A Story Of Lead (1948)

Story Of Lead (1948)
Portrays mining operations in the lead belt of southeast Missouri--the crushing of ore, smelting, refining and other steps in the production of pig lead.
Help us get more films like this online! This film was digitized and uploaded by the A/V Geeks thanks to contributions to this project: www.avgeeks.com/wp2/avgeeks100...

[@davehuckleberry9869]

I worked in a Lead Blast Furnace as a furnaceman for many years. I cannot believe the workers on this film are not using respirators, hard hats, face shields etc... When guys got leaded down in the blast furnaces (lead count of 80) they got transferred out of the Lead area. My Lead count hovered at 65. I slept 12 to 14 hours per day & my joints became extremely arthritic. It's terrible to be leaded.

[@donnakawana]

I watched this thinking the same I'm from Missouri an what that job did to my pop pop an uncle's was sad . I had lead count of 30.. or higher just from grandma washing his clothes in same washer.. not the ones he worked in the ones he changed into . The lead dust was everywhere... Every dang where .. thanks for doing that job .. I Kno how hard you worked an what you've seen working in such a dangerous environment... My dad worked on the trains at the factory.. dust on everything...I live in Baltimore City now an lead is still a major issue here ..

[@James_Bowie]

Akin to asbestos workers. What the management didn't know (or did but didn't declare).

[@gregdolecki8530]

Remember, "everything" was safe years ago.

[@ctdieselnut]

So that's where the term 'get the lead out' comes from? *probably not but it actually makes sense.

[@diegorhoenisch62]

@@James_Bowie There is documentation that the large lead firms-St. Joseph, National Lead, etc.-were aware as early as the 1930s about the toxic nature of lead. The information was suppressed in order to maintain profitability. Cheers, Alan Tomlinson

[@richardbrown1189]

Fascinating film. Who would have thought a 27 minute documentary about lead could be interesting!

[@donnakawana]

Who thought it wudn't be...😊

[@gangoffour6690]

Narrator sounds like Paul Harvey. Good Day .

[@riverraisin1]

@@gangoffour6690 And that's...the rest of the story...

[@rogertycholiz2218]

@@gangoffour6690 ~ Very good documentary narrated by Joe Slattery. That's the rest of the story.

[@myleghurts3546]

Richard Brown In my funny and humble opinion, I believe a well made and researched documentary 27 minutes or whatever its length will be good. 4 minutes of Rape of Nanking fascinated me about 25 years ago, and I ended up purchasing a 600 page book on it, so there you go!!

[@lindaramsey3648]

My Dad worked there as a float operator and took me there many times to watch in the mill. Amazing to see the process. The building still stands and I think of him as I pass by. The museum there is great.

[@philipm3173]

Did he suffer health complications?

[@mohunter68]

Mine too. Except that my dad worked in the machine shop so he didn't actually get to close to the lead seperation part of it. We drive by that old lead smelter almost on a daily basis. It's right there just outside Park Hills and Leadington, Mo. funny how the "Lead" word stuck around.

[@fredhopkins475]

@@philipm3173 a

[@101Volts]

@@philipm3173 I've read that anyone with health issues from Lead can just eat Garlic (preferably a minimum of 2 cloves of Raw Garlic, and crushed then minced into food) and that will remove lead from a body. However, it'll take some time to get a great amount of it out. One has to continually eat Garlic each day, or maybe take Garlic Capsules, but I don't know which of those are effective.

[@captainamericaamerica8090]

@@mohunter68 **Too.

[@sjoldtimer]

I grew up in SW MO, near Springfield. There was an abandoned lead mine near us. My dad and I used to go there often. There was a deep mine shaft that was unprotected by any fences or warnings in those days. We used to throw rocks in it to see how long we could hear it as it bounced down the shaft. I had crystal sets (for those who even know what that is) that used a broken chunk of lead (it is shiny on the inside) for the crystal. The voice in this film is Joe Slattery, who became a Chicago based network announcer for ABC Radio in the 1960s. Prior to Chicago, he was at KWTO radio in Springfield, MO for several years. He was also the announcer for the ABC-TV network country music show, The Ozark Jubilee, which was in Springfield from 1955 to 1960 (called Jubilee USA in the late 50s).

[@michaelschneider2874]

Thanks🙂

[@theondebray]

Still got my grandad's old crystal set, still works last time I connected it to an amplifier! Sound comes out clear as, well, crystal.

[@BitterDemo]

I remember him well. I had met him as a young boy. I later became an Old Hillbilly Entertainer by the name of Cousin Clem or Clem Johnson starting in 1955 then went into the Army at Fort Leonard wood, Mo.

[@phillipellison4758]

@@BitterDemo Did the narrator say SE mo ??? I swam in the old flooded mines in the Joplin / Webb City area which is SW MO.

[@kippywylie]

Did the crystal set turn slightly purple through the years. Quite beautiful stuff. Over the years we've collected glass crystal sets with lead as a component. Also glass door knobs from the turn of the century

[@donjohnson2639]

I’ve worked some tuff jobs but I can’t imagine doing this work. Much respect for these men.

[@captainamericaamerica8090]

Me gramps friends worked there. They were really young. Many grew extra toes! Alot of lead SOOT, SETTLED IN THEIR BOOTS.😩😩🙎🙎👣👣

[@Mike-01234]

@@captainamericaamerica8090 Lead damages the brain turns it into a prune.

[@101Volts]

@@Mike-01234 Garlic's supposed to remove Lead from a body, according to a few studies, but I don't have experience with it myself. 2 cloves minimum, freshly crushed, daily with meals. I'm not sure how long it's needed, it might depend on how much lead's in a body. Nevermind garlic breath. Just add it to pasta or rice or barley or sandwiches, or anything really.

[@flamingfrancis]

@@101Volts Sorry but that is an old wives tale. Toxic Pb causes damage that cannot be reversed. It can only be diluted by combining with an agent that will slowly excrete via normal process. Many good explanations available online. Mankind removed this element as a fuel additive in cars over 30 years ago and increases in the mental ability of our kids had been recorded as a result.

[@chillwill5080]

@@flamingfrancis Increases in mental ability of our kids? LOL, have you lived in a mine for the last few decades?

[@MrGoesBoom]

These old school films are always something else. Great to know they're being preserved

[@KimInKansas]

My grandpa was a lead miner when this was filmed. I looked for him in the video but didn’t see him. My dad and I used to climb the chat dump in Flat River, MO when I was a little kid. Great memories! Love this video!!!

[@Mr91495osh]

My grandfather owned PURE LEAD PRODUCTS of Miami. Started it in 1940. Shipped in new lead from Missouri and recycled lead from south Florida. He made sinkers, flashings, keels, bee bees, X-ray lined walls for Hospitals, Bricks for Nuclear Medicine, certified weights, plates for battery manufacturers, ect. It was a messy business. As a teenager, I worked summers doing all kinds of menial jobs. I was glad to work there.

[@captainamericaamerica8090]

Lead will always have a use. It's actually increased

[@ramonserrano6163]

Your grand father lived up to what age? Lead is as poisonous as fuck.

[@ramonserrano6163]

@@captainamericaamerica8090 yes,yes,..lead is being used more than ever..forget 'bout wall paints..it's bullets babe,bullets....

[@tookitogo]

@@ramonserrano6163 Many countries are phasing out lead bullets because of the insane amounts of environmental lead contamination they’re responsible for.

[@codefeenix]

bb*

[@jamesgoetzke8393]

Always great respect and prayers for any miners... regardless of country and era. A dangerous and necessary job.

[@neilangus4401]

A dangerous and unnecessary job In today's standards

[@beense123]

@@neilangus4401 mining unnecessary... what?

[@richardcranium3417]

@@beense123 you’d be surprised as some think metal is snatched out of thin air. Speaks to the education system we have today.

[@krashd]

@@richardcranium3417 It speaks loads for the education system if you still believe it is necessary to mine things by hand.

[@pastexpiry2013B]

WHERE are the feminists asking for more women in mining?

[@anncodec]

These old films are the best source of raw information and anytime I hear this voice I know I'm fixing to learn something as I live in Missouri and have never heard of the lead belt but I have heard of the rust belt so it all makes sense.

[@mohunter68]

I especially love the video because both of my Grandfathers and my own father worked at that smelting plant that still stands today. It's only about 5 min. from my house. The "Chat" that the narrator speaks about is all around me in Leadwood, and Bonne Tere MO. We used to ride 3 wheelers and dune buggies all over it, but now they are all closed to the public.

[@codefeenix]

too much lead exposure to be able to spell huh?

[@lindaramsey3648]

there was nothing better than a chatdump party! Hated it when they took them all down. My Dad was a float operator in that building

[@jessemoss2548]

The old mine museum in park hills is not a smelter, it's a mill. The smelter was located in Herculanium mo. No museum there , just an abandoned town now.

[@teddythomas281]

@@lindaramsey3648 I bet our slatedump parties were comparable.

[@spannaspinna]

@@jessemoss2548 how abandoned supposedly 4700 people live there

[@richardhoepfner1633]

I operated a Rock Crusher in the late 60s. Mind numbing boredom. Thanks to the GI Bill, I went to school and escaped.

[@michaelslee4336]

I used to machine the components for rock crushers, not so boring!

[@eddenoy321]

I busted rock in a quarry for 27 years, it put food on the table for all 14 of us.

[@PapaWheelie1]

Ed Denoy - not an easy life I’m sure

[@ctpctp]

Not nearly as boring as the drills are.

[@andrewmantle7627]

Thanks for mentioning that. Doing almost anything repetitively like that turns you into a robot. I've known people who do that kind of work (and done some of it myself), and it dulls you.

[@jeanmeslier9491]

My Dad was a painter after WWII. A lot of construction was done building oil refineries and schools in west Texas. He spray and brush painted white lead paint. Even with the inefficient breathing masks of the day, he still would often vomit lead paint after work. He later painted houses, mixing his own paint, white lead and linseed oil. He died of lead poisoning in 1959, aged 49.

[@anthonyowen1556]

I was also a house painter for many years and it's true that lead based paint is very poisonous, but a lead based paint will last for years and years as against modern paints which need re-coating after between three and five years. The rules with lead based paints are: ALWAYS rub down wet so as not to release (lead saturated) dust into the air and never wash brushes against the skin. I worked with lead based paint for decades and never suffered any ill effects, if used properly and respected they are safer than the modern substitutes.

[@mittnagivag4867]

Yea keep justifying your death. Stupid fucking toad. Bet ya voted for dumpy too

[@newrenewableenergycontrol5724]

@@mittnagivag4867 I understand your anger. I lost my father to asbestos poisoning. But in any mathematical process, the result is very important. Our lives, you and I, are much better then they might have been. Yes, men became rich. There are the guilty ones, the ones who were told by scientists that there was something rotten in Denmark, but kept it under wrap for their own personal gain. Maybe Trump? Maybe. But that means we need to keep close track on our leaders and corporations. Now do your homework on the previous 50 years of politicians, and if you are truthful with yourself, and not simply a political skank, you will see something terrible was afoot. And something needed to be done. Now, if the American people are smart they will keep their eyes wide open! Peace brother!

[@1whatever100]

In the 50s and 60s tooth past tubes whee made out of lead

[@FMHammyJ]

I'm saddened to hear of your loss....that is indeed a tragic story......

[@stihl888]

Every school aged child should be made to watch films like these.

[@devin5531]

Why

[@stihl888]

@@devin5531 More to learn from this than the rubbish they're fed these day.

[@grassroot011]

my Dad worked in a B-29 Bomber plant, during the war, his job was to dip a rag in a barrel of Carbon Tetrachloride and wipe down the metals that needed to be painted. Lived to be near 85 and no observable health concerns from it. Ma would say his breath exuded the fumes of that stuff when they slept.

[@jeffbrown3963]

I spent ten years of my life working on machinery and conveyors like this is iron foundries. I would go home and take a shower and go to bed and in the morning there would be a dark stain from the foundry sand that came out of my skin. I'm sure it's the same with lead. Also, back in the 60s and 70s asbestos was our best friend - kept us and machines away from the heat. Great video and believe it or not, I miss working there.

[@theadventuresofbrockinthai4325]

My Dad was chief engineer during ww2 and died of mesothelioma (asbestos cancer). Before he died he filed a lawsuit against the asbestos makers. He never saw any of the money but my Mom received about $250,000.00. If you worked around asbestos you will die from it.

[@charliepearce8767]

@@theadventuresofbrockinthai4325 Not all the time. My grandfather worked for many years with Asbestos. After many years of breathing it dust He died when a big tree fell on him after a storm.

[@theadventuresofbrockinthai4325]

@@charliepearce8767,so sorry about your Dad but if he did live a long life he would have had a good chance of developing mesothelioma. It was hard to watch my Dad go from a hard working man building homes to barely able to get out of a chair. If you can pitcher this, he looked like someone coming out of a concentration camp in WW2. You might even say you were lucky you didn't have to watch your Dad go through that. Actually the government knew what it was going to do to these people but figured a lot of them would die and the rest of them would accept their fate.

[@maplebones]

@@theadventuresofbrockinthai4325 There are different types of asbestos. The mine near me in Vermont produced a type that didn't cause any problems. It had to be mixed with another type that caused asbestosis.

[@jimallison2827]

@@maplebones there are no safe forms of asbestos!

[@adamkendall997]

The safe number of men allowed in the cage also just happens to be the as many as we can cram in at one time.

[@jungojerry1658]

I saw that too.

[@Ferrexx]

for efficiency's sake that would make sense but its still funny

[@packingten]

They wet drill to MINIMIZE ROCK DUST.....NOTICE THOSE INVISIBLE FACE MASK?.. Drills ran by AIR SPEED...Which helps miner to absorb EVERY LAST PARTICLE...

[@ronaldsmith3663]

Why worry about the safety factor? They're sticking their bare hands into the toxic slurry..!

[@skeggjoldgunnr3167]

Milwaukee Area Technical College (downtown, main campus) 1986. C Building elevators. Thursday evening, right about 5:45pm. Going to night Physics class up on the 4th floor. The elevator car is packed full - we're like sardines in a can here. Doors wanna shut - but a loud request to "HO DE DO" could be heard. A massive rotund hairy sweaty buffarilla appears. Shufflin' lackadaisically, snatching on the tiny little arm of a female toddler that is sleeping and being dragged; "Shaqueefa, YOU lazy, chyle!" We are become one. ALL of us somehow inexplicably have managed to wedge ourselves between her mass and the elevator car walls. The doors close. We're committed NOW! The elevator car sagged a couple feet and failed to do anything else. A buzzer sounded. Everybody is staring at this monstrosity in the midst of us.

[@GlideYNRG]

Something well worth a watch. Have worked around and in a Nickel mine and the recovery process is very similar. Hats off to all that worked in these mines before health and safety was really a thing.

[@donnakawana]

It's mind blowing but I lived there an saw the suffering of them who worked there an the families who lived there .. I'm one of a generation of ppl those mines ate up!! With back breaking work deadly lead levels an crazy accidents.. I remember the stories an suffered lead poison myself. I'm 54 an it is amazing what they did there if you don't take in to account the death toll the time.. most of it covered up. Grateful for changes in this industry..thru years I do have great memories too but this just was wild seeing this...

[@101Volts]

Does anyone here know from experience if Raw Garlic (minimum of 2 cloves, freshly crushed, preferably) removes Lead pretty well from their body if eaten over the course of at least 3 weeks, maybe longer? I've read a few studies saying that it's effective. Not that I personally need it, but I _am_ curious. The dosage and length of eating it probably determines how much lead will be removed.

[@rogertycholiz2218]

@@donnakawana ~ And do you have in your home any lead-free products - likely not.

[@rogertycholiz2218]

@@101Volts~ An elderly Hungarian fellow we knew said to eat raw garlic & cabbage daily for good health.

[@spannaspinna]

@@101Volts no but it should keep the vampires away

[@beekbeeker2907]

we owe so mush to these men and the work they did........lead..in every tv....circutboard..radio automotive ...and so much more!!

[@wf6951]

Flint Michigan would like a word with you.

[@dadillen5902]

@@wf6951 Do not blame the lead pipes. They worked without problems, in some cases for over a 100 year, until the State of Michigan took over control of Flint because the city was bankrupt. They changed the city's water source to the Flint river to save money, but due to pollution the river water is acidified, lower ph. This dissolved the pipe putting lead in the water. The same people responsible for the source change then covered up the lead content. This was a greed problem not a materials problem. There are still millions of miles of lead pipes in thousands of city around the world. These city do not have lead in their water. I just wonder when we will find out that the plastic pipe used today in leaching something dangerous, binder, flexer, nano particles, into the water, both tap and bottled.

[@donnakawana]

@@dadillen5902 you said a mouthful there luv ...

[@101Volts]

Does anyone here have experience with removing lead from their body by eating Raw Garlic for a few weeks or months? Supposedly, it works, if the studies I read on it are accurate. That's preferably freshly crushed raw garlic.

[@whitcwa]

@@101Volts Garlic won't help at all. The only treatment is chelation therapy.

[@johndavey72]

Well, everyday is a school day. I've used lead in the motor trade for 50years and had no idea at all how labour intensive the production process was. No wonder a stick of lead costs over £10.00p. I will never moan about the price of lead ever again! Superb documentary.

[@hoko418]

The working conditions shown in this film are absolutely unbelievable. Primitive safety ropes, removal of loose rocks from the ceiling of the mining tunnels while miners were working underneath, missing helmets, no respirators, primitive gloves, everywhere open transmission belts, and toxic tailings that were just dumped somewhere. Even today, the area around the places shown in the film might still be still highly polluted. Presumably, the workers and their families likely did not become old.

[@sparksmcgee6641]

You don't know anything about galena, you should watch a film on that. You're seeing limestone extraction, if you would have listened you'd know that.

[@ronblack7870]

yah i know where are all the pride flags and trans workers? just terrible/s

[@jinxjones5497]

That was brilliant! We forget what this element has done for us over the years.

[@Lou.B]

Amazing history! Thanks for all your work, A/V Geeks!

[@ecologicaladam7262]

I love these old information films... Takes me back to my school days when we'd sit round a pull-down screen while the master loaded the film... Happy days...

[@rainscratch]

Agree - they are gems in their own right. I've got a very large collection of 16mm and 35mm film prints that I'm progressively scanning and uploading to my channel for posterity. They don't make documentaries like that any more as the old cliche goes.

[@StevesProjects]

I think my factory job is hard work, its only when you see these old films that you realise what a hard (and dangerous) days work really was.

[@vibratingstring]

Still even more primitive and dangerous than this in China

[@Itsaboutthewaterlife]

@@mitodabadee: No need to worry: hallelujah: Alexandria Ocasio's new Green Deal will solve all of our problems. Free at last.

[@rokuthedog]

Itsaboutthewaterlife There is always a fat headed american to inject their retarded politics into everything...

[@Itsaboutthewaterlife]

@: jobs jobs jobs.

[@smartyjones7459]

self entitled libtards always have their lazy hands out looking to take from the hard working...

[@Diamonddavej]

Here in Ireland, at Tara Mines (originally a ~100 million tonne lead zinc deposit) they mine the ore in regular rectangular stope. The stopes are then back filled with mine waste mixed with concrete, once hardened, the pillars can then be removed.

[@donnakawana]

Wow, what's done with the remaining pillars?

[@ats-3693]

@@donnakawana they are processed for the ore in them, they were only left in the first place because they were needed to hold the roof up, once the stopes are backfilled the pillars aren't needed anymore and can be mined out, then the holes left from removing the pillars can also be backfilled.

[@jackdedert2945]

The abandoned mines in the area created the largest man-made cavern system in the world. It can be visited.....

[@ats-3693]

@@jackdedert2945 Yes there is a number of places like that around the world, but only where the structural geology and rock type is such that the tunnels and man made caverns are safe and very unlikely to collapse, where the mining type was stope and fill or where shotcrete and rock bolting was needed to hold the rocks together while mining was happening the workings are either back filled or purposely collapsed when mining has finished.

[@deniseshephard3347]

Thank you for sharing this video to us as to make sure that history is never forgotten

[@georgesabol459]

Doe Run had some of the purest lead ever mined. Used in lead shielding for germanium type detectors.

[@wcstevens7]

Thank you for a most interesting documentary

[@MrLukealbanese]

What an amazingly complicated process!! Great film.

[@dougjohns5115]

I had no idea the process was so involved!

[@roblangada4516]

Thousands of years of technological progress to get to this point.

[@blakegrunwell5442]

It's fascinating

[@YABBAHEY1]

End credits: Beautiful smoky sunset over tailings heap w/dead tree. priceless. I'm going to name my daughter Galena.

[@rileydeadmarsh5892]

Super cool to see how the smelters were ran back in the day. I currently work at a lead smelter. Been working with lead and smelting for the past 6 years

[@NikovK]

If some guy with a clipboard and a tie tells you to run it a little hotter to get another couple of pours out every day, tell him to fuck off, all right?

[@Porty1119]

Are you with Teck in BC?

[@QuantumRift]

What lead smelter would that be? The last company that was smelting lead in the US shut down 7 years ago....you must not be in the U.S.

[@douglasgriswold2533]

@@cornstar1253WTF are you talking about? I'm not talking about Canada. "Secondary"? Doe Run lead smelter [in Herculaneum, Missouri] shut down on 31 DEC 2013. It was the last lead smelting plant in the US.

[@douglasgriswold2533]

@@cornstar1253They are not virgin lead ore smelters. Recyclers....

[@BIG-DIPPER-56]

Pretty Darn Cool ! ! Great to see these old documentaries. So interesting to see how things were done... and the old cars are icing on the cake. 🙂

[@markhenry15]

This was amazing. I literally can't imagine this technology and operation back then.

[@cigaretteman5716]

Omg .. I’ll be so scared of the ceiling collapsing on me .. these men have balls of steel to do this type of work

[@user-vh7ki7xu7o]

HAW HAW

[@eddenoy321]

Balls of lead

[@Wolfdog370]

Balls of lead you should have said

[@eddenoy321]

@@Wolfdog370 You are sharp !

[@Wolfdog370]

@@eddenoy321 I didn't read your comment till after I posted mine .. just as sharp as you it appears ..

[@rainscratch]

Extraordinary documentary, not only for explaining and visualizing the incredibly dangerous and arduous work involved, but also for its technical prowess in lighting and photographing these vasts underground caverns. Not an easy task given their location and need to have brought in and planned elaborate power supplies, lighting systems and camera operations.

[@1940limited]

It's an engineering marvel.

[@breakingh2o311]

I traveled across the country from California to scuba dive in Bonne Terre mine. It was amazing. I actually recognize some of the caves in this video! So cool. Thanks for uploading this.

[@capn_shawn]

Thanks for the upload.. I spent many Saturdays sledding down the chat piles in Bonne Terre, MO. As an aside, several of these mines are great for scuba diving these days.

[@lindaramsey3648]

I lived in Elvins and played on the dump and swam in the mill pond all the time. Live in Desloge now. so Hi Neighbor lo

[@Notrocketscience101]

So much brilliance and Hardwork that brings us everything we use

[@RickaramaTrama-lc1ys]

Very interesting and educational and I enjoyed it very much. Thanks for the upload.

[@danhammond8406]

Amazing video. Love the old ones

[@TexasbyStorm]

My dad and his brothers used to climb and play on the chat piles north of Joplin, MO. The entire SW MO and SE Kansas, and NE OK was a huge area for lead mining. Picher, OK still has a heavy presence of lead in the area, Galena, KS was literally named for the galena that was being mined. Nobody knew back then how the lead would devastate the health of those that worked in the mines, or their families. IQs were affected for generations.

[@mafic_taco7061]

Absolutely the biggest stope I have ever seen! Awesome video!

[@garfield2279]

I worked I a lead refinery in England for 6 years, we used to have an on site medical room, where we would have to have blood tests every 6 weeks or so, to ensure lead count was below a safe level. The process with the casting wheel and the crane to remove the “pigs” or ingots is still the same today.

[@101Volts]

Were you ever advised to eat Garlic at each supper to keep lead levels down? According to some more recent studies in the last 12 years, it helps. I'm not sure how well it does, though.

[@garfield2279]

@@101Volts not that I can remember, more emphasis was put on showering at every break time and changing overalls to keep the lead dust at bay

[@captainamericaamerica8090]

@@101Volts It really does help. Garlic has amazing benefits

[@artsmith103]

Beer also helps digest lead.

[@stevesteve8098]

Problem is .. the "safe" levels then are no where near the safe levels now..... you start with an IQ of 120 and by the time you leave it's 90

[@rickprusak9326]

I have a friend who worked in the Delco Remy Vehicle Battery Plant in Fitzgerald Georgia. Everyday the employees had to give blood samples in the company first aid office, to check lead levels in their blood system. Urine samples were also taken to see how much lead was in their waste system. I don't know if a poop sample was also needed. If so, that was some heavy shit. If the lead level in their blood was anywhere near the high level mark - that employee was sent home for a few days. They had to drink massive amounts of water to help flush out lead, although you can't flush out the accumulated lead damage in the brain, liver, and other internal organs. Can you emagine how much lead these miners inhaled into their lungs in open mines like this? Instead of dying of black lung like coal miners do, they died of lead lung. All this hazardous work, just to make bullets and batteries. Life is really cheap in so many ways.

[@giggleherz]

They knew the dangers of lead dust, I dont get why they didn't supply them with dust masks. It's like you said about life is cheap. Damn not one man even wearing a cloth around their face.

[@thatsenough777]

I was a miner in Australia, 3 different lead mines same shit. In Mt Isa they told us over 15 different gases were produced when letting explosives off. We all fired whatever at end of shift. The next crew comes in and start fixing ventilation and spraying down with water to suppress the dust. Point is. The main gas produced was nitrogen oxide, when that comes in contact with your mucus membranes it turns into nitric acid and happily chews your lungs out. True story, I smoked and was a tough miner on good money, and I should be dead soon ( hope) no fun living when you can't breathe. I blame nitrate explosives and the dumb ignorance and lack of knowledge held back by management. Any way, lead mining is toxic and very dangerous.

[@giggleherz]

@@thatsenough777 God Bless brother, one day we will share stories and drink to life forever

[@thatsenough777]

@@giggleherz my shout and take your time, plenty more.

[@mrbluenun]

Thanks for this lead video upload. I have not seen such a great video for a while super interesting.

[@stanleystrycharz2572]

Amazing old footage of lead mining and refining!

[@FollowTheMoney1]

Fantastic footage, thankyou..🙏

[@505197]

The processes and technology built upon over centuries is just mind boggling. Every piece of machinery had to have someone who knew how to operate it, someone had to know how to service it, and how to move it when needed. Large factories just blow my mind. I work alone, I have an auto diagnostic and electrical repair shop. But I've been in a factory that makes wheels for new cars. I was talking to a fellow wiring a huge cabinet for a new wheel assembly line. He told me that there were 1 million connections in that damn thing, every single one was a crimped on, blue common ring connectors, I use them now and then also. If one fails, how in hell do you know WHICH ONE?

[@davidkeene64]

Yes, it's clear you appreciate both the technology and the processes. I'm definitely on your page with your comments ! DK

[@goofyroofy]

think of all those teachers who had to put up with us not paying attention in class when videos like these were played as they rided out a hangover, now we happily watch them in full on youtube XD "just wait you kids, one day you'll want to watch this again on a magic box" LOL

[@passiveaggressivenegotiato8087]

I remember daydreaming and not paying attention to films, but I was quite about it, cause they'd snatch us up and bust that ass

[@63bplumb]

Recently retired plumber in Spokane, WA. Was one of the last or the last plumber here that still poured lead joints in the transition between cast iron original piping in home plumbing to new plastic transition fittings for conversation to ABS piping or additional piping for additional bathrooms. Years ago as an apprentice with my father used to pour lead joints in cast iron fittings. Sadly never saw lead wrapped joints in lead drainage piping done.

[@kathmandu1575]

Excellent documentary.

[@rossdmcc]

My father worked for the Ballard Mining Company in Picher, Oklahoma during the Second World War. He tried working underground but was too claustrofobic. He was moved to the surface to operate equipment and drive trucks. The Ballard company keep him out of military service because of their need for lead, zinc and galena. My family lived in nearby Baxter Springs, Kansas. Tar Creek, one of the largest clean up efforts ever done by the EPA, ran through the center of our town. I grew up swimming in strip pits and wading in that green and orange glowing creek. No fish could live in that water, just a few frogs. Picher, Oklahoma is not there anymore. The government bought people out and moved them. Poison chemicals caused cancer and cave ins swallowed houses, literally. My father lived to be 87. We covered our driveways with "free" gravel from the chat piles. The chat piles are now locked down and restricted from the public because of the radioactivity. This is sad but it seems most people are not resentful because our area of the country contributed to the war against a vial enemy. It's a beautiful place, Baxter Springs. A lot of baseball fever. The Mick was from that part of the world, Commerce, Oklahoma. His father and uncles were miners. Mickey Mantle was who he was because his father forced him to be one of the best players in the history of the game. His father didn't want Mickey to work in the mines.

[@P_RO_]

The government couldn't force everyone out of Picher and a few people were still living there in 2008 when an EF-4 tornado wiped out everything that was left of the place.

[@loadedhot1034]

You know they think a giant meteor made of lead and zinc crashed in pitcher and that is what brought such high concentration of minerals to the area. They say it hit with such force it fractured the ground to the north into south east kansas and those fractures are what created the coal mines of south east Kansas.

[@buzzcity8382]

In the 1800's to the 1900's, they used candles. But then, it went to oil lamps. I really love learning about old mining grounds.

[@MikeS-um1nm]

Very interesting and IMPRESSIVE! The machinery is AMAZING!

[@misterpeppercorn3078]

This is an amazing film.

[@73monochrome]

Thankyou to all the great men that busted their tails off to build our great nation. You aren't forgotten.

[@62exide]

I worked at a lead smelter for 8 years. 2 years on the furnace and 6 years in Engitec. We did blood test every 2 months to check for lead.

[@scinto23]

How often did people test high? If you don't mind me asking.

[@victor-oq7dl]

I presume you worked for Exide batteries.

[@cornstar1253]

@@scinto23 they keep lowering the acceptable limits. So it's getting tougher to keep levels within the range

[@scinto23]

@@cornstar1253 they are doing the same for school kids too. Several kids on the high school rifle team had an issue when they did that.

[@101Volts]

@@cornstar1253 There are a few studies saying that Raw Garlic can help remove lead very well. That's preferably Freshly Crushed Raw Garlic, and the dosage and length of intake depends on the amount of lead in a person's body.

[@jeremy28135]

Almost 800K views since this was posted 9 years ago. In the 65 years between, maybe a small fraction of those people ever saw this film on reel-to-reel, Super 8, U-Matic, Betamax, and VHS. The strange, peculiar, always awesome power of the KZbin Algorithm

[@davegoldspink5354]

Brilliant video thanks for sharing. Have relatives who worked at Mount Isa mines which had much the same sort of hard rock mining while my dad worked in the coal mines here in Wollongong which were high risk and requiring timber pillars and because of coal gas no smoking or anything that produced a spark. Have been down all kinds of mines here in Australia and always find videos like this very interesting.

[@exploringabandonedmines]

Great movie documenting historic mining and smelting. I explore old mines on my You Tube channel and am always interested in learning more about them.

[@derekcollins9206]

Exploring Abandoned Mines Awesome.I watch all your videos.Alot are done in my home of Nova Scotia.

[@wiggertp]

Exploring Abandoned Mine

[@deborahserran6951]

Exploring Abandoned Mines t

[@donmyers584]

Exploring Abandoned Mines there is an excellent lead mining museum in Joplin Missouri located in Shifferdecker park

[@dacomazielsdorf7618]

I enjoy your channel alot

[@bogywankenobi3959]

It's amazing how Paul Harveys voice can glamorize the extraction of such a toxic metal.

[@davidbrogan606]

@SittingMoose Shaman You are wrong. Water toxicity is something else entirely. Your body is made of 90% water. It is not toxic.

[@QuantumRift]

it's only toxic if you ingest it or breath it in...really, now.

[@dadillen5902]

@@davidbrogan606 So your body is 90% toxic. At least to 90% of the world. Lead is not killing the planet humans are.

[@mikegrendel9126]

Not paul Harvey

[@mikegrendel9126]

@@brucegerard309 30 some years ago whilst stationed overseas I listened to him every night for awhile, frankly couldn't get anything else. (Internet wasn't a thing yet) just AFN radio. I really liked listening to his stories. I'm just not sold that's him doing this narration. It's possible I guess.

[@heavenbounddaughter1125]

Very, very, very interesting! I really enjoyed this.

[@johncarold]

I love watching these old shows.

[@scarakus]

Lead plays an important part in our lives, from car batteries, and plumbing, to the paint on the walls your children eat... lmao..

[@andrewthomas5540]

Used to. Lead in paint was banned a long long time ago, 1978. As for plumbing, unless you live in an older property, pre 80s i would imagine, then you would most likely have copper and i have seen stainless steel and sometimes plastic. I am sure feeding your kids lead would be highly illegal, lol.

[@scarakus]

You don't, but they did back in the day, because it tastes sweet. Romans used it as a sweetener.

[@samueljesse2179]

@Scott Reynolds exactly

[@gojoe2833]

Don't worry, your Gov't says Lead is perfectly safe to mine, burn and eat! So's thd COVID Vaccine..trust us!!!

[@donnakawana]

@Scott Reynolds you don't let them .. it's a fine powder to lil chips. Witch they pick up as they crawl around an put their hands in their mouths... An old home that hasn't been tested for lead paint has it . Every time you open your old windows an doors inside an out you create a fine dust you breathe in... Really you don't Kno how this works. Or if you're old home has old ass pipes... Your drinking lead too.. educate yourself dear... Instead of sounding stupid... "You let your kids eat paint chips" dumb person comment!!

[@cloudcorby420]

I'm 25 and I grew up next to these chat dumps you see at the beginning. They are gone now because they contained alot of lead. In fact as a kid because of these chats I was tested with such a high blood lead level that they said I could of went blind and a variety of other effects. Although it seems to of effected some folks much more than me. These piles of chat were placed in large piles inconveniently in the middle of Bonn Terre and park Hills and in leadwood. I lived by all 3 at some point in my life. Homes were conveniently cheaper next to them. And I never seen a kid with a sandbox around here that wasn't just filled in with chat.we used to go sledding down them and such. Those towns wouldn't exist without the lead that kept people here to mine.

[@donnakawana]

I grew up same. Seeing them brought up stomach cramps we all drank alot of stomach meds .. later due to high lead content in my blood .. sowe move to Baltimore City... Guess what I can not get away from lead...we have major issues with lead paint old properties ppl have to remove it ..but they paint over it an some how their kids suffer lead poison...lol! Those chat piles were ever present..my sand box was definitely full of chat...sand??

[@cloudcorby420]

@@donnakawana yes chat is essentially lead tailings which equates to sand more or less. When your a growing kid its especially dangerous as an adult its much less harmful but still not good for anyone. Baltimore is so similar to st.louis in culture and history. Alot of blue collar folk who work hard but they dont do alot of thinking on health effects back then. Heck they prolly didn't know it back then like we do now. Hopefully the next generations will have safer environments

[@cloudcorby420]

I lived right above the baseball field next to the elementary school bit the highscool is sorta near desloge. . Yellow green house most people liked riding bikes at lead wood chat dump at the sugar bowl. Which is long gone now too. That stuff was good to ride on absolutely

[@mohunter68]

Yep me too. I'm 53 and we rode 3 wheelers and dune buggies all over that chat dump in Leadwood, Mo. when I was 13 yrs. old. My best friend's dad actually built dune buggies on the side. Sherwood Conway and he worked for my dad at Flat River Glass in the mold shop. That was before it became Primal Glass. My dad has since passed away, and Sherwood died of Alshiemers.

[@cloudcorby420]

@@mohunter68 my grandmother retired from glass factory many years ago. She lives out in frankclay which is as close to the lead wood chats as you could get. I live hearing this kinda stuff because this place has a ton of personality and history that should be talked about more there was truly nothing like the leadwood chat dumps. And we will likely never see someone leave lead tailings like that again for good reason but still. Its really special that not many people will know that experience. Heck i got a brother in worthem still who used to ride on it hes in his 30's now im 26 so up until 15 or 10 years ago people did that. But they don't let you do it no more. It was a big deal fs dangerous but fun.

[@spischang]

Us here in Saxony (GER) have a region called Erzgebirge. Where the modern mining was been invented. In Freiberg someone found silver (lead) ore by accident and a rush began. This happend about 850 years in the past. You can still see the remains from the late middleage mining industry. I visited a abbandoned 350 year old processing house ruin, even the large crushing blocks where children had to improve the grade of ore, were still to be seen, furnaces etc.. thx for this nice gem.

[@RRED2]

Very interesting and I thank you for sharing this video.

[@dickdozer6558]

I live about ten miles from the mine. They employed a lot of people in this area and they were good Union jobs.

[@Crazysteve779]

Is this pea ridge mine outside Sullivan

[@digital_gadget]

How are those people (if any are left) and their families?

[@Porty1119]

@@Crazysteve779 No, Pea Ridge mined iron and used some variety of sublevel open stoping rather than room and pillar mining. This looks like it was filmed at the Federal No. 3 Mill in Flat River, which milled ore from several shafts including the No. 12 and No. 17. The No. 3 Mill is now a museum.

[@kolebuscher5733]

@@digital_gadget most of them left. If any are still in town, genetically, they face more cancer and heart diseases and everybody else on the block. Anytime you are wondering "what ever happened to all the people that worked in that occupation that hasnt changed since the 1800's", you can safely assume that they lived a long healthy life, like someone from the 1800's.

[@bb5242]

"Safety is paramount" -- people inhaling lead dust all day long with no protection.

[@billypreston12]

B B - They had no idea back then the dangers of lead, you understand that this is from the 40’s

[@cruzin7749]

3 of them had half masks on 😁

[@colosseros]

Those three guys started coughing up blood the week before. That's just to stop it from getting on the other miners. :D

[@user-hb8be5wb4q]

But, they had their lunch pail, steel toed boots, and the great carbide headlamp! AND in this day we have great sinkholes to swallow up whatever is above.

[@jfdb59]

and no eye protection either. Like really? Are safety glasses really that high tech and modern? LOL. No one ever got shit in their eye and thought "gee whiz maybe we should do something about this?" haha what a joke.

[@timlawson817]

I worked at St. JOSEPH LEAD smelter in Herculaneum in 1982 as a Ironworker the plant was the dirtiest most unsafe nasty place I worked in over 30 yrs. It still looked the same in 1982 as it looked in 1900 . It was a experience working on the building there .

[@garycoulam2443]

A magnificent article of history.

[@mrannen1958]

When every I ask what kind of work do you do and he says miner, it holds about the same respect to me as a veteran.

[@dustyroads5753]

In addition to the lead deposits, there were also zink iron deposits in the state as well as coal. A perfect recipe for industrial smelting operations.

[@Tim-Kaa]

I love these old timers videos.

[@BALAJI-ik3rb]

I am a lead recycler and it's amazing to see this video.

[@ctdieselnut]

Its amazing how efficient all the machines and equipment is for not using hydraulics for the most part. Even the electric motors made little power compared to modern stuff. I liked the little buggies that moved around 3500lb stacks had a overhead power cord and reel. Seems like they just did everything with less. Like the guys unloading box cars by hand, now it would be a belly dump car that empties in 3 seconds. Cool to see.

[@CDMJDMHHC]

I saw many things that were present in the mine I work at just different scale, but the underground caverns just blow my mind, pretty damn cool.

[@jsea1010]

I was a Lead Burner for many years, was taught the art of the trade by my father and he by his.

[@TheDickPuller]

J Sea the term Lead Burner has a different meaning here in the UK, it’s used for someone who welds Lead Roof Flashings & is normally a Plumber(a hint for the trade name is Latin). When I stated my Apprenticeship as a Plumber in the early 70’s we used lots of Lead, making joints in Cast Iron pipes & lots of roof flashings. I don’t think I’ve experienced any adverse effects of my many years working with Lead & I hold a great affection for the metal.

[@jimburnsjr.]

Excellent video thank you

[@SteverRob]

We called 'em chat dumps in Bonne Terre/Flat River. We'd play on 'em as kids, climbing to the top and rolling down. Had that stuff in our ears, hair, in our clothes. It was like a coarse sand after the lead had been removed, though it still had lead, as they were eventually smoothed over. If you go to any little creek or branch in St. Francois County, you'll see core samples everywhere, cores of limestone about the diameter of a 50 cent piece.

[@frmol1]

those guys are real heroes in my eyes.. real jobs

[@wf6951]

Every job is a real job. Get you're heat out yer ass.

[@spambot7110]

you have some fucked up aspirations

[@101Volts]

@@wf6951 "In all labor there is profit: but the talk of the lips tends only to penury." - Proverbs 14:32. But what constitutes "Labor" in the verse? I cannot imagine the "Labor" meant in this Bible Verse is referring to anything greedy at all.

[@rainscratch]

Try to imagine how 20-30 years in the future any of the emerging generation of people with their heads constantly glued to mobile phones will even consider doing any work like this? Not going to happen.

[@bunberrier]

I must have missed the part where women demand equality in lead mining. Seriously though that was fascinating. Its a treasure that they documented this for the future.

[@grassroot011]

No, that would be too Liberal. Ha

[@rickvassell8349]

Funny, I never saw any women Boilermakers either.

[@digdougedy]

In Britain, women used to work alongside their husbands in the coal mines. With the advent of photography, a photo of a filthy woman stripped naked to the waist was published in the newspapers. There was public outrage and parliament swiftly brought in laws to prevent women (and children) from working down the mines. It is true to say that some jobs are too heavy for women and some jobs where, if women participated on a 50/50 basis, there would be far more women casualties than men. I have 2 sisters and they are both pretty rubbish at anything practical that requires coordination or strength........ Equality of outcome is for morons.

[@utuber2940]

No you missed the part where men demand sex change and abortion rights!!!

[@steverone7623]

bunberrier the women were running this country while the men were at war in ww2 just a few years prior to this video.

[@digger105337]

St Joseph lead mine in St Joseph Missouri still has limited tours of the surface works . The gigantic spoil areas are an ATV riding area with 100's of trails run by the park service.

[@miksal26]

Lovely beautiful clean lead.

[@akompsupport]

"The great (toxic) lead chat pile." Those were the days. Thank G-D for best practices and environmental protection. Fantastic video! Thanks for posting.

[@ericdoe2318]

The chat piles are still thereb

[@manfredvonrichthofen4738]

oh yes that was the good old days in the lead mine wished i had lived to see them

[@Kirkee7]

Very interesting. Didn't know it was such a long process back then.

[@Pgcmoore]

outstanding!!!

[@7come11two]

I wonder how many of these workers died from lead poisoning. Certainly, they suffered from it. I live in Oklahoma. There are a couple of ghost towns in the northeastern part of the state where old lead mines exist. One of the towns is called Picher. The other one, about five miles to the northwest, is called Cardin. Both towns were ordered evacuated in the 80's or 90's, and there are now no residents living there. The reason cited for the evacuations was airborne lead. However, there is another reason why no one wants to live there. It has been estimated that up to 80% of the remaining structures in the town of Picher, are subject to collapse due to severe undermining. There are, indeed, sink holes in the area. There are also huge piles of white chat that was brought out of the mines. You can view these chat piles on Google Earth. They can be seen from way up high. In fact, when I want to look at the city of Picher on GE, I find it most quickly by simply zooming in on the white spots. You can still drive through Picher. I recommend you keep your windows rolled up, and your A/C or heater fan on, to pressurize the inside of the car.

[@justforever96]

Dude, it is lead, not radioactive toxins. I am so sick of people overracting. Just _driving through_ a town where lead was once mined is not going to have the slightest effect on your health, it won't even make any measurable difference in your blood lead numbers. People who got lead poisoning lived here for _decades_ , and most of them only get poisoning because they worked in plants where the lead ore was crushed into powder and processed, millionss of tons of it, in an enclosed space, over years. _That_ will effect your health. Not driving a car through a place where they once dug lead from the ground. Seriously, "pressurize the inside of your car". Right, because just putting the windows up might let as much as a microgram of lead particles into the car, when they work their way in through the small cracks and holes! And it only takes a single molecule of lead to _kill_ you!!! True fact!

[@101Volts]

And also be happy to eat Raw Garlic, if it's effective, like the studies I read said it is.

[@tedf.5055]

Makes me wonder about SW Wisconsin where there are communities like Galena IL, New Diggings WI and Lead Mine WI.

[@johnsmithschannel999]

Well pressuring the car means like using an air cylinder to fill the car with clean air?

[@tookitogo]

@@johnsmithschannel999 Heheheheh. Yeah, I mean, the only way that having the AC blower running would make sense is if it’s equipped with a HEPA filter.

[@henrybucki7813]

after years of operation it was discovered how dangerous the operation was .so the opened up a talcum powder factory instead. and a weed killer plant factory next door.

[@martinclark8162]

They were all safe while some fat assed suit was making a buck, same people have recently gone into the pharmaceutical industry.

[@josedelcastillo6171]

Talcum powder and weed killer two other things that were causing cancer

[@madgebishop5409]

@@josedelcastillo6171 ....wooosh......that was the joke he was making going over your head....

[@madgebishop5409]

@B D after that they opened a Cancer factory

[@davidpool3424]

As bad as those miners had it, at least they could afford a couple of cars, a big house and a big family. So they had that going for them.

[@SuperBfrizzle]

Which is nice

[@demef758]

Instead, your generation chooses to not even date, much less have children. What other result did you expect from your life's choices?

[@SuperBfrizzle]

​@@demef758 That's just like your opinion man

[@vince1638]

And died promptly at 62 from cancer.

[@WELLINGTON20]

@@demef758 your generation is too weak for 2020s

[@toolsteel8482]

Cool and informative video, did not know how many steps to make quality lead. The men look like ants working in the huge cavernous spaces, but not a lot of headroom beneath the trolley wires.

[@riccardoscavo8485]

I recently leaded the roof of my front double dormer windows for esthetics and longevity and complained like mad at the price of lead. After seeing the hard working conditions these miners endure, I complain no more. We are too spoilt we take things for granted. God bless the mining community.

[@ArthurDentZaphodBeeb]

Anyone involved in mining or smelting lead was cursed, not blessed.

[@donnakawana]

Thanks... It's a hard life....

[@justforever96]

This is from 1948, you realize this, right?

[@ramonserrano6163]

Riccardo Scavo. Hope you don't have children around you home..lead will make them slow learners..seriously..becareful..

[@dansmith5012]

@@justforever96 Mining is hard work, whether it's 1860, 1948 or 2022 whatever year you pick. You want to know if a job is tough, look at the ratio men/women doing it. You will get about the same ratio as in roofing or concrete work.

[@svenp6504]

This brings back memories of watching educational films in elementary school, mid 70's. Oh did that voice put me to sleep.

[@dougjohns5115]

yes on those old TV's they rolled in on wheels!

[@wind-solar]

Substitute day 😆

[@WickedGravityVideo]

Metallurgist from ASARCO here ...we did produce some lead, that's for sure. Refined and alloyed in Omaha, Nebraska

[@TheRealCheckmate]

Very educational. Lead mining and refining is more complicated than I would have thought. I have to wonder what the long term health consequences of working there were, inhaling all that dust and fumes.

[@edwardschmitt5710]

I searched "Heavy Metal" the other day and got this in my feed today from You Tube....

[@thetreblerebel]

There's giant mounds of chat leftover from the mines. Still there today in 2020 it was a major employer of the area

[@randlerichardson5826]

Great video I like watching videos like this

[@Hot80s]

Mesmerizing to watch.