Commonwealth Steel Company

Commonwealth Steel Company was an American steel company based in Granite City, Illinois, and founded in 1901 "by some of the young men who had helped establish the American Steel Foundry".''Granite City – A Pictorial History'' (G. Bradley Publishing, Inc., 1995), p. 49 The company produced steel castings and railroad supplies at its plant, employing about 1,500 people.

Over the years, its innovative steel castings products made Commonwealth an increasingly important manufacturer and supplier to the rail industry. By 1928, "practically all locomotives and passenger cars built in the United States" were using Commonwealth products. The significance of the company to the rail industry became evident when two locomotive manufacturers, and customers of Commonwealth, the Baldwin Locomotive Company and the American Locomotive Company, formed General Steel Castings Corporation in 1928 and acquired Commonwealth and its products in 1929.

Early history

Clarence H. Howard, who controlled the Double Body Bolster Company, received orders for cast-steel bolsters for railroad passenger cars to be used in an exhibit at the upcoming 1904 St. Louis World's Fair but his company was unable to produce bolsters of the specified size. Cast steel bolsters of that size had not been previously manufactured. Howard negotiated with the Commonwealth Steel Company to produce the new steel bolsters and he assisted during the production process. Along with his former schoolmates, H. M. Pflager and G. K. Hoblitzelle, Howard assumed control of Commonwealth in 1904. He headed the company for 23 years, retiring in April 1931, two years after Commonwealth merged with General Steel Castings Corporation, and only months before his death in December 1931.

Company promotion of citizenship

The company was supportive of Americanization (helping foreigners adapt to the American way of life) efforts among the large immigrant population at Lincoln Place,''The Commonwealther'', July–August 1921 (Commonwealth Steel Company, 1921), p. 5 providing free English-language classes to non-English speakers,''The Commonwealther'', January–February 1917 (Commonwealth Steel Company, 1917), p. 11 and was strongly in favor of Prohibition.''The Commonwealther'', May–June 1926 (Commonwealth Steel Company, 1926), p. 7 An article in the December 1915 issue of ''The Commonwealther'' was titled: "A saloon is sometimes called a bar - and so it is!"''The Commonwealther'', December 1915 (Commonwealth Steel Company, 1915), p. 7 The company also encouraged fellowship and the Golden Rule through the Fellowship Club.

The company established the Commonwealth School in 1906 to serve the educational needs of "Commonwealthers".''The Commonwealther'', April 1927 (Commonwealth Steel Company, 1927), p. 3 Apprentices would be given up to four hours a week, on company time, to study mathematics, mechanical drawing and blue print reading.

The company's educational offering expanded with the addition of a high school program in December 1923. Conducted in cooperation with the local high school, Community High School, and authorities of Granite City, Illinois and State educational authorities, the graduates of Commonwealth School's high school program received diplomas along with the regular graduates of Community High School. By the end of 1927, the Commonwealth School was offering the following programs with almost 200 employees enrolled: Apprentice School, Night School Drawing, Eighth Grade School, High School, University Extension Courses, Special Engineering Class, Trade Knowledge Courses, Scholarships, and School Dinners.''The Commonwealther'', Christmas 1927 (Commonwealth Steel Company, 1927), p. 22

Employees shared in the company's profits. Meetings of the company's profit-sharing plan, known as the Commonwealth Plan, would start with the reciting of the Lord's Prayer and, in at least one meeting, the singing of "America".''The Commonwealther'', July–August 1926 (Commonwealth Steel Company, 1926), p. 6 The Platform of the "Commonwealth Plan", read in part: "Fellowship is the Golden Rule in action, the motive power of human engineering, the life-blood of service, insuring equal opportunity for all. The Commonwealth Plan recognizes all problems as mutual, wherein and whereby absolute confidence exists in the honesty of purpose and truth of character of each other; thus blending brotherly love in all activities and enabling each to develop his several talents."''The Commonwealther'', April 1929 (Commonwealth Steel Company, 1929), p. 8

Innovation and growth

Commonwealth set the standard for innovation. In 1908, the company cast the first one-piece rectangular tender frame and, after developing special machining equipment, overcame problems of producing castings of up to long.
During World War I, the company produced cast steel frames for gun tractors and locomotive castings. The growth of the company meant that, by 1913, its payroll exceeded $110,000 ($2,420,000 in 2010 dollars) for each pay period.

The company's success in supplying large castings and other parts to the rail industry necessitated more capacity. Originally covering , the plant grew to in 1915''The Commonwealther'', April 1915 (Commonwealth Steel Company, 1915), cover page to about , with almost under roof, by 1924.''The Commonwealther'', May 1924 (Commonwealth Steel Company, 1924), p. 15

In 1924, the company finished the design and manufactured a one-piece underframe structure, or bed, for a steam locomotive, and delivered it to the New York Central Railroad. Also in 1924, the company embarked on a $1,500,000 ($33 million in 2010 dollars) expansion that included increasing the size of the foundry to a total length of , making it "probably the largest Open Hearth steel foundry building in the world". That increased plant capacity by 35%, and allowed it to produce the "largest steel castings in the world".
The Commonwealth plant grew to cover ., a magazine supplement to the ''Granite City Press-Record''

With the completion of the new General Office Building on the site of its plant at 1417 State Street in Granite City, Illinois, the company's headquarters was relocated from the Pierce Building in St. Louis, Missouri to Granite City beginning on February 23, 1926.''The Commonwealther'', February 1926 (Commonwealth Steel Company, 1926), p. 11''The Commonwealther'', October–November 1924 (Commonwealth Steel Company, 1924), cover page By 1927, the facility expanded to with the plant itself covering approximately . The foundry alone was over a third of a mile long, .''The Commonwealther'', June 1927 (Commonwealth Steel Company, 1927), p. 15

In 1926, the company produced a "one-piece locomotive bed with cylinders, steam chests, and saddle cast integral" and delivered it to the Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis and, during this same period, cast steel underframes and trucks were developed for electric locomotives. By 1928, "practically all locomotives and passenger cars built in the United States" were made using products manufactured at the Commonwealth plant.

Merger

An April 12, 1929 ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' newspaper article, reprinted in the April 1929 issue of ''The Commonwealther'', noted " e Commonwealth, largely because of its one-piece castings, does business with railroads all over the world. It is commonly thought not to have a competitor in the production of a one-piece frame for locomotives and coaches, a feat of casting that has at once made its business unique and added immensely to the safety of railroad travel."''The Commonwealther'', April 1929 (Commonwealth Steel Company, 1929), p. 9

The importance of Commonwealth Steel to the railroad industry was not ignored by the industry and was underscored when two major locomotive companies, the American Locomotive Company and the Baldwin Locomotive Company, along with American Steel Foundries, formed General Steel Castings Corporation in 1928. The April 1929 issue of ''The Commonwealther'' printed a statement from the president of the company, Clarence Howard, that Commonwealth Steel was "working out a plan of unification" with General Steel Castings Corporation.

With a capitalization of $10 million, Commonwealth Steel was acquired by General Steel Castings Corporation for a reported $35 million. The merger became effective "definitely on July 30, 1929", and the Commonwealth Steel Company became the "Commonwealth Division" of General Steel Castings Corporation.''The Commonwealther'', August 1929 (Commonwealth Steel Company, 1929), p. 3 General Steel's "Eddystone Division" consisted of a new foundry, still under construction in 1929, on the banks of the Delaware River in Eddystone, Pennsylvania, near Baldwin Locomotive's facilities.

References

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Steel companies of the United States
Foundries in the United States
Companies based in Madison County, Illinois
American companies established in 1901
Manufacturing companies established in 1901
Manufacturing companies disestablished in 1929
1901 establishments in Illinois
1929 disestablishments in Illinois
Defunct manufacturing companies based in Illinois
Industrial buildings and structures in Illinois