East Cleveland Image Archive

”A view of the front side, of a 120 ton Talbot furnace. The charging pans on the right contain (galley) iron ore, on the far side of the furnace the pans contain lime. The furnace doors are water cooled, added after oil firing was introduced. To the left of the melter, in front of the door is a stand used for the hot metal chute.”

Does anyone know the name of the gentleman standing rather close it looks to me.
(thanks again to Eric Johnson for the photo and the supporting information)

The new resevoir, is what Eric Johnson, the owner of the photo tells me. Steve Partlett tells us: ”Part of this reservoir still exists. It was on the edge of the cliffs, to the north of jetty bank top. One of it’s purposes was to provide storage for No5 Blast furnace cooling water. The concrete block in the middle of the photograph was where the pipes left the reservoir to feed the pumphouse which was built just in front of the block. This proberly means the photo was taken sometime during the building of No5 Furnace, (early fifties,I think)and was possibly taken from the top of one of the older Blast furnaces. There was also a large tank supported on a steel tresle in front of the mound in the lower right of the photograph. This provided the “head” of cooling water for a while in case the pumps failed. A Laboratory was built into the steel support tresle. Due to it’s height this tank was visible from the beach below.”

Thanks to Eric Johnson for the image and Steve Partlett for the update.

Although it sounds more like a dance than a machine used on the steel works, Brian Young tells us: ”This 53” Lamberton straightener seven shafts was used to straighten various “raw” steel sections after rolling from the 36? mill. The Lamberton was fed via rollers and skids, after straightening each bar was shoved off onto benches manually.”

(thanks again to Eric Johnson for the photo and to Brian Young and Tony Shaw for the notes.)

I am informed by Eric Johnson who loaned us the photo that this is the 36” mill hot saw, with man holding tongs in right hand is waiting for a sample to be cut and was taken c.1950. The rear person pictured is Tom Cook.

Thanks to Eric Jonson for the update.

Another photo from the collection of Eric Johnson and this time a photo of men bending mine arches.

Another photo taken from a glass plate of the original talbot tilting furnace 240 tons capacity, largest in Europe when built about 1910.

This pitside view shows the furnace under repair, the port ends which were movable have been drawn back. The “lander” – the taphole chute sticking out of the middle of the furnace  – has the brick lining removed. On the right of photo is a large steel casting ladle, with a skull (scrap steel) on the lip. To the left are two slag ladles full of furnace debris. Next is a small charging ladle used to pour molten pig iron into the furnace from the charging side. On each side of the lander, a cage is suspended from the furnace by two pivoted arms allowing the cages to go up and down with the tilting. A shelter can be seen on the cages near the lander, to protect the melters throwing in the charges of coal, manganese, silicon etc. This varied according to specification.
(photo and information given by Eric Johnson)

Skinningrove Iron And Steel Works about the date on the caption, taken from a glass plate. (photo courtesy of Eric Johnson)