Atlas Foundry history

The firm began with a capital of $100,000, although only $6,500 of that had been subscribed (Legislature of West Virginia 1895:26).

By September of 1897, the company had built eighteen machines for the Hazel Co., the Beatty-Brady Company, and the Atlas Glass company and was completing another twelve at the foundry.

The 107-year-old company's complex sprawls over 18 acres a mile south of downtown Tacoma and still includes wooden buildings dating back to 1899.

When the Peninsula Foundry opened in 1901, the company's main product was chilled cast iron rolls.

In 1903, the company started on a 60,000-ton tunnel segment for the Pennsylvania Railroad tubes under the Hudson and East rivers in New York City.

Built in 1922, the Warwood property had first been called the Wheeling Steel Castings Co. and later the Cast Iron Roll Foundry.

In 1952, during the Korean War, the Wheeling Works made casted and machined turrets for the M-47 and M-48 tanks.

In 1968, Blaw-Know became a division of White Consolidated Industries and continued to produce mill machinery and hull and turret castings for M-60 tanks.

In 1991 they erected the $10 million finishing building that lets the company produce castings of up to 48,000 pounds.

The grounds of the factory were sold to the Park Corp. real estate company in April of 1994.

➤ Book: Foundries in Wheeling: Wheeling Mold & Foundry Co., William Allen Bumgardner, 1998.

But within several years, TIC was in financial trouble; its owners filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2000.

And in 2001 Atlas completed a $1 million upgrade to use a urethane fixer for casting sand that results in higher quality castings.

In 2002 Atlas emerged from Chapter 11 under new ownership, with a 55 percent investor from Houston and 12 management investors, who have operated the company since then.

On Wednesday, October 24, 2007, the Tacoma Fire Department released the results of its investigation into the explosions the Atlas foundry.