Close-up of the bridge end trucks of the 275-ton powerhouse crane built by the Star Iron & Steel Co. of Tacoma for the Barkley Power Plant on Kentucky's Cumberland River. This July 15, 1963 photograph is a cropped view of A-138737-3, and was taken for a government report.

Star Iron & Steel Co. (Tacoma);

Interior of Star Iron & Steel plant. Elevated view on May 1, 1963, of interior of the Star Iron & Steel plant shows fabricated steel products ready to be assembled. Star Iron, well-known for crane construction, also made towers, hydraulic presses, power operated grapples, and fabricated steel for buildings, bridges and grandstands. They had built a larger plant on Alexander Avenue in 1963.

Star Iron & Steel Co. (Tacoma); Steel industry--Tacoma--1960-1970;

Dirt pours out of the opened clam shovel which is suspended by thin cables in this July 31, 1962, photograph taken at Graystone of Tacoma. The shovel is believed to have been manufactured by the Star Iron & Steel Co. of Tacoma. Star Iron built cranes and specialized equipment to handle everything from salmon to missiles; their products were used in WWll to help clear the Pearl Harbor disaster. Its crane capacities ranged to more than 350 tons. Photograph ordered by Star Iron & Steel.

Star Iron & Steel Co. (Tacoma); Hoisting machinery;

An employee of Ace Furnace & Steel Co. leans one arm against a massive steel jet propulsion fuel storage tank on company property on August 5, 1958. He appears diminutive when contrasted with the 10.6 foot diameter tank. The gas tank measures 77.5 feet in length. Ace Furnace produced steel storage tanks for oil, gasoline and water, stacks, marquees, canopies, steel heating and ventilation systems, boilers, furnaces, and marine sheet metal. The company's major output now are tanks of all sizes, approximately 400-800 tanks per month. The huge tanks pictured above were just built for McChord Air Force Base. It is estimated that these were the largest shop fabricated steel tanks ever built in Tacoma. The Northern Pacific cars in the background would make transportation of these heavy steel products easier and more efficient. Photograph ordered by Ace Furnace & Steel Co. (TNT 9-1-58, C-7)

Ace Furnace & Steel Co. (Tacoma); Steel industry--Tacoma; Storage tanks--Tacoma; Railroad freight cars--Tacoma--1950-1960;

The George R. Marvin Co. was a steel fabrication plant located on Taylor Way in the Tideflats. Besides manufacturing cranes and other hoists, they also were involved in fabricated steel products. A model in an October 4, 1957, photograph is examining a piece of machinery manufactured by the Marvin Co. The exact use of the product is not known; it does appear to be solidly constructed and capable of containing either solids or liquids. What appears to be an Air Force fuel tank is in the background of the photograph. Photograph ordered by the George R. Marvin Co.

George R. Marvin Co. (Tacoma); Steel industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

American Smelting and Refining Company (ASARCO), Tacoma. Worker, with foot in trough, working under steel beams at glowing industrial oven. For J. Gius, reporter.

American Smelting & Refining Co. (Tacoma); Smelters--Tacoma--1930-1940; Copper industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Industrial facilities--Tacoma;

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)

American Smelting & Refining Co. (Tacoma); Smelters--Tacoma--1930-1940; Copper industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Industrial facilities--Tacoma;

Tacoma Smelter. Once the tallest smoke stack in the world, the brick structure billows smoke as it looms far above the refinery's steel gates. The stack was imploded in the 1990s after the refinery closed. Unchanged, the traffic tunnel remains in use.

American Smelting & Refining Co. (Tacoma); Smelters--Tacoma--1930-1940; Copper industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Industrial facilities--Tacoma;

General overview of the American Smelting and Refining Company (ASARCO), Tacoma, as it appeared in 1935. Once the tallest smoke stack in the world, the brick structure billows smoke as it looms far above its industrial buildings. The stack was imploded in the 1990s after the refinery closed. (T. Times 1/19/1935, pg. 1)

American Smelting & Refining Co. (Tacoma); Smelters--Tacoma--1930-1940; Copper industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Industrial facilities--Tacoma;

American Smelting and Refining Company (ASARCO), Tacoma. Worker grasping tongs as he reaches into small, industrial oven. For J. Gius, reporter.

American Smelting & Refining Co. (Tacoma); Smelters--Tacoma--1930-1940; Copper industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Industrial facilities--Tacoma;

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 & Refining Co. (Tacoma); Smelters--Tacoma--1930-1940; Copper industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Industrial facilities--Tacoma;

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.

American Smelting & Refining Co. (Tacoma); Smelters--Tacoma--1930-1940; Copper industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Industrial facilities--Tacoma;

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 & Refining Co. (Tacoma); Smelters--Tacoma--1930-1940; Copper industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Industrial facilities--Tacoma;

American Smelting and Refining Company (ASARCO), Tacoma. Glowing, molten liquid ore pouring from a reverbatory furnace into a huge ladle. Two workers on the left are dwarfed by the size of the equipment. The furnace heats the ore to 2,700 degrees Farenheit. For J. Gius, reporter. (T. Times 1/19/1935, pg. 1)

American Smelting & Refining Co. (Tacoma); Smelters--Tacoma--1930-1940; Copper industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Industrial facilities--Tacoma;

The American Smelting & Refining Co. (ASARCO Incorporated) Tacoma Plant. TPL-2353. Areas of the plant are labelled with arrows and typed notations. Typed notations read, left hand side, top to bottom: Main Stack, Silos, ESP'S (Hoppers), Flue, Metallic Arsenic Area, Arsenic Kitchens, Arsenic Roasters (Hoppers, Roaster Baghouse Hoppers, Herreshoff Roasters), Acid Plant Bldg (Settling Tanks & Basin), Fine Ore Storage (Settling, evaporation and neutralization impoundment Waste Piles), Liquid SO2 Plant. Across the top, left to right: Laboratory Container Storage, Reverberatory Furnaces, Oil Tanks, Refineries, Settling & Evaporation Basins. Right hand side, top to bottom: Slag Dump, Casting Furnace, Anode Furnaces, Nickel Plant, Converters, Unloading Dock, Crushing & Sampling Mill, Incinerator, and Ore Piles. TPL-2353, TPL-6246

American Smelting & Refining Co. (Tacoma); Smelters--Tacoma--1950-1960; Copper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;