In the deep foundations industry, the Warrington family is primarily associated with Vulcan. But for many years, and especially in the half century between 1890 and 1940, a good part of the family was engaged in other activities. We invite you to visit our companion site Chet Aero Marine which goes into the family's involvement … Continue reading The Warrington Family: Broadened Horizons
Category: The Company
327 North Bell Avenue Facility
William H. Warrington (1846-1921), the major investor and manager of Vulcan Iron Works until his death, at which time the direction passed to his brother James. Of the three sons of Henry Warrington, he was without a doubt the best businessman, but occasionally things did not go according to plan, as was the case with … Continue reading 327 North Bell Avenue Facility
Caldwell Steam Snow Plow
Vulcan Iron Works started out as a foundry, and from that evolved into a company primarily manufacturing pile driving equipment. Yet throughout its history it engaged in the manufacture of a wide variety of products, as the Special Products Division is evidence of. Sometimes things didn't go according to plan with these "special products," and … Continue reading Caldwell Steam Snow Plow
The Beginnings of Vulcan
Henry Warrington (1817-1904), Founder of Vulcan Iron Works Henry Warrington was originally from Manchester, England, and immigrated to the U.S. in 1842. He came to Chicago and worked as the shop foreman in the boiler shop of James W. Cobbs, whose plant was located at Canal and Kinzie Streets. In 1852, he founded what ultimately … Continue reading The Beginnings of Vulcan
Vulcan: the Offshore Experience
Everyone has an experience in their life that they count the greatest. Corporations do, too. For Vulcan Iron Works, that experience was its involvement in offshore oil development. Come join us as we take a look at Vulcan's involvement offshore, which follows a fascinating (and very profitable) saga of American commercial history. You can click … Continue reading Vulcan: the Offshore Experience
The Saga Continues
Much of what we have presented about Vulcan's offshore adventure has been done in the past tense. This is a little misleading; Vulcan hammers are still used to install offshore platforms all over the world today, simple, reliable and economical as always. The sun still does not set on working Vulcan equipment. However, it is … Continue reading The Saga Continues
Sea Water Pile Hammer
The concept of using sea water as the motive fluid for an underwater hydraulic hammer is an intriguing one. Doing so has two key advantages: Eliminates the use of hydraulic fluid, which can be environmentally hazardous (depends on the type); and Eliminates the need for a return line, irrespective of whether the pump/power pack is … Continue reading Sea Water Pile Hammer
Vulcan, Underwater and Hydraulic Hammers
Vulcan never developed an underwater hammer of its own for offshore use. Although today use of these hammers for deep water projects is routine, the road to viable offshore hammers was a long one, even for companies better situated than Vulcan to get there. The Ocean Pile Hammer Vulcan's first underwater hammer was the Mariner … Continue reading Vulcan, Underwater and Hydraulic Hammers
Internal Pile Hammer IPH-16
If you've looked at a conventional Vulcan, Conmaco or Menck air/steam hammer package for offshore use, you've noticed the hammer is surrounded by the leaders, which align the hammer to the pile. But what if the hammer could be self-aligning? In 1968 offshore contractor McDermott Inc. wanted to find out just that, and commissioned Vulcan … Continue reading Internal Pile Hammer IPH-16
Offshore Technology Conference
"Our feet are tired, our stomachs upset; our desks are ladened with work abandoned...our personal lives are in shambles, and, at the bottom line, our billfolds are empty." (Petroleum News Southeast Asia editorial on attending trade shows, February 1986) The official OTC logo. One of the industry events that Vulcan participated in over the years … Continue reading Offshore Technology Conference

