Silver Brothers Iron Works (Ogden Iron Works)

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Introduction

The Silver Brothers Iron Works was a small foundry and machine shop in Salt Lake City that specialized in mining and agricultural equipment. While the majority of its railcars were for underground mine service, the company also produced narrow gauge rolling stock, including side dump cars, for construction contractors. In later years the company moved to Ogden, Utah and was renamed the Ogden Iron Works, producing the same product line but expanding into sugarbeet machinery, soon dominating the market for sugarbeet cutters and piling machines.

Silver Brothers also was the original manufacturer of the Silver Permanent Railway Tie, a cast-steel and concrete-filled track tie intended to replace wood as the United States faced a timber crisis as commercially viable tree stands on public lands began to run out in the early 20th century.

History

Timeline

• 1864

The Silver Machine Shop is established.

• 1898

Silver Brothers Iron Works is formally incorporated with John Silver as president, Hyrum Silver as vice-president, and Joseph Silver as secretary.

"Manufacturers," American Machinist 14 April 1898.

• 1900

Silver Brothers Iron Works expands with a new boiler shop and an addition to the foundry building.

"Manufacturing," The Iron Age 25 January 1900.

• 1903

The company purchases land to build a new machine shop and foundry.

"Industrial Notes," The Engineering and Mining Journal 21 February 1903.

• 1906

Joseph A. Silver and his son James W. Silver purchase the ownership shares of Joseph's brothers John and Hyrum.

Work begins on a new modern factory.

"Industrials," The Engineering and Mining Journal 24 March 1906 p580.

The financing for the new factory was unfortunately left to Beresford Hope, a con man who presented himself as a representative of the fictional British American Securities, Limited, offering to raise funds on commission for various Utah industries. In July 1906, taking his commission fees, he fled Utah for Boston. The amount needed and never procured by the Silver Brothers Iron Works was $150,000.

"Swindle of Big Proportions," The Newark Daily Advocate 9 July 1906.

Sturtevant Company generators are installed to supply the facility with electricity.

"General Industrial Notes," The Iron Trade Review 13 December 1906.

• 1911

Silver Brothers Iron Works establishes an iron industry catalog library.

"Catalogues Wanted," The Iron Age 26 January 1911.

• 1912

$30,000 is spent on new machinery for the steel casting plant.

"New Construction," The Iron Trade Review 18 April 1912 p875.

• 1915

The Silver Brothers Iron Works is taken over by the Salt Lake Iron & Steel Company.

"Western States," The Iron Trade Review 2 December 1915 p1105.

Notable Individuals

• John A. Silver

President. One of the three brothers that made up Silver Brothers Iron Works.

• Hyrum A. Silver

Vice-president. One of the three brothers that made up Silver Brothers Iron Works.

• Joseph A. Silver

Secretary, 1898-1906; president, after 1906. One of the three brothers that made up Silver Brothers Iron Works.

• James W. Silver

Son of Joseph A. Silver, purchased the ownership shares of his uncles John and Hyrum in 1906.

Products

Rail equipment

• Silver Brothers Contractor's Dump Cars

• The Mudite Machine, a 36" gauge or larger underground locomotive powered with either batteries or overhead catenary with a mixing tank and sprayer for applying anti-dust slurry over the walls of mine rooms and tunnels.

Non-Rail Equipment

• Stationary and portable steam engines

• Boilers

• Ornamental wrought and cast iron fencing

• Smelter furnaces

• Mine cages

• Ore buckets

• Conveyor belt rollers

• Flour mill rollers

• Sugarbeet cutters

• Sugarbeet pilers