I-24 over Ohio River, Revisited

20150820,21 4199cp 12:35:28

While driving to Kentucky, I had planned on getting off I-57 at the Metropolis exit. I was glad I did because traffic was backed up on I-24 to that exit. Once again, the I-24 bridge over the Ohio River had lane restrictions. Not only was traffic reduced to one lane; that lane was moving quite slowly. In the pictures above and below, I added a line above the cab of a Fed Ex truck because it was pulling two trailers and thus it is very distinctive in the pictures. It took 20 seconds to move 2.5 spans.

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Many times in Illinois they will place the barrels to restrict the lane usage but when you finally get to drive through the construction zone, you not only don't see anybody working, sometimes you don't even see any equipment. I was not curious enough to see how many people were actually working on the bridge to go through the I-24 traffic. I used the  Blue Hummer Bridge to get to Kentucky. I had my wife take a picture on the bridge because this is the first time I have seen traffic on it. And it is probably the first time in my life that I was not keeping up with the flow of the traffic. I was a lot closer to the car ahead of me when we started across the bridge. But I was not obstructing traffic because the car behind me was going even slower.

In my original posting for this bridge,  I noted that barge traffic in both directions used the south navigation channel. On the day I took these pictures, barge traffic was using the north channel. I have no clue what influences a captain's choice of which arch bridge to go under. (Update: I have seen evidence that Lock and Dam #52 is still operational. During today's visit, they had to use the lock, which is on the north side of the river. During my previous visits the wickets were down so they had the option of using the south side of the river.)

I then put on the telephoto lens to get close up pictures. In the background of the middle picture you can see the Blue Hummer Bridge.

All of these pictures were taken from the Fort Massac State Park. When I first arrived, I could get only a fraction of the bridge with my wide-angle setting (18mm). Then I spotted a pier by a loading ramp. I was going to note the location of the pier in a Goggle satallite image, but it did not have the pier. So I switched to FlashEarth. All of the above pictures were taken from that pier. I then took pictures downstream and of the fort from the pier. While I was taking pictures, my wife went to check out the fort. But she was advised that it was closed because a fugitive was loose in the area. There is a bend in the river so that you can't see the railroad bridge in the downstream view.

Yorkville, IL, Dams (Drowning Machine)

20150720 3491, replacement dam and bypass from IL-47 bridge

There are a lot of little dams in Illinois because a dam was built in the 1800s to power a grist mill and/or sawmill. In fact, these dams would be the reason a town grew along the river. In the case of Yorkville, an 1837 survey indicates there was already a dam across the Fox River near the present dam location. In 1952 the Glen D. Palmer Dam was built with a five foot head. It had an ogee crest but little attention was paid to the footing of the dam. It scoured the riverbed and created a roller.

Photo from DNR

That is, the fast flowing water coming from the dam hit the slower moving water downstream and created a hydraulic jump or boil which shoved water up and back towards the dam at the surface. People and boats get shoved against the dam by this backwards flow and couls nor escape. Even rescue boats with a high powered motor are trapped up against the dam if they cross the boil. And the boat fills with water and the rescuers become part of the problem rather than part of the solution. Some web sites talked about the number of firemen that got killed as well as the original victims. For example, the Cedar Rapids dam.

A video in DamSafety explains a roller better than I can. It then explains how people can be rescued from a roller. The erosion of the riverbed downstream of the Glen D. Palmer Dam was so bad that it was replaced in 1960-61. But they still did not pay attention to dissipating the energy of the water so it also suffered from riverbed erosion and produced a roller. By 1978 there had been enough drownings that they placed riprap in the scour hole to stop the roller. But by 1991 the riprap had been scoured out and 26 more people had lost their lives at the dam.

Five different structural alternatives were studied to determine the best way to alleviate the safety problem at the dam. A four-step spillway design was chosen.

On the south side of the river, a 11,000 foot long bypass chute was designed for whitewater sport. A Denil fish ladder was constructed on the north side. (DNR)

A closeup of the bypass from the IL-47 bridge shows the pedestrian bridge that crosses the bypass.

Below are upstream and downstream views from that bridge. You can see how they added rocks to create whitewater action. And you can see the IL-47 bridge in the background of the downstream view.

I then walked across the bridge and down to the end of the land between the bypass and the main river channel to take pictures facing upstream, 45-degrees, and 90-degrees across the bypass.

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I then took three pictures from the shore to capture a waterfowl that was by the shore and then flew across the bypass as I walked by it even though I walked as far away from it as I could.

And then a couple overview shots upstream from the shore and then from a walk higher up in the park.

Update: More information on the danger of the rolling dam design.

Maze Nails

Bird's Eye View

I went west on Water Street, Peru, IL, trying to follow the IR/.../CB&Q/IV&N tracks to see where they go. Unfortunately, Water Street rather quickly deadended. As I took side streets trying to get back to the tracks, I noticed a big industrial building with a sign of Maze Nails. Since it was a rainy day, I did not bother to take any pictures. Fortunately, the Bird's Eye View gives us a feel for what the building looks like. It looks modern enough that I would not expect to find it in a 1939 aerial photo, which is true. But we shall see there was an older plant off of Church Street.

20150808,09 3784

I knew Maze had a lumber yard down by the river because I took a picture to document their abandoned industrial spur. Did Maze make their own nails? Yes! They started the lumber business in 1848 and started making nails in 1886. In 1886, they made their cedar shingle nails from pure zinc rather than steel so that they would not rust and allow the singles to blow away. Their supply chain was short because Illinois Zinc was a few blocks east on Water Street and M&H Zinc was in the adjacent town of La Salle. (History)

1916 Sanborn Map, Sheet 7

In 1916, West Street went south across the Rock Island tracks to Water Street and W. H. Maze Co. had a plant just south of the tracks on the east side of that street that made shingle nails and glaziers points. Unfortunately, the scanning resolution of the map does not allow one to read much else.

1939 Aerial Photo from ILHAP

In 1922 they moved to a plant off Church Street. (History) I suspect that this 1939 image is of that plant. It has been replaced by the much larger plant pictured at the top of the post.

Nail manufacturing started out as a free inducement to buy cedar shingles and all of the other supplies needed for a job. But their zinc nails quickly grew into a separate business as other lumberyards took advantage of their access to the I&M Canal, riverboats, and two railroads to buy their nails. In 1914 they produced their first hot-dipped nails branded ZINCLAD. That is, they dipped a steel nail into molten zinc because the cost of zinc was skyrocketing. Not only did hot-dipping reduce their material costs, it made it easier to drive the nails because they had a strong steel core. In 1955 their engineers developed an automated nail dipping line to keep up with the demand. The line double dipped the nails to create their improved STORMGUARD nails. They added additional hot-dipping lines in 1972, 1988, 2006, and 2011. They have had several other innovations such as packaging nails in 50- and 5-pound boxes instead of 100-pound kegs and spiral shank nails.

They bought Independent Nail in 1990 and, according to their web site, are America's premier specialty nail company. According to Wikipedia, they are the only American nail company.

Update: A video of a machine that cuts nails.

Illinois Zinc and ACME Scales in Peru, IL

1939 Aerial Photo from ILHAP

While researching a building that looked like it might have been a freight house, I learned that the industrial area between Water/Brunner Street and the IR/.../CB&Q/IV&N railroad was occupied by the Illinois Zinc Company in 1916. By 1939, much of the smelting operation had been torn down. But the rolling mill still looked operational.

I have not been able to find any additional info on Illinois Zinc. When I Google it, I get results for the other zinc smelting plant in La Salle, Matthiessen and Hegeler Zinc Company.


Michael Nieslawski posted three photos with the comment: "Few Zinc Works Shots."

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I analyzed Sanborn Maps from 1888, 1897, 1906, 1916, and 1926. The apex of the plant was reached by 1916 and that configuration remained until 1926. The following two sheets are from 1926.

Peru, 1926 Feb., Sheet 011

Peru, 1926 Feb., Sheet 012

Comparing the 1909 and 1916 maps shows Kiln 4 and Furnace 1 were built during that interval. And the Oxide Storage building was added on the north side of the Acid Building.

There were significant changes between 1888 and 1889 and between 1889 and 1906 so I include both of the 1800s maps. Unfortunately, the clockwise rotation that I did on the screen is not reflected in the TIFF file that I downloaded. Also note on the 1888-06 and 1897-10 Sheets the "Chas. Brunner's Peru Foundry & Machine Shop M'rs of the ACME Scale." Obviously, the street along the river was named for Charles Brunner. I remember that the scale that was in the IC Freight House in Mattoon, IL, was an ACME Scale.

Peru, 1888 Oct., Sheet 006

Peru, 1897 Dec., Sheet 006

Peru, 1897 Dec., Sheet 010

Update:

Roger Kujawa posted
Illinois Zinc company Peru, Illinois early 1900's. Probably Rock Island or Burlington served industry.
David Lucas I'm glad I wasn't living downwind from that plant.
Harold J. Krewer This wasn't even the only zinc mill in the neighborhood...The Mathiessen & Hegeler Zinc Mill right next door in LaSalle was even bigger. Served by the LaSalle & Bureau County. There was also New Jersey Zinc down the river a ways in DePue.

Patrick McNamara commented on the above posting
The 1898 Rand McNally Railroad Map of Illinois shows Peru on the Illinois Central Main Line. http://www.idaillinois.org/.../collection/p16614coll7/id/17

Westclox Clock Company in Peru, IL

(Satellite)

In addition to steel, coal, farm machinery, glass, and candy, I'm discovering that timekeeping was another important industry in Illinois.

20150809 3932

Peru, IL, gives real meaning to the phrases "high road" and "low road". After doing a couple of trips east from Peru to La Salle using the low road of Water/Brunner Street to check out the railroads and industrial buildings, I took a trip east on the high road of US-6. When I spotted an obviously old industrial building on the south side of the road, I stopped to take a picture even though it was (lightly) raining.

Since it was a long building, I stopped more than once to take pictures.

And I got some pictures of this complex from the low road (south or river side) as well. The building is long enough that I had to take the picture in two segments with my 18mm setting.

East end of South side

East end

West end of South side

It was the Westclox Clock Co. building and it manufactured clocks and watches. During its peak in 1956 it employed 4,000 workers who annually produced nearly 2 million clocks and watches (Wikipedia). Employment was down to 900 in 1980 when it closed.  "Since then, the roughly 800,000-square-foot complex has been mostly vacant." (ChicagoTribune) According to a 1916 Sanborn Map (Sheet 13), the buildings occupied 3 square blocks. Now they occupied about 11 square blocks.

 

Barriger

If you compare the 1939 aerial photo below with a current satellite image, you will notice that some of the buildings are gone.

Photo by News Tribune Amanda Whitlock Associated Press

The missing buildings is because a couple of bored teenagers were playing with gasoline and caused a big fire on Jan 1, 2012. "It took about 40 fire departments, 200 firefighters and 3 million gallons of water to get the fire under control." (ChicagoTribune)

Bird's Eye View

To verify that the buildings existed before the fire, I once again use the Bing maps as a time machine.

Update: 

Andy Zukowski posted
Vintage Westclox Big Ben Alarm Clock Assembly Photograph From Peru Illinois Factory

Mary Kaszynski Outain: I worked on the Big Ben clocks, including the Woody Woodpecker clocks during the years 58 thru 64.i was quite young then, around 17 or so.

Darryl Glubczynski commented on Andy's post

My oldest one is from 1927.

 

Another example of line-shaft power distribution.

Andy Zukowski posted
Employees of the Western Clock Company (Westclox) in Peru pause from their duties to pose for this turn-of-the-twentieth-century photo. Although women entered the workforce in large numbers during World War II, it is evident in this illustration that women worked outside the home well before World War I.

Bill Crossman: This was the Tesla of the era imo

Andy Zukowski posted
The 200,000,000th Big Ben Alarm clock at Westclox in 1948.  This is now on display in the Westclox Museum.

Bob Thompson: And the line still looked like that in 1974 when i worked there…..lol

With a line-shaft belt to each machine. 

Andy Zukowski posted
Anthony Kastigar, a Westclox employee of more than 40 years operates a Brown & Sharpe Automatic Screw Machine in our Auto Screw Department. Westclox in Peru, Illinois 1966

Jerry Eick: That was noisy department.

[Someone else commented on the noise and the smell of oil.]

Andy Zukowski posted
Eugene Kalman is operating a vertical mill in the Tooling Department at Westclox in Peru, Illinois. 1963
David Schmitt: My step-dad, Bill Fitzsimmons, was a tool and die maker at Westclox, and he worked his way up to (I think) superintendent. He was transferred to Alabama when the Peru plant closed, and not long after they closed the Alabama plant.

Christie Pasieka posted two photos with the comment: "Two more older views. The one on the left is from 1940 looking away from the river. Other one looking towards the river.  Let me know what you see."

Ruth Spayer: Both photos I see Westclox, L-P football stadium, and other areas around the east end of Peru. The 1940 photo has the smoke stacks and east section of the factory, coal mine on the east end of the plant, Orleans St. heading north, past the football stadium, and proceeding north in Central Park on Westclox Ave. to connect to 9th St. in LaSalle. In the other photo I see L-P High School on the left, the football Stadium in the center and Westclox factory, office building, and other businesses along the Illinois River. A lot of homes north of here probably around 9th St. in LaSalle and usually west of Chartres St. (LaSalle). Thank you for the good pictures.

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Lost Illinois Manufacturing posted
1955 ad.

Courtesy of David Delden and the Local History Project from Then & Now: Westclox Company – LaSalle-Peru [This link is well worth clicking. It has some of the earlier history.]
Bill Molony shared
Tim M. Hickernell I lived in Ottawa from 85-90 and used drive by the old Lasalle-Peru factory. It was quite a sight. I even picked up an old alarm clock made there at an auction. The Illinois Valley was a watch and clock manufacturing center for some time, including radium dial painting in Ottawa. Many a young woman died of cancer in later years from imbibing radioactive radium when "tipping:" their brushes to a point using their tongues. The Ottawa factory was a supplier of radium dials to Westclox.
Jerry Heien Same for Elgin Watch . The old Elgin Watch tower is still standing..... in Elgin (IL)

The Joliet Herald-News posting
Although the company employed thousands of LaSalle-Peru residents by the early 1950s, a series of mergers caused the LaSalle plant to close by 1980.

Matt Overstake posted
Westclox Factory in Peru, IL

LaSalle County Historical Society Museum posted

Kathy Thomas: Look at all that public transportation.

Davis Shroomberg shared
Westclox. Peru, IL.
Dennis DeBruler: Thanks for identifying the location. It looks like the tipple of the Union Coal Mine is peaking over the left end of the buildings.

John Crawford: Radium girls

Jim Schlosser: John Crawford You are 100% correct.

Jim Schlosser: His photo and the mating photo of the men leaving Westclox in the afternoon was found in the files of the Westclox offices after the plant closing in 1980.ac

Ruth Spayer posted
DO YOU KNOW THAT WESTCLOX HAD ITS OWN FIRE DEPARTMENT FROM 1909 - 1980?

Scot Seaton posted
Earl Seaton at his lathe at Westclox, 1955ish

Mark Nickel: Pretty big clock parts

Scot Seaton: Well he made the tools that made the tools. I think he was turning a crankshaft here.

Andy Zukowski posted
Joyce Bierbrodt is examining wrist watch movements with a microscope to make sure they have been properly oiled at Westclox in 1964.

Lost Illinois Manufacturing has a posting describing the history of the plant that includes 12 photos.

A post with 16 photos
Davis Shroomberg It was originally built as 3 separate buildings, as the clock production expanded. They were connected with hallways. This separate construction is what saved most of the factory complex. It was the largest section, the middle second section, that was burned by arson on the earliest hours of January 1st, 2012.

Wikepedia provides some interesting links:

• Official website This is the first time I have seen a website require a login for what is essentially advertising information when I clicked "Wall Clocks!" It did let me access "About Us."
• HAER IL-83
• Clock History Looking at https://clockhistory.com/, I surmise that clock collecting is a big deal.

A silent video about how the factory functions. The women do the "finger work." I wonder how many of them suffered from carpel tunnel. Given the repetitiveness and speed of many of those jobs, it is hard to imagine doing that all day long.

Felicia Carboni commented on at post: "My grandmother worked at Westclox where they made aviation devices, compasses and fuses for bombs etc."