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Johns-Manville plant at Waukegan, Illinois

In October 1919, Asbestos, the industry's trade journal, reported that the H. W. Johns-Manville Company "has commenced excavating for a large plant at Waukegan, Ill."7 In 1990, the fund that answered lawsuits for Manville Corporation dated the Waukegan plant from 1922 to 1985 in its sworn answers.8 Over those decades the plant made asbestos textiles, gaskets, asbestos-cement pipe and sheet, shingles, floor tile, brake blocks and high-temperature insulation, according to J-M's own magazines, the trade press, the Navy and the company's sworn answers.1,3,4,6,8,9,13,14

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What the plant made

Asbestos textiles are the first line the sources date: J-M's employee magazine, The J-M Circle, wrote in June 1928 that "Asbestos is now being woven into textiles at Waukegan Factory," and Asbestos reported that the factory was "now spinning yarn and weaving various asbestos textiles, having started production in this new department on March 1st."1,2 In April 1929 the gasket department moved to Waukegan from the Chicago office, and "the production of handhole and manhole gaskets and No. 120 tape was started two days later."4

Waukegan was also where J-M began making Transite pipe: a 1956 J-M item in Asbestos said the company "introduced Transite pipe into the United States in 1929 where it was manufactured for the first time at the company's Waukegan, Illinois, plant."3 The J-M Circle reported that excavation for "the new Transite pipe building" started on May 3, 1929.4 The pipe works kept growing: J-M "increased the capacity of the transite pipe section" in 1935, announced additions to the plants "producing asbestos-cement pipe" in 1936, and in 1969 its employee magazine reported "a third pipe expansion program" at Waukegan.5,15,16

Other lines followed. A 1967 J-M profile of a manager says he returned to Waukegan in 1937 "as Superintendent of the asbestos shingle plant."9 J-M announced in 1951 that a "new million dollar Floor Tile production line" at Waukegan was in full operation, with its official opening on June 27, 1951.6 In December 1971, Asbestos reported that J-M had "increased production capacity 40%" at Waukegan "to meet future needs of the replacement market for heavy-duty brake blocks."13

Waukegan made insulation for the Navy as well: the Navy's list of qualified products names Waukegan as the plant for J-M's Superex in 1951, for Superex-M in 1957 and for 85% Magnesia in 1958.14 A 1965 Canadian Johns-Manville memo speaks of "Superex Pipe Covering imported from Waukegan."17

In 1990 the Manville fund's sworn answers listed the products made at the Waukegan plant, from numbered cements and millboards to asbestos papers, Flat Transite and Corrugated Transite sheet, Thermobestos and 85% Magnesia insulation, sheet packing and asbestos welding paper.8 Manville's own descriptions of some of these products, reported to the EPA and published in 1990, give Flat Transite "asbestos fiber, 25 to 35%," 85% Magnesia "asbestos fibers, 12 to 18%," and Thermobestos "asbestos fibers, 5 to 10%"; those figures describe the products, not Waukegan's output in particular.18

The people who worked there

At a meeting of all the Waukegan foremen in December 1929, The J-M Circle counted "90 in attendance."19 Asbestos and J-M's own magazine reported new plant managers at Waukegan in 1945 and 1971.10,12 Manville's 1990 answers name the doctors who served the Waukegan plant, beginning with Doctor S. L. Keller, "1929 to 1953."8

In July 1971, Asbestos reported J-M's "decision to proceed with construction and equipping of its new plant at Waukegan, Illinois, at an estimated cost of $6 million."20 A 1973 item in the same journal, looking back, recalled plans for an "Asbestos City" north of Waukegan, "a municipality of some 5,000 persons, most of whom were to be employed in the $30-million-dollar manufacturing plant then under construction by Johns-Manville."21

Location

Waukegan, Illinois, the city named in the documents. The dot marks the city, not the plant's address.

Pictures of products made here

Labels, packages, photographs and catalog pages from our library of products documents say were made at this plant. Each picture has its own page and library number.

Asbestos products made here

The products documents say were made at this plant, with the years a document gives for the product here. Each product's page has what the documents say about it, including its asbestos content.

Asbestos claims

If you or a family member worked at this plant, lived with someone who did, or worked with its products, and later developed mesothelioma or another asbestos disease, a claim may be paid by the Manville Personal Injury Settlement Trust. Free case review.

What each document says

Every statement about this plant in the documents, in each document's own words.

The J-M Circle, 1928, June 1928

  • Asbestos products made: “Asbestos is now being woven into textiles at Waukegan Factory” (Johns-Manville), said by The J-M Circle, as recorded by The J-M Circle, p. 41

Asbestos Magazine, 1928, July 1928

  • Asbestos products made: “now spinning yarn and weaving various asbestos textiles, having started production in this new department on March 1st” (Johns-Manville Corporation), said by Asbestos (magazine), as recorded by Asbestos (magazine), p. 462

Asbestos Magazine, 1956, March 1956

  • Asbestos products made: “Transite pipe ... manufactured for the first time at the company's Waukegan, Illinois, plant (1929)” (Johns-Manville), said by Johns-Manville, as recorded by Asbestos (magazine), p. 523

The J-M Circle, 1929, June 1929 (only three pages of this issue survive in the scan)

  • Products made: “production of handhole and manhole gaskets and No. 120 tape” (Johns-Manville), said by The J-M Circle, as recorded by The J-M Circle, p. 64
  • Description: “excavation was started for the new Transite pipe building” (Johns-Manville), said by The J-M Circle, as recorded by The J-M Circle, p. 64

Asbestos Magazine, 1936, February 1936

  • Products made: “asbestos-cement pipe” (Johns-Manville), said by Johns-Manville, as recorded by Asbestos (magazine), p. 205

Asbestos Magazine, 1951, August 1951

  • Products made: “new million dollar Floor Tile production line ... official opening was on June 27, 1951” (Johns-Manville), said by Johns-Manville, as recorded by Asbestos (magazine), p. 446

Asbestos Magazine, 1919, October 1919

  • Opened: “commenced excavating for a large plant at Waukegan, Ill.” (H. W. Johns-Manville Company), said by Asbestos (magazine), as recorded by Asbestos (magazine), p. 317

Manville Fund's Responses to Plaintiffs' Interrogatories in Moore v. H.K. Porter (1990)

  • Operated: “P. O. Box 55, Waukegan, Illinois 60085 (1922 to 1985)” (Johns-Manville), p. 208
  • Dust and health: “Waukegan, IL Plant: 16 physician entries” (Johns-Manville), p. 598
  • Products made: “0352 Cement; 12# Asbestos Tape; 15A Asbestos Jacket; 45A Asbestos Jacket; #50 Weatherproofing Felt; 300 Cement; 300 E Cement; 301 Cement; 302 Cement; 304 Cement; 319 Semi-Refractory Cement; 340 Cement; 364 Cement; 400 Cement; 450 Cement; 500 Cement; 678 Semi-Refractory Cement; 7700 Coated Asbestos Jacket; 85% Magnesia Block; 85% Magnesia Cement; 85% Magnesia Pipe Covering; Aertite; Anti-Sweat; Aqua Covering; Architectural Panels; Asbestile Cement; Asbestoboard; Asbestocel; Asbestoment; Asbestos Fire Felt; Asbestos Firetard; Asbestos Sponge (felted, sectional and molded); Asbestos Textile Adhesive; Asbestos Welding Paper; Automotive Friction Materials; Commercial Grade Asbestos Paper and Rollboard; Corrugated Transite; D.C. Flexstone; Ebony; Fibroid Asbestos Paper; Fibrofil; Fibrous Adhesive; Fil Insul Cement; Fine Corrugated Asbestocel; Fireite Furnace Cement; Flat Transite; Flexboard; Insulkote ET; Insulkote SG; Insulkote ST; Klefstone; Laptite Cement; Marine Veneer; Millboard 101; Millboard 102; Millboard 103; Millboard 106; Millboard 106B; Millboard 106C; Millboard 106H; Millboard 202; Millboard 219; Millboard 766; Millboard Type A; Millboard Type C; Millboard XXX; MX-3808 Asbestos Filler; Navy 450 Cement; Non-Burn Asbestos Paper; Permatone S; Rentone; Ridge Roll; Santone; Sheet Packing; Splitwood; Super Fire Felt; Superex 1600 Block; Superex 1900 Block; Superex 2000 Block; Superex M Block; Superex SG Block; Superex Cement; Superex Cement for Navy; Superex M Pipe Covering; Superex SG Pipe Covering; Thermo Fire Felt; Thermobestos Block; Thermobestos Cement; Thermobestos Pipe Covering; Thermocore; Transhield Asbestos Felt; Transifoam; Transite Pipe; Transite Ridge Roll and Battens; Transitop; Vitro Fire Felt” (Johns-Manville), p. 268

J-M News Pictorial, 1967, December 1967

  • Operated: “returning to Waukegan in 1937 as Superintendent of the asbestos shingle plant” (Johns-Manville), said by Johns-Manville, as recorded by J-M News Pictorial, p. 119

Asbestos Magazine, 1945, February 1945

  • Operated: “Plant Manager at the Waukegan, Ill., factory of Johns-Manville (C. R. Wikel succeeds K. W. Huffine)” (Johns-Manville), p. 3210

Asbestos Magazine, 1950, February 1950

  • Operated: “Johns-Manville industrial products at Waukegan, Ill.” (Johns-Manville), p. 4211

J-M News Pictorial, 1971, March 1971

  • Operated: “Waukegan Plant: J. W. REEDER to Plant Manager” (Johns-Manville), said by J-M News Pictorial, as recorded by J-M News Pictorial, p. 1712

Asbestos Magazine, 1971, December 1971

  • Products made: “increased production capacity 40% at its plant at Waukegan, Illinois, to meet future needs of the replacement market for heavy-duty brake blocks” (Johns-Manville Corporation), said by Asbestos (magazine), as recorded by Asbestos (magazine), p. 1413

Asbestos Magazine, 1935, December 1935

  • Description: “increased the capacity of the transite pipe section of its Waukegan, Ill., factory” (Johns-Manville), said by Asbestos (magazine), as recorded by Asbestos (magazine), p. 615

J-M News Pictorial, 1969, March 1969 (the scan ends with pages repeated from April 1969)

  • Products made: “A third pipe expansion program is currently underway at the Waukegan Plant in Illinois” (Johns-Manville), said by Johns-Manville, as recorded by J-M News Pictorial, p. 416

The J-M Circle, 1930, February 1930

  • Workforce: “general meeting of all foremen at Waukegan ... with 90 in attendance” (Johns-Manville), said by The J-M Circle, as recorded by The J-M Circle, p. 419

Asbestos Magazine, 1971, July 1971

  • Description: “decision to proceed with construction and equipping of its new plant at Waukegan, Illinois, at an estimated cost of $6 million” (Johns-Manville, Inc.), said by Asbestos (magazine), as recorded by Asbestos (magazine), p. 5820

Asbestos Magazine, 1973, February 1973

  • Workforce: “Asbestos City ... a municipality of some 5,000 persons, most of whom were to be employed in the $30-million-dollar manufacturing plant then under construction by Johns-Manville” (Johns-Manville), said by Asbestos (magazine), as recorded by Asbestos (magazine), p. 5921

Other names

Documents call this plant “Waukegan Plant”, “Waukegan, Illinois”, “Waukegan, Ill.”, “Waukegan, IL Plant”, “Waukegan”, “Waukegan, Illinois plant”.

See also

References

  1. The J-M Circle, 1928, June 1928 (June 1, 1928), p. 4.
  2. Asbestos Magazine, 1928, July 1928 (July 1, 1928), p. 46.
  3. Asbestos Magazine, 1956, March 1956 (March 1, 1956), p. 52.
  4. The J-M Circle, 1929, June 1929 (only three pages of this issue survive in the scan) (June 1, 1929), p. 6.
  5. Asbestos Magazine, 1936, February 1936 (February 1, 1936), p. 20.
  6. Asbestos Magazine, 1951, August 1951 (August 1, 1951), p. 44.
  7. Asbestos Magazine, 1919, October 1919 (October 1, 1919), p. 31.
  8. Manville Fund's Responses to Plaintiffs' Interrogatories in Moore v. H.K. Porter (February 15, 1990), pp. 20, 26–28, 59.
  9. J-M News Pictorial, 1967, December 1967 (December 1, 1967), p. 11.
  10. Asbestos Magazine, 1945, February 1945 (February 1, 1945), p. 32.
  11. Asbestos Magazine, 1950, February 1950 (February 1, 1950), p. 42.
  12. J-M News Pictorial, 1971, March 1971 (March 1, 1971), p. 17.
  13. Asbestos Magazine, 1971, December 1971 (December 1, 1971), p. 14.
  14. Military Qualified Products List (1951–1995) (December 3, 1951), pp. 2, 33, 44.
  15. Asbestos Magazine, 1935, December 1935 (December 1, 1935), p. 6.
  16. J-M News Pictorial, 1969, March 1969 (the scan ends with pages repeated from April 1969) (March 1, 1969), p. 4.
  17. W. E. Hodgson to A. Pocius on Removing Caution Labels from Cartons for Canada (February 1, 1965), p. 1.
  18. Asbestos; Publication of Identifying Information (February 13, 1990), pp. 14–15.
  19. The J-M Circle, 1930, February 1930 (February 1, 1930), p. 4.
  20. Asbestos Magazine, 1971, July 1971 (July 1, 1971), p. 58.
  21. Asbestos Magazine, 1973, February 1973 (February 1, 1973), p. 59.
  22. M. W. Burleson's Notice to the Industrial Insulations Division on Health Hazard Caution Labels (July 1, 1970), p. 2.
  23. E. C. Lindstrom to J-M Plant Managers on Caution Labels for High Temperature Insulations (October 15, 1964), p. 2.

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“Johns-Manville plant at Waukegan, Illinois.” AsbestosClaims.Law Library. https://asbestosclaims.law/library/plants/waukegan-il-johns-manville.

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