It was quite an undertaking to collate and research some 150+ cards found in the assistant division managers office, but that is exactly what I have accomplished. There were a number of interesting cards – interesting for a number of reasons – which I’ll cover here. They shed more light on the plant operation and it’s history. Thank god that once upon a time contact info wasn’t stored in smartphones, in which case there would be no artifacts to find!
I have discarded the cards that were for vague trades not really related to the industry (painters, asphalt pavers, gasket distributors, etc). More or less, I saved those that have caught my eyes for one reason or another. I also did not scan the nearly 50 cards related to competitor integrated steel makers and/or coke plants. Great to see colleagues among companies normally head to head with one another.
What would a coke plant have to do with a fertilizer company? Ammonia sulfate is the result of treating coke oven gas with sulfuric acid. This is a handy fertilizer. So any by product plant has ammonia in bulk. Much of it is recycled as the flushing liquor used to cool the COG as it enters the collector main but plenty more is left.Way on the opposite end of town – I have actually used this company! What Acme needed them for I do not know but they did indeed repair a small railing which has rusted and broken. The 312 area code for a north side number shows it’s age – this would have become a 773 number in 1996.I found a nice Beemsterboer sticker and memo regarding some invoices in the coal handling office not long ago. The company is still family owned and still in business today despite the dwindling steel industry on the SE side of Chicago and NW Indiana. Was he wishing Merry Christmas to himself? And what of these steaks? I hope they were had!I learned from Doug that Chicago Short Line operated the locomotives to move coal cars stored on the Norfolk Southern rails west of the plant into the coal handling area. At this time they were owned by LTV who used to operate a mill and coke plant at 116th and Ave. ‘O’.Purchasing coal is quite important – perhaps the most important product. Coke not so much – unless you are looking to sell, or to purchase pet coke which can’t be made on site.
Denny’s is now a ‘GoLo’ station, nice to see the plant using a small local business. Found the above cups during my internet research. Funny thing is that they were close, but not that close. I’m sure they could have found a tow truck or snow plow closer than this. Nice piece of NW Indiana history.
The first of a few instances finding the same person working for two different companies. In this case, both engineering firms.I came across Dravo’s work on a paper regarding Ammonia handling in the BP plant (note their sticker on the front cover).Speaking of Dravo, Mr. H. Max Hooper aka H. Maxwell Hooper had a pretty solid relationship with Acme; continuing to service them across three different employers. Wilputte built the oven batteries back in the late 50s and continued to provide support until the plant closed. Struthers was another engineering firm, the very first piece of paperwork I even found at the plant was regarding some of their work (below).It could be argued that environmental regulations killed the US Steel industry. Better to have your steel made in a place where they don’t care about worker safety or the planet! The constantly increasing cost for those two things slowly put companies like Acme under and sent the rest to China and India. Here we have a number of federal, state and city regulatory bodies.
If there was any question how much business Acme did with Fosbel even after seeing so many cards, check out the promo items I found in the asst. division managers office below.Late in the game, Acme began to produce foundry coke. A different animal from the met coke they produced for their blast furnace across the river, I have to think these two companies were interested in Acme’s products.Hickman, Williams and CO is still around – they have been in operation for over 100 years! They moved from their location near the mill to the SW suburbs but are still doing their thing. Funny because I had found their site a while back accidentally looking for info on coal sizing.I just found an excellent report filled with color photos by this firm. I thought it was crazy that they would hire a company from New York (the only address on the report) but it looks like they did have some local help.I found some info showing that this outfit also did some consulting for the CTA. Again, good to see a local south side firm.Koppers is best known for their oven batteries – a direct competitor to the Wilputte batteries that Acme had. I’m guessing they did some consultations and engineering for the batteries or the plant in general. Most interesting was Donald R. Hall’s card – on the back was a handwritten note referencing a very old book about coal in Alabama.Just found a videotape from this firm. Still not sure if the the dive seen there is at Acme (perhaps in the Calumet River?) or elsewhere. Very dangerous and likely expensive work!Another south side business! I instantly fell in love with the handwritten look of this card and the Buffalo Nickel. Found the below in a 1980 issue of “Missouri S&T Magazine” (Missouri University of Science and Technology, of which Mr. Nickel was likely an alumni).
Mostardi-Platt was contracted to help institute a program for better emission control in ovens. I found their name on a few documents, one of which is the ‘Charging Inspections’.
Mr. CO2! (or is it Mr. CO2 Jr.? If so, where is Sr.?). Love these cards and the fact that he hails from the SE side. I saved the cards because they are so outrageous but later found the below purchase order. I don’t think those cards are from 1973 so looks like Mr. CO2 enjoyed a long relationship with the plant. [Edit: I found an article stating that it is a family business and the company is currently run by Grant III].
Found Orbital’s thorough work on the HKC tunnel inspection as well as on some similar large prints regarding gas header pipe thickness in the batteries.
A veteran of the steel industry, Pat McKeown is right up there with H. Max Hooper for having a trifecta of Acme vendors on his resume.Love everything about this one. The city, the name, the picture on the card. Unfortunately, can’t find much info and looks like they have been closed for sometime. RIP.Pushing 17 tons out of an oven chamber 100 times a day, everyday tends to damage the brickwork inside. So you better have a solid supply of vendors available to fix them up!This card was very mysterious. NW Indiana but no mention of what Mr. Highley’s business was. I guess his name spoke for itself. Interesting that Acme’s division managers last name is hand written on the card. Mr. Highley passed away in 2006.Only one reason to love this card – and one more reason to wish I had a cool nickname.Did Mr. Thakur fly in from India to do some consulting at Acme? Maybe a contact made at a trade show? Another mystery which will remain unsolved.This card is from the 80s at the earliest, but I know that Acme was using Tretolite products since the 60s based on a report I recently found regarding tar moisture.
Last but CERTAINLY not least! Wilputte designed and installed the batteries at Acme in the late 50s and one of them still stands today. Not many companies will provide support 50 years after you purchase something.
And now for something completely different, and what I must admit is my favorite part. Local restaurants. Did some research on each of these.
Casino Restaurant and Lounge: found some mentions on chowhound.com. Sounds like my kind of place!
Gaddini’s I know of. I often eat at Chicago Pita Kitchen in Hegewisch after a morning at Acme. In the warmer months I bring my food to Mann Park but otherwise I eat in my truck. The sign just came down recently, but just west of there on Brainerd was a closed place called “Just Jim’s”. I’d always notice while looking west out my driver’s side window. Some quick research found this:
Perhaps the owner’s of Gaddini’s leased the building when they no longer cared to operate the restaurant and the new tenant changed the name.Gino’s closed up shop in Harvey in 2000 but moved to Merriville where they are still open today!
As for the others:
Looks like the Purple Steer closed both the Cal City location but is still open on Indianapolis Blvd (though their website says that is Whiting, not Hammond)
I cannot find any info on Larry’s Pastries, the location is now personal & auto loans business
“That Oriental Place” was already closed and about to become a Hooter’s in 1997
Outrigger’s Lansing location is still up and running
Fiesta Grande still had an active license with the city as of 2002. I have to think that a Mexican place that advertises they have ‘soft or crispy’ tacos caters to a fairly pale demographic!
Greek Island is now a pancake house – the original owner died in late 2020. RIP.
