Daily Archives: November 27, 2011

Spool of Northwestern Barb Wire as what it would have looked like in the 1980's

Northwestern Barb Wire was established in Rock Falls IL

The first home of the Northwestern Barb Wire Company was secured by the officers of the company, in 1897, in an old wagon plant located in Rock Falls. The building was next to an elevator and flour mill owned by Lloyd Dillon, Washington Dillon’s older brother. The building’s had been constructed of stone quarried from a bed of the Rock River.

A basic reason for starting the mill in that particular location was the availability of water power from the nearby Rock River. Water power was developed originally and was provided on the Sterling side of the river by the Sterling Hydraulic Company. Half interest in the Hydraulic Company was sold to A.P. Smith, founder of Rock Falls. However, when he started the town of Rock Falls in 1867, he built a mill race on the south side of the river to serve industry in the new community.

The importance of having water power is evident considering the fact Thomas Edison invented the incandescent light that same year the Northwestern Barb Wire Company was incorporated in 1879. The date of the first electric plant in Sterling was 1890. The first gasoline engine made for sale was built in Sterling in 1886. So, the only choices for dependable power in the year 1879, were steam and water.

Even so, most of the work was done by hand during that period and the Northwestern Barb Wire Company had a work force of 10 persons. Where production is concerned, the work began turning out about 60 spools of barb wire per a 24 hour day.

Another major advantage of the particular period of time was the accessibility of two railroads in the Sterling and Rock Falls community in which to provide excellent shipping facilities for projects manufactured locally.

Source, Daily Gazette – Original story slightly modified by Dana Fellows ~ 2011

Baling Wire From Northwestern Steel & Wire Co.

The Bale Tie and Coiled Wire Process, as it was done in 1957.

The manufacturing of bale ties at Northwestern Steel & Wire Company was an important item in the company’s project line. Bale ties users were many, including farmers, manufacturers, merchants, and other who required the use of this particular pliable, strong wire.

The following explains how the bale tie and coiled wire department operated as explained in the January 1957 issue of “Northwestern News.”

“This is the story of bale ties and coiled baling wire and how it is produced at Northwestern. Let’s first look at the process involved in the production of bale ties. First, the desired gauges of wire of special analyzed steel is loaded on large reels and then fed through annealing furnaces at controlled temperatures to produce the required pliability and still maintain the strength quality.

“From the furnace the wires pass through a straightening operation and then to the fabricating machine which cuts the ties to the exact length required. From there it automatically forms a single loop or a ‘clinch-hed’ tie. The single loop tie has a loop or eye twisted on one end, therefore making it a simple operation for the user to insert the end of the wire through the loop or eye and twist by hand to secure the bale.

“The ‘clinch-hed’ is a patented bale tie and eliminates the tedious job of hand twisting. The ‘clinch-hed’ tie has a special loop or eye formed on one end of the wire and a head formed on the other end similar to the head of the common nail. The user then needs only to insert the nail head end of the tie through the special loop or eye and the expansion of the bale automatically locks nail heard and eye securely so that it cannot come apart.

“Next the ties are processed through our building machine operations where the bale ties are bundled 250-500 wires each bundle depending on customer requirements. There, a red burlap protective covering is applied to the loop or eye end of the bundle and white burlap protective covering is applied to the tail end of the bundle.

“The entire bundle is then “spiral wrapped” with copper-coated wire for additional protection during handling and shipment to our customers.

“Our bale ties, commonly known as Red Head Gold Band Bale Ties, are produces any desired gauges and lengths to meet the requirements of our customers.

“About 1949, the Manufacturers of Baling Equipment introduced an automatic, self-tying baling machine, that requires the use of annealed wire in coils or spools, which replaces the old hand-fed machines.

“Northwestern has pioneered in the production of this spooled wire for use with automatic self-tying balers.”

Coiled Baling Wire

“In the production of coiled baling wire, the wire, after being drawn from rods to the desired sizes, is then further processed through annealing furnaces to obtain the desired pliability and tensile strength. From there, the wire is re-coiled on our coiling machines into desired coil or spool specifications to meet our customer requirements.

“After the wire is coiled, the coils are sent by conveyor to the packaging end, where they are packed in special cardboard containers and sealed, ready for shipment to the customer.

“For many years, Northwestern has been a leader in quality bale ties and in coiled baling wire from ins inception. The improved production methods and improved quality developed thought these years are proud accomplishments of the men who make this product.

Article taken from the Daily Gazette with some corrections and modifications. Dana Fellows ~ 2011

Northwestern Steel & Wire Company ~ The Terrible Thirties

During the 10 year period of the 1930’s, Northwestern Steel & Wire Company was hit with several disasters. This 10 year period, besides the last 10 before it closed, might have been the most difficult in the company’s history.

The “terrible thirties” not only affected the local area but the entire nation.

Events highlighting those years at Northwestern included the following events:

1930-1932: The Great Depression. NWSW did not closed during this time; however the hours were shortened due to the slowdown in production during this period.

1935-1936: Still in a depression period, NWSW faced and found solutions to financing problems for their conversion to a steel mill operation.

1936-1937: NWSW faced labor problems and during this period officially recognized the first steel-workers union.

1938: Swollen waters from the ice-jammed Rock River went over their banks and flooded many parts of the NWSW plant in the worst flood disaster the company’s history. There was no work stoppage and employees pitched in to rebuild with re-constructions beginning immediately.

1939: A disastrous fire swept throughout the bale tie and other departments casing major damages. Again, there was no work interruption and the re-construction began immediately

1940: Business began an upswing in the two years before the nation would become engulfed in World War II.

Dana Fellows ~ 2011

Source: Daily Gazette

Sauk Valley News did a story on the mill 10 years after the closing. You can read it here.