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I was a fitter in a mini steelmill in WV. Built and repaired equipment. 42 yrs.

I grew up in Allentown Bethlehem and pretty much the entire Lehigh valley. I haven't been to a more comfortable place and I've been around the last 16 years. At one point you couldn't go a single day without an elderly woman mentioning a husband or father who worked at Bethlehem Steele and theres was a very strong serious sense of pride those woman had saying it. My grandmother told me about the explosion when she lived a few blocks away, said guys were jumping in the river left and right to get away from the heat and shrapnel. I sure as shit don't get that in corrupt Sussex county Delaware. I was around 10 years old during this video. I lived a few blocks from Jonathan Taylor Thomas (Home Improvement) and might have stole his trick or treat candy once.

Back when we were a real country

Just found this video today. I’ve always wondered what life was like when Bethlehem Steel was operational. It was just right before my time but going past the casino often, I’ve always been intrigued with the old Steel Stacks, the mills, even the crane which now houses the large Wind Creek sign (never knew it was a crane or whatever the proper name or that machine there is). Thank you for uploading this, and thank the gentleman who recorded this little snippet of daily life. (Also, wow! I see the roped belt but did they really not use safety harnesses and vests back then? That’s wild to think about. Hopefully all of them worked safely during their time there!)

Cheers

I realize this video has been on here for a few years, but I have to tell you how much I enjoyed seeing this for the first time. My grandfather was a welder in the Maintenance Dept. at USS South Works for 42 years. He said he saw every inch of that mill, from the tunnels that ran underneath, to the top of the blast furnace. This video was the perfect chance to what type of work he did everyday. He loved that place, and he loved his job. I could watch this a hundred time! Thanks so much for posting.

the blast furnaces and buildings you see at 14:00 still stand.

❤

I just recently came across this video,its definetly a national treasure,youll never see these ore cranes in operation again,was born on the north side,and remember hearing the clainging,and seeing the sky light up for awhile when they were pouring the steel,awesome memeries of watching those cranes operating going over minsitrail to visit relation on south side,both my grandfather and father retired from the plant,my father worked as a heat treater in the tall building next to bridge,and am so glad there keeping that building and other areas of the plants history alive

Its neat to see the ore bridges. I run one at the cleveland works in cleveland ohio

Now all the steel manufacturing has been sold at China. Thanks to these trainer, politicians and CEOs.

The Company and People who built this Great America!!!!!

Now nothing more than a parking garage. Thanks for sharing a moment in time.

A few years ago I took the tour of the blast furnaces at Bethlehem with a tour guide who was a rigger. Was that you? Enjoyed the tour by a person who worked there.

Both my Grandfather and his brother worked for Bethlehem Steel at different times. My Grandfather worked at the Grace Mine (he either left and worked for the Reading Railroad or left the Reading Railroad and worked at the Grace Mine) and his brother worked at the Bethlehem Steel plant. We don't know exactly what job they had when working for Bethlehem Steel. Both passed away and lived in Pottsville, Pennsylvania.

The backbone of America

GREAT video. Thanks!

The good old days when Bethlehem,PA was a true blue collar factory town. May god bless hard workers like this; true salt of the earth people.😢

Looks like 1000 ways to die before 9 am

This is so cool! November 16, 1990 , a Friday, was one day before the Lehigh vs Lafayette football game so I can place this day with a concrete memory. I grew up in Bethlehem so the steel and its profound presence is a part of who I am.

Not sure what it is about steel mills that interest me, but they really do. I used to live in PA and kinda miss those days of going past them when traveling with my family or going out with just my mom to do errands 😕

People keep talking about breathing new life to the area and revitalizing it, I’ll tell you how to do that is a few simple words,”bring Bethlehem Steel back.”

I'm assuming your kin to Larry James Neff. After reading his book Rigger, I emailed him about a ghost I used to see by that tall building by the bridge where they cast the cannon barrels. He contacted me back and hooked me up with friends and family of Bethlehem Steel. I hope y'all's family has a great Christmas. Though I live in North Carolina now, I have a stained glass Bethlehem star hanging in my front window. Peace!

This was america when Blue jeans meant hard work!, Cracks what you were doing when you were cracking jokes!!! and coke was a coke

My Poppy worked here for decades before retiring to Florida.

As a former steel mill worker, I approve of this video.

“4 billion cubic yards of coco puffs”

Nov 18 1995 Bethlehem steel closed

My late Grandfather used to work on that crane before he past away in February 1990

I lived in South Bethlehem and drove past this every day

I just met Larry this weekend. He gives tours at the old steel mill. It is now called “Steel Stacks”. His stories are amazing and really provides some personal insight to what it must have been like to work at this mill back in the day. This guy was tough as nails and his stories pulled no punches and didn’t sugar coat the past. I highly recommend taking the tour if you’re ever in Bethlehem PA.

This is wonderful. Thank you for capturing this. Billy Joel: "Well we're living here in Allentown. And they're closing all he factories down." So sad to see what's become of a once strong and vibrant manufacturing nation.

I was a union apprentice Ironworker (local 736) in the summer of ‘99 working for Canron construction when we built a replacement ore bridge for Dofasco steel in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada🇨🇦. One of the best jobs in my life….😉👍🏻👍🏻

Yes we did some repairs on those cranes, there were two of them. Now a casino. EG.

Somebody was making some bucks for a camcorder that steady and clear in 1990

so sad to think it is rusting away now un usd

The besemer process. Impossible to compete with modern steel production.

But we’re waiting here in Allentown, for the Pennsylvania we never found… Great but tragic song. Thanks for this video. I love seeing inside operations like this

Wow real men with real jobs.

2:48 - that's one hell of a kink in the cable.

Northwest Indiana is still like this! I’m proud of the steel legacy here.

This is a gem 💎

Excellent Video, I look for these here on TH-cam! 😇👍✌️

I wish we had the same respect for the steel workers and manufactures as we with our veterans. Our workers built maintained our country and before the 60ds those jobs were deadly. Its sad to see how quickly both veteran's and workers are cast to the side when their job is done.

this could all be again but didn't PA vote fetterman in?

🤔

RIP American manufacturing industry and infrastructure smh.

RIP american manufacturing........china approves tho

I use to think this was just a natural decline but after reading how Rockefeller, through all the private clubs that he headed, (CFR,Trilateral commission,UN) that this was all a globalist plan to bring down America and the middle class which is central to the merging of a world government, also Nixon and Kissinger’s trip to China played a key roll, the plan is similar to the slow process of allowing “turd” world invasion that’s going on now that’s taking us down another notch and similarly no one resists because it appears unavoidable and is done ever so slowly under the radar.