Unearthing the past
Reminder of Cape Breton’s rich industrial history
SYDNEY — A piece of Cape Breton’s rich industrial heritage has surfaced during an excavation on the grounds of the former Sydney steel plant.
Workers preparing a site in the Harbourside Commercial Park for a new Protocase building recently uncovered a large and heavy, inverted bellshaped, ladle-like, iron pot.
And, while there is nothing surprising about unearthing remnants of the once sprawling steel mill that stood on the central Sydney site for a century, plans are already in the works to display this latest find in a prominent place as a reminder of the key role the plant played in the history, culture and economy of the area.
Protocase co-founder and vice president Doug Milburn said the giant pot is more than just another old, rusty and dirty piece of equipment. The 56-year-old businessman and inventor, who grew up in Sydney, said the piece is a symbolic link to the once state-of-the-art steel plant that was established in 1901 and operated for a century.
“We’re going to do some research on this and determine what exactly it was used for and how old it is, and then we’re going to get it cleaned up and have a nice plaque made and give it a nice spot on front of one of the buildings,” said Milburn, noting that he’s hoping to tap into the records and archives of the Whitney Pier Historical Society Museum.
“We should be showcasing what we had here, we should be immensely proud that we once led the Canadian economy and that Sydney was known for producing the world's best rails.”
And, speaking of rails, Milburn said the ongoing excavation has also unearthed a number of old train track rails.
“But those rails are very brittle and falling apart, so they were probably made before Irwin C. Mackie changed the game,” he said.
So, who was Mackie and what did he do?
Mackie was a metallurgist who worked at the Sydney plant in the early-1930s when it was part of the Dominion Steel and Coal Corporation (DOSCO). His ingenious contribution to steel-making happened when he came up with a way to stop cracks from appearing in the rails by slowing down the cooling process. Sydney-produced rails became known as the best and within a few short years, the method was employed by steel producers around the world. But, back to the big pot. Milburn posted pictures of the find on social media and the feedback was almost immediate. While some suggested that the piece resembled a Dalek from the Doctor Who sci-fi television series, former steelworker Brad Arsenault weighed in with some knowledge from his years at the plant.
“It looks like an older style ladle that was used in the number two open hearth for pouring into the furnaces. It could also be a slag pot, the type that were dumped on a rail car,” he posted.
“I reflected back to my foundry days and recall the ladles from the blast furnace were delivered by the railroad to the Ashby side of the foundry. The ladles were then transferred inside the foundry where they could then be tipped into smaller ladles using a large metal wheel. The ladles were also used for making gears and bearings from speciality heats such as brass from the old electric arc furnace.”
Alas, the unique jargon of the steel industry is not as familiar as it once was in this area. But by displaying steel plant items such as the giant ladle, Milburn is hoping to make more people aware of the importance of the former steel plant.
“Back then, Cape Breton would have been considered the Fort McMurray of the day - where else did people from all corners of the world come to work, they came here to Sydney because of the state-of-the-art steelworks, this was a happening place,” he said.
“Steel was the hi-tech industry of the time and coal was what oil is now.”
The plant closed in 2000.