Sloss Furnaces: A Living Hell

For years, Birmingham, Alabama, police have received calls from concerned citizens that they witnessed unexplained activity at Sloss Furnaces Historical Landmark.

Sloss Furnaces opened in 1882 and operated for 89 years, producing high-quality pig iron. The steel that came from these furnaces was then used to built railroads, skyscrapers, and bridges during America’s industrial revolution.

Milton iron flowing from a Sloss Furnace.

The human cost to produce this steel was high. The work conditions at Sloss were unbearable and dangerous. The workers were never given breaks or holidays.

“During the stifling summer months temperatures throughout the plant would reach more than 120 degrees. Lack of sleep, the heat and low visibility made working the furnace literally a “living hell” and only the poorest workers—immigrants—desperate for employment, would work it.”

One foreman that worked at Sloss made these horrendous conditions even worse. James “Slag” Wormwood ran the graveyard shift.

Slag to impress his bosses drove his men hard. He often demanded they take unnecessary and dangerous risks. The reason for this was to speed up production.

Under Wormwood’s management, 47 men lost their lives. This was ten times the fatality rate than any other shift. On top of this, countless men were injured in accidents, which left them unable to work.

In one accident alone in 1888, one explosion left six men burned and blind.

Big Alice

In October of 1906, Slag Wormwood fell from the top of the highest furnace—known as Big Alice—into a giant pool of smelting ore. His body dissolved within seconds. 

According to one legend, this wasn’t an accident. Workers may have assisted his fall.

Ever since there have been sightings of Slag’s spirit at Sloss Furnaces. His ghost is seen as an evil tormentor.

Past employees of the plant have shared numerous stories. Most involve them being shoved from behind by unseen hands. A typical report is they heard a voice scream, “get back to work.”

The Sloss Furnaces former night watchman, Samuel Blumenthal, tells one story that happened to him in 1971. This was the night before the plant shut down production.

He states he found himself. “face to face” with the “most frightening thing he had ever seen.” He described this figure as “evil.” He stated it was “half-man/half-demon.”

This figure tried to push him up the stairs he was standing on. When Blumenthal refused, it proceeded to beat him with its fists.

Later, when a doctor examined him, he found Blumenthal was covered in “intense burns.”

This haunting continues today, as evidenced by all the reports the police receive from concerned citizens.

The haunted tunnel at Sloss.

Slag Wormwood’s ghost is not the only entity seen at Sloss, other spirits are believed to be those who lost their lives at the plant. They are most often seen and heard near where they died.

Sloss Furnaces have been preserved for public use. The site has a museum and hosts a nationally recognized metal arts program. Tours are given of what remains of the plant. At Halloween, a haunted attraction called Sloss Fright Furnace is held.

Derbyshire’s Mysterious Planes

Wreckage on one peak.

England’s Peak District in Derbyshire is often compared to the Bermuda Triangle. The reason for this is that 50 planes have crashed in the area killing over 100 people.

The Peak District has a reputation for being haunted. For it is here where witnesses have seen phantom planes—especially since World War ll.

These sightings still occur. In August of last year (2015) several witnesses spotted an historical WW2 bomber flying over the area. These witnesses all agreed one of the more unusual aspects of their encounter with this aircraft was despite the fact it was near by-- it made no sound.

On the day these witnesses saw this WW2 bomber there were no air shows in the area and there were no flight paths registered for historical planes flying that day.

Many point out these sightings as well as others in Derbyshire are odd because there are so few bomber aircrafts from WWll that are still flight worthy.

On August 3^rd Richard and Helen Jephson were driving on the A6 in Rowsley when they saw a mysterious plane. Their car windows were down and this plane was flying so low to the ground the Jephson’s reported they could have reached out and touched it.

Yet they heard no sound despite the plane had 4 engines. They watched wondering if this plane was about to crash only to see it disappear into thin air.

Lancaster

The Jephson’s stated this plane reminded them of a Lancaster, a 4-engine bomber aircraft commonly flown by the RAF during WW2.

On the same day a former Lancaster crewmember spotted this unusual aircraft out of his bedroom window. George Furnace like Richard Jephson stated this plane had four engines and was flying low. He also reported it made no sound.

Liberator

But he stated it was too small to be a Lancaster. Instead, he said it was a Liberator, an American B24 bomber.

Yet another witness, Richard Burley was golfing when he spotted this bomber flying low over some trees. He like Furnace stated this plane was too small to be a Lancaster. He like the others heard no sound and watched as this plane disappeared.

So was this plane a phantom flight crew still out defending England? With the large number of witness reports over the years similar to the reports above one has to wonder.

Here is an article that reports other recent Derbyshire sightings.

Disney’s The Skeleton Dance

Walt Disney Studios made this cartoon, The Skeleton Dance, in 1929. 

Walt Disney who was branching out from his initial success with Mickey Mouse produced a series of short cartoons entitled Silly Symphony.

They were shown before feature films in movie theaters.

The Skeleton Dance was the first in this series. It was made using sound, which was still a new media in Hollywood.

Steamboat Willie

One of Disney’s first shorts featuring Mickey Mouse (1928)—Steamboat Willie—also used sound which had Mickey: whistling, talking and dancing to music, which amazed the movie theatre audiences and guaranteed its success.

In 1932, another short in this series entitled Flowers and Trees, made in color earned Disney the first-ever Academy Award for an animated cartoon.

The Skeleton Dance is considered one of the best cartoons in animation history. 

This short has a simple storyline. The noise from nocturnal creatures awakens a skeleton from his grave. He then, in turn, awakens several bony friends.

This film is a macabre delight.

Ub Iwerks

This cartoon was drawn by Ub Iwerks, an animator who worked with Disney at the beginning of his career, and then continued.

The skeletons all dance a spirited traditional foxtrot, to Edvard Greig’s The March of the Trolls. At the time, people would stay for an additional showing of the feature film, just to see this cartoon once more. 

It is still received with approval today—it has millions of hits on YouTube.

Enjoy.

Mad Anthony: Spectral Midnight Rider

Even though ghosts are seen during the day the most dramatic sightings often are witnessed at night. Specifically, at midnight known as the witching hour.

Mad Anthony Wayne

This ghost story takes place at the witching hour in both upstate New York and Pennsylvania. After midnight one must gather their courage in these two states for many have reported seeing a spectral horse and its owner.

This ghost is Major General Mad Anthony Wayne and his horse Nancy. They are seen charging across shadowed hills and isolated roads.

Wayne was a hero during the American Revolutionary War. He got the nickname “Mad Anthony” because he took dangerous risks that exhibited a restless and daring courage.

Wayne with Nancy

His partner in this heroism was his horse Nancy. In one spot where he is seen, Storm King Pass, in 1779 he raced across the Hudson River in New York on Nancy’s back in order to warn a group of American troops that British soldiers were fast approaching.

This scene is still witnessed at midnight. People state Wayne and Nancy show no signs of fear.

In more dramatic witness accounts of this sighting it is said that white-hot orange sparks are seen flashing from Nancy’s hooves while Wayne’s dark cloak billows out behind him.

In a long standing legend it is stated Wayne’s ghost and Nancy are also seen along a road that runs between Radnor and Erie, Pennsylvania. The cause for this haunting is said to be the fact the old general is looking for some of his bones.

Old Fort on Presque Isle

These sightings occur on Presque Isle as well as at the old Wayne blockhouse in Erie.

Hooves are also heard pounding on Contestoga Road into Lancaster, along the Susquehanna River, then up the west bank to the Alleghenies all the way to the shores of Lake Erie.

It was along this route that Wayne’s remains journeyed in a wagon. The general was buried at the Old Fort on Presque Isle originally.

St. David's Episcopal churchyard.

But after his death his son, Isaac arranged to have his body dug up in 1809. He wanted his father’s remains buried at the old St. David Episcopal churchyard in Radnor—Wayne was a lifelong member of this church.

The box brought to carry his body was too small for all of Wayne’s bones so a surgeon made the decision to leave part of the bones buried at the fort. The rest were placed in this box and carried in a wagon across what was then still a wilderness.

The road to Radnor was rough and bumpy. It is said several of the bones fell out of the box and were left where they lay.

Waynes grave in Radnor.

What remained of Wayne’s body at the end of this journey was then reinterred at Old St. David’s churchyard.

The legend states that since Wayne’s body was disturbed and several of his bones were lost he still haunts this route looking for his missing bones.

His ghost is seen most often at midnight on New Years Day—this was Wayne’s birthday. Witnesses state they hear Mad Anthony whistling for Nancy his faithful horse and then her hooves are heard pounding across the rough landscape.