Stock House I
The Stock House was a dark, dreary place that only looks well lit here because the camera's shutter was left open for a full four to five seconds. In the audio segment for this photograph the Stock House is described as a dungeon.
At one time, there were train tracks going through here and so-called "Larry Cars" were driven by the "Larry Men" through the Stock House. The various raw components that were to go into the furnace, such as iron ore, coke, and limestone were stored in massive hoppers, the bottom of which were shaped like a "V". The bottom of the hoppers can be seen as the large metal construction that runs the length of the ceiling of the room in this photo, as well as in "Stock House II".
The Larry Man would drive the Larry Car through the Stock House, stop under the appropriate hoppers, and open them in order to allow specific weights of the various materials to fall into the car. The load was then delivered to the skip car, which would haul the load to the top of the furnace and dump it in.
The process, which required a tremendous amount of brute force to open and close the hoppers, is eloquently described in this photograph's accompanying audio segment as well as in the audio segment for "Stock House II".
