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RAVENNA ARSENAL—The picture on the left the Arsenal. Operators wearing masks and protective
shows the Administration area at the arsenal. clothing pound excess TNT out of funnels after artil-
RIGHT—TNT is handled roughly but safely at lery projectiles are loaded. The funnels are used in
FEATURING FIRESTONE PLANT CITIES
pouring (loading) liquid TNT into the shell. Buggy in
the foreground holds 300 pounds of TNT which is equal
to the amount of explosives in 100, 90 mm. shells.
Munitions Plant At Apco, Ohio
Is Gateway To Power For Peace
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JUNIOR "ATOMIC" BLAST—Two hundred and fifty pounds
of contaminated black powder mushrooms into a puff of smoke at
the Arsenal's Winkle Peck Burning Grounds. The occasional "boom"
heard at the Arsenal is the Arsenal's waste and salvage control pro
gram in action. All defective and unusable shell and components
of ammunition, loaded with high explosives, and all explosive-
contaminated cardboard and lumber are processed through the
Burning and Demolition Grounds.
LOTS OF LAND—Within the Arsenal are 3.500 acres of farin
land and grazing land which are leased to area farmers who grow
corn, wheat, oats end raise prise cattle, sheep and horses like thoss
pictured cbove.
Located in the hub of North-
sastern Ohio’s industrial area
is Ravenna Arsenal, Gateway to
Power for Peace.
The Arsenal is one of 26 in
stallations under the jurisdiction
of the Ordnance Ammunition
Command and has been contrac
tor-operated since April, 1951,
by Ravenna Arsenal, Inc. (RAI),
a subsidiary of The Firestone
Tire & Rubber Company.
Often called “a city within
itself,” the Arsenal covers about
23,000 acres of land—enough to
contain the entire city of
Youngstown (population 168,-
300). There are over 1,550 build
ings, 225 miles of surfaced roads
and 135 miles of railroads.
In addition, the Arsenal boasts
its own police force, fire depart
ment, hospitals, water works and
sewage disposal plants, com
munications system (including
telephone and radio), and its
own post office known as Apco,
Ohio.
THE ROLLING FARM land
which is now known as Ravenna
Arsenal was purchased by the
Government in 1941 and became
the site of the country’s second
largest ammunition loading in
stallation. The Hunkin-Conkey
Construction Company of Cleve
land built the sprawling muni
tions plant in two years at a cost
of $72 million. Enough concrete
was poured in the construction
to build a sidewalk three feet
wide and four inches thick from
Cleveland to California.
The installation’s mission may
be stated in three parts: loading
cf ammunition, renovation of
previously-made and stored am
munition, and the storing and
shipping of ammunition to other
points of storage and use.
DURING WORLD War II, the
Atlas Powder Company was the
operating contractor until the
installation was placed in “moth
balls” in November 1945. Until
the Korean conflict in 1951, the
Government was in- charge of
store g3, reworking and inspect
ing ammunition, and general
maintenance of the plant.
RAI’s job at Ravenna Arsenal
is entirely one of applying man
agement know-how to produce
and deliver ammunition, as spe
cified by the Ordnance Corps,
safely, with highest quality and
at lowest cost.
Directing these important ac
tivities . are Lt. Col. Thomas M.
Scott, Jr., Commanding Officer,
and Harry M. Krengel, RAI
General Manager.
Steel shell casings made by
o^her contractors are loaded at
the Arsenal with TNT and det
onating devices, then packaged
and either stored or shipped.
That’s a simplified explana
tion for an exceedingly delicate
and hazardous business. Safety
not only is a byword, but a re
ligion with all Arsenal workers.
As a result, the ammunition in
dustry has one of the best safe
ty records of all industries in the
U. S.
A typical Arsenal load line is
enclosed behind one of the
eight-foot-high fences which
surrounds the entire plant and
all critical areas within the
plant.
The “front line” of a load line
includes about six production
buildings, each separated from
the next by a 500-foot-long,
covered ramp. The “back line”
is located 500 feet behind the
front line and is joined to it by
covered ramps. Each explosive
building is separated into 20-
foot wide bays by 12-inch thick
concrete walls extending from
the floor through the roof.
EVERY PRECAUTION is tak
en to prevent any personal in
jury or property damage.
“Quantity distance” rules exist
at every operation, building, line
and area. Distances between
buildings are maintained and
barricade walls are constructed
within the explosive buildings
to prevent simultaneous detona
tion in the event of an explosion.
Signs indicating the maximum
personnel and explosive limits
are posted in each operating
bay and building. Employees in
restricted areas such as these are
not permitted to smoke or carry
any spark-producing items or
wear clothing v/hich could cause
static sparking.
Special clothing is issued to
load line workers from the skin
out each day they enter their
place of work. The clothing is
removed at the end of each shift
and laundered daily to remove
any possible trace of explosive
dust.
Arsenal employees commute
by private vehicles from towns
and villages within a 30-mile
radius. Ninety houses and two
dormitories on the Arsenal prop
er provide housing also.
In addition to providing jobs
for about 1,700 people, the Ar
senal is a powerful elder brother
to civic groups in the surround
ing counties. Arsenal employees
donate their blood, dimes, dol
lars, dolls and toys for communi
ty projects.
IN TRAFFIC emergencies Ar
senal ambulances take injured
persons to hospitals, and Arsenal
guards take charge of traffic di
rection. The Arsenal Fire De
partment is often called to the
small, nearby villages having no
fire departments of their own.
Numerous educational, religi
ous and cultural facilities are
available in the surrounding
communities. There are five in'
situations of higher learning
(Kent State and Akron Universi'
ties and Youngstown, Hiram and
Alliance Colleges) plus many
trade and industrial schools.
LOAD LINE ONE—The operator holds a 90mm. projectile in
place while the mechanism on the right turns the fuse into the nose
of the projectile. The fuse causes the projectile, filled wi?:h TNT,
to explode when it hits the target.