Video Parts (3)
This clip is Part 1 of a 3-part film.
Iron and Steel / Rocky Mountains Part 1
Description
The original catalog description provided by the Ford Motor Company reads as follows: a. “This is the Age of Steel. Our comfort and happiness depends upon a multitude of steel tools and machines. Steel in the blood and life of a nation.” “Steel is obtained from iron ore which is widely distributed in the earth’s crust. The largest deposits are in the USA.” Map of Great Lakes region showing various ore deposit areas. “A Lake Superior iron ore mine.” View of workmen descending stairs to mine - view of ore car coming up out of mine. “Ore goes to great steel centers in 600-foot steel boats. Loads of 10,000 tons are placed in boats in 60 minutes at Lake Superior dock.” View of boat. “It is 1,000 miles to Lake Erie ports. Ore is carried this distance for $1.00 per ton.” View of the ore ship ‘D.M. Clenson.’ “The great ore cargo is unloaded by gigantic machinery. Millions of tons are piled on docks or into waiting cars. Ashtabula, Cleveland, Erie, Conneaut and Buffalo are ore ports.” View of dock, boats and giant cranes. “Iron ore is smelted by the intense heat of burning coke in a blast furnace. Limestone removes the impurities in the form of slag. Note the high furnace, the tipple, the tuyeres, air blast pipes.” Exterior view of furnace - animated diagram of crane lifting ore out of boat and loading it into cars - piles of limestone, iron ore, coke, operation of furnaces, tuyere - interior of furnace - workmen - molten iron. “Furnace opening is plugged by balls of clay. The ‘mud gun’ pushes the clay into the opening.” Worker operating mud gun. “The molten iron is poured into small molds of the pig iron machine. Each mold is protected by a crust of lime. The iron hardens into a bar of pig iron.” Molten iron being poured into molds. “Pig iron is changed into steel by smelting in an open hearth furnace.” View of furnace. “Eighty tons of molten steel fill this ladle.” Ladle being filled with molten steel. Casting steel into huge billots or ingots.” “Trainloads of ingots on the way to heating pits to be prepared for rolling mill.” Ingots on train. “The immense steel fingers transfer the ingot from the pit to the conveyor. The white hot ingot goes on to the bloom mill.” “Powerful and heavy rollers in the bloom mill roll the steel ingot into a rod. Could man hammer the steel into shape?” Block entering machine - leaving as heavy rod. “Heavy bars are rolled into thin rods.” “White hot rods are then drawn into desired sizes.” View of long rods being cut by large machine. “Steel centers of the United States. Note their location in reference to iron mines, Great Lakes and coal.” [1922] b. View of deer in forest. “The black bear is more plentiful and better acquainted with us than the other animals of the Rockies.” Black bear. “The eagle selects the highest cliff for its nest.” Sheer mountain cliff with eagle perched in nest. “The porcupine is common on the timbered slopes.” Porcupine climbing tree. “This small animal is respected. Do you see why?” Skunk crossing railroad tracks. “On some of the remote streams, beavers are busy at work.” Beaver in water - beaver dam. “Mining of precious metal is the chief industry in the Rockies. Silver and gold are mined at Leadville and Cripple Creek.” Man panning for gold. “In the deep narrow valleys the streams are dammed to store water for irrigation.” Small dam and reservoir. “The melting snow fills these great reservoirs which supply the water to irrigate large tracts of land.” Man working on irrigation ditch. “Denver is the metropolis of the Rocky Mountains. It has grown from a supply camp for mines to the capital of Colorado.” Capitol building. “On the capitol steps in Denver we are just one mile above the sea. The clean air enables us to see mountain ranges fifty to one hundred miles distant.” [1917]
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