up, obviously).
Above, as you can see, the ingots of pig iron, which is not pure enough to be considered steel, is piled up in the shipping yard outside the furnaces.
We now walked on the north side of the complex, back to the entrance.
We next investigated the power plant, a more recent Twentieth Century construction that had improved the efficiency of the furnace.
The power plant had some amazing engines and flywheels.
I loved the flair at the bottom of this smokestack.
If you look closely, that giant gear below is made of wood with steel accoutrements.
Look at those gears! Talk about a pinch hazard.
Like I said on the first day, Sloss Furnaces are easily the most interesting historic site in the United States, and I’ve been a lot of places. It’s free, with a suggested donation. If you’re ever anywhere close to Birmingham, you should go.
Industries often had company towns, where workers lived with their families. It sounds good in principle, but it often left workers with little options other than putting up with hazardous conditions and unfair labor practices.
