WISCONSIN STORIES IS A PARTNERSHIP
OF THE STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF WISCONSIN
AND WISCONSIN PUBLIC TELEVISION.
Kmetz: AT BUCYRUS INTERNATIONAL IN SOUTH MILWAUKEE
THEY MAKE SOME REALLY BIG STUFF.
Will: GIANT GEARS AND OTHER BIG PARTS
WILL BE ASSEMBLED INTO SHOVELS
DRAGLINES AND DRILL RIGS FOR THE MINING INDUSTRY.
Kmetz: CRAFT WORKERS FROM THE STEELWORKERS UNION
CREATE EACH PART
FOR THE HUGE, CUSTOM-BUILT MACHINES.
Will: METAL ON THE BIG PARTS IS CAREFULLY MEASURED
AND SHAVED DOWN TO MEET EXACTING SPECIFICATIONS
WITH SOME PARTS
REQUIRING ACCURACY
WITHIN THE WIDTH OF A HUMAN HAIR.
THIS COMPANY IS PART OF WISCONSIN'S LONG HISTORY
OF MAKING HEAVY MACHINERY FOR USE IN OTHER INDUSTRIES.
SO, TONIGHT ON WISCONSIN STORIES
WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT THE KIND OF BIG TICKET ITEMS
THAT YOU DON'T FIND IN YOUR LOCAL HARDWARE STORE.
AND NOT YOUR AVERAGE BIG STUFF
BUT SOMETHING THAT'S MADE FOR A REALLY BIG IDEA.
THE KIND OF MACHINES THAT ARE DESIGNED FROM THE GROUND UP
FOR ONE REALLY HUGE JOB.
Kmetz: AND MADE WITH PRIDE BY SKILLED CRAFTWORKERS
WHO CREATE THESE PIECES ONE AT A TIME.
Will: RIGHT HERE, TONIGHT, ON WISCONSIN STORIES.
MAJOR FUNDING FOR WISCONSIN STORIES
IS PROVIDED BY THE MEAD WITTER FOUNDATION, INC.
WISCONSIN RAPIDS, WISCONSIN.
ADDITIONAL FUNDING IS PROVIDED BY
THE HALBERT AND ALICE KADISH FOUNDATION
PHILIP J. AND ELIZABETH B. HENDRICKSON
AND AN ADVISED FUND OF THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF SOUTHERN WISCONSIN.
Will: WE'RE STANDING IN FRONT OF THE OFFICES
OF BUCYRUS INTERNATIONAL.
THAT'S A SIX-STORY OFFICE BUILDING.
ON THIS DIAGRAM
WE'D BE RIGHT DOWN HERE.
Kmetz: THIS IS A DRAGLINE MADE IN THE PLANT
RIGHT BEHIND THIS OFFICE BUILDING.
THAT'S A REALLY HUGE MACHINE !
AND MAKING HUGE STUFF CREATES HUGE CHALLENGES
INVOLVING HIGHLY-SKILLED WORKERS
WHO HAND-CRAFT A MACHINE PIECE BY PIECE.
AND THERE'S A SPECIAL PRIDE
THAT COMES WITH WORKING ON THE REALLY BIG STUFF.
Kmetz: WHEN THE BUCYRUS STEAM SHOVEL AND DREDGE COMPANY
MOVED TO SOUTH MILWAUKEE IN 1893
IT BROUGHT WITH IT A STRONG REPUTATION
FOR BUILDING SPECIALIZED EXCAVATION EQUIPMENT.
SO, IT WAS NO SURPRISE, THEN, IN 1905
BUCYRUS STEAM SHOVELS WERE CHOSEN
TO TAKE ON THE HUGE JOB OF DIGGING THE PANAMA CANAL
WHICH MEANT MOVING
AN ESTIMATED 225 MILLION CUBIC YARDS OF EARTH.
WHEN PRESIDENT THEODORE ROOSEVELT
INSPECTED THE SITE IN 1908
HE POSED ON BOARD A 95-TON BUCYRUS SHOVEL.
BY THE TIME BUCYRUS
BOUGHT THE ERIE STEAM SHOVEL COMPANY IN 1927
AND BECAME KNOWN AS "BUCYRUS ERIE"
ITS EQUIPMENT WAS BEING USED
IN OTHER BIG PROJECTS AROUND THE WORLD.
AS TIME WENT ON, SHOVELS WERE MOUNTED ON TRACKS
POWER CHANGED FROM STEAM TO GASOLINE
THEN TO DIESEL AND ELECTRICITY.
AND AS THE JOBS GOT LARGER
SO DID THE MACHINES
WITH BUYERS DEMANDING BIGGER AND BIGGER MODELS.
BUCYRUS INTERNATIONAL'S
BIGGEST SHOVELS AND DRAGLINES WERE STILL MADE
IN THE COMPANY'S SOUTH MILWAUKEE PLANT.
AT THE SOUTH MILWAUKEE COMMUNITY CENTER
FORMERLY A CLUB FOR BUCYRUS EMPLOYEES
I MET WITH SOME RETIRED BUCYRUS WORKERS.
WHEN YOU FIRST WALKED IN TO BUCYRUS
HOW DID IT FEEL ?
BIG. REALLY BIG.
WHAT WENT THROUGH YOUR MIND ?
WHEN I FIRST WAS HIRED AS A MACHINIST
I SAID, "MAN, ALIVE, WILL I EVER
BE ABLE TO OPERATE THESE THINGS ?"
THERE'S NO COMPARISON OF DIFFERENT MACHINE TOOLS.
THIS IS STILL REALLY DIFFERENT
THAN, SAY, CAR MANUFACTURING.
OH, YEAH.
Chet Grobschmidt: THEY DIDN'T HAVE AN ASSEMBLY LINE.
Charles Davitz: THERE MIGHT HAVE BEEN A DOZEN MACHINES
BEING MADE AT ONE TIME.
THERE WERE PARTS FOR ALL OF THEM LAYING ON THE MACHINE SHOP FLOOR
OR DOWN ON THE ERECTING FLOOR AT THE TIME.
Rudy Meszaros: YOU ASSEMBLED THE WHOLE MACHINE ON THE SMALL ONES.
ON THE LARGER ONES
WE ASSEMBLED THEM IN SECTIONS.
AND THE SECTIONS ARE TESTED
AND SHIPPED OUT TO THE FIELD
AND THERE, THEY ARE ASSEMBLED.
WE CANNOT BUILD THEM UP HERE, THEY'RE TOO LARGE.
Film Narrator: FOR SHEER SIZE, AS WELL AS CREATIVE DESIGN
THE 42-50-W WALKING DRAGLINE
IS ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT EXAMPLE OF BUCYRUS ERIE CAPABILITY...
John Hollingsworth: I REMEMBER THE 42-50, "THE BIG MUSKIE"
WHICH HAS NOW SERVED ITS TIME.
IT'S FINISHED.
THAT WAS 330 RAIL CARS, I BELIEVE
THAT TOOK THAT FROM HERE OVER TO OHIO
IN THE EARLY '60s.
330-PLUS RAIL CARS TOOK IT OVER.
THE BIG MUSKIE WAS A WALKING DRAGLINE
THAT WAS PURCHASED
BY THE COAL COMPANY IN OHIO
TO MINE COAL FOR ELECTRICITY.
AND AT THE TIME, IT WAS DECIDED
"SHALL WE BUY TWO MACHINES AT 110 CUBIC YARDS EACH
OR ONE AT 220 CUBIC YARDS ?"
IT WAS DECIDED FOR ONE MACHINE AT 220 CUBIC YARDS.
AND TO DATE, THAT HAS BEEN, IT'S NOT EXISTING ANY MORE
THE LARGEST MOBILE LAND MACHINE IN THE WORLD.
Kmetz: NOW, THAT BIG DRAGLINE
HOW LONG DID THAT TAKE TO MAKE ?
I'D SAY OVER A COUPLE OF YEARS.
IT TOOK A YEAR TO ERECT IT IN THE FIELD, ALONE.
ONE YEAR TO JUST PUT IT TOGETHER.
THE BEST PART OF A YEAR TO PUT IT TOGETHER.
Meszaros: YOU COULD EASILY PICK UP ON ONE END OF A FOOTBALL FIELD
AND DUMP IT AT THE OTHER END OF THE FOOTBALL FIELD
NO PROBLEM.
Hollingsworth: TO ADD A LITTLE BIT TO RUDY'S THOUGHT, THERE
IT WOULD DIG AT THE GOAL POST
OF ONE FOOTBALL FIELD
SITTING AT THE OTHER END OF THAT FIELD
AND SWING AROUND AND DUMP IT
AT THE GOAL POST OF ANOTHER FOOTBALL FIELD.
THAT'S 600 FEET.
THAT'S THE EXTENT.
THESE ARE BIG PIECES THAT YOU'RE WORKING--
SOME OF THEM ARE BIG PIECES...
Harold Wickstrom: RIGHT, AND SOME ARE SMALL.
YOU HAD TO MAKE THEM REALLY ACCURATELY.
BECAUSE YOU HAD AN INSPECTOR THAT WOULD CHECK THEM.
( all laugh )
MOST OF IT WAS PLUS-ONE OR MINUS-ONE
BUT THEN, WE GOT, SOMETIMES, BEARINGS
THAT WOULD BE WITHIN SEVEN-TENTHS
OF A THOUSANDTH.
SEVEN-TENTHS OF A THOUSANDTH OF A WHAT ?
OF A THOUSAND. OF AN INCH ?
YEAH, YEAH.
THAT'S MIGHTY SMALL.
YOU CAN'T EVEN--
SEVEN-TENTHS, YOU CAN'T EVEN SEE, HARDLY.
I'VE HEARD CHET CALL WHAT YOU MADE
"THE CADILLAC OF THE INDUSTRY."
Kenneth Heise: OH, DEFINITELY.
LINCOLN CONTINENTAL, THE WHOLE WORKS.
HOW GOOD ARE THESE MACHINES ?
AT THE TIME, THEY PROBABLY WERE THE BEST...
Grobschmidt: THEY PROVED THEMSELVES IN THE FIELD
BY THE CUSTOMER, THEMSELVES
BECAUSE THAT'S WHY THEY BOUGHT SO MANY OF THEM.
THE COMPETITION FOR THE BIG ONES WASN'T THERE UNTIL YEARS LATER
THAT OTHER PEOPLE CAUGHT UP WITH THE ENGINEERING
AND KNOW-HOW TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT.
SO, IT WAS ALWAYS KNOWN AS THE CADILLAC OF THE INDUSTRY.
IT WAS ALSO KNOWN THAT BUCYRUS ERIE
WAS THE BREAD AND BUTTER OF OUR COMMUNITY.
SO, THAT'S ABOUT THE WAY IT WAS.
Will: WISCONSIN INDUSTRY HAS LONG BEEN INVOLVED IN MAKING BIG STUFF--
THE LARGE PARTS, HEAVY EQUIPMENT
GEARS AND MACHINERY THAT HELPED BUILD AMERICAN INDUSTRY.
IN THIS CRAMPED STOREFRONT
HENRY HARNISCHFEGER AND PARTNER, ALONZO PAWLING
WORKED TO MAKE A BETTER OVERHEAD FACTORY CRANE
ONE THAT USED ELECTRIC MOTORS IN PLACE OF ROPES AND PULLEYS.
MOVING BIG STUFF WAS BECOMING MORE AND MORE ESSENTIAL
TO THE MANY FACTORIES POPPING UP AROUND MILWAUKEE.
ORIGINALLY DELIVERED BY HORSE-WAGON
THESE HARNISCHFEGER CRANES DELIVERED THE HORSEPOWER
TO DO THE HEAVY LIFTING OF MANY GROWING INDUSTRIES.
MELL ANDERSON OPERATED HARNISCHFEGER CRANES
HERE AT A.O. SMITH FOR MORE THAN 25 YEARS.
Kmetz: WHAT'S IT LIKE TO OPERATE A BRIDGE CRANE ?
Mell Anderson: IT'S A TEDIOUS JOB.
IT'S A JOB WHERE YOU'VE GOT TO BE CAREFUL.
YOU'VE GOT TO BE AT YOUR BEST AT JUDGING AND SAFETY.
SOMETIMES, YOU'RE WORKING WITH MEN BELOW.
ALWAYS WORKING WITH MEN BELOW.
WHAT WERE YOUR LOADS ?
THEY WERE MOSTLY PIPE--
GAS LINE AND WATER PIPE, SMALL PIPE AND BIG PIPE--
AND STEEL, LIKE AN AUTOMOBILE FRAME
FROM THE START TO THE FINISH.
DID THIS PIPE EVER SWING ?
THAT'S THE OPERATOR'S JOB
TO TRY TO KEEP THEM FROM SWINGING, SEE.
THAT'S YOUR JOB.
THAT'S MY JOB.
SO, THAT'S WHY YOU TIGHTEN IT UP
YOU TIGHTEN IT UP, YOU KNOW.
IF YOU GET IT STRAIGHT
IT WON'T SWING WHEN YOU PICK IT UP.
YOU'VE GOT TO PRACTICE
TO GET THE FEEL OF THE JOB
HAVING THAT HEAVY LOAD
WITH PEOPLE ON THE GROUND WITH YOU.
Will: NOT EVERY CRANE IS USED INSIDE, OF COURSE.
TO BUILD SUBMARINES DURING WORLD WAR II
MANITOWOC SHIPBUILDING
USED THEIR OWN MANITOWOC SPEED CRANE.
IN FACT, THEY MADE
MANY MORE SPEED CRANES THAN SUBS FOR THE MILITARY
INCLUDING SIX USED FOR SALVAGE AT PEARL HARBOR.
AT MILWAUKEE'S FALK CORPORATION
CRANE OPERATORS HAD AN IMPORTANT JOB
BESIDES HAULING LOADS--
WARNING WORKERS
WHEN PRESIDENT HERMAN FALK WAS PROWLING THE SHOP FLOOR.
THE MECHANICALLY-INCLINED FALK PARLAYED THE PROFIT
FROM THE SALE OF THE FAMILY BREWERY
INTO A BUSINESS SPECIALIZING IN ENORMOUS GEARS.
THESE MASSIVE GEARS WERE CAST FROM MOLTEN STEEL.
GEAR TURNING GEAR TRANSFORMED THE POWER OF ELECTRIC MOTORS
INTO HUNDREDS OF INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS.
ANOTHER WISCONSIN COMPANY THAT MADE HUGE THINGS
WAS BELOIT IRON WORKS, LATER BELOIT CORPORATION.
THE COMPANY STARTED OUT MAKING REPLACEMENT PARTS
FOR PAPER MAKING MACHINES.
EVENTUALLY, BELOIT MADE THEIR OWN MACHINES
AND WON AN INTERNATIONAL REPUTATION
BY RUNNING A PAPER MAKER
AT THE 1893 WORLD COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION IN CHICAGO.
AS TIME WENT ON, THEY BUILT EVER-BIGGER AND FASTER MACHINES.
WOULD YOU SEE THESE THROUGHOUT WISCONSIN ?
THROUGHOUT WISCONSIN
AND THROUGHOUT THE WORLD.
Will: BOB FOSSLER WAS A BELOIT ENGINEER
WHO SUPERVISED THE INSTALLATION OF PAPER MAKING MACHINES.
TO START A MACHINE UP
SEE IT RUN FOR THE FIRST TIME, AND THEN MAKE PAPER
THAT'S WHY YOU WENT BACK
AND DID THE SECOND AND THE THIRD, AND THE FOURTH.
IT WAS INTERESTING-- BIG EQUIPMENT, HEAVY.
Will: THIS EQUIPMENT, WHEN LINKED TOGETHER
MADE FOR SOME OF THE LARGEST MACHINES IN THE WORLD.
WHAT ENTERS AT ONE END
AS LITTLE MORE THAN WOOD PULP AND WATER
EMERGES MORE THAN 100 YARDS LATER
AS CRISP, CLEAN ROLLS OF FRESH PAPER
SPOOLED UP AT SPEEDS REACHING 60 MILES AN HOUR.
COMPANIES THAT MAKE BIG THINGS
BY THEIR NATURE, TAKE ON HUGE RISKS.
IN THE LATE 1990s, THE BELOIT CORPORATION
RAN INTO SERIOUS FINANCIAL TROUBLE.
IN THE YEAR 2000, THE COMPANY HELD
ONE OF THE BIGGEST INDUSTRIAL AUCTIONS IN THE WORLD
AS THEY WERE FORCED TO SHUT DOWN
AND SELL OFF THE COMPANY'S ASSETS.
BELOIT CORPORATION WAS ADDED TO THE LIST OF WISCONSIN COMPANIES
THAT NO LONGER MAKE THE REALLY BIG STUFF.
? ?
Anthony LaRosa: IT WAS THE LARGEST FACILITY OF ITS TYPE
ANYPLACE IN THE WORLD.
Joseph Milakovich: WELL, IT WAS A VERY, VERY DIVERSIFIED COMPANY
THAT MANUFACTURED, BASICALLY
ANY INDUSTRIAL-TYPE PRODUCT THAT YOU COULD ALMOST IMAGINE.
WE MADE ALL HEAVY SHAFTS
FOR HYDRAULIC TURBINES, STEAM TURBINES, CRUSHERS...
Kmetz: BIG STUFF. BIG STUFF, YEAH.
Norbert Wilhelm: NOBODY ELSE AROUND THAT AREA
OR IN THE UNITED STATES COULD MAKE THESE BIG PIECES.
Kmetz: FOR DECADES, ALLIS-CHALMERS
WAS THE BIGGEST COMPANY IN WISCONSIN.
THE BIGGEST COMPANY
WITH THE MOST EMPLOYEES, AT ONE POINT, OVER 35,000.
BUT NO ONE WORKS FOR ALLIS-CHALMERS ANYMORE.
BY 1880, THE EDWARD P. ALLIS COMPANY
WAS ALREADY MILWAUKEE'S LARGEST INDUSTRY.
IT MERGED IN 1901 WITH OTHER HEAVY MACHINERY MAKERS
TO FORM ALLIS-CHALMERS.
THE BIGGEST COMPANY ALSO MADE
SOME OF THE BIGGEST STUFF AT ITS NEW WEST ALLIS PLANT.
IF ALL ITS BUILDINGS HAD BEEN PLACED END-TO-END
THEY WOULD HAVE EXTENDED TWO AND THREE-QUARTER MILES.
THE PLANT HAD 21 MILES OF RAILWAY TRACK
162 CRANES, AND A TOTAL FLOOR SPACE
OF ALMOST THREE MILLION SQUARE FEET.
TODAY, THE AREA
WHERE THE ALLIS-CHALMERS FACTORY GROUNDS USED TO BE
IS A STRIP MALL.
AN OVERHEAD CRANE STILL HANGS
FROM THE CEILING OF A SHOE STORE
A VIVID SYMBOL OF THE CHANGE
AWAY FROM OUR MANUFACTURING ECONOMY.
PART OF THE OLD ALLIS-CHALMERS PLANT
IS NOW THE HOME OF REGENCO
A COMPANY THAT STILL SERVICES AND REPAIRS
ELECTRICAL TURBINES FOR MIDWEST UTILITY COMPANIES.
ALLIS-CHALMERS IS GONE, BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
BY A GROUP OF RETIRED SUPERVISORS AND ENGINEERS
WHO STILL MEET FOR BREAKFAST ONCE A MONTH
AND REMINISCE ABOUT THEIR LIVES
IN THE BIGGEST "JOB SHOP" IN THE WORLD.
DO YOU THINK THAT THE WORK AT ALLIS-CHALMERS
BECAUSE THERE WAS SO MUCH BIG STUFF--
WAS IT DIFFERENT THAN WORK, MAYBE
IN OTHER MILWAUKEE FACTORIES OR PLANTS ?
OH, NO DOUBT. NO DOUBT IT WAS.
SEE, YOU GOTTA CONSIDER THAT MOST OF THE WORK
THAT WAS DONE AT THE BIG STUFF AT ALLIS-CHALMERS
WAS WHAT THEY CALLED "JOB SHOP" WORK.
IT WAS LIKE ONE-OF-A-KIND, TWO-OF-A-KIND.
IF YOU WANT SOMETHING MADE--
NOBODY ELSE CAN MAKE IT, WE WILL.
Kmetz: SOME OF THE LARGER ITEMS ALLIS-CHALMERS MADE
INCLUDED HYDRO-ELECTRIC TURBINES FOR POWER PLANTS
FOR THE TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY
AND THE HOOVER DAM.
Film Narrator: ONE OF THE WORLD'S LARGEST HYDRO-ELECTRIC INSTALLATIONS...
Kmetz: THE FIRST FOUR TURBINES FOR THE HOOVER DAM
WERE MADE IN SECTIONS AND TRANSPORTED ON 150 RAILCARS
TO BE JOINED TOGETHER ON-SITE.
THE ALLIS-CHALMERS COMPLEX BROUGHT TOGETHER
THE MEANS TO MAKE BIG STUFF.
THEY HAD LARGE OVERHEAD CRANES, A HUGE PLANT
AND HIGHLY-SKILLED CRAFTSMEN.
IT WAS FUN.
ONE OF THE THINGS ABOUT ALLIS-CHALMERS
NO DAY WAS THE SAME, EVERYTHING WAS A CHALLENGE.
Kmetz: MAKING HUGE STUFF CREATES HUGE CHALLENGES.
ALLIS-CHALMERS' EMPLOYEES
HAD TO DESIGN THE MACHINERY, MAKE IT
PUT IT TOGETHER, TEST IT
AND THEN TAKE IT APART TO SHIP IT.
THEY WOULD NORMALLY SHIP THEM
JUST THE WAY THIS GLASS IS SITTING ON THE TABLE
VERTICALLY
SO YOU COULD CLEAR THE VARIOUS WIRES.
THEY WOULD GO AT THE WEE HOURS OF THE MORNING.
Kmetz: WHAT DID YOU MAKE ?
ORIGINALLY ? YEAH.
BACK IN THE OLD DAYS ?
WELL, SHAFTS AND STEAM TURBINE PARTS.
THE MOST I ENJOYED ALLIS-CHALMERS
WAS IN MY LATER YEARS, WHEN I WAS IN ENGINEERING
YOU TAKE A DRAWING AND YOU ACTUALLY--
YOU'RE THE FATHER OF THIS PART, YOU KNOW
YOU DECIDE HOW YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE IT;
HOW MUCH IT'S GOING TO COST.
YOU TRY TO MAKE IT THE MOST REASONABLE.
AND THEN, YOU GO OUT IN THE SHOP AND YOU ACTUALLY--
NOT SUPERVISE, BUT YOU'RE THERE WHILE IT'S BEING MADE.
AND WHEN IT'S ALL FINISHED
IT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU CREATED.
Kmetz: WORKING FOR ALLIS-CHALMERS PROVIDED AN INTERESTING LIFE
FOR ALMOST THREE GENERATIONS.
SOME WORKERS WERE EMPLOYED BY ALLIS-CHALMERS
FOR 30, 40, 50 YEARS.
Mencfeldowski: I HAD 42 YEARS
OF STEADY WORK.
I NEVER WAS LAID OFF ONE DAY IN ALL THOSE YEARS I WORKED.
MY FATHER WORKED AT ALLIS-CHALMERS
FOR 40-SOME YEARS.
HE WAS NEVER LAID OFF IN ALL THOSE YEARS.
ALLIS-CHALMERS WAS LIKE A BIG FAMILY.
Kmetz: EMPLOYMENT PEAKED WITH A SHIFT TO WARTIME PRODUCTION
DURING WORLD WAR II.
Film Narrator: AMERICA STARTED ON THE GREATEST PROGRAM
OF MILITARY PRODUCTION
THE WORLD HAD EVER SEEN...
( explosion booms )
Kmetz: BUT HARD TIMES FELL ON ALLIS-CHALMERS
IN THE 1970s AND '80s.
THE COMPANY ENTERED INTO A JOINT VENTURE WITH SIEMENS
A GERMAN ELECTRONICS AND ENGINEERING FIRM.
Mencfeldowski: THIS WAS PROBABLY A BUSINESS DECISION
THAT ALSO LED TO OUR DOWNFALL.
Kmetz: BY 1988, ALLIS-CHALMERS FACED BANKRUPTCY
AND EVENTUALLY SOLD ITS BUSINESS TO SIEMENS.
SIEMENS, HOWEVER, MOVED ITS PRODUCTION OUT OF STATE
AND CLOSED THE WEST ALLIS OPERATIONS IN 1999
THE END OF AN ERA OF MAKING REALLY BIG STUFF.
Chauncy Barber: ALLIS-CHALMERS WAS THE LARGEST PLANT IN THE AREA.
YOU TOOK A PRIDE IN YOUR WORK.
Mencfeldowski: I GUESS I'M PROUDEST OF THE FACT
THAT IT WAS A LARGE FAMILY WITH REALLY STEADY EMPLOYMENT.
YOU COULD PROVIDE FOR YOUR FAMILY.
AND YOU COULD BUY A HOUSE.
Wilhelm: I DON'T THINK ANY COMPANY HAD MORE TALENT THAN ALLIS-CHALMERS.
Will: WHY GO THROUGH THE EFFORT TO PRESERVE THIS ?
Peter Burno: THIS IS OUR NATION'S HISTORY.
IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU'VE BEEN
HOW DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOU'RE GOING ?
Will: NOW, BACK HERE, YOU'VE GOT--
WHAT'S THIS ?
OH, JUST A BIG TANK
IN CASE WE NEED A BIG TANK FOR SOMETHING.
HERE, WE'RE SEEING SOME OF YOUR CRANES.
WHAT IS THIS ?
THIS IS A UNIT CRANE, BUILT IN MILWAUKEE.
IF YOU CAN LIFT IT, YOU CAN SWING IT.
BUT IF YOU HAVE TO REACH OUT FOR IT
YOU CAN'T LIFT IT, THE CRANE WILL TIP FIRST.
JUST ONE OF THOSE LITTLE IDIOSYNCRASIES
THAT YOU HAVE TO LIVE WITH WHEN YOU RUN A CRANE.
I'LL REMEMBER THAT !
WHAT IN THE WORLD IS THIS ?
WELL, THIS IS A TABLE FOR A BORING MILL.
IT'S UPSIDE DOWN.
IN OTHER WORDS, IT'S EASIER IF YOU HAVE A BIG PIECE
TO LAY IT DOWN THAN HANG IT UP.
( Will laughs )
I'M PETER BURNO.
AND I'VE NEVER REALLY BEEN ABLE
TO SEPARATE MY HOBBY FROM BUSINESS.
I'M IN A VERY FORTUNATE POSITION.
I'VE CARRIED ON A LIFETIME LOVE AFFAIR WITH MACHINERY.
Will: PETER BURNO OPERATES WHAT LOOKS LIKE A MECHANIC'S JUNKYARD
OLD MACHINERY PARTS AND PIECES WEATHER IN THE SUN.
BUT HE SAYS EVERYTHING HERE
CAN AND WILL SOMEDAY BE USED AGAIN.
WESTINGHOUSE-- NICE, VERY NICE.
BURNO RAN STEAM LOCOMOTIVES, ALL GONE NOW, FOR THE U.S. ARMY.
HE SAYS HE'S BEEN A SHOP MAN ALL HIS LIFE
AND HIS LOVE OF MACHINERY
LED HIM TO HIS LIFELONG WORK AS A FREELANCE ENGINEER
AND HIS UNUSUAL HOBBY.
HE COLLECTS HEAVY MACHINERY.
Burno: WELL, I COLLECT, TO A CERTAIN EXTENT
MAINLY WHAT I'VE WORKED WITH ALL MY LIFE.
ONE THING I'VE ALWAYS HAD A LOVE FOR
IS OVERHEAD TRAVELING CRANES.
Will: OVERHEAD CRANES RIDE ON TRACKS ABOVE A SHOP FLOOR.
THEY MOVE BIG, HEAVY EQUIPMENT
FROM ONE SIDE OF A FACTORY TO ANOTHER.
BURNO OWNS ABOUT 25 OVERHEAD CRANES !
THEY'RE STORED OUTSIDE IN VARIOUS LOCATIONS
MANY OF THEM DEEP IN THE UNDERBRUSH
OVERGROWN WITH WEEDS, GRASSES AND TREES.
BUT BURNO SAYS THAT'S JUST THE BEST WAY TO PRESERVE THEM.
ONE OF THE PROBLEMS THAT WE'VE HAD IN THE PAST
IS VANDALISM.
SO, THIS IS A SECURITY DEVICE ?
THIS IS SORT OF SECURITY.
Will: SEVERAL OF HIS CRANES
WERE MADE IN MILWAUKEE BY PAWLING AND HARNISCHFEGER.
HOW MANY HARNISCHFEGER CRANES DO YOU HAVE ?
OH, I'M GOING TO GUESS PROBABLY 20.
TWENTY ?
WATCH WHERE YOU'RE WALKING HERE
BECAUSE THERE ARE ALL SORTS OF LITTLE THINGS
HIDING AROUND IN THE GRASS.
( Will laughs )
THIS IS A DIFFERENT TYPE OF ARCHIVE THAN I'M USED TO !
( both laugh )
BUT THAT'S REALLY THAT THIS IS, ISN'T IT ? YES.
THIS IS A HEAVY EQUIPMENT ARCHIVE.
AND HOW MANY "ARCHIVES" ARE THERE LIKE THIS
AROUND THE COUNTRY ?
ARE THERE A LOT OF COLLECTORS LIKE YOU ?
NO.
WHY NOT ? I REALLY DON'T KNOW.
PROBABLY BECAUSE INSANITY IS NOT THAT PREVALENT !
( laughs ) I THINK IT'S A DEDICATION.
Burno: THIS CAME FROM ALLIS-CHALMERS' FOUNDRY.
OH, REALLY ? MM-HMM.
BOY, THIS IS A BEAUT.
NOW, THIS IS ALSO--
YES, I SEE "PAWLING AND HARNISCHFEGER."
YEAH, THIS IS A P&H.
LOOK HOW BIG IT IS.
HOW DID YOU MOVE THIS THING ?
( Burno laughs )
WE JUST PICKED OFF OUR TRUCK WITH ONE OF OUR CRANES.
THIS IS A TOY COMPARED TO THE ONES THAT ARE OVER THERE.
WE'VE GOT A 100-TON CRANE OVER THERE.
THOSE THINGS ARE HUGE !
WATCH OUT FOR THE STINGING NETTLES.
LET'S GO THROUGH THIS WAY. OKAY.
I THINK THERE'S A PIECE--
YOU'RE ON A HOOK.
WHAT WAS THE 100-TON CRANE USED FOR
AND WHERE DID YOU GET IT ?
IT CAME OUT OF ALLIS-CHALMERS.
AND IT WAS THEIR BIGGEST OF THE OLDER CRANES.
Will: PETER BURNO HELPED ESTABLISH THRESHERMEN'S PARK
LOCATED BETWEEN EDGERTON AND JANESVILLE.
EVERY LABOR DAY WEEKEND
ANCIENT MACHINERY COMES TO LIFE
AND OPERATORS DEMONSTRATE JUST HOW IT WORKS.
THIS IS WHAT I'M TOLD
IS THE WORLD'S LARGEST REMAINING STEAM SHOVEL.
WHO BUILT IT ?
IT WAS BUILT BY BUCYRUS ERIE IN MILWAUKEE.
SOUTH MILWAUKEE ? SOUTH MILWAUKEE.
Will: BUCYRUS ERIE WAS KNOWN
FOR BUILDING SPECIALIZED HEAVY MACHINERY.
AND THEY BUILT THE SHOVELS THAT DUG THE PANAMA CANAL.
THIS IS BIGGER THAN THE ONES USED IN THE PANAMA CANAL ? OH, YES.
NOW, YOU BROUGHT THIS HERE IN PIECES.
HOW DO YOU PUT IT BACK TOGETHER ?
WITH DIFFICULTY.
Will: BURNO HOPES TO HAVE IT
UP AND RUNNING IN THE PARK BY NEXT LABOR DAY.
THIS IS ALL PUT TOGETHER TO HOLD THIS--
TO HOLD THIS BUCKET.
TELL ME ABOUT THIS BUCKET. ALL RIGHT.
WHAT'S THIS MADE OUT OF ?
THIS BUCKET IS WHAT'S CALLED A "MISSABE DIPPER."
IT WAS A SPECIAL BUCKET
THAT WAS DESIGNED FOR THE ABRASIVE IRON ORE
ON THE MISSABE IRON RANGE.
Will: IN TERMS OF THE RESTORATION
HOW MUCH OF THIS WILL HAVE TO BE RESTORED
AND HOW MUCH CAN YOU STAND AS IS ?
ACTUALLY, I DON'T THINK
OUTSIDE OF TAKING THE SHIV APART
AND GOING OVER SOME OF THE BEARINGS
THAT THERE'S A GREAT DEAL OF RESTORATION HERE.
MORE CLEANING AND PAINTING THAN ANYTHING ELSE.
WHAT COLOR WILL BLACK. YOU PAINT IT ?
ALWAYS BLACK. CRANES WERE ALWAYS BLACK.
Burno: WHY PRESERVE THIS ?
WHY TALK ABOUT GREAT MEN
LIKE GEORGE WASHINGTON OR THOMAS JEFFERSON ?
IT'S THE SAME THING.
INDUSTRIAL HERITAGE IS THE SAME ? YES.
AND WHEN YOU STOP TO THINK, IT WAS THE INDUSTRY--
THE THINGS THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT RIGHT NOW
THAT NOT ONLY BUILT THIS COUNTRY
BUT MADE IT GREAT.
A LOT OF IT MADE IN WISCONSIN.
PRETTY BIG STUFF. YEP.
MAJOR FUNDING FOR WISCONSIN STORIES
IS PROVIDED BY THE MEAD WITTER FOUNDATION, INC.
WISCONSIN RAPIDS, WISCONSIN.
ADDITIONAL FUNDING IS PROVIDED BY
THE HALBERT AND ALICE KADISH FOUNDATION
PHILIP J. AND ELIZABETH B. HENDRICKSON
AND AN ADVISED FUND OF THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF SOUTHERN WISCONSIN.