pioneer smelting

[Brookside]

Hello,

I am new to this Site and was reading the posts regarding Ghost towns and Forgotten Places when I came across this post regarding the Pioneer Smelting Site. I am very curious about this Site as I had heard somewhere that it was built during WWII as a wartime industrial project and used as a zinc smelter. Supposely, the plant only operated for a few years during the war and was abandoned in 1946. Pioneer Smelting bought the property in 1972 and started an aluminum recyclying facility. I am curious about wartime industries in the pines and was wondering if anyone has any more information regarding who built the plant and operated the zinc smelter?

 

[Jerseyman]

Hello,

I am new to this Site and was reading the posts regarding Ghost towns and Forgotten Places when I came across this post regarding the Pioneer Smelting Site. I am very curious about this Site as I had heard somewhere that it was built during WWII as a wartime industrial project and used as a zinc smelter. Supposely, the plant only operated for a few years during the war and was abandoned in 1946. Pioneer Smelting bought the property in 1972 and started an aluminum recyclying facility. I am curious about wartime industries in the pines and was wondering if anyone has any more information regarding who built the plant and operated the zinc smelter?

Brookside:

Welcome aboard! I hope you enjoy being a member of these forums. Here is what I can tell you on the zinc smelter at Chatsworth:

Following the attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, the Superior Zinc Company of Bristol, Pennsylvania sought to enlarge its capacity for wartime production by constructing a new zinc producer plant outside of Chatsworth, New Jersey. Superior formed the Plains Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary, to construct and manage operations in Chatsworth. The plant would produce slab zinc from sal ammoniac skimmings--a byproduct of the galvanic coating industry--and dross derived from the zinc casting industry. The Chatsworth plant featured two 99-foot long furnaces with each having a capacity of 300 retorts stacked four high. Joseph Wharton originally invented this type of furnace called a Hegeler Furnace. The manufactory featured a Morgan type gas producer to fuel the furnaces and also produced its own pottery retorts. The plant opened for operations on 1 April 1942.

The choice to process sal ammoniac skimmings proved disastrous for the plant. Not only would the presence of chloride in this byproduct reduce the total zinc yield, but zinc chloride gas generated in processing the byproduct into zinc served as a strong irritant to plant workers. A design flaw in the plant provided a closed rather than an open roof over the furnaces, creating poor ventilation and trapping the zinc chloride gas in the retort house. Over time, the trapped irritant gas sickened so many workers that they could not charge the retorts and the plant closed very suddenly on 1 December 1942, exactly seven months after inaugurating operations It did not reopen under Superior's control. The plant sat vacant for a while before Superior either leased it out or sold it to other operators.

Best regards,
Jerseyman

 

[Teegate]

Brookside:



Following the attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, the Superior Zinc Company of Bristol, Pennsylvania sought to enlarge its capacity for wartime production by constructing a new zinc producer plant outside of Chatsworth, New Jersey. Superior formed the Plains Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary, to construct and manage operations in Chatsworth. The plant would produce slab zinc from sal ammoniac skimmings--a byproduct of the galvanic coating industry--and dross derived from the zinc casting industry. The Chatsworth plant featured two 99-foot long furnaces with each having a capacity of 300 retorts stacked four high. Joseph Wharton originally invented this type of furnace called a Hegeler Furnace. The manufactory featured a Morgan type gas producer to fuel the furnaces and also produced its own pottery retorts. The plant opened for operations on 1 April 1942.

The choice to process sal ammoniac skimmings proved disastrous for the plant. Not only would the presence of chloride in this byproduct reduce the total zinc yield, but zinc chloride gas generated in processing the byproduct into zinc served as a strong irritant to plant workers. A design flaw in the plant provided a closed rather than an open roof over the furnaces, creating poor ventilation and trapping the zinc chloride gas in the retort house. Over time, the trapped irritant gas sickened so many workers that they could not charge the retorts and the plant closed very suddenly on 1 December 1942, exactly seven months after inaugurating operations It did not reopen under Superior's control. The plant sat vacant for a while before Superior either leased it out or sold it to other operators.

Best regards,
Jerseyman

Nice piece of info Jerseyman. Thank you!

Just think that in that short time, and all these years later, they had to remove quite a bit of the dirt around there because it was contaminated.


Guy

 

[Jerseyman]

Nice piece of info Jerseyman. Thank you!

Just think that in that short time, and all these years later, they had to remove quite a bit of the dirt around there because it was contaminated.


Guy

Guy:

Thanks for the kind words. The contamination in and around the plant stems not only from Superior processes, but also from subsequent operators at the plant like Pioneer.

Best regards,
Jerseyman

 

[Brookside]

Brookside:

Welcome aboard! I hope you enjoy being a member of these forums. Here is what I can tell you on the zinc smelter at Chatsworth:

Following the attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, the Superior Zinc Company of Bristol, Pennsylvania sought to enlarge its capacity for wartime production by constructing a new zinc producer plant outside of Chatsworth, New Jersey. Superior formed the Plains Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary, to construct and manage operations in Chatsworth. The plant would produce slab zinc from sal ammoniac skimmings--a byproduct of the galvanic coating industry--and dross derived from the zinc casting industry. The Chatsworth plant featured two 99-foot long furnaces with each having a capacity of 300 retorts stacked four high. Joseph Wharton originally invented this type of furnace called a Hegeler Furnace. The manufactory featured a Morgan type gas producer to fuel the furnaces and also produced its own pottery retorts. The plant opened for operations on 1 April 1942.

The choice to process sal ammoniac skimmings proved disastrous for the plant. Not only would the presence of chloride in this byproduct reduce the total zinc yield, but zinc chloride gas generated in processing the byproduct into zinc served as a strong irritant to plant workers. A design flaw in the plant provided a closed rather than an open roof over the furnaces, creating poor ventilation and trapping the zinc chloride gas in the retort house. Over time, the trapped irritant gas sickened so many workers that they could not charge the retorts and the plant closed very suddenly on 1 December 1942, exactly seven months after inaugurating operations It did not reopen under Superior's control. The plant sat vacant for a while before Superior either leased it out or sold it to other operators.

Best regards,
Jerseyman

Jerseyman,

WOW, thanks for the great information and welcoming me to the forum. Is this information from a book or other written source or personal knowledge. If it is a written source, please relay the information as I would love to get a copy to add to my collection. Again, thanks so much for the quick response and great info.

 

[Teegate]

Jerseyman,

WOW, thanks for the great information and welcoming me to the forum. Is this information from a book or other written source or personal knowledge. If it is a written source, please relay the information as I would love to get a copy to add to my collection. Again, thanks so much for the quick response and great info.

All you have to do is read all of his posts at the below link, and I think you will find it obvious that you have been enlightened by the "enlightener”. Throw away your encyclopedia and ask him


http://forums.njpinebarrens.com/search.php?searchid=35702

Guy

 

[Ben Ruset]

Jerseyman is really the king of all information.

 

[james ungehajer]

http://www.jtbaker.com/msds/englishhtml/z2280.htm

I use to work for a major chemical company in the delaware valley for 32 years,this msds sheet(material safety data sheet)explains all the info needed on a certain chemical,the msds sheets are available to anyone looking for any info for all chemicals,the msds sheets were the saving grace for all the chemicals we worked with.

 

[Jerseyman]

Jerseyman,

WOW, thanks for the great information and welcoming me to the forum. Is this information from a book or other written source or personal knowledge. If it is a written source, please relay the information as I would love to get a copy to add to my collection. Again, thanks so much for the quick response and great info.

Brookside:

What I wrote represents accumulated knowledge from a variety of sources--some rather obscure. Sorry I cannot provide you with a title for a single work on the topic.

Best regards,
Jerseyman

 

[Jerseyman]

All you have to do is read all of his posts at the below link, and I think you will find it obvious that you have been enlightened by the "enlightener”. Throw away your encyclopedia and ask him


http://forums.njpinebarrens.com/search.php?searchid=35702

Guy

Guy:

Ben needs a smilie for embarrassed, because that's what I am right now!
Thanks for the vote of confidence.

Best regards,
Jerseyman

 

[autumn_mist]

I read on http://www.stuofdoom.com/ that the Smelting Plant was demolished in 2003. Any truth to that? Also has anyone ever heard of or been to the "Sex Plant" that is supposedly located off of Savoy Blvd, near this place?

 

[Ben Ruset]

I read on http://www.stuofdoom.com/ that the Smelting Plant was demolished in 2003. Any truth to that? Also has anyone ever heard of or been to the "Sex Plant" that is supposedly located off of Savoy Blvd, near this place?

Yes, it was demolished. The only thing left is the water tower.

The "sex plant" is an abandoned factory/warehouse on Savoy Blvd close to Chatsworth not too far from the Pioneer Smelting property. It's a blue building that is visible from the road. I think it's named what it is because of the graffiti inside.

 

[Todd Hansell]

Hi!!!! New member however old school enthusiast of the Jersey pinelands. Found this and thought it was interesting. An ancestor of mine from the Tabernacle area filled out a draft registration card in 1942 and reported that he worked for Plains Corp.

 

[Todd Hansell]

Most of my Hansell ancestors were firmly planted in Philadelphia since the 1750s however a branch of them became fruit and berry farmers in the area of Willingboro, Beverly, Rancocas, and Delanco. From there the family spread further but not far into the Pines. My great-great-great grandfather Joseph M Hansell died near Rancocas in the 1850s. Still looking for where he was buried. Back then the Hansells were all Quakers. Several from this branch were buried at the Quaker burying ground in Rancocas but he isn't listed. Sorry I know this is off topic

 

[Teegate]

Hi!!!! New member however old school enthusiast of the Jersey pinelands. Found this and thought it was interesting. An ancestor of mine from the Tabernacle area filled out a draft registration card in 1942 and reported that he worked for Plains Corp.

So the question is did he live on Speedwell Friendship or Friendship Road? Friendship on today's maps turns to Powell Place Road in Tabernacle.

 

[Todd Hansell]

Still trying to figure that out