The Shelby Steel Tube Works

The Richland County – Shelby Chapter Of The Ohio Genealogical Society
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The Shelby Steel Tube Works






The Early Days
(The following article was originally written about 1897)
In December, 1890, the Shelby Steel Tube Co. was organized with a capital stock
of $100,000. But it was not until March, 1891, that the works were really started.
On July 24th of that year, the first seamless cold-drawn steel tube was made in
the United States. The occasion was a source of great local jubilation. Prior to this
all the steel tubing used in this country was made in England. The primary history
narrated in a simple manner will be interesting.
To Colonel D.L. Cockley, more than to any other individual does the full credit
accrue to the successful founding of this industry. In a chance conversation,
he gleaned the fact that manufacturers of bicycles were using an immense amount
of cold-drawn seamless steel tubes, which were all imported; that if they could be
successfully made in this country there was an opening for a grand industry. With
indomitable spirit and pluck he set bout an investigation, and careful and extensive
research was instituted. At this time there were but two plants in the world turning
out this product. They were the Weldless and Credena factories in England. Two
representatives of the Shelby Company were detailed on a special mission. It
required persistent ingenuity to gain entrance to one of these works. Disguised
as a workman, one of the representatives finally accomplished the arduous task.
Eventually, Hudson and Gay, famous tube drawers, allowed them to make draughts
of their works and operations. Sticking rigidly to the task, in the face of all rebuffs
and drawbacks, they in the end secured the coveted process. The gentlemen
who had the project in hands did not stop here. Machinery of a duplicate character
was built and much of it improved. Like all other enterprises, the start was the
hardest. There was a full share of Americans who doubted and pooh-poohed the
idea that the Shelby Steel Tube Co., could equal the English product, and for
awhile, the introduction was slow. But the tireless workers of the Company shut
their teeth down hard and their faces were set in determined lines. The triumphal
end came, victory was won, and today it is an admitted fact that the Shelby
cold-drawn seamless steel tubes excel in finish and quality those imported. This
is due to two facts: a minute attention to the smallest details of manufacture,
and a keen, careful and everlasting purpose in perfecting improvements.

Important improvements were discernable as possible in the construction
of certain machines necessary to the work; and the more marked general
intelligence of American skilled mechanics employed in the works brought
about this result. Here is illustrative evidence.
The English preceptor of these works declared that sizes less than 3/8 inch
and larger than 1 ¾ inches could not be made. But the Shelby Steel Tube
Co., the first manufacturers in America, and now the largest in the world,
turn it out in sizes ranging from 3/8 inch and up to as large as 3 inches in
diameter, in gauge 1 to 30 English Standard.
The Shelby plant now covers an area of six acres; employees about 700 men, and
last year did a gross business of over $1,200,000. The capacity of the works is
slightly in excess of 2,000,000 feet of tubing per month; a quantity sufficient to
make over 100,000 bicycles, if used exclusively for that purpose. The average
prevailing price of tubing at the time of the organization of the Shelby concern was
17½ cents per ft. and the same had to be paid before taking it out of bond. The
price of American manufactured tubing last season averaged a little less than 12 cents.
The Shelby Steel Tube Works has consolidated various other similar
concerns which came into existence since the original enterprise, and they
are now capitalized at about $5,000,000. Shelby is now the seat of the
greatest enterprise of the kind in the world. There was a great increase
of business last year in this line with prospects excellent for 1898.
The present officers of the Shelby Tube Co. are W.F. Miller, President;
W.S. Miller, Treasurer and H.H. Cockley, Secretary.

(The above article contributed by Ruby Bonecutter)


Early Growth Stage

As the above article implies, in 1897, the Tube Works aquired some competing steel
mills that were springing up around the county. Purchases continued over the next
few years and many of the competing mills were closed down and their equipment
was moved to Shelby. By 1900, The Shelby Steel Tube Company was the world's
leading manufacturer of steel tubing.

In 1901, The United States Steel Company was formed through the merger of Carnegie
Steel Company and a number of other tube steel and mining firms and the Shelby firm
was associated with this organization.*

Steel tubing shipments remained strong over the next several years, with the "Tube
Works" shipping tons of steel tubing to it's customers worldwide. Then, amidst all
the growth and prosperity in the Shelby community that was largely attributed to the
success of the tubing business, an accident occured that was immediately devastating.



The Fire of June 18, 1908


Shelby Steel Tube Works - Early 1908

The above photo was taken in early 1908 when the "Tube Works" was Shelby's
"growth" industry. Then in the evening, on June 18, 1908, a fire started
somewhere in the plant. It rapidly spread, soon engulfing the majority of the
manufacturing facility. Efforts were made to control it, but it was hopeless,
and by the next day, Shelby's premier industry was in total ruin.



Shelby Steel Tube Works - June 19, 1908

The fire had not only destroyed the manufacturing facilty, but it was a disaster
for the citizens of Shelby. Most of the communty were in some way associated
with the success of the "Tube Works".

It was obvious that the mill would have to be rebuilt "from scratch". When contacted,
The United States Steel Company indicated that they would not rebuild the plant, but
offered to transfer some of the more skilled laborer to other factories. This would
in no way be a help to those that were left behind, or the community of Shelby.

The leaders of the community, other industry, and the citizens of Shelby, organized
and decided that the Tube Company would be rebuilt, and that it would be done locally.


(To be continued)
* Portions of this section are abstracted from Mayor Raymond Wilkinson's book "More About Early Shelby"



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