Borough of Etna - Centennial Festivities Yearbook (Etna, PA)

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Q- .g- , ,. ...,,, 1 rsABELLA,s PASSING MoURNEDi THE OLD ISABELLA We're through introducing, at banquets and teas, The Champ at producing the best manganese. The Old Isabella, once mighty and proud, Like a crippled old fellow, is doomed for a shroud. Obsolescence struck down, without pity or scorn, The steel making crown, she so proudly had worn. And the dust laden smoke that has darkened the sky, No more will provoke the neat housemaker's eye. But the women who swore many times at the dust, Now sadly deplore their too hasty disgust, And pray with good will, and a few gentle sobs, That Johnnie and Bill can secure other jobs. Through peace and war's strife. this old pioneer Has had a long life and a useful career. Now the age weary wreck has surrendered her plaques. And submitted her neck to the scrap dealeris axe. A From its metal lined throat, with a rhythm sublime. Her whistle made note of the passing of time. 89' -1' ' 55 Blew a long serenade when our armies had won, After being betrayed by the ,lap and the Hun. As a boy, born and raised within sight of her tracks, I was ever amazed by her fire belching stacks. And her volcanic sheen, spewing hot cinders down, Had a Mt. Etna mien, hence the name of our town. Dear God dry the tears of the heartsick and sore, Who labored for years through the sweat and the gore, And burned up their prime in the hot steaming Hell, Of ore dust and lime at the Old Isabelle. As the last heat was cast, her faithful iron soul, Went up with the blast, and for her the bells toll. Dying not in disgrace, her records reveal, She has earned a high place in the Saga of steel. Every expert agrees, to the smallest detail, She was the Queen Manganese to the end of the trail. Please, no invocation nor eulogies read, For in our generation she'll never be dead. . 4-fmcifziu i fra ttfttffw H Aer 'P' ff- ni ,Jr ' rf:-+ p V 1 .M 'rf ,,, '-N ...,, ,.,,.,-,, 1 ..,.. 1 W, .,,,. .. . ., -- , , , 1- '- r , ' ,L . -3-5., YJ ' ,IQ-'Q l

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'W-M1H F 1 mn. ll may r4- sf BELLE OF THE RIVER Isabella nas born, 1871, 1n the orchard of George Dierstein of Etna on the banks of the Allegheny River. During, and after, t.he Civil War, Pittsburgh Iron masters had been laying plans to meet the increased need for iron in the founderies and pipe mills of the area. The answer they arrived at was Isabella, or Isabella Furnace Company as she was properly known. Isabella was named in honor of Mrs. Herren, sister of one of the firm's members, as well as for Isabella Crowther, daughter of Cyril W. Crowther, an engineer who built the furnaces. For years, the Carnegie brothers, Andrew and Thomas had considered joining up with Spang Chal- fant, and others in the development of plans for the Isabella Furnace Co. However, on the advice of a friend, the coalition was abandoned and separate companies were formed. The first of Isabella's furnaces was blown in the summer of 1372. The same year, another furnace, Lucy, made her debut in the Carnegie Mills. Lucy was named for Mrs. Thomas Carnegie. Almost from the moment they were blown a friendly rivalry existed. An iron broom was made and served as a symbol of supremacy. As Lucy and Isabella continued to break each other7s production record, the broom was traded back and forth many times across the river. The competi- tion was so keen, often the brooms stayed for only a week at one location. Although the late 1830's saw a slacken- ing in the feverished pace competition, it was not until 1937, 36 years after Isabella became a part of Carnegie Steel Company and United States Steel Corpo- ration, that the rivalry ended with Lucy's dismantling. In 1902, much of the old plant disappeared. New and bigger furnaces replaced their giant ancestors. Several years later, experiment with ot.her products proved successful. Ferro-manganese, ferrosilicon, and spiegeleisen began to supplant iron as the chief end product of the plant. For many years the two furnaces of Isabella were the only two in the whole U.S. Steel organization de- voted exclusively to the production of ferro-manganese. This alloy had been called by some the 'kpurifieri' in the production of steel, by others the ubackbonef, Both wer basically correct. Isabella provided employment, in some cases for two and three generations of Etna families. Her records of 194-8 show there were 4450 men employed at that time. In 1953, the Sharpsburg-Etna Herald carried a verse written by Mr. Henry ,I. Fullerton, an Etna resident and published poet. The Herald commented: '4The passing of Isabella Furnace has been immortalized in verse hy an Etna resident . . . verses aptly describes the ancient plant and what it meant to the community. 49

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'FVi llY3l!tl v!SFli'11'S1l'i!HZZ7ll!ITtlIl? J l. . 5 K - 1, , ,,,,,,.g,, -- - --v--- In . l I t i X . it ,JETNA CONCRETE BLOCK COMPANY Etna Concrete Block Company came into existence in the summer of 1919. Her founders had no previous concrete producing experience, but they were confident that a local market for their products was to be had. In a very short time they were forced to increase their capacity 300'Z . Mr. Charles Tursic was appointed general manager in 1922, and elected President in 1926. He was Qven permission by his company to make whatever improve- ments he felt were required. ln 1927 the company stepped into a new and modern plant. The Etna Concrete Block Company was known from the first as an efficient, compact, labor-saving opera- tion, second to none in manufacturing capacity. The company has always been proud of the fact it has kept abreast of the times with the most efficient machinery possible. When the new plant was officially opened on April 20, 1927 local government officials, contractors, archi- tects and representatives of various companies were present. The company's officers at that time were: President, Charles Tursic, Vice President, Frank Ro- ginag Secretary. lVlark Vinskig Treasurer, Andrew Logan. Some new machinery was added in 1947. This increased production capacity to 1,000 units annually. About 75W is used in private housing construction. .The plant is still in operation at its original site on Sycamore Street in Etna. The management has under- gone a change since Mr. Tursic retired in 1964-. .' , ,Ht ' Servicing The Building Trade y Q 'L .4v 'r ,I i ..,, , , 9 Y'-if Zi' . fl ... . N f WM f. V- , ' .'. ,.,,,,. ,.,, , I ,' - A- f ' i ...- ' ' ' E.:5'.'z41 -f-- f' M! Q --f-, - it ,-,... mm mnn Mnrnuu s 'T , , 'J - ,lj Q 'tfjxg-f,'t 1-..'V X ..,, ' .I , iii -' A y 1 1, A affai r ' Q , ' -T-ff?-fg,A,i'! jijgngf-21M.,, :V . '- iusviii i 3: V ttf Q , N ' Nrmqgfi ag, 1 1 now I ' ' , gh- -qv, Nfl- . f2,,.....lm.t. C'-N , . - ETNA FORGE AND BOLT COMPANY The Etna Forge and Bolt Company was started around 1906 by Martin, George, lohn and Conrad Metzger on the lower Bridge Street area. In the 1936 flood an explosion occurred and chemicals ignited completely destroying the A building fall surrounding area was devastatedl. I It was rebuilt and business resumed until 1955 when the area was taken over by the state for the By-Pass. -A 1 . J' x ,4- 'M Qi X - 3 g, :' CHARLES TURSIC