#Photo sense light furnace full#

In addition, the unit energy depends on the frequency of the wave. Light radiation carries energy, and the amount of energy carried depends on the square of the amplitude of the wave. Light is an electromagnetic radiation of the same kind as radio waves, but with a very much shorter wavelength and hence a much higher frequency. His words gave my images an added depth and a more personal dimension and I thank him for allowing me to use his voice to accompany the photographs in this project.Ian Sinclair, in Passive Components for Circuit Design, 2001 PhotocellsĪ photocell is a light-to-electrical transducer, and there are many different types available. Each photo brought forth interesting and often amusing anecdotes about what was in each image. As I showed him my Carrie Furnace photos he immediately began to reminisce about working there in his youth. Ron Gault, who worked at Carrie in the 1970s and was kind enough to allow me to interview him. My interest in learning about the process of iron and steel production came later, culminating in my being introduced to Mr. However, what attracted me to the project was not the history, the industrial machinery, or the 'urban grunge', but the astonishing array of graphic lines and shapes made by the furnace, stoves, and pipes. Interestingly, what most people wanted to see in my Carrie photographs was 'historical documentation'. Instead, they were told that the furnace and stoves needed to be relined - a routine job that took a few weeks - and so they simply left work with the expectation of returning. Those who labored here were not told by management that they were being laid off. In 1978, after 97 years of service, the Carrie Furnace, which at one time had produced up to 1250 tons of iron daily, was permanently and somewhat surreptitiously closed. The process, which required a tremendous amount of brute force to open and close the hoppers, is eloquently described in this photograph's accompanying audio segment as well as in the audio segment for 'Stock House II'.ĭuring the slideshow, click on the gray 'i' on the upper right for a link to hear interesting anecdotes that accompany most of the images. The load was then delivered to the skip car, which would haul the load to the top of the furnace and dump it in. The Larry Man would drive the Larry Car through the Stock House, stop under the appropriate hoppers, and open them in order to allow specific weights of the various materials to fall into the car. The bottom of the hoppers can be seen as the large metal construction that runs the length of the ceiling of the room in this photo, as well as in 'Stock House II'. The various raw components that were to go into the furnace, such as iron ore, coke, and limestone were stored in massive hoppers, the bottom of which were shaped like a 'V'. In the audio segment for this photograph the Stock House is described as a dungeon.Īt one time, there were train tracks going through here and so-called 'Larry Cars' were driven by the 'Larry Men' through the Stock House.

#Photo sense light furnace full#

The Stock House was a dark, dreary place that only looks well lit here because the camera's shutter was left open for a full four to five seconds. The audio component describes how the chart recorders were used. I have never again seen the room with any light in it! About 15-20 minutes later the light was gone, but not before I managed to make this photograph. I had to work quickly, as I didn't know how long the room would stay lit. There was one very small window in the room and the sun was positioned so that it was streaming directly through this window and onto these chart recorders, which I had never been able to see before.

On one particular day I walked in at exactly the right moment. I walked into this small room on several occasions and could see absolutely nothing. Interestingly, since the facility currently has no electricity, this room was pitch dark each time I visited. Only supervisors in the stove room were given access to the chart room. It was important that the temperature of the stoves be kept between 1600-1800 degrees.

This chart recorder was used to constantly monitor the temperature of the stoves, which were used to heat incoming air to approximately 1800 degrees before allowing it to pass into the furnace.