Andrew Carnegie and the Steel
Mills
By Karsten Knuver
Summary
• From 1850-1914, there were many influential men
and women. But possibly the most influential
person of that time was Andrew Carnegie and his
steel mills. Mr. Carnegie and his mills produced
massive amounts of steel, which
helped America become a strong
industrial nation. Andrew
Carnegie and his steel mills
helped America grow into the
country that it is today.
Andrew Carnegie
• Andrew Carnegie was born
on November 25, 1835,
in Dunfermline, Scotland.
He and his very poor parents
immigrated to America when
he was just 13 years old.
Throughout his childhood,
Mr. Carnegie had many different jobs.
Andrew Carnegie
• Some of them include working as a bobbin boy
at a cotton factory, an engine tender, a
telegraph messenger and operator, and working
for Pennsylvania Railroads. He slowly worked
himself up to the position of
secretary/telegraph
operator.
Andrew Carnegie
• By age 18, he started a rapid advance through
the company. Soon, he was
the superintendant of the
Pittsburg Division of the
Pennsylvania Railroads. In
1864, he invested in Storey Farm on Oil Creek
in Venango County, Pennsylvania. Within a
year the Farm brought in $1,000,000 in
dividends.
Andrew Carnegie
• After the First World War,
Andrew Carnegie left the
railroads to focus on the
production of iron and steel.
He worked to develop several
iron works, which eventually
formed into the Keystone Bridge Company.
Andrew Carnegie
• However, he still continued to
keep close ties with the
management of Pennsylvania
Railroads, Thomas A. Scott and
J. Edgar Thomson. He used this
connection to get contracts for Keystone Bridge
Company from Pennsylvania Railroads.
Andrew Carnegie
• Carnegie soon controlled the most
extensive iron and steel operation
ever owned by someone in the
United States. One of his greatest
innovations which helped him
create his massive operation was adapting the
Bessemer process for making steel. This was a
cheap and efficient way to mass produce steel.
Andrew Carnegie
• In 1888, he bought Homestead Steel Works, a
rival extensive steel plant served by tributary
coal and iron fields, a 425 mile long railway,
and also a line of steamships. By 1889, his
steel empire had grown to include the J. Edgar
Thomson Steel Works, the Lucy Furnaces, the
Union Iron Mills, the Hartman Steel works,
and the Frick Coke Company, to name a few.
Andrew Carnegie
• In 1901, Andrew Carnegie was 66 years old and
was thinking about retiring. Negotiations
concluded on March 2, 1901, and the United
States Steel Corporation was
formed. J.P. Morgan bought
Carnegie’s steel empire for
$480 million, the equivalent of $13,468,800,000
today. At the time, this was the largest
personal commercial transaction.
Andrew Carnegie
• Of this, Andrew Carnegie received $6,331,430,340 in
today’s standard. After retirement, he continued his
business career. He devoted
himself to providing money
for social and educational
advancements. He founded
more than 20 different
organizations that supported
a variety of different causes. Some of them include
Carnegie Hall, in New York, the Carnegie
Institution, Carnegie Hero fund, Carnegie Mellon
University, and Carnegie Institution of Washington
Andrew Carnegie
• Carnegie spent the last years of
his life as a Philanthropist.
He donated much of his money
to institutes and organizations.
One of them includes the
Tuskegee Institute, which was established by Booker
T. Washington. Andrew Carnegie died on August 11,
1919, in Lenox, Massachusetts. The cause of his
death was bronchial pneumonia. He had given away
almost 90% of his vast fortune before his death. After
he died, the remaining $30,000,000 of his wealth was
given away to foundations, charities, and pensioners.
Steel Making
• There are 3 main raw materials used in steel making,
with 9 other materials used in small amounts. Iron
ore, coking coals, and scrap are the 3
main ingredients in the production of
steel. Manganese and silicon are in all
or most steels. In some steels there is
nickel, chromium, zinc and tin.
Molybdenum, vanadium, and tungsten
are only minor elements used in some steel.
Process of Making Steel
• Three basic steps are used to make
steel. First, the source of heat that
is used to melt the iron ore is
produced. A furnace is usually
used for melting the iron ore down.
After that, the iron ore is melted
down in the furnace. Finally, the
molten iron is processed to produce
steel. All three of these steps can be done at one
facility, but the fuel source is quite frequently
purchased from an offsite producer.
Steel Uses
• In the 1900s steel was a very important
resource. This is because it was used in so
many different ways. For example, steel was
used in railways, roads, buildings, medical
equipment, car bodies,
pipelines, farm machinery,
quarry equipment, and
walkways.
Steel Mill Worker Conditions
• The worker’s lives in steel mills were grueling. They
had to work twelve hours a day, 7
days a week. The only day Andrew
Carnegie gave his workers off was
the fourth of July. The rest of the
year they worked. One worker said
that he lost forty pounds in three
months after working in Carnegie’s
steel mills. Workers had hardly any time off during
the work day. Most of the steel workers didn’t have
any time to eat, so they simply didn’t eat lunch.
Steel Mill Worker Conditions
• The only time the workers
stopped for anything was to oil
the engine, which only
took three to five minutes to
complete. On top of the long
work days, the job itself was also
taxing. Molten iron, dangerous
machines, and the scorching air are just some of the
conditions that the steel workers had to endure. But
eventually, the steel workers had enough and formed a
union. They demanded shorter hours, safer conditions, and
more money for their dangerous work. They finally got
what they wanted, and conditions improved immensely.
Closing
• Throughout most of the period of US
Growing and Developing, Andrew
Carnegie had a profound impact. He
and his steel mills produced massive
amounts of steel to help the United
States become an industrialized nation;
setting up America to become a
worldwide powerhouse. He made massive amounts of
money, but he didn’t keep it all for himself. At the
time of his death, he had given approximately 90% of
all his wealth away.
Closing
• He donated it to organizations,
institutions, and groups that
needed it most. Mr. Carnegie
donated money to found Carnegie
Hall, which to this day still provides New York
with a stage for famous musicians from
allmover the world to play on. Without
Andrew Carnegie, none of this would have
happened. America would very well probably
not be at where it is today.
Closing
• Had it not been for Andrew
Carnegie, America would be a
very different place than it is
today. We should all thank
Andrew for his contributions
to America and to humanity
as a whole, especially to the
United States. Andrew Carnegie helped
America Grow and Develop from 1860-1910 to
the nation that it is today.
Work Cited
• Encyclopedia Britannica, Volume 4, Andrew Carnegie, page
930
• United States History, Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 2007,
Section 2 Big Business, page 620
• Andrew Carnegie,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Carnegie
• Andrew Carnegie, http://www.history.com/topics/andrewcarnegie
• Steel Making, http://www.oecd.org/industry/ind/47858288.pdf
• Steel Making,
http://www.istc.illinois.edu/info/library_docs/manuals/primmet
als/chapter2.htm
Work Cited
• Steel Uses, http://www.ask.com/question/what-is-steel-used-for
• Steel Uses,
http://www.steeluniversity.org/content/html/eng/default.asp?cati
d=2&pageid=-424514437
• Steel Production,
http://www.steel.org/About%20AISI/Statistics.aspx
• Steel Mill Worker Conditions,
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/carnegie/sfeature/mf_steelworke
r.html
• Steel Mill Worker Conditions,
http://www.jaha.org/edu/discovery_center/work/img/conditions/i
ndex.html
• Steel Mill Worker Conditions,
http://www.asbestos.com/occupations/steel-mill-workers.php