The Age of Big Business
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L
ET
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S
R
EVIEW
1. Explain themeaning of the Age of Big Business.
2. Although used for many years, why was iron not a
good enoughmetallic product?
3. Why was Henry Bessemer’s process so important to
the Industrial Revolution?
4. Howwas AndrewCarnegie important inmaking
Pennsylvania an industrial giant?
5. What substance was produced fromsoft coal that
fueled the steel industry?
6. For what is Henry Clay Frick known?
7. Froma business viewpoint, identify at least two
ways that AndrewCarnegie and
Henry Clay Frick were similar.
Iron Ore, Coal, and Coke
Because of transportation hardships during
Pennsylvania’s early industrial development,
iron furnaces were built close to where iron ore
wasmined. Iron goods were carried by wagons
to a river and floated to the nearest town or
city. Later, the canals and railroads were used
to transport iron goods to places.
In order tomake iron products, people
would use trees tomake a substance known as
charcoal. Charcoal was used to produce a
hotter fire that was needed tomelt the iron ore.
After the 1840s, it was discovered that a better
product, called coke, could bemade fromsoft
coal. From themelted iron ore, blacksmiths
made farm tools and wagon equipment.
Workers in the factoriesmade iron rails and
locomotives until the discovery of a process for
manufacturing steel was found.
After the Civil War, themost important use
of soft coal was in themaking of coke. The
coke industry grew because coke was used as
the fuel for producing steel. As the steel
industry grew, the demand for coke also grew.
Asmuch as eighty million tons of soft coal were
used in one year by the coke industry.
Born near Pittsburgh in 1849,
Henry Clay
Frick
owned four out of five of the coke
factories in the United States. He was so
successful that in 1889, Carnegiemade hima
business partner. By doing this, Carnegie
ensured a steady supply of coke for his steel
industry. Frick was also responsible for the
construction of several large buildings in
Pittsburgh. Similar to Carnegie, Frick willed
much of his fortune to charities. He gave the
city of Pittsburgh 150 acres of undeveloped
land to create a public park.
Besides producing coke, soft coal also came
into heavy use as a fuel for providing steamheat
for factories, locomotives, and homes. Because
of these demands, themining of soft coal
became a huge industry in western Pennsylvania.
Coke fromHenry Clay Frick’s
ovens, shown below, provided the
clean-burning high heat necessary
to create superior steel. Frickwas a
close friend and business associate
of AndrewCarnegie as both rose to
prominence, but they became bitter
enemies later in life.
