ca. 1978. Elevated view of the American Smelting & Refining Co. (ASARCO) in early 1978. Photograph ordered by the National Blower & Sheet Metal Co. of Tacoma who had probably built and installed the pipes shown above. They were involved in industrial air pollution control, dust collecting and ventilating systems, metal fabrications for industrial requirements as well as building sheet metal work and electric and heli-arc welding.
American Smelting & Refining Co. (Tacoma); National Blower & Sheet Metal Co. (Tacoma); Industrial facilities--Tacoma--1970-1980;
American Smelting and Refining Company (ASARCO), Tacoma. Worker directing activity of a large crane constructed over railroad tracks at the edge of Commencement Bay. Ships were loaded and unloaded at this point. The mechanical crane could carry 5 tons of ore on each dip into the hold. For J. Gius, reporter.
American Smelting and Refining Company (ASARCO), Tacoma. Arrival of a European ship delivering ore from Russian mines to the smelter. Close-up view of ship with workers and rigging at smelter dock. To the left can be seen the outline of the giant mechanical crane used to unload the ships. At this time, Russian lacked the technology and infrastructure to process the ore themselves. In 1934, Russia produced 15.6% of the world's gold. Russian production was second only to Africa.
In January of 1935, 9,600 tons of gold bearing ore were removed from the holds of the Soviet freighter "Brandon" by huge iron buckets at the ASARCO refinery in Ruston. In 1935, The Soviet Union did not have a large enough smelter of its own to process the tons of ore being extracted from its mines. The "Brandon" had come from Leningrad. The American Smelting & Refining Company expected to receive 100,000 tons of gold rich ore from The Soviet Union in 1935. Mr. S. Raiz, a representative of the Soviets, was sent to Tacoma to keep a close eye on the process - and the gold. Photograph ordered by the American Smelting & Refining Co. (ASARCO) (TNT 1-15-35, p. 1-article; TNT 1-23-35, p. 1-article) TPL-807
American Smelting and Refining Company (ASARCO), Tacoma. Worker, with foot in trough, working under steel beams at glowing industrial oven. For J. Gius, reporter.
Several men stand on the edge of the slag "peninsula" at the ASARCO Tacoma Smelter looking down at the damaged rails where Fred Birkby was killed when the slag train sank into the bay. The breakwater peninsula was formed by slag dumping over a period of several years. The tracks bent and twisted when the tip of an overhang broke, plummeting the slag train into the bay. The electric locomotive and six cars could be seen through the clear water about 15 feet below, but observers could not see the body of motorman's helper Birkby. His body was later recovered by a diver. (T.Times, 1/28/1938, pg 1 & 18; 1/27/1938, pg. 1).
Tacoma Smelter, ASARCO. Fred Birkby, smelter employee, was killed when the slag train he was riding overturned at the water's edge. The track cracked and plunged downward when an "overhang" of slag broke off, carrying the locomotive, six cars each bearing a vat of molten slag and Mr. Birkby into the bay. Men on crest of slag dump assessing the tragedy. (T.Times, 1/28/1938, p. 18 & 1, 1/27/1938, pg. 1)
ca. 1978. ASARCO plant. In the center of this early 1978 photograph of the American Smelting & Refining Co. plant located in Ruston is the Herreschoff Roaster baghouse that was brand new that year. It had been installed as part of ASARCO's modernization and served to curb industrial air pollution. The baghouse vented the roaster plant to the left. The arsenic plant is situated on the right. The gondola cars collected "calcine" from the arsenic roasters which was further processed. (Additional information provided by a reader) Photograph ordered by National Blower & Sheet Metal Co.
American Smelting & Refining Co. (Tacoma); Industrial facilities--Tacoma--1970-1980; National Blower & Sheet Metal Co. (Tacoma);
ca. 1971. 1971 Richards color stock footage. View of ASARCO smelter ca. 1971. Once the tallest smokestack in the world, it was demolished in January of 1993, some eight years after the plant closed due to environmental and economic reasons. TPL-5856
American Smelting & Refining Co. (Tacoma); Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Smokestacks--Tacoma; Chimneys--Tacoma;
ASARCO smelter (American Smelting & Refining Co.). A large crane mounted on tracks is unloading ore from the Norwegian motorship Bronnoy. The ship carried a $600,000 cargo of gold ore from Russian mines in the Urals. The mechanical crane could carry 5 tons on each dip into the ship's hold. The Bronnoy's 8,997 ton shipment will be refined at the rate of 900 tons a day. (T. Times 9/13/1935, pg. 3 & 1/19/1935, pg. 1)
This is the American Smelting & Refining Company smokestack in Ruston as pictured in September of 1935. At 571 feet, the ASARCO smokestack dominated the skyline near Point Defiance from its elevated position above the waterfront. At the time of its construction in 1917, it was the tallest smokestack in the world. It lost nine feet in height after repairs in 1937. The smelter stack was demolished on January 17, 1993.
Crumpled equipment and bent rails mark the site where the Asarco smelter slag train track cracked and sank, carrying the train and motorman's helper Fred Birkby about 15 feet underwater. The train plunged into the bay on January 27, 1938 carrying the 25 year old Birkby to his death. Later exam proved that his death came from a sharp blow to the skull. (T.Times, 1/28/1938, pgs. 1 & 18, 1/27/1938, pg. 1).
American Smelting and Refining Company (ASARCO), Tacoma. Worker handling a steel plate on machinery, above which hangs a load of bricks suspended by a heavy chain. For J. Gius, reporter. (WSHS)
Aerial view of American Smelting & Refining Co's (ASARCO) smokestack, smelter plant and surrounding area. The plant occupied a large area near Point Defiance with its own docks for shipping. The smokestack at 562 feet dominated the skyline for miles around. Thousands lined up in 1993 to say goodbye to this landmark when it was imploded.
American Smelting & Refining Co. (Tacoma); Smelters--Tacoma--1950-1960; Copper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;
ca. 1893. Tacoma smelter. This photograph of the Tacoma Smelting & Refining Co. (previously named the Ryan Smelter) was taken for the New England Magazine and published in their February, 1893, issue. The smelter was owned by prominent businessman William R. Rust who had purchased it four years before. The smelter was originally built to produce lead but in a few short years, would become a major supplier of copper. A comparison of an earlier view of the smelter, taken circa 1888, now shows a completed pier on the right and an additional large building on the property. In 1905 the American Smelting & Refining Co. (ASARCO) bought the company and it remained an important part of Tacoma's economy until its closure in 1985. (New England Magazine - February, 1893 p.800) (Scan of original print - no negative or print on file)
American Smelting & Refining Co. (Tacoma); Smelters--Tacoma; Industrial facilities--Tacoma;
ca. 1906. Tacoma smelter smokestack. At the time of its completion in 1905, this was the largest concrete chimney in the world. It was located on the grounds of the American Smelting & Refining Co. (ASARCO) plant in Ruston. It would be superceded by the 571-foot smokestack completed in 1917. (Tacoma New Herald Annual NWR 917.97 T119N 1906)
American Smelting & Refining Co. (Tacoma); Smelters--Tacoma; Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Smokestacks--Tacoma;
ca. 1920. Smelter operations at ASARCO. Steam rises as ore is poured via hoisted ladle onto giant cylinders at the American Smelting & Refining Co.'s plant in Ruston circa 1920. Other large ladles are on the floor waiting to be filled with ore. TPL-899; G37.1-184
American Smelting & Refining Co. (Tacoma); Smelters--Tacoma--1920-1930; Industrial facilities--Tacoma--1920-1930;
ca. 1920. Smelter operations at ASARCO. These employees of the American Smelting & Refining Co. (ASARCO) are carefully monitoring what may be the pouring of molten ore in this circa 1920 photograph. It seems to have caught the attention of several other workers in the area. TPL-2351; G37.1-191
American Smelting & Refining Co. (Tacoma); Smelters--Tacoma--1920-1930; Industrial facilities--Tacoma--1920-1930;
Interior of a section of the Tacoma Smelter taken in March of 1919. This was the copper refinery. Copper anodes from the smelter were inserted between copper cathodes in a copper-sulfuric acid bath. Copper was transferred from the anode to the cathode. The two raised frameworks in the photograph's middle were stands for "slapping copper starter sheets" before they were inserted into the bath as cathodes. The American Smelting & Refining Co., better known by its acronym, ASARCO, was a major employer in Ruston for nearly a hundred years. G32.1-023 (Additional information provided by a reader)
American Smelting & Refining Co. (Tacoma); Smelters--Tacoma; Industrial facilities--Tacoma;
ca. 1888. Tacoma smelter. This smelter on Ruston's waterfront was established as the Ryan Smelter in 1887 by Dennis Ryan. It was sold to William R. Rust in 1889 who then changed its name to the Tacoma Smelting & Refining Co. This photograph was taken around 1888 when the smelter was still in its early stages. Pilings jut out into the water at the right, tree stumps are abundantly scattered on the grounds, and the chimney in the photo's center was the first of three succeedingly larger smokestacks. The smelter would be sold to the American Smelting & Refining Co. (ASARCO) in 1905. (Print owned by Thomas Martin. Copy on file)
American Smelting & Refining Co. (Tacoma); Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Smelters--Tacoma;
