Etna Iron Works

Etna Iron Works

File:Edison machine works goerck street new york 1881.png The former Etna Iron Works after being rented by the Edison Machine Works in about 1881
Company type	Defunct (1881)
Industry	Manufacturing
Founded	1852
Headquarters	New York City , United States
Products	Marine steam engines, machine tools, iron products
Total assets	$150,000 (1860s)
Owner	John Roach
Number of employees	2,000 (1860s)

The Etna Iron Works—also referred to as Ætna Iron Works—was a prominent 19th-century ironworks and manufacturer of steam engines based in New York. It gained recognition primarily for its production of marine steam engines during and following the American Civil War.

In 1852, ironmolder and entrepreneur John Roach along with his associates acquired the struggling Etna facility. Under their leadership, the company swiftly evolved into a thriving ironworks serving diverse industrial needs. Capitalizing on the surge in demand during the war, Roach expanded Etna into one of the foremost producers of marine steam engines in New York. After the conflict, financial difficulties among competitors allowed Roach to purchase several rival businesses, integrating their operations into his Morgan Iron Works. Subsequently, he leased the Etna premises to inventor Thomas Edison, who repurposed it as a factory for producing dynamos. The Roach family eventually sold the property in 1887; over time, the site was redeveloped and the original structures were demolished.

Among its significant accomplishments, Etna Iron Works built the steam-driven Third Avenue Harlem Bridge during the 1860s and fabricated engines for the ironclad warship as well as passenger steamers such as Bristol and Providence. These vessels were equipped with some of the largest marine engines manufactured in the United States at that period.

Background

At sixteen years old, John Roach emigrated from Ireland to America in 1832, beginning his career as a laborer earning twenty-five cents daily at James P. Allaire’s Howell Works. He completed an apprenticeship as an ironmolder before transferring to Allaire’s Allaire Iron Works in New York City, where he developed expertise in producing marine steam engines. Roach remained employed by Allaire for two decades.

By the 1850s, desiring financial stability for his expanding family, Roach aimed to establish his own enterprise. Although he had saved only $1,000 personally, he persuaded three colleagues—including his brother-in-law Joseph Johnstone, who contributed $8,000—to invest alongside him. Together they amassed $10,000 in capital.

In April 1852, this group purchased the Etna Iron Works located in New York for $4,700. The acquisition included a modest foundry situated on a property along with some raw materials.

Early years

After acquiring the business, Roach concentrated on expanding commercial opportunities while his partners oversaw daily operations. His initial transaction involved selling cast grate bars to a distillery located in Brooklyn.

During the first year, the company earned a modest profit of $1,000; however, disagreements emerged regarding its allocation. Roach advocated for reinvesting profits into the business, whereas his partners favored distributing dividends. To gain full control, Roach secured a mortgage on the property and bought out his partners, becoming the sole owner.

Roach then pursued contracts with nearby shipyards, providing essential iron components such as fastenings, cables, and anchors crucial even for wooden sailing vessels. Within three months, these efforts yielded an $8,000 profit, establishing a firm foundation for the enterprise.

Expanding the product line to include Franklin stoves and firebacks, Roach invested in a steam boiler in 1856 to enhance furnace efficiency. He also purchased adjacent premises at 104–106 Goerck Street, utilizing part of the space as a pattern shop while leasing other floors to tenants.

By 1859, with a workforce of forty employees and property valued at $15,000, Roach had gained recognition as a dependable businessman with increasing creditworthiness.

Foundry explosion

On September 2, 1859, the Etna Works experienced a catastrophic failure when its forced-draft boiler ran dry and exploded. The blast resulted in one fatality, two injuries, and complete destruction of the building. Although insured for $5,000 in damages, the foundry lost its steam power source.

Roach promptly arranged access to a boiler at a neighboring factory by installing 200 feet of piping to his workshop. This swift action allowed production to resume within two days.

Windfall capital injection

In 1859, Roach became trustee of a $70,000 estate left by his late friend John Baker. Although these funds were inaccessible until 1881, this interest-free capital provided Roach with financial leverage to substantially grow his operations over time.

Third Avenue Harlem Bridge

One of Etna Iron Works’ significant undertakings was constructing the Third Avenue Harlem Bridge spanning New York’s Harlem River. In 1860, Roach secured this contract by submitting the lowest bid for a pivoting center section bridge designed to permit ship passage.

Despite lacking prior experience in bridge construction, Roach engaged an engineer and subcontracted masonry work. The lengthy bridge featured stone foundations and a cast-and-wrought iron superstructure incorporating a steam-powered pivoting center that spanned two navigable channels. Opened in 1868, it functioned reliably for approximately three decades before being replaced due to maintenance expenses and increased traffic demands.

American Civil War

Roach aspired to manufacture marine steam engines akin to those produced by his mentor James Allaire but encountered significant capital requirements and intense competition. In the late 1850s, he dispatched engineers to Britain to study advanced marine engine technologies and discreetly gathered knowledge from leading engine builders in New York.

With the onset of the Civil War in 1861, Roach capitalized on these preparations to satisfy rising demand for marine engines. He obtained a contract from shipbuilder William H. Webb for machinery on the ironclad USS Dunderberg after Webb’s regular suppliers became overwhelmed. Webb also guaranteed increased credit lines necessary for Roach to re-equip his facility.

Roach subsequently met Navy Chief Benjamin Franklin Isherwood and secured a contract on October 24, 1862, to supply engines for the gunboat USS Peoria—his initial Navy contract among several that followed. Additionally, he won contracts for engines powering two merchant steamships commissioned by Neptune Steamship Company.

To fulfill these orders efficiently, Roach hired renowned engineer Thomas Main as superintendent and expanded Etna Iron Works by adding new workshops equipped with advanced machinery. This included steam-powered traveling cranes, planers capable of finishing iron plates weighing up to 100 tons, and a lathe designed to bore cylinders of unprecedented diameter—the largest machine tools available nationally.

Over two years, Etna produced engines for at least fifteen vessels including repeat Navy contracts and about a dozen for Van Deusen Brothers. During its wartime peak, Etna employed close to 2,000 workers and was valued at $150,000, establishing itself among New York’s foremost marine engine manufacturers.

Postwar consolidation

Following the Civil War, the U.S. Navy sold off a vast number of vessels, saturating the market and causing a sharp decline in prices. This downturn severely impacted many long-established American shipyards and marine engineering firms, especially in New York, where the maritime sector was nearly obliterated. By 1867, the majority of Roach’s rivals had declared bankruptcy.

Roach thrived by broadening his range of contracts. The Navy, under Benjamin Isherwood’s direction, commissioned three engines and six sizable boilers for the Guerriere class ships. Concurrently, shipbuilder William Webb engaged Roach to supply machinery for two large sidewheel steamers, and . These engines were notable for their enormous 110-inch cylinders—the largest bore ship engines manufactured in the United States at that period. Anticipating government initiatives to upgrade naval shipyards, Roach pivoted to machine tool production in 1866, securing close to one million dollars in government contracts from 1866 to 1868.

Intent on expanding his enterprise, Roach sought to establish a facility with direct waterfront access to minimize transportation expenses and enter the ship repair sector. He purchased Morgan Iron Works on the East River from shipping tycoon Charles Morgan for $450,000 after Morgan encountered financial difficulties.

At the same time, Roach took advantage of the bankruptcies of competitors Allaire Iron Works and Franklin Forge by acquiring high-quality equipment at discounted prices and recruiting their experienced workforce. He centralized his operations at Morgan Iron Works, abandoned his Goerck Street location, and generated additional profit by selling surplus machinery to the U.S. Navy—though this transaction sparked a government investigation due to objections from competing interests (refer to the John Roach article for further information).

Later developments

After relocating his operations to Morgan Iron Works, Roach leased out his former Etna Iron Works site to various tenants. The Etna facility functioned as a general ironworks until approximately 1881 when inventor Thomas Edison moved his electrical illumination production there, renaming it the Edison Machine Works. This location produced DC dynamos until 1887. That year, the Roach family sold the property as Edison transitioned to a larger plant in Schenectady, NY. The site and adjacent streets were redeveloped during the 1940s.

Subsequently, Roach established the Delaware River Iron Ship Building and Engine Works in Chester, Pennsylvania, which emerged as the largest and most productive American shipyard from 1871 through the mid-1880s.

Marine engine production tables

Etna Iron Works manufactured at least 27 marine steam engines for 19 different vessels. The tables below provide an overview of these engines along with their respective ships.

United States Navy warship engines constructed by Etna Iron Works, 1862–66

Ship	Class	Type	Launched	Commissioned	Builder	Displacement (tons)	Engines	Cylinder (in)	Stroke (in)	Type	Notes
USS Dunderberg / Rochambeau 67	Unique	Ironclad	1862-10-05	Never	William H. Webb	7800	2	100	57	Horiz/BA	The largest and most powerful ironclad constructed for Civil War service; completed after the war and sold to France in 1867.
USS Winooski	Sassacus	Gunboat	1863-06-30	1865-06-27	Boston Navy Yard	1173	1	58	105	Inclined	Finished too late for Civil War action; operated in Atlantic and Caribbean; sold in 1868.
USS Peoria	Sassacus	Gunboat	1863-10-29	1866-12-26	New York Navy Yard	974	1	66	120	Inclined	Completed post-war; served North Atlantic station; sold in 1868.
Neshaminy / Arizona / Nevada 69	Ammonoosuc	Screw frigate	1865-10-05	Never	Philadelphia Navy Yard	3852	2	100	48	Geared	Designed for speed but disliked by officers; hull deemed twisted and scrapped in 1874.
Java / Ontario / New York 69	Screw frigate	Never	Never	Brooklyn Navy Yard	3954	1	60	36	Horiz/BA	Constructed for Civil War but never finished; dismantled during the 1880s.

Merchant steamship engines produced by Etna Iron Works, 1864–66

Ship	Type	Year	Builder	Tonnage	Ordered by	Service Route	Engines	Cylinder (in)	Stroke (in)	Type	Notes
Electra / Galatea / Oceanus	Steamship	1864	J.B & J.D. Van Deusen	~1300–1848	Neptune Steamship Co.	NYC—Boston	2	44	36	V/DA	Scrapped between ~1884–1885; Oceanus destroyed by fire in 1868.
Doris / Metis / Thetis 66	Freighter	1864	J.B & J.D. Van Deusen	1238–1360	Neptune Steamship Co.	NYC—Boston	1	50	40	V/DA	Metis lost in storm with fatalities; others scrapped by early twentieth century.
Glaucus / Neptune / Nereus	Freighter	1864	J.B & J.D. Van Deusen	~1848	Neptune Steamship Co.	NYC—Boston	2	44	36	I/DA	Glaucus rebuilt after fire; Nereus converted to barge then lost at sea.
Leona y / Managua y / Nebraska	Steamship	1865	Henry Steers	2143	Central American Transit Co.	NYC—Nicaragua	1	81	144	VB	Constructed with unseasoned timber; scrapped by late 1870s.
Rising Star	Steamship	1865	Roosevelt, Joyce & Waterbury	2726	Star Line	NYC—New Orleans	1	100	144	VB	Built using unseasoned timber; dismantled in late 1870s.
Bristol / Providence	(Steamboat)	1866	William H. Webb	2962	(Merchants Steamship Co.)	(Long Island Sound)	1	110	144	VB	(Bristol destroyed by fire; Providence scrapped early twentieth century).

Engine types: BA=back-acting, DA=direct acting, Horiz=horizontal, VB=vertical beam. See marine steam engine for additional information.

Bibliography

• Swann, Leonard Alexander Jr. (1965). John Roach, Maritime Entrepreneur: The Years as Naval Contractor 1862–1886. United States Naval Institute (reissued 1980 by Ayer Publishing, ).
• Tyler, David B. (1958). The American Clyde: A History of Iron and Steel Shipbuilding on the Delaware from 1840 to World War I. University of Delaware Press (reissued 1992, ).