Source: Wikipedia.org My great-grandfather, Michael Bodziony, was born in Poland and immigrated to America in 1910. He settled in Cleveland, Ohio and worked as a foundry laborer until he passed away in 1941. For part of that time, he was employed at the Ferro Machine & Foundry Co. of Cleveland, Ohio. His WWI registration card from 1918 lists his employer at the bottom:
Michael Bodziony WWI Draft Registration Card
A brief history of the Ferro Machine & Foundry Company is listed on page 612 in Cleveland: The Making of a City by William G. Rose (published in 1950). (The phrase "this year" refers to the year 1900.)
From "Cleveland: The Making of a City" by William G. Rose (1950)
This photo, which was taken in 1924, depicts one of the company's factory units, which was located at the intersection of E. 66th Street and Hubbard Ave. It was only a few blocks away from great-grandpa's neighborhood, so he did not have to walk too far or take public transportation. (Photo courtesy of The Cleveland Memory Project and can be viewed online here.)
Ferro Machine & Foundry Company, E. 66th St. and Hubbard, Cleveland, OH
Michael's WWI draft registration card above, and several city directories I have found list his occupation as 'chipper.' Since I don't know what a chipper does in a foundry, I looked it up. I found this description in Descriptions of Occupations: Metal Working, Building and General Construction, as published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in 1918.
Just for fun, I also found this old advertisement from the June 1908 issue of Popular Mechanics. It's pretty neat to see pictures of the types of engines my great-grandfather helped to make.
From the June 1908 issue of 'Popular Mechanics."
Later in his life, Michael worked for another company by the name of Drop Dies and Forgings. This is the employer that is listed on his death certificate. This company, which still does forging and tool and die making, is now known as Wyman-Gordon Forgings and is still located at E. 61st St. and Sheridan, again not far from where Michael and his family lived.
As you can imagine, foundry work was a hazardous job. Not only was there a constant danger of serious burns from molten metal, but working with heavy machinery often led to major physical accidents, resulting in crushed bones and amputations. Repetitive work with heavy metal tongs and molds caused arthritis and other bone and joint problems. Decibel levels were unsafe and caused hearing loss, and looking at white-hot molten levels with no protection was dangerous to the eyes. Foundries are full of harmful chemicals which can lead to cancer and other health problems over long-term exposure. Michael passed away of stomach cancer when he was 58 years old. Granted, the average life expectancy was lower back then (which probably had something to do with hazardous working environments everywhere), but I think it's safe to assume that his cancer was probably somehow linked to his work in the foundry. (There was no OHSA back then.)
As you can imagine, foundry work was a hazardous job. Not only was there a constant danger of serious burns from molten metal, but working with heavy machinery often led to major physical accidents, resulting in crushed bones and amputations. Repetitive work with heavy metal tongs and molds caused arthritis and other bone and joint problems. Decibel levels were unsafe and caused hearing loss, and looking at white-hot molten levels with no protection was dangerous to the eyes. Foundries are full of harmful chemicals which can lead to cancer and other health problems over long-term exposure. Michael passed away of stomach cancer when he was 58 years old. Granted, the average life expectancy was lower back then (which probably had something to do with hazardous working environments everywhere), but I think it's safe to assume that his cancer was probably somehow linked to his work in the foundry. (There was no OHSA back then.)
