L-744’s l. to r. Heath Vincent and Dave Weirich II work on both sides of the boiler.
The face of a 150-horsepower water-tube boiler George Babcock and Stephen Wilcox fabricated over a century ago is on deck for display at the new International Brotherhood of Boilermakers Headquarters and Museum in Kansas City. Dave Stewart, director of the Boilermakers History Preservation Department noted how this donation “will be an amazing artifact of history and craftsmanship that will be displayed in the future Boilermaker Museum.”
Members of Local 744 (Cleveland), who helped rig and mount the façade at B&W’s Akron, Ohio, offices back in 2019 did the “reverse” job dismantling it for transportation to its new planned permanent home. L-744’s Steve Ginley was excited to take on the project.
“As a Boilermaker, and with the legacy of our trade, being able to work on this historically significant boiler that has mutual history with the union and will now be displayed at Headquarters is an honor.”
The boiler was originally manufactured for the first World’s Fair, the 1876 Centennial International Exhibition in Philadelphia, where it awed the public for its 600-ton Corliss steam engine and “established B&W as the preeminent industrial and utility boiler maker in the world,” said Babcock & Wilcox Vice-President and General Manager Mike D. Hidas.
