Monday, May 18, 2020

Steelworkers Park and Blast Furnace Bells

(Satellite)

As with other proposals to redevelop industrial land in Chicago, people are learning that it is a lot easier (cheaper) to draw plans than it is to build buildings. Most of the land that was occupied by the US Steel South Works has been scrapped clean for redevelopment. A notable exception of the demolition is the iron ore storage walls along the North Slip. Like coaling towers, they are a monument to the strength of reinforced concrete and very expensive to remove. More on these walls later.
3D Satellite
I don't know if these 2016 plans are still the plan-of-record.
Albert Bartkus shared a link that credits this photo to Chicago Lakeside
"The plan includes 13,575 single family dwellings and high-rise units, 17.5 million square feet of retail, connected by the extended South Lake Shore Drive. Also in the works: 125 acres of parks with bike paths, a 1,500-slip boat marina and a new high school."

Of these plans, as of Spring 2020, only the rerouting of US-41 and the southern park have been realized. I'm disappointed that the new US-41 route is not limited access. When they finally do fill that land up with buildings, the intersections will be a big problem.


The southern park has been developed as Steelworkers Park. Read this page (update: the 2016 link is now broke. I'm glad I summarized the essence of the page) from the bottom to the top to learn how enough mud was moved from the bottom of Lake Peoria 168 miles downstream to create 4-feet of top soil to turn the slag fields into desirable vegetation. Also "biosolids" from the MWRD drying fields were used to help convert the land so that it could sustain plant life. (more update: I did find some new links about putting soil on top of slag: blog and technical report.)

The 30' tall iron ore walls have been donated to the Chicago Park District. They have developed one end for climbing and bouldering. The climbing difficulty is 5.2 to 5.7.
CPD

CPD

CPD

The iron walls separated the stock piles of iron ore, limestone and coal. Big gantry cranes rolled along the top of the walls.
Dennis DeBruler


Rod Sellers posted
Where am I? Bonus question - identify the 3 items in the photo.

Rod Sellers commented on his post
Answer: Steelworkers Park. In the foreground is the twenty-six ton large bell from the former Acme Steel Blast Furnace located at 107th and Burley. Along with the fourteen ton small bell, back left, it provided a method of evenly distributing the iron, coke, and limestone into the furnace from above, and then sealing it off without loss of gases or heat. Nearby you can also see an ingot mould which was used at the former Bethlehem Steel facility in Burns Harbor, Indiana. The attached photo show the Acme Blast Furnace, the last blast furnace in Chicago, shortly before it was demolished in summer 2004.
[Acme Steel was also known as Interlake Steel.]

Screenshot
Don't ya just hate it when your bell doesn't seal.

Rod Sellers commented on his post
Schematic of a blast furnace. Hard to read all the specs but large bell is visible at bottom of furnace and small bell is visible at the top. This may make it easier to understand their function.

Another (hard to read) diagram

Steve Hotkiewicz commented on Rod's post
This is what it looks like when the Large Bell Shaft Breaks and the bell Falls In the Furnace, this was last winter IHW #3BF where I Work.

Some comments on a post concerning the pollution of this land.
Rod Truszkowski Dennis DeBruler you can't put residential on the land too polluted it would make a great place for a casino/ hotel /arena site with park land along river and lake even the Obama library would work there and help the area.
Rod Truszkowski A good deal of the old mill properties are toxic. One spot in the old Wisconsin steel plant is so bad they "cleaned " it up wearing suits and air tanks, black topped it, and then fenced it in. No trespassing signs everywhere.
Bob Lalich The worst source of pollution and toxic waste in an integrated steel mill is the coke plant. Wisconsin Steel had one. South Works did not. The clean up for the South Works site is easier as a result.

Overhead view of North Slip
c1955. World's largest twin blast furnaces, each 235 feet high, tower over "South's" modern ore and limestone storage yards. One boat at North Slip dock unloading in view. Power station at top left of photo. View looks southeast toward mouth of the Calumet River.

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