Le 26/02/04 18:29, « Tony Brewis » <[log in to unmask]> a écrit :
> Harald Finster has passed on Jacqueline Coop's query regarding
> the ownership of the coke ovens at Lysaught's steelworks in
> Scunthorpe in the 1960s.
>
...
>
> I would say that the coke ovens were a key part of the steelworks
> complex, whether or not they were on the same site. Their prime
> purpose would be to produce coke for use in the blast furnaces
> during the initial smelting of the iron ore (in those days predominantly
> the local Frodingham ferruginous lime-rich ore mined both opencast
> and underground in the locality). Coke oven gas was a major by-product,
> most of which would have been used around the works for essential
> heating purposes, such as pre-heating the blast air for the blast
> furnaces, keeping cast steel ingots hot prior to rolling, etc, etc
I worked in Cardiff East Moors Dowlais Works (at the Splottlands) in the
early seventies on the Coke Ovens. Tony is quite right about the role and
different functions of a steel works coke ovens complex. Far too little has
been saved or recorded on these fascinating and impressive installations.
Working "continental" shifts, ie two days on mornings, two on afternoons,
two on nights, and two off, one's whole world seemed to revolve around them.
The night shift on the ovens was the most impressive, opening the oven lids
with the sprag as the Severn Sea wind whirled the flames around (you could
recognise us by the singed eyebrows) in readiness for the Larry Car to bring
over the powdered Maesteg coal (mind that whirling cloud of black pointy
dust in your eye), then spragging shut the lid and going for a smoke while
the Larry Car trundled back for the next row of ovens to be filled ; then
the oven openings as the Coke Car trundled along the sides and the side
doors opening and the roaring flaming coke tumbling out to be trundled under
the Quencher, the great white spume of steam in the night...Hell's Kitchen
indeed. My shift consisted of myself - a Lancashire lad, a boyo from Bedwas
called Micky, a Nigerian D.Phil, a Ukrainian, a Pakistani, and the shift
manager, a rugbyman from Penarth :)
Can't resist a last memory ; queuing up in the canteen, only two sets of
lads could jump the queue ; us, and taking precedence over us, the Furnace
Gangs. Pecking order by closeness to the Fire, and Nobility of the fired
substance produced :)
Cheers,
Ian
>
> I think I would be right in saying that all three steelworks in the
> Scunthorpe area each had its own set of coke ovens. As I remember
> it, Lysaught's works had three blast furnaces, smaller than the four
> giant "Queens" at the Appleby Frodingham plant.
>
> Tony Brewis
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