It’s hard to separate the terrible labor history of Sloss Furnaces from the sheer beauty of photographing old things, but that’s how I’m going to do it here. Today’s post is all about how old things have their own kind of beauty. As Neil Young said, rust never sleeps.
These hot blast stoves, six in total at the installation, heated air before it went into the furnaces.
This gear at the base of one of the hot blast stoves fascinated me, from the colors to the grit of the decaying metal.
The base of the hot blast stoves, where the fire was, all displayed this pattern, perhaps from expanding and contracting over time. It is surprisingly smooth although it seemed from looking like it would feel more textured.
Inside the Power House, rust is slowly but steadily winning the battle against any kind of conservation effort. These are water pumps in the Blowing Engine room, the oldest building on the site.
Many round things can be found at Sloss, and this was my favorite, at the base of the hot blast stoves.
I’ll end with my favorite of the day’s effort: Furnace #1 in the foreground and the eponymous water tower behind. That furnace would reach temperatures up to 3800F back in the day.
For more on this location: Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark
No man can stand still; the moment progress is not made, retrogression begins. If the blade is not kept sharp and bright, the law of rust will assert its claim.
Orison Swett Marden
Thanks Annie, a certain Mechanical Engineer we know would appreciate this.
He would have, I kept thinking that. I must have learned something from him, I correctly guessed that one room was the power room, recognized pistons and other things from long-ago tours of power plants.
These are so beautiful and thoughtfully captured. I love your eye for detail and the way you catch the light. What a fascinating place. Thanks for taking us along on the journey!