James
Thomas of Catasauqua and the Alabama Iron Industry, 1872 - 1879
By John B. McVey
FOREWORD
This
monograph is one of a series of three publications dedicated to the history of
the Hopkin Thomas family of Catasauqua, Pennsylvania.
Hopkin Thomas was a Welsh-trained engineer who emigrated to America in 1834 and who pursued activities in
the Philadelphia locomotive shops, the anthracite mines of Northeastern Pa.,
and the anthracite iron furnaces of the Lehigh Valley. He was associated with
David Thomas; a fellow Welshman who followed Hopkin
to America in 1839 and who gained prominence as the iron master who first
successfully used the hot blast technique to produce iron in commercial
quantities using anthracite coal in America.
Hopkin Thomas and David Thomas were not
related. This fact is sometimes confused in the histories written about the
locales where Hopkin Thomas' achievements impacted
community life.
My
interest is in the technical accomplishments in which Hopkin
Thomas had a hand. Being a
fifth-generation engineer in this technically oriented family, it was natural
for me to be attracted by the technology of that time period - the nineteenth
century.
Although
I grew up in Catasauqua in the house that James Thomas, son of Hopkin, presented to his daughter as a wedding present, and
although my grandmother, Ruth Thomas McKee was still active and vital during my
youth, no oral history of Hopkin or James was
presented to me at that time. Indeed, almost all of the information presented
in these volumes is derived from published histories that I began to research
beginning in Wales in 1995. This monograph and the companion volumes dealing
with Hopkin Thomas' technical career and the Hopkin Thomas family genealogy are necessarily incomplete. I
would ask that readers who have additional information to share please contact
me at the address below.
John
B. McVey, ScD.
PO
Box 397
Jackson
NH 03846
jb.mcvey@roadrunner.com
INTRODUCTION
The
histories of the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania recount
the many accomplishments of James Thomas, (see biography)
son of Hopkin Thomas.
To wit, the establishment of the Davies and Thomas
iron foundry in Catasauqua, the electrification
of Catasauqua and environs, and his leadership in
the building of the Grace Episcopal Methodist Church.
His activities during the decade that he
spent in the Jones Valley of Alabama, present-day
Birmingham, are only lightly touched upon. Likewise
the many rich, in-depth histories of the Alabama
iron industry, while acknowledging his presence
along with the presence of other members of the
Thomas families of Pennsylvania, can benefit from
a more precise account of these activities of these
men.
At
the time of this writing (2017), Birmingham, Alabama is a booming metropolis.
In 1870, Birmingham did not exist. In fact in a mere 50 years Birmingham grew
from a hamlet into a city of industrial might. How could this happen? The
answer is that the Jones Valley and Jefferson county where Birmingham grew was
blessed with all the natural resources necessary for the production of iron and
steel. The accomplishments of the individuals who were prime movers in this
growth must have interesting stories to tell. This, together with the fact that
southerners have a great sense of history derived from the trauma wrought upon
them by the Civil War of the 1860s, has led to the publication of many
excellent histories of the area.
One
of the most fascinating. of these histories is that of
Ethel Armes who wrote The Story of
Coal and Iron in Alabama in the year 1910. In addition too being an
accomplished historian, Ms. Armes had the benefit of
being acquainted with many of the descendants of the principals in the story.
As a result, her volume is filled with recollections and biographical insights
on these people - material not generally found in historical documents. No
record of history is perfectly accurate, and, indeed, family member recollections
are sometimes faulty. Historians are aware if an erroneous statement is
repeated several times it is eventually assumed to be fact. One of the goals of
this publication is to correct a few of the inaccuracies regarding the Thomas
families of Pennsylvania that have propagated through several of the histories.
THE THOMAS FAMILIES OF
THE PENNSYLVANIA IRON INDUSTRY
As
noted in the Foreward, there were two Thomas families
from the Neath area of Wales that were involved in the
development of the anthracite-fired iron industry in Pennsylvania in the 1800s
- Hopkin Thomas and David Thomas. As far as can be determined, these
families were not related. Hopkin was born in 1793 in
Bryn Coch and David was born in 1794 in Cadaoxton.
Nearby was the Neath Abbey Ironworks close to the Neath River. The family histories do not indicate
that Hopkin and David were friends in their childhood
years, but they certainly got to know one another in their teenage years as
they both were trained at the Neath Abbey Ironworks.
Hopkin and family emigrated to
America in 1834 and settled originally in Philadelphia, PA where his son James
Thomas was born in 1836. David
Thomas and family emigrated to America in 1839 and
settled at Catasauqua on the Lehigh River where he founded the Crane Iron
Works. David had a son Samuel, born in 1827, who was also in involved in the
Birmingham iron industry at a later time -- after 1866. But the subject of
this monograph is James Thomas who went to Alabama in the year 1872.
Map of the Neath area of Wales. Bryncoch is
at top, Cadaxton in middle right, and Neath Abbey at
lower left.
When
Hopkin and David were in America it was clear that
they communicated with one another using the postal service, but none of those
letters are known to exist. Indeed, as Hopkin's
career developed, he eventually became the Chief Engineer at the Crane Iron
works and the two families lived within a block of one another in
Catasauqua.
THE ALABAMA LINK
The
link between James Thomas and the Alabama iron industry was through a Welsh
ironmaster named Giles Edwards.
Giles Edwards
Giles Edwards was a Welsh immigrant, trained in the iron-making business of Europe, came to America in 1842 and worked at iron plants in Carbondale and Scranton, PA and then worked with Hopkin Thomas at the Thomas and Ollis Machine Shop and Foundry in Tamaqua, PA. After the Great Flood of 1851 destroyed that iron foundry, both Hopkin and Giles moved to Catasauqua, where David Thomas and the Crane Iron Works were located. Hopkin became the Chief Engineer at Carne Iron and Giles held various positions until his health began to fail and he moved south. (See Giles Edwards, AlabamaÕs Leading Proponent of Coke as Furnace Fuel by Jim Bennett. Also, in Sources and References see Armes, Ethel, The Story of Coal and Iron in Alabama, a. Giles Edwards for further details. But none of these sources indicate that when Edwards was in Tamaqua working at The Thomas Iron Foundry, it was Hopkin Thomas, not David Thomas, that Giles Edwards was working for.)
Giles
Edwards first went to Chattanooga, TN in June 1859 where he worked on the Bluff
furnace that was being remodeled from a charcoal furnace to a coke furnace. It
was a success, but the Civil War broke out in 1860 which
resulted in most of the iron-making industries in the South being suspended.
It
was during this time that
Bill Jones, a very good friend of James Thomas,
visited the Edwards family, accepted a position
of master-mecahnic under Edwards and stayed for
a number of months until the Civil War broke out.
So the contact that the Hopkin
Thomas family had with the iron industry of the
South was through both Giles Edwards and Bill Jones.
It
was in the spring of 1862, at the request of Judge Lapsley
of Selma, Alabama that Giles Edwards went to Selma and became familiar with the
iron resources and foundries in that state. Edwards was responsible for
reconstructing the Shelby Iron Works which then
operated continuously throughout the Civil War until it was destroyed in April
1866 by Wilson's raiders. (Armes, p. 177)
Map of Alabama showing the furnace sites
that are mentioned in this article.
The city of Birmingham is located just above the Oxmoor
and Irondale Furnaces. (From Bennett, p. 10)
After
the conclusion of the Civil War, in about the 1866 time period, Edwards
contacted David Thomas regarding the mineral lands in the Jones Valley. David,
his son Samuel, and grandson Edwin came to Elyton,
Alabama (which later became part of Birmingham) and had discussions with Baylis Garace who they retained
as their agent, and they purchased land for Edwards to use near Tannehill. But
the Thomas's themselves did not get involved at this time..
(Armes, p. 212)
Giles
Edwards continued to make land purchases and on
Dec. 30, 1868 the Pioneer Company was formed with
David Thomas, son John Thomas and Giles Edwards
among its organizers. (Bennett,
p. 83). Further details on the purchases
by David Thomas are found in Bennett, Tannehiill
and the Growth of the Alabama Iron Industry,
p. 238. It was not until 1886 when Edwin Thomas,
son of Samuel Thomas, went to Alabama with his father
to design and erect a plant for the Pioneer Company
and continued there until 1899 as president of the
Pioneer when the plant was sold to the Republic
Iron and Steel Co. (Wint,
p. 82)
JAMES THOMAS GOES TO
ALABAMA
There are two
things that we know about Giles Edwards:
(1)
He was familiar with the coal and iron ore resources of Alabama
(2)
He was in contact with those involved in the anthracite iron-ore business in
Pennsylvania.
With
respect to the 2nd item, we know that he was friends
with the members of the Hopkin Thomas family. Hopkin and
wife Catherine Richards had two sons and three daughters. One son was James Thomas, the other son was William R. Thomas. Daughter
Catherine Maria married James Wheeler Fuller, Jr. Daughter Mary married James Harper
McKee. James W. Fuller together with
James H. McKee formed the Lehigh Car, Wheel and Axle Works in Fullerton Pa in
1866, it was reorganized as the McKee, Fuller Co., but continued to trade under
the original name. Both James Thomas and William R. Thomas were involved in
this company. So when the McKee,
Fuller Co. was approached by Alabama interests about getting involved in
resurrecting the local furnaces (see below), there is no doubt it was the
doings of Giles Edwards that brought about this connection.
The
most accurate account of how James Thomas got involved in the Irondale Furnace
in Jefferson County, Alabama is given in an unpublished manuscript entitled
"Cahaba Iron Works and Its Successors"
by Robert Yuill, a historian who did substantial work
on the Irondale Furnace. Briefly,
the following activities are noted.
Wallace
S. McElwain and others
constructed the Cahaba Iron Works, also referred
to as the Irondale Furnace in 1863. The furnace was
destroyed by Union troops in early 1865.
After the war had ended, McElwain
and A. D. Breed of Cincinnati, OH secured the capital
to resurrect the furnace in early 1866. The furnace operated
until about 1870 when the Jefferson County Probate
Records indicate that the property was leased to
the
McKee, Fuller and Co. in May
of 1871.
There
is no indication of how the McKee, Fuller Co. had been notified of the
availability of this Alabama furnace, but it is my opinion that this was the
result of Giles Edwards contacts. In any event, James Thomas, who at the
time was superintendent of the Carbon Iron Works in Parryville,
PA and who was involved in the McKee, Fuller Co., volunteered to come to
Alabama and assume the position of General Manager of the Irondale
Furnace. Thus, in 1872, James
Thomas, wife Mary Ann (nee Davies), daughters Blanche (age 7), Mary (5) and
Ruth (1) and son Rowland (3) took a train ride from Parryville,
PA to Jefferson Co., AL. The
exact location of their home has not been identified. James and Mary Ann had three more
children while they were in Alabama - Helen (b. 1872), Catherine (1874) and Hopkin (1876).
The
original lease was for a period of five years. When
James Thomas arrived at Irondale, the furnace was
run in the 'as received' state and it was determined
that the hot blast was ineffective. According to
Yuill's account,
James Thomas made a number of changes
to the furnace; perhaps the most important was the
installation of his automatic bell and hopper for
closing the tops of blast furnaces, for which he
received a patent
in 1870. This allowed the use of the hot furnace
gases that with an open top furnace are wasted,
to be used to provide a hot blast. With this arrangement,
the hot furnace gases were sent to a heat exchanger
called a Stove in the furnace industry. The stove
was heated by the furnace gases and indirectly heated
the blast wind. Eventually, three brick stoves were
built. These modifications enlarged the furnace
from a 40Õ height to 46Õ the bosh was 10Õ 6Ó in
diameter. The method of charging the furnace was
also changed; previously to get the raw materials
to the furnace wagons were used to haul the iron
ore, charcoal and limestone to the top of the furnace.
To eliminate this expense a water elevator, or water
hoist, was used to raise the required material to
the top of the furnace. The new hot blast stove
system raised the output significantly, to 15 tons
per day.
At
the expiration of the five-year lease, the Irondale Furnaces ceased operation. James Thomas then went to the Oxmoor Furnace operation where he was General
Manager. Again, it is not known
whether James Thomas and family moved to a new home near Oxmoor,
but that was probably the case.
It
was fairly clear that the Oxmoor Furnaces were used
to further develop the concepts of a coke-fired furnace developed at Irondale.
The location of the Oxmoor Furnaces placed them very
close to the South and North RR, providing good transportation of raw materials
(coal and limestone) and finished goods. Iron ore for the Oxmoor
Furnaces came via tramway from the mines on Red Mountain about 2 miles north of
the furnaces.
The
most accurate published account (although not perfect)
of the activities at Oxmoor is given in the Woodward
Iron Company text.
In effect, James Thomas, who remained at
Oxmoor until 1879, had
the responsibility for convincing the local capitalists
of the promising resources of the Jefferson County
area as well as directing the reconstruction of
the blast furnaces so that coke iron could be produced. Both Furnace
#1 and Furnace #2 were rebuilt and the first coke
iron using the county resources was produced. Transportation
issues were significant; railroads needed to be
completed. The general economy was in a slump. At
one point, James got his brother, William R. Thomas,
to come to Alabama for a brief stay to get the Helena
Coal Mines to improve their production. My recollection
is that James Thomas, who is best remembered as
an engineer, got tired of the efforts of raising
the capital necessary to further improve the Oxmoor
Furnace and when contacted by partners at the Lehigh
Car, Wheel and Axle Works in Pennsylvania regarding
reforming the Davies
and Thomas Co, in Catasauqua, Pa, he accepted
that role and left Alabama in 1879.
However, the coal and iron industries in
the Birmingham area had now been vitalized and continued
to thrive to the present time.
The Oxmoor
Furnace where the first pig iron made with coke
in 1878. (From McMillan,
p.26)
REMBRANCES OF JAMES
THOMAS
While
examining the records of the iron industry in the Birmingham area, I was struck
by three articles regarding James Thomas.
First there is Mary Gordon Dufee's Alabama Sketches which appeared as a series of newspaper columns in
the Birmingham papers in the late 19th century. This excerpt is from Sketch 40,
found on Page 162 of Vol. 2 of the collection contained in the Birmingham
Public Library.
ALABAMA
SKETCHES
James
Thomas, Pennsylvanian by birth, came, in the prime of early manhood, to help
develop the mineral interests of the valley when the gloom of war's destruction
yet lingered over its fair face, and the task seed hopeless. In personal
appearance he was about the average in height, perhaps a little taller, fair
complexion, dark hair and eyes; in temper, firm, and steadfast; in manner,
plain and unassuming, with not a trace of vanity or haughtiness; in mind, very
intelligent and cultured; and in. his private life a moral, Christian
gentleman, laboring with an unwearied zeal for the establishment and promotion
of Sabbath schools and churches, and sustaining their influence by the example
of his own blameless life; indeed he was so popular that the most rabid
southerner would have voted him into any office he might have wished. His first
tern of service was as superintendent of the Ivorydale
(Ed., Irondale) furnaces, and subsequently the Eureka Company, at Oxmoor; in both positions he displayed signal ability,
prudent management, and tireless energy, finding time amid his numerous duties
to elevate the moral tote of the community. In these praiseworthy objects he
was aided by his accomplished wife, herself a devoted Christian lady. Mr.
Thomas was a nephew of the celebrated David Thomas, of Lehigh Valley, Penn.,
and a cousin of the Thomas now engaged in erecting iron furnaces on the old Williamson
Hawkins plantation; themselves deservedly and gratefully known in Alabama for
their early and abiding faith in the solid resources and future of the mineral
region. (Ed., James was the son of Hopkin Thomas,
unrelated to the David Thomas family). Family ties and business advantages
induced him a few years ago to return to his native state, and it cost him no
small effort to bid adieu to the gulf state, whose welfare he had so such
advanced and whose warn-hearted people he so lovingly appreciated; they, in
return, feelingly and sorrowfully parted from him as one who had indeed,
"proved a friend in need", and from the first won their esteem by his
manly bearing, industry and sympathy for them. It s a constant an favorite
remark of Mr. Thomas' that he believed, when fully investigated and developed,
Jefferson county would prove to be the richest county in mineral deposits in
the entire United State; arid time seems to be demonstrating the truth of his
theory and the wisdom of his faith. To his indefatigable labors and their
results much is due in the founding of the city of Birmingham, as it was to him
all distinguished visitors were referred, and his statistics upon the ores and
their wonderful richness form pert of the most valuable of the tabulated data on
that important subject.
The
second article was a letter from Oxmoor that appeared
in the Birmingham Iron Age, Birmingham, Ala., April 3, 1878, W & Chas.
Roberts, Publisher. You need to know that James Thomas, his wife and seven
children were ardent church-goers. Indeed when James returned to
Catasauqua, PA he was responsible for building the Methodist church at that
location.
LETTER
FROM OXMOOR
Ed.
Iron Age: I stepped into the church last Sunday at the hour of 10 a. m. and was
astonished to find the house crowded with old, middle-aged, young and little
folks attending Sunday school. Rev. Mr. Hill, pastor, and Mr. James Thomas,
Superintendent, with their never tiring energies have succeeded in building a
very fine Sunday School at this place, and judging from what I saw they have a
very fine library. Misses Thomas, Hanby and Stephens
are the young ladies who raised the funds ($150) for its purchase. All honor to
womenÕs energy.
I
believe you are church going men
(If you are not you ought to be.) It would do you good to be at Oxmoor on Sabbath and see the congregation that attends
church. I say without fear of contradiction that there is not a better-behaved
one in the State.
There
are about 4000 tons of iron on the yard, sold, waiting
to be shipped, and the Company has orders for 7,000 tons more ahead. Mr. James
Thomas, Superintendent of the Eureka Company, deserves great credit for the
manner he has managed the affairs of the Company, and built up such mammoth
works. It is a great pity that we havenÕt more Jim ThomasÕ in the county. He is
one of the most high-minded, public-spirited men in the South. Through his
energy and public spirit, with the help of others, we have one of the best
schools in the County with Capt. R. H. Pratt as principal.
The
third article is from the publisher of the Birmingham Iron Age subsequent to
the success at the Oxmoor Furnace.
Birmingham
Iron Age, Birmingham, Ala., Thursday, April 6, 1876.
W & Chas. Roberts, Publisher.
For about fifteen years the iron interest
of Jefferson County has been attracting public attention. Up to 1860 the iron
lands of this vicinity were unnoticed and uncared for. In 1862 these lands
assumed a sudden importance on account of the necessities of the war, which
closed southern ports and shut out the supply of foreign iron from our people.
In that year, John T. Milner and others, purchased 100 acres of land on the
west side of GraceÕs Gap, at the price of $8,000. On this or near the Red
Mountain Iron Company established the first blast furnace in this county. About
the same time, W. S. McElwain located at Irondale,
and by extraordinary energy succeeded in starting another furnace before the
Red Mountain Company were quite ready to go into
blast. The Red Mountain É unintelligible É McElwain
was the first to make iron. Millions of Confederate money were
expended on these enterprises, when in April, 1865, WilsonÕs raid destroyed
their machinery and burned everything about them except the stacks. In 1866-7 McElwain revived the furnace, but failing financially, it
was leased to McKee, Thomas & Co., (ed, McKee, Fuller
& Co.) of Pennsylvania under the superintendence of James Thomas until
1875, when they suspended work in order to make a new organization for the
purpose of testing the use of coke from the native coals in the manufacture of
iron. In the meantime the Red Mountain Company suffered their work to remain in
ruins from their destruction, in 1865, until 1872, when they re-organized,
under the presidency of Danl. Pratt. The works were rebuilt and put into
operation in 1873 when this company went down under financial pressure. Last
year a new company, consisting of J. W. Sloss, James
Thomas and brother, E. D. Standiford, H. V. Necomb, Caldwell, Miller and perhaps others, with the
purpose of adapting one of the charcoal furnaces at Red Mountain to the use of
coke. Of this, Col. Sloss was elected president and Mr. Thomas Superintendent,
and under their directory the changes were made. On the 11th of
March, 1876, the blast was put on, the furnace being charged with native coke
from the Cahaba coal mines, red hematite and limestone from GraceÕs Gap, and
the first iron was made on this county by the use of coke. The
result was watched with deepest interest by all iron men in this State,
and many in distant States were informed by telegraph of the first runs made
from the works. The effort was perfectly successful from the beginning owing to
the excellent arrangements which had been perfected by Mr. Thomas, but it was
not until last week that the full capacity of the furnace could be tested, the
proportion of iron to coke having been continually increased until it is now
about 30,000 pounds of coke to 45,000, and 1200 pounds of limestone. This
charge gives a product of 30 tons of iron per day, and the quality is said to
be the best ever made from red ore.
Now what may we expect to grow out of the
success of this experiment? We are
told that this iron can be shipped to New York and sold at a cost less than
Pennsylvania iron, and yield a handsome profit. It cannot but be that this fact
will cause a universal excitement among the maker of iron in the United States.
It is believed by men in a position to understand that millions of dollars will
be invested in our country before the end of this year. The great hopes that
have long been entertained by our population, but which have been so long
deferred as to make our hearts sick, may now be realized within a reasonable
time. Who would not rejoice to see such men as Peters, Goodrich, Powell, Thomas
Caldwell, Sharpe, and others, who have invested so much labor and anxiety, to
say nothing of capital, in our lands, rewarded with an overflowing bounty. And
then there are thousands of others who have located in our valley with this
hope prominent in their prospects, who will now be
blessed by its realization. We want Peters and his men to have a big bonanza,
and to eat out of silver plates, etc. like the bonanza kins
of California; but we also want to see every other man rewarded according to
the measure of his patience and faith in our mineral resources.
Sources and References
Alabama
Blast Furnaces, Woodward Iron Company, Woodward Alabama, 1940.
Oxmoor Furnaces, pp
106-110.
Armes, Ethel, The Story of Coal and Iron in Alabama, Facsimile Edition, Bookkeepers Press, Birmingham, Alabama, 1972. (Original ed. Pub. 1910)
Barefield, Marilyn Davis, A History of Mountain
Brook, Alabama, Birmingham Publishing Company, 1989
Bennett, James R., Old Tannehill,
A History of the Pioneer Ironworks in Roupes Valley
(1829 - 1865), Jefferson County Historical Commission, 1986
Bennett, James R., Tannehill and the Growth of the Alabama
Iron Industry, Including the Civil War in West Alabama, Alabama Historic
Ironworks Commission, 1999
Bennett,
James R. and Karen R. Utz, Iron & Steel, A Guide
to Birmingham Area Industrial Heritage Sites, University of Alabama Press,
2010.
Bennett, Jim,
Giles Edwards, Alabama's Leading Proponent of Coke as Furnace
Fuel, Newsletter of the Birmingham-Jefferson Historical Society,
April 8, 2010
Lewis, W. David,
Sloss Furnaces and the Rise of the Birmingham
District, An Industrial Epidemic, The University of
Alabama Press, 1994
McMillan,
Malcom C., Yesterday's Birmingham,
E. A. Seemann Publishing, Inc., Miami,
FL, 1975
McKenzie, Robert
H., Reconstruction of the Alabama Iron Industry,
1865 - 1880, The Alabama Review, A Quarterly
Journal of Alabama History, July 1972, Vol.
XXV, NO. 3, pp 178-191
White,
Marjorie Longennecker, The Birmingham District,
An Industrial History and Guide, Birmingham Historical
Society, 1981
Wint, Dale Charles, A
History of The Iron Industry and Allied Businesses
of The Iron Borough, Catasauqua, Pennsylvania,1993.
Yuill, Robert, Cahaba Iron Works and Its
Successors, Unpublished.