The scale of the grain hoppers helps tell the story of how large Hamm’s was in its day.
history under ground
funnels
Cauterized wounds on the factory floor, where the middle of the newer mill opens up to allow massive equipment. Now the pipes are cut and the equipment is gone.
Looking at the side of 4B from the roof of its car shed.
Looking up from the train shed. The building was consistently crumbling and I wish I had worn a hard hat in this area.
The steam plant could be vertically traversed with this one-man belt driven elevator.
The tower of Dominion certainly dominates the elevator row.
The annex casts a long shadow over its old headhouse and the former UGG (currently Vitera C) elevator. Arista 100.
The coal crusher (above) and the conveyor (left) to bring the powdered coal to furnace hoppers (right).
Dust explosions were a real risk for grain mills. These funnels helped to filter the air in the mill.
Calumet stands at the side of the Union Pacific railyard.
Giant ingredient hoppers stand on a concrete floor covered in peeled paint.
The side of King that faces the lake is stained yellow-green.
Looking across a skyway at the dust-collecting funnels, one of the few pieces of equipment that haven’t been completely decimated by time and the elements.
In the nitrating house.
A retrofitted dust collector stands out from the geometry of the roofline.
A shallow creek traces Illinois Gulch toward the Chain O’ Mines mill. Ball mills are laid out in the sun.
Powdered coal would sit in these hoppers before they get mixed with water to make a slurry. Then the mixture is injected into the firebox and ignited to make a coal-powered flamethrower capable of boiling water very quickly.
There were bins with hundreds of spools in them in the basement.
The skyway’s steel substructure collapsed slightly, crushing part of the dust collectors.
A wide view (15mm) of the shadow 4B is casting on 4A. Light leaks because of cheap camera.
Between two brick buildings is a metal one with many windows set into it. Having been in many mills of similar design, I conjecture that this was the milling building, where machines ground the corn before it was boiled.
Let’s play a game called “FIND THE PIGEON”! There is one bird in this photo of dust collectors atop the King Elevator train shed.
The layout and design of the buildings reminded me strongly of a brewery or distillery. To the right you can see some of the retrofits by the first lumber company to buy the buildings, in the 1970s.
Sunset through a stained window in the headhouse made the floor feel like a heavy industrial Disney movie.