Edison Ore-Milling Company
Encyclopedia
The Edison Ore-Milling Company was a venture by Thomas Edison
that began in 1881. Edison introduced some significant technological developments to the iron ore milling industry but the company ultimately proved to be unprofitable. Towards the end of the company's life Edison realised the potential application of his technologies to the cement
industry, and formed the Edison Portland Cement Company
in 1899.
meant that he had sufficient finances to invest in other projects. Discovering that beach sand
contained relatively high deposits of iron
, he decided to form the Edison Ore-Milling Company in 1881. He patented a method of extracting the metal using a large electromagnet
after developing the process in an addition to his laboratory. The remaining deposits of iron in the eastern side of the United States were of poor quality, and the difficulty in separating it from the rock and other debris made it unprofitable. Edison believed that his method was a cheaper alternative, allowing him to keep costs down. William Kennedy Dickson had been put in charge of much of the laboratory and further refined the techniques along with mining expert John Birkinbine. However, the market for Edison's iron was not sufficient to bring in a profit and the operation was closed down after just a few years.
. He opened a plant in Bechtelsville, Pennsylvania
near to existing iron mines as a trial before building one of the world's largest ore-crushing mills in Ogdensberg
, New Jersey
. Completed in 1889, the factory contained three giant electromagnets and was intended to process up to 1200 tons of iron ore every day. Technical difficulties repeatedly thwarted production.
Edison formed the Edison General Electric Company in 1890 but it only lasted two years, merging in 1892 with the Thomson-Houston Electric Company
to form the General Electric Company
. He redirected his interest back to iron ore, having high hopes for what he could achieve: "I'm going to do something now so different and so much bigger than anything I've ever done before people will forget that my name ever was connected with anything electrical."
That year, he closed the Ogdensburg plant for upgrades, using the sale of stocks in General Electric to install new equipment that would be able to output even more iron ore. When it reopened, the earlier problems persisted and Edison once again had difficulties finding customers.
The manufacturing process produced a large quantity of waste sand, which the company sold on to cement manufacturers. The properties of the sand were particularly suitable for cement, leading to a harder, more durable product. Selling off the ore-crushing technology to mine owners, Edison decided to switch to the cement business, reusing some of the technology he had developed for ore-milling.
Thomas Edison
Thomas Alva Edison was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and a long-lasting, practical electric light bulb. In addition, he created the world’s first industrial...
that began in 1881. Edison introduced some significant technological developments to the iron ore milling industry but the company ultimately proved to be unprofitable. Towards the end of the company's life Edison realised the potential application of his technologies to the cement
Cement
In the most general sense of the word, a cement is a binder, a substance that sets and hardens independently, and can bind other materials together. The word "cement" traces to the Romans, who used the term opus caementicium to describe masonry resembling modern concrete that was made from crushed...
industry, and formed the Edison Portland Cement Company
Edison Portland Cement Company
The Edison Portland Cement Company was a venture by Thomas Edison that helped to improve the Portland cement industry. Edison was developing an iron ore milling process and discovered a market in the sale of waste sand to cement manufacturers...
in 1899.
Beginnings
Edison had recognised the scarcity of iron ore in the 1870s, particularly in the east of the United States. His developments in the field of electricityElectricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
meant that he had sufficient finances to invest in other projects. Discovering that beach sand
Sand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...
contained relatively high deposits of iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
, he decided to form the Edison Ore-Milling Company in 1881. He patented a method of extracting the metal using a large electromagnet
Electromagnet
An electromagnet is a type of magnet in which the magnetic field is produced by the flow of electric current. The magnetic field disappears when the current is turned off...
after developing the process in an addition to his laboratory. The remaining deposits of iron in the eastern side of the United States were of poor quality, and the difficulty in separating it from the rock and other debris made it unprofitable. Edison believed that his method was a cheaper alternative, allowing him to keep costs down. William Kennedy Dickson had been put in charge of much of the laboratory and further refined the techniques along with mining expert John Birkinbine. However, the market for Edison's iron was not sufficient to bring in a profit and the operation was closed down after just a few years.
Refocusing
After a short time away from the industry, Edison decided to return, adapting his methods to crush rocks brought up directly from a mineMining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
. He opened a plant in Bechtelsville, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
near to existing iron mines as a trial before building one of the world's largest ore-crushing mills in Ogdensberg
Ogdensburg, New Jersey
Ogdensburg is a Borough in Sussex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 2,638.The borough was formed based on an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 26, 1914, from part of Sparta Township, based on the results of a referendum...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. Completed in 1889, the factory contained three giant electromagnets and was intended to process up to 1200 tons of iron ore every day. Technical difficulties repeatedly thwarted production.
Edison formed the Edison General Electric Company in 1890 but it only lasted two years, merging in 1892 with the Thomson-Houston Electric Company
Thomson-Houston Electric Company
The Thomson-Houston Electric Company was a manufacturing company which was one of the precursors of the General Electric Company.The Thomson-Houston Electric Company was formed in 1883 in the United States when a group of Lynn, Massachusetts investors led by Charles A...
to form the General Electric Company
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
. He redirected his interest back to iron ore, having high hopes for what he could achieve: "I'm going to do something now so different and so much bigger than anything I've ever done before people will forget that my name ever was connected with anything electrical."
That year, he closed the Ogdensburg plant for upgrades, using the sale of stocks in General Electric to install new equipment that would be able to output even more iron ore. When it reopened, the earlier problems persisted and Edison once again had difficulties finding customers.
Sale and a change of industry
Eventually Edison realised that the company was a failure, shutting it down in 1899. Edison commented about the financial losses, "it's all gone, but we had a hell of a good time spending it."The manufacturing process produced a large quantity of waste sand, which the company sold on to cement manufacturers. The properties of the sand were particularly suitable for cement, leading to a harder, more durable product. Selling off the ore-crushing technology to mine owners, Edison decided to switch to the cement business, reusing some of the technology he had developed for ore-milling.