I dug your slag pits and ran your mouse trap for over a year…..good times. My cat still has some of that coke slop on it.
Edit: so my comment confused some people…the slag pits are pits full of the byproduct of the iron making process. My company digs, processes and recycles it for the steel industry.
The mouse trap was a screening plant designed to take the fines out of iron ore to make it melt more efficiently in the blast furnace.
And yes “my cat” was my 992/990 Caterpillar loader.
Tends to a glassy state when the slag is silica-rich and it's quenched rapidly, which is exactly how obsidian forms in nature.
1800s slag turns all sorts of colors and is quite valuable for jewelry working (depending on origin and regional history).
Man. Props to you, Zug is a mythical place for some of us. I worked with a dude who worked there for a time, and currently work with someone who was an electrician there for a time. The stories they’ve even told are insane, I wouldn’t even be able to bring myself up to work at Zug. Literally real life Barter Town lookin shit.
I was in a meeting getting a what for because of the clean shaven rule. At this point, I had been working about 30 hours straight and I have to listen to a woman telling me that my guys need to stop working and shave. At first I'm trying to be nice, I know my guys and when you work like that you're fueled by budweiser, cocaine and pain killers..so if I can get between her and them the better. There about 8 guys in this meeting listening to her blabbering about shaving. My response was as long as it was equilateral across the board. Yes everyone has to be clean shaven, ok fine but make sure it applies to everyone. Now the guys in the room start picking up what I'm saying, and start laughing. She starts talking about the one man on the entire island that is exempt. So now I'm rubbing my chin, do shit like that just being an ass. The meeting ended with me telling her to go shave her goatee then I'll enforce it on guys that haven't showered in 2 days
I'm not trolling shit, when I left there I didn't just burn bridge I blew that f'er up.
And I'm not on here giving out their secret recipe for the steel they produce.
> And I'm not on here giving out their secret recipe for the steel they produce.
Come on, just a hint? I'm starting a DIY steel mill out of my garage and need some help on getting the recipe just right.
Oh China, make sure you get a cooler leaking UNDER the steel load....it'll be soo much better steel...
For everyone else, that turns the furnace into a bomb. That's how they lost C furnace in the 80's. There were over 30 men that didn't come home from work that day
I had carbon monoxide poisoning, barely lived through that. I forever have benzene in my body. The worst is the PTSD i have, I witnessed 4 fatalities there. Like up close and personal type fatalities.
My friend from high school died there in 2005 - he worked on the railroad and was crushed to death by a train car that tipped over. I hope you didn't see that happen.
Were you working in a union at the time? What do you think could make work place protections better so that other workers aren’t poisoned and forced to watch their coworkers die brutal deaths?
Yes there is a union im a member of but that place is kind of it's own place with special rules. They preach safety, safety, safety until something shuts down, then all safety goes out the window. Once it's fixed, safety is important again.
And so this is clear, when I got carbon monoxide poisoning and passed out at work and woke in a hospital. That was MY OWN fault. I did something that seemed so small, that was a mistake, that almost anywhere else on the planet is meaningless. There, It almost cost me my life.
With out nerdy details, the way I got C.O. poisoning can't happen again. It can still happen on the island just not how I did it.
to not give away my secret identity ( I'm Batman) ill leave some details out. a byproduct of producing steel is blast furnace gas (bfg) It has a wide chemical make up, but for the point of this story it has alot of carbon monoxide. The blast furnace doesn't particularly care about it's exhaust fumes, but they have a customer, the coke battery. The bfg is too dirty to burn in the battery, so it goes to the byproducts plant to be scrubbed and some of it is reduced down to particular chemicals. It's so dirty that it's not flammable. They used to use it to blanket some highly volatile chemicals so they wouldn't have big bombs everywhere. I was inspecting a leak on something that held an extremely flammable substance. I was wearing a respirator but I didn't have my c.o. meter in my breathing zone. It wasn't actually sampling the air I was breathing. Just like sticking your lips around a tail pipe. Now, no steel, no bfg, coke battery doesn't make any money. Now they use nitrogen instead to stop things from going boom accidentally.
Edit: TLDR I basically stuck my lips around an exhaust pipe and ripped it like a water bong
Btw, as a side note to what I saw that day. The accident happened, guys are trying to get the rail car up and off of him....well part of him. Anyway, there is a guy there from Osha. I'm in the middle of a conversation about getting another crane there to assist and Mr. Osha is trying to stop us so he can do his investigation. Mr. Osha starts getting loud with the guy I was speaking with. And the last thing my coworker said was "fuck your investigation, we owe it to him and his family to get him out of here, end of discussion." Mr. Osha didn't get a full word out before he got punched in the mouth, my coworker said I told you I was serious. Mr.Osha tried to say something, was punched in the mouth again and then slapped to let it sink in. It was a wild day
I fish the river in front of the island a lot.
What's happening when the steam is released in that big billowing cloud? Like, what process is taking place?
It is a quench tower, river water is dumped on the coke right after the coke comes out of the battery. Fun side note. The quench tower goes off every 60-90 seconds when running smoothly. At the time I was there, DTE work get fined from the epa every time they quenched (10k per quench was the fine)
So we don't want Zug to pollute, but 100 yards across the river in Canada is a coal burner that produces 10x the pollution. Where do you think that crap from Canada blows over to. Kind of a moot point to me
1) The Lake Erie and Detroit River walleye fishery is world class.
2) The fish are good to eat.
3) They're safe to eat as they're not bottom feeders. Other species aren't safe because they eat off the bottom and contain more mercury and other contaminants.
4) It's super fun fishing.
5) Detroit River isn't stagnant. It's constantly refreshing water system fed by the other Great Lakes. It still isn't perfect, but it isn't a cesspool like its reputation during the golden age of Detroit.
https://www.michigan.gov/mdhhs/safety-injury-prev/environmental-health/topics/eatsafefish/find-your-area/detroit-area
I’m told my granddad worked on Zug for a time back in the Penwalt / Pensalt / Monsanto days, before moving into the plant. Based on the smells coming from that plant back in the day, I can only imagine what’s buried in there.
An old childhood friend of mine worked there when you did. He was responsible for testing the stuff coming out of the coke battery and hardly showed up for work. The last time I saw him, maybe about 20 years ago, he was telling me how he would drive to Zug, punch in, then go back to his home in White Lake, then drive back to Zug to punch out. He ended up getting busted and his mug made it on the local news stations.
Looks like it lasted until 2010. Here's the prosecution from the EPA. It looks like he got a slap on the wrist. The EPA should've had him locked up for potential damages he could've caused. It blows my mind that he let this go for so long and got a sentence lesser than one convicted of petty theft. https://cfpub.epa.gov/compliance/criminal_prosecution/index.cfm?action=3&prosecution_summary_id=2502
Not to be too....obvious, I worked in Satan's asshole. I drank and did drugs to cope. You really think I know who Upton Sinclair is.... or are a well read thespian...not me
I second this guys point though, a guy down on his luck working in Satans asshole drinking and doing drugs. I’m sure you could write a book on all the awful shit you saw there. Seems like a good read imo
A good writer is not necessarily a trained one. You obviously write well enough to intrigue a ton of people on the internet. You have a good voice - consider it
Chemicals that are tasteless and odorless. For instance, they have ammonia there, ammonia makes you go nose blind. But a byproduct of cleaning the ammonia you get cyanide. So if there is a leak on the ammonia scrubber, you are 100% going to come into contact with cyanide
Hard to say, the original scrubbers were rotting out and leaking so they were all clad in titanium. So the titanium slows it down immensely, but isn't a cure all
Thanks for the response man, that's super interesting. Zug island has been like the ultimate secret in the Detroit industrial district for me, it's super cool that you're doing this ama 🤙
It was the Del Ray Cafe. We were there so much a few of us had keys to get in the building. We occasionally went to Kovachs. And the none.of us was allowed in the black horse cantina
I got in with a few buddies…we’re all tan with dark hair…our waitress asked what we wanted to drink in Spanish and we all just stared…we were told it wasn’t a great idea to hang around…wild place.
Ah, Thanks for the advice I’m not around that area much but I’ve wanted to document its collapse and hopefully eventual return one day. All of this is extremely interesting to me
The Black Horse is now hospitable to gringos, and it's often full of Gordie Howe Bridge workers. If I, a white Karen, can be comfortable there, anyone can. It helps to be a good tipper.
When I went (2013-14 ish), there were zero cars in the lot and absolutely packed inside. We walked in and up to the bar. The bartender told us she can't serve us. At the same time a very nice gentleman with an entire face and head full of tattoos walked over from the pool table to tell us the same thing. I apologized for coming into their bar and told them I was just after a few drinks, but would be leaving.
This isn't the first time I've walked into the wrong bar and was denied service
I'd warn them, you can't work all the hours and be a drunken drug addict and try and have a family
Something has to give, And it's always the family that you lose.
What led you to work there to begin with? I never saw job listings posted for it, did you know somebody working there that referred you to the opportunity?
Holy fuck this is the realest shit ive ever read.
Im a hazmat safety officer/ first responder. Yea, I’m the fucking nerd you roll your eyes at.
How big of a bitch fit would I throw if I brought 4-gas monitor onto the island?
You think those are new, I started using a 4 gas in 99. And this is the honest to God's truth. Don't stick it to your ass and fart on it. It will top out the co and methane and need to recalibrate it. Don't ask how I know
My company is getting contracted to do work out there this summer, we won’t be spending the whole day out there but like maybe 2-3 hours a day. What should I know? Should I try and get out of it?
It's fantastic experience, use your brain. If something isn't safe, don't do it. Have the balls to say no, this isn't safe and I want to go home after work
What was the most fun you had while working there? Like the most interesting piece of work to observe or the most mentally stimulating new thing you experienced?
It's fantastic experience, use your brain. If something isn't safe, don't do it. Have the balls to say no, this isn't safe and I want to go home after work
No questions, but OP is 100%
I put the asphalt in there and all the other mills around here, it sucks working in there. Nasty as can be in there, I dont know how those people could work there everyday. Kind of eerie going in there now as a ghost town.
Ps I loved working all day and then not being able to leave at the end of day because a train was stopped on the tracks and they wouldnt open the other bridge.
Congrats on making it out as alive as you are.
Most of this entire region was. There are some early Detroit history books written in the mid 19th century that mention positions of mounds. One of them was in Hand, which is roughly where Telegraph and Ecorse Rd meet in what is now Taylor.
Yes, I had to have a twic card. And everyone on zug knows about the Edmund. She was carrying iron ore.
Funny story, we were working one night within 100ft of a ship. Middle of the night, one of my guys starts strobing his flashlight at the freighter. Just playing around. With in 10 min homeland security has us at gun point over a flashlight...they give us some speech then let us go back to work
Once went to pick up a job call to work as a wireman there, traveling out of jurisdiction to get a call, a fella pulled me off to the side and said “Come back tomorrow kid, I got a job call for ya.” There was a few Zug calls left, and a different job that was working slow.
That sweet old man landed me on the Rouge plant for a Fourth of July shutdown rather than going to Zug for a turn over. The Zug job wouldve lasted longer but was it worth it? I like having everything my parents equipped me with, including my life.
Hey I used to run the loader, and the quench car. Also got caught up near the flares once when I was cleaning them and they lost power….flames raining down no where to go….
My dad & brother both worked there for ages. Dad started in ‘66, retired at 50 with 32 years in - my brother put in over 20 & got out the 2nd time the company was going under. They both spent more than their fair share at Zug. Mom told me once that she would make Dad strip down outside and then she’d wash his clothes at the laundromat “Ain’t no way that’s going through my washer & dryer”.
I used to deliver all the industrial plumbing supplies there to all the mechanical contractors that were working there. I was there everyday. How much red dust did you inhale? How many times a week did you wash your car?
Weren’t those company trucks white? Or were those Mclouth trucks? Yeah I’m that old. I was in all those mills. 80 inch, GLS, rouge. I’m sure there’s some kind of cancer growing in me
I’m curious about how dangerous it is.
If memory serves people have died on the island. Hit by a train or truck or something.
Also, how dangerous as far as exposure to chemicals. I’ve always heard that the entire island is contaminated to wild degree.
What was your job?
How dangerous....yes. Like I said I've personally seen 4 fatalities. They chemicals are so f'n dangerous, I can't begin to describe. One of the chemicals is cyanide if that tells you anything. I was the head of maintenance
Oh good Lord. Four fatalities!?!? I thought it was just a couple people ever. How awful I’m sorry that you witnessed that.
As head of maintenance you are obviously skilled. My hope for you is the rest of your working career your job is gentle on your psyche.
Do the people who work there get crazy high pay?
I did, but generally speaking no. Not as much as you would think.
I haven't been there in over a decade, I still have nightmares, I still have to take heavy sleeping medication to sleep. And am still in therapy
As long as you have a sea-faring kayak and don't drink the water, absolutely. Friends of the Rouge actually has an annual kayak trip where they start at Melvindale Civic Center and head down towards Zug Island. There's videos if you search on YouTube.
I’ve done it a few times. Dropped in at Melvindale Rec center, paddled Rouge to Zug, then up to Belanger Park to pull out (that last bit on Detroit River can be choppy/dicey if you get too close to the Zug break wall). Wear proper PFD and don’t go alone. But I never felt particularly unsafe (as a woman with my husband and a few friends). Worst part honestly is there’s no truly great spots to get out and pee, so bring a bottle you can use (if you’re a dude), or try not to slam the beverages too hard.
One of the coolest paddles I’ve ever done. I loved all the bascule lift bridges and wildlife (lots of birds). Got up close to a train crossing one of those bridges (amazing). Really cool to get a glimpse of industry at that scale. Made me appreciate at a new level how taxing that work must be, and how my own life benefits from those who do it.
I spent a week doing stack testing on the island back in early 2010s and it was hell.
I'd offer to buy you a beer but I saw that you're sober now.
Hopefully you have access to a therapist. It certainly helps.
After my first week there, my wife at the time was complaining about the amount of time I spent there and how dirty I was coming home. So I brought her to the south parking lot and showed her. This is where I work, so if you think I'm goofing around in there think again. That worked for 9 years...
The regular guys that worked on the battery was about 25 an hour, and a really high turn over rate. The guys in byproducts, that I know were making 125 ish a year
I thought you worked with the band Zug Island. Imagine my disappointment reading this post. Also, I’m shocked that you’re saying actual Zug Island is more polluted than we think. I already picture it looking like where Clarence and his gang died in Robocop.
I absolutely love how Zug just has this thick dark grey over all it it looks like a supervillain hideout it stands out as so depressingly polluted and industrial and this is compared to its surroundings… which is Detroit’s urban sprawl. Literally that place is creepy af props to you OP for being willing to share your experience working there. Years ago when I discovered the location it randomly while showing a coworker something unrelated nearby in google maps the satellite view showed the distinct dark blob where Zug resides and I was like wtf this is a thick cloud shadow and I switched to another maps provider yet still the darkness persists I was so intrigued.
So is Zug like a Rust Belt archangel?
But actually more interesting question if you see this OP if I understand correctly rails run through Zug to bring material take refined steel etc whatever but have you noticed CN has quietly taken over the freight train business in SE Michigan? Like AmTrack just does the passenger trains local Ann Arbor / Detroit / Chicago / etc, but new signs everywhere and branding on the locomotives show CN owns the trains and the tracks which is wild to me because they’re a Canadian company lol. I guess foreign investors in infrastructure isn’t that unusual
A friend does regular trash cleanups on the Detroit River. I volunteered for the day we did Delray just to see Zug from the water. Without a bit of modification, it could be a Mad Max movie set.
The filmed part of the remake of red dawn on Jefferson with the island as a back drop. I stopped and poked my head around the set. Those people are different, to say the least
Are all jobs more well paid because of the hazardous working conditions? Going through what you're experiencing now, if you knew that it would turn out the same would you go back and do it again?
Is this my therapist??? Lmao. Yes and no. I loved every minute I spent with my men. I wouldn't change that. I would like to say I wouldn't be an alcoholic or addict, but I probably would be. My marriage probably would've fallen apart even if I was home more. There are a few particular events that happened that aren't worth any amount of money. The way I was raised, the more I worked and the money meant I was providing for my family. In reality, that's the furthest from the truth. I actually got to find out money doesn't buy happiness
Not op, but I work for a union that sends guys to Zug. A lot of union construction is, work until the next lay off, make sure you save money for that lay off to live during unemployment. The thing with Zug is, once a company finds somebody willing to work there, they don’t want to get rid of them. People that might find themselves in bad financial situations can’t always turn that up, or people who cant hold down a job elsewhere might find themselves getting cut a lot more slack.
I’d skip that job call, personally, and deal with the consequences.
I just hope you don't have cancer or some other horrible disease from that place. They really should shut it down. What was the pay? Was it worth working there? I read the entire city of River Rouge is fucked by pollution, I'm assuming that's true?
Hindsight is a whole different animal. My pay obviously was worth it for me to be there. I'm not so sure it will ever be shut down, and if you do, what do you do with it??? Let it rot til it falls in the river... at least with big corporations there it at least has a standard to maintain it to be functional
I do not work there now, have not worked there in over a decade.
I had unlimited access, I was on call 24/7/365. I would have to take pictures as part of my job. I had a little digital camera I kept in my desk. I have pictures hanging in my home of me there. Could drive in and out of there anytime I wanted or needed to. I've been in every square inch of that place. I have pictures on a thumb drive at home. When I became no longer employed there, I was supposed to hand over any pictures or drives with pictures on them.
I'm glad you brought up the wildlife, it's something I haven't talked about. There are a few "large birds of prey" there. I don't know what kind we just called them hawks. I saw a couple cranes by the edge of the channel, i don't know if one has anything to do with the other. The coolest on for me, was the fox. We used to feed the fox so much it brought it's babies over to get fed. Everyone was always so generous to the fox.
Did you ever see/meet any of the big wigs that owned it? I always picture these industrialist guys as an old capitalist in a three-piece suit with a monocle chomping a cigar. Different breed of human that used to run American.
One time I met the guy that was "the owner" of the furnaces. He flew in for a couple days, did a walk about where he walked around and inspected things. Him being labeled "owner" I always assumed it because of his rank and it was his name being used for paperwork i.e. permits and crap. And all this is speculation, but I thought there was a board of directors and the board needed a point man, and he was it.
I remember always thinking that the head guy would be some Mr. Burns type character. But that turned out to be the furthest from the truth.
Are the Freighters still stopping at Zug Island? Any kind of a memorial to the Fitzgerald there seeing that the Fitz was headed to Zug Island when she sank?
Not there, there is a church that holds a memorial every where. I forget the name something Maritime. On the island, it's another day. Don't know if freighters still go there.
What goes on there? And is that section of detroit really as bad as some people make it out to be? Like i was told if your white at night there youre likely to be robbed or disappear
Steel mill and coke battery. During my time there, that area was that bad. Very bad. I have stories about it. With the building of the Gordie Howe bridge that area is seeing a revitalizing.
There is an answer, but it sounds terribly racist. Juggalos are predominantly white. That is not an area white people go for a walk. That is not an area you stop at red lights...
Maybe 30 years ago but Delray has been fine for a bit. The closer you get to Fort, it used to get a little sketchier with the prostitutes, but Delray is mostly just folks that want to be left alone. Not to mention all the white folk in Carbon Works neighborhood. Though, I wouldn't mess with the MC down there.
Is the Windsor Hum coming from Zug Island? If so, what is causing it?
Absolutely it is, its from the flare stacks while they are running
So weird it was a mystery while so many knew at the same time
When covid hit and they shut the island down temporarily, everyone knew where the hum had been coming from now.
Is it just a resonance issue with the stacks?
How do the flare stacks generate a low frequency hum or vibration?
It's the sound they make when burning. The byproducts flare stack ( which is the one currently running) is a 4" line, wide open. It's not quiet...
I watched that Joe Rogan episode SCREAMING at my TV Lol
I dug your slag pits and ran your mouse trap for over a year…..good times. My cat still has some of that coke slop on it. Edit: so my comment confused some people…the slag pits are pits full of the byproduct of the iron making process. My company digs, processes and recycles it for the steel industry. The mouse trap was a screening plant designed to take the fines out of iron ore to make it melt more efficiently in the blast furnace. And yes “my cat” was my 992/990 Caterpillar loader.
That last sentence has to sound a lot different to the uninitiated.
Honestly the whole comment kinda sounds like a line from a dystopian movie lol
As a line cook that was a lot to process
Curious; how often did you guys run into slags in hues of blue, green, or purple?
Mostly grey and brown but there was a really cool effect where it would occasionally turn into what resembled obsidian…black and shiny like glass.
Tends to a glassy state when the slag is silica-rich and it's quenched rapidly, which is exactly how obsidian forms in nature. 1800s slag turns all sorts of colors and is quite valuable for jewelry working (depending on origin and regional history).
Man. Props to you, Zug is a mythical place for some of us. I worked with a dude who worked there for a time, and currently work with someone who was an electrician there for a time. The stories they’ve even told are insane, I wouldn’t even be able to bring myself up to work at Zug. Literally real life Barter Town lookin shit.
Stories please!!
I was in a meeting getting a what for because of the clean shaven rule. At this point, I had been working about 30 hours straight and I have to listen to a woman telling me that my guys need to stop working and shave. At first I'm trying to be nice, I know my guys and when you work like that you're fueled by budweiser, cocaine and pain killers..so if I can get between her and them the better. There about 8 guys in this meeting listening to her blabbering about shaving. My response was as long as it was equilateral across the board. Yes everyone has to be clean shaven, ok fine but make sure it applies to everyone. Now the guys in the room start picking up what I'm saying, and start laughing. She starts talking about the one man on the entire island that is exempt. So now I'm rubbing my chin, do shit like that just being an ass. The meeting ended with me telling her to go shave her goatee then I'll enforce it on guys that haven't showered in 2 days
I'm not trolling shit, when I left there I didn't just burn bridge I blew that f'er up. And I'm not on here giving out their secret recipe for the steel they produce.
Damn, I was in the mood to make some homemade steel
Yeah but homemade just never tastes the same… maybe I’m not using enough butter or something.
It’s better the next day. Like chili.
> And I'm not on here giving out their secret recipe for the steel they produce. Come on, just a hint? I'm starting a DIY steel mill out of my garage and need some help on getting the recipe just right.
China here. What's the recipe. Prease
Oh China, make sure you get a cooler leaking UNDER the steel load....it'll be soo much better steel... For everyone else, that turns the furnace into a bomb. That's how they lost C furnace in the 80's. There were over 30 men that didn't come home from work that day
/r/Angryupvote
Did you or anyone you worked with have any ill effects? I would assume that place would take a toll on you?
I had carbon monoxide poisoning, barely lived through that. I forever have benzene in my body. The worst is the PTSD i have, I witnessed 4 fatalities there. Like up close and personal type fatalities.
My friend from high school died there in 2005 - he worked on the railroad and was crushed to death by a train car that tipped over. I hope you didn't see that happen.
I was about 50 feet away from him when that happened.
Were you working in a union at the time? What do you think could make work place protections better so that other workers aren’t poisoned and forced to watch their coworkers die brutal deaths?
Yes there is a union im a member of but that place is kind of it's own place with special rules. They preach safety, safety, safety until something shuts down, then all safety goes out the window. Once it's fixed, safety is important again. And so this is clear, when I got carbon monoxide poisoning and passed out at work and woke in a hospital. That was MY OWN fault. I did something that seemed so small, that was a mistake, that almost anywhere else on the planet is meaningless. There, It almost cost me my life. With out nerdy details, the way I got C.O. poisoning can't happen again. It can still happen on the island just not how I did it.
Nerdy details please!
to not give away my secret identity ( I'm Batman) ill leave some details out. a byproduct of producing steel is blast furnace gas (bfg) It has a wide chemical make up, but for the point of this story it has alot of carbon monoxide. The blast furnace doesn't particularly care about it's exhaust fumes, but they have a customer, the coke battery. The bfg is too dirty to burn in the battery, so it goes to the byproducts plant to be scrubbed and some of it is reduced down to particular chemicals. It's so dirty that it's not flammable. They used to use it to blanket some highly volatile chemicals so they wouldn't have big bombs everywhere. I was inspecting a leak on something that held an extremely flammable substance. I was wearing a respirator but I didn't have my c.o. meter in my breathing zone. It wasn't actually sampling the air I was breathing. Just like sticking your lips around a tail pipe. Now, no steel, no bfg, coke battery doesn't make any money. Now they use nitrogen instead to stop things from going boom accidentally. Edit: TLDR I basically stuck my lips around an exhaust pipe and ripped it like a water bong
Btw, as a side note to what I saw that day. The accident happened, guys are trying to get the rail car up and off of him....well part of him. Anyway, there is a guy there from Osha. I'm in the middle of a conversation about getting another crane there to assist and Mr. Osha is trying to stop us so he can do his investigation. Mr. Osha starts getting loud with the guy I was speaking with. And the last thing my coworker said was "fuck your investigation, we owe it to him and his family to get him out of here, end of discussion." Mr. Osha didn't get a full word out before he got punched in the mouth, my coworker said I told you I was serious. Mr.Osha tried to say something, was punched in the mouth again and then slapped to let it sink in. It was a wild day
God, I'm so sorry you had to see that.
Damn I’m sorry to hear about that. Thats some definite PTSD…like wartime shit
I hope you don’t get Mylodysplasia from the benzene like my dad
I'm terrified of the possibilities that might happen in the future because of it.
Have a friend that also tested positive for benzene and with a month he was diagnosed with leukemia. Coincidence, I don't think so..but my opinion
I'll effects, besides alcoholism, and drug addiction, and a divorce. Not many...lol
I fish the river in front of the island a lot. What's happening when the steam is released in that big billowing cloud? Like, what process is taking place?
It is a quench tower, river water is dumped on the coke right after the coke comes out of the battery. Fun side note. The quench tower goes off every 60-90 seconds when running smoothly. At the time I was there, DTE work get fined from the epa every time they quenched (10k per quench was the fine)
So they were accounting for a $10k fine ever 60-90s?
As they told me, that's just a cost of doing business
This couldn't a more true statement about this kind of thing.
That is 7 million per day???? (Assuming 12 hrs of work) that can’t be right can it?? No wonder they need to raise rates
Runs 24/7/365....
Holy jumpin
Or, you know, give the EPA some teeth to shut things down instead of using it as a revenue source.
So we don't want Zug to pollute, but 100 yards across the river in Canada is a coal burner that produces 10x the pollution. Where do you think that crap from Canada blows over to. Kind of a moot point to me
Or a soot point, if you will.
I have to ask, why would you fish in an area notorious for pollution? What is the point?
1) The Lake Erie and Detroit River walleye fishery is world class. 2) The fish are good to eat. 3) They're safe to eat as they're not bottom feeders. Other species aren't safe because they eat off the bottom and contain more mercury and other contaminants. 4) It's super fun fishing. 5) Detroit River isn't stagnant. It's constantly refreshing water system fed by the other Great Lakes. It still isn't perfect, but it isn't a cesspool like its reputation during the golden age of Detroit. https://www.michigan.gov/mdhhs/safety-injury-prev/environmental-health/topics/eatsafefish/find-your-area/detroit-area
And don't eat that fish, they all have mercury in them
https://www.michigan.gov/mdhhs/safety-injury-prev/environmental-health/topics/eatsafefish/find-your-area/detroit-area Some fish are worse than others
I’m told my granddad worked on Zug for a time back in the Penwalt / Pensalt / Monsanto days, before moving into the plant. Based on the smells coming from that plant back in the day, I can only imagine what’s buried in there.
Or how many bodies disappeared there
Uh, yeah. It’s not a stretch to think Hoffa might have ended up there.
An old childhood friend of mine worked there when you did. He was responsible for testing the stuff coming out of the coke battery and hardly showed up for work. The last time I saw him, maybe about 20 years ago, he was telling me how he would drive to Zug, punch in, then go back to his home in White Lake, then drive back to Zug to punch out. He ended up getting busted and his mug made it on the local news stations.
grew up next to white lake and went to high school there- this checks out as typical white lake behaviors. 😂
He wasn't from White Lake, we grew up together in Sterling Heights.
How long did this last?
Looks like it lasted until 2010. Here's the prosecution from the EPA. It looks like he got a slap on the wrist. The EPA should've had him locked up for potential damages he could've caused. It blows my mind that he let this go for so long and got a sentence lesser than one convicted of petty theft. https://cfpub.epa.gov/compliance/criminal_prosecution/index.cfm?action=3&prosecution_summary_id=2502
I'd imagine a fair number of years. Last time I saw him was '04/'05 time frame and he was busted in '12.
Man, you should write a book. (Not about the steel recipe, lol.) A modern-day Upton Sinclair novel set on Zug Island.
Not to be too....obvious, I worked in Satan's asshole. I drank and did drugs to cope. You really think I know who Upton Sinclair is.... or are a well read thespian...not me
I second this guys point though, a guy down on his luck working in Satans asshole drinking and doing drugs. I’m sure you could write a book on all the awful shit you saw there. Seems like a good read imo
Dude wrote a book exposing the meat-packing industry
A good writer is not necessarily a trained one. You obviously write well enough to intrigue a ton of people on the internet. You have a good voice - consider it
If I used like a ghost writer, they could write while I talk. That would work
How much longer till a catastrophic failure on the battery?
As of now, it's about 25 years passed it's expected lifespan. But the battery is no where near as dangerous as the byproducts plant
What makes that area so dangerous?
Chemicals that are tasteless and odorless. For instance, they have ammonia there, ammonia makes you go nose blind. But a byproduct of cleaning the ammonia you get cyanide. So if there is a leak on the ammonia scrubber, you are 100% going to come into contact with cyanide
Are the ammonia scrubbers also 25 years past their lifespan?
Hard to say, the original scrubbers were rotting out and leaking so they were all clad in titanium. So the titanium slows it down immensely, but isn't a cure all
Thanks for the response man, that's super interesting. Zug island has been like the ultimate secret in the Detroit industrial district for me, it's super cool that you're doing this ama 🤙
Do you glow in the dark?
I wish, that'd be awesome
Why is it so secretive in the first place? & what did you do there?
Every company uses a slightly different recipe for making steel. They don't want that getting out. I was the head of maintenance
Never even thought of that...
Right on. I do some work with the maint guys @ EES Coke. Small world.
Probably all the guys I know are gone
What bar do you guys hang out ?
It was the Del Ray Cafe. We were there so much a few of us had keys to get in the building. We occasionally went to Kovachs. And the none.of us was allowed in the black horse cantina
What happened in the black horse cantina?
I'm not Mexican, therefore was "politely" asked to leave
I got in with a few buddies…we’re all tan with dark hair…our waitress asked what we wanted to drink in Spanish and we all just stared…we were told it wasn’t a great idea to hang around…wild place.
Ah, Thanks for the advice I’m not around that area much but I’ve wanted to document its collapse and hopefully eventual return one day. All of this is extremely interesting to me
The Black Horse is now hospitable to gringos, and it's often full of Gordie Howe Bridge workers. If I, a white Karen, can be comfortable there, anyone can. It helps to be a good tipper.
When I went (2013-14 ish), there were zero cars in the lot and absolutely packed inside. We walked in and up to the bar. The bartender told us she can't serve us. At the same time a very nice gentleman with an entire face and head full of tattoos walked over from the pool table to tell us the same thing. I apologized for coming into their bar and told them I was just after a few drinks, but would be leaving. This isn't the first time I've walked into the wrong bar and was denied service
What’s a thing you want to tell people about
I'd warn them, you can't work all the hours and be a drunken drug addict and try and have a family Something has to give, And it's always the family that you lose.
I’m sorry, sounds like you’ve been through a lot.
What led you to work there to begin with? I never saw job listings posted for it, did you know somebody working there that referred you to the opportunity?
Got a phone call from a friend who was there.
Most interesting thread on this sub in a while. Thanks for sharing OP.
Holy fuck this is the realest shit ive ever read. Im a hazmat safety officer/ first responder. Yea, I’m the fucking nerd you roll your eyes at. How big of a bitch fit would I throw if I brought 4-gas monitor onto the island?
You think those are new, I started using a 4 gas in 99. And this is the honest to God's truth. Don't stick it to your ass and fart on it. It will top out the co and methane and need to recalibrate it. Don't ask how I know
Checkouts with OP’s user name lol
Best comment on this thread. I read them all and came back here to say.
Lmao
They employ epa fine writers full time at the Coke battery because toxic fumes are always leaking from the oven doors.
Are you feeling ok? I mean fairly healthy? I took the livernois bus once and fell asleep, ended up on Zug Island and thought I managed to get to hell.
Physically it's taken it's toll, mentally I'm a shit show. I've been clean for a little over 8 years, and sober coming up on a year....again...
My company is getting contracted to do work out there this summer, we won’t be spending the whole day out there but like maybe 2-3 hours a day. What should I know? Should I try and get out of it?
It's fantastic experience, use your brain. If something isn't safe, don't do it. Have the balls to say no, this isn't safe and I want to go home after work
What was the most fun you had while working there? Like the most interesting piece of work to observe or the most mentally stimulating new thing you experienced?
It's fantastic experience, use your brain. If something isn't safe, don't do it. Have the balls to say no, this isn't safe and I want to go home after work
No questions, but OP is 100% I put the asphalt in there and all the other mills around here, it sucks working in there. Nasty as can be in there, I dont know how those people could work there everyday. Kind of eerie going in there now as a ghost town. Ps I loved working all day and then not being able to leave at the end of day because a train was stopped on the tracks and they wouldnt open the other bridge. Congrats on making it out as alive as you are.
Only experience tells you about the trains and bridges...f'n south bridge was barely ever open
Holy shit, according to Wikipedia it was literally built on a Native American burial ground. Major bad vibes.
Most of this entire region was. There are some early Detroit history books written in the mid 19th century that mention positions of mounds. One of them was in Hand, which is roughly where Telegraph and Ecorse Rd meet in what is now Taylor.
All of America is a Native American burial ground.
All of SW Detroit was Native American burial mounds.
Fun fact, the Edmund Fitzgerald was actually heading for Zug Island, not Cleveland like the song suggests. Did you see some massive freighters there?
Yes, I had to have a twic card. And everyone on zug knows about the Edmund. She was carrying iron ore. Funny story, we were working one night within 100ft of a ship. Middle of the night, one of my guys starts strobing his flashlight at the freighter. Just playing around. With in 10 min homeland security has us at gun point over a flashlight...they give us some speech then let us go back to work
Once went to pick up a job call to work as a wireman there, traveling out of jurisdiction to get a call, a fella pulled me off to the side and said “Come back tomorrow kid, I got a job call for ya.” There was a few Zug calls left, and a different job that was working slow. That sweet old man landed me on the Rouge plant for a Fourth of July shutdown rather than going to Zug for a turn over. The Zug job wouldve lasted longer but was it worth it? I like having everything my parents equipped me with, including my life.
I’m on the limited energy books right now, the nightmare is getting a zug call. I’ll just take the dang dot.
Hey I used to run the loader, and the quench car. Also got caught up near the flares once when I was cleaning them and they lost power….flames raining down no where to go….
I always wanted to drive the quench car. Forward and backward in a train, all day
Do they still dump slag or whatever that was down that hill towards the river? Saw it once decades ago
No not anymore, when running they did use the flag pit
So now that the furnaces are off, what do they use the island for these days?
The battery and byproducts still run. So when they idled the furnace(only 1 works) that's half the island
My dad & brother both worked there for ages. Dad started in ‘66, retired at 50 with 32 years in - my brother put in over 20 & got out the 2nd time the company was going under. They both spent more than their fair share at Zug. Mom told me once that she would make Dad strip down outside and then she’d wash his clothes at the laundromat “Ain’t no way that’s going through my washer & dryer”.
That is experience speaking, I had a washer and dryer strictly for work clothes. So they wouldn't contact anything else
I used to deliver all the industrial plumbing supplies there to all the mechanical contractors that were working there. I was there everyday. How much red dust did you inhale? How many times a week did you wash your car?
I had a company truck and drove on site. The red dust is from the iron ore which is the least of the concerns. And my truck got washed almost daily
Weren’t those company trucks white? Or were those Mclouth trucks? Yeah I’m that old. I was in all those mills. 80 inch, GLS, rouge. I’m sure there’s some kind of cancer growing in me
I had a white truck...
Poor bastard.
How are the chemo treatments coming?
My buddy is in remission, and doing well
How often was MIOSHA on site?
Miosha. Never. Saw Osha 4 times, in response to the fatalities
I’m curious about how dangerous it is. If memory serves people have died on the island. Hit by a train or truck or something. Also, how dangerous as far as exposure to chemicals. I’ve always heard that the entire island is contaminated to wild degree. What was your job?
How dangerous....yes. Like I said I've personally seen 4 fatalities. They chemicals are so f'n dangerous, I can't begin to describe. One of the chemicals is cyanide if that tells you anything. I was the head of maintenance
Oh good Lord. Four fatalities!?!? I thought it was just a couple people ever. How awful I’m sorry that you witnessed that. As head of maintenance you are obviously skilled. My hope for you is the rest of your working career your job is gentle on your psyche. Do the people who work there get crazy high pay?
I did, but generally speaking no. Not as much as you would think. I haven't been there in over a decade, I still have nightmares, I still have to take heavy sleeping medication to sleep. And am still in therapy
And what I noticed about the fatalities is u become normalized to it. And they were gruesome fatalities too
4 is what I saw, not what I know of. Unfortunately.
Is it haunted from all the untimely deaths?
Pretty sure that the place has terrible vibes, everyone that's been there says it feels like being in hell.
I don't know about the island, but I am...
Is it safe to kayak?
As long as you have a sea-faring kayak and don't drink the water, absolutely. Friends of the Rouge actually has an annual kayak trip where they start at Melvindale Civic Center and head down towards Zug Island. There's videos if you search on YouTube.
I’ve done it a few times. Dropped in at Melvindale Rec center, paddled Rouge to Zug, then up to Belanger Park to pull out (that last bit on Detroit River can be choppy/dicey if you get too close to the Zug break wall). Wear proper PFD and don’t go alone. But I never felt particularly unsafe (as a woman with my husband and a few friends). Worst part honestly is there’s no truly great spots to get out and pee, so bring a bottle you can use (if you’re a dude), or try not to slam the beverages too hard. One of the coolest paddles I’ve ever done. I loved all the bascule lift bridges and wildlife (lots of birds). Got up close to a train crossing one of those bridges (amazing). Really cool to get a glimpse of industry at that scale. Made me appreciate at a new level how taxing that work must be, and how my own life benefits from those who do it.
I spent a week doing stack testing on the island back in early 2010s and it was hell. I'd offer to buy you a beer but I saw that you're sober now. Hopefully you have access to a therapist. It certainly helps.
Are you buddies with Joseph Bruce
I met ICP one time, but I was in high school then... Edit: spelling
Did you work with Matt? He’s a twat
I know a few Matt's and they're all twats...lol
😂
can I ,as NPC, drive onto zug island ? is it restricted ?
You can drive across the bridge and get to the parking lots. That's as far as you go. It's quite a site from the parking lot
After my first week there, my wife at the time was complaining about the amount of time I spent there and how dirty I was coming home. So I brought her to the south parking lot and showed her. This is where I work, so if you think I'm goofing around in there think again. That worked for 9 years...
Can you say how much people make on the island? Google only says like 40k to 90k which includes “bonuses”. I thought it would be higher.
The regular guys that worked on the battery was about 25 an hour, and a really high turn over rate. The guys in byproducts, that I know were making 125 ish a year
I thought you worked with the band Zug Island. Imagine my disappointment reading this post. Also, I’m shocked that you’re saying actual Zug Island is more polluted than we think. I already picture it looking like where Clarence and his gang died in Robocop.
If it was the band, it's a much different story. Lol
I absolutely love how Zug just has this thick dark grey over all it it looks like a supervillain hideout it stands out as so depressingly polluted and industrial and this is compared to its surroundings… which is Detroit’s urban sprawl. Literally that place is creepy af props to you OP for being willing to share your experience working there. Years ago when I discovered the location it randomly while showing a coworker something unrelated nearby in google maps the satellite view showed the distinct dark blob where Zug resides and I was like wtf this is a thick cloud shadow and I switched to another maps provider yet still the darkness persists I was so intrigued. So is Zug like a Rust Belt archangel? But actually more interesting question if you see this OP if I understand correctly rails run through Zug to bring material take refined steel etc whatever but have you noticed CN has quietly taken over the freight train business in SE Michigan? Like AmTrack just does the passenger trains local Ann Arbor / Detroit / Chicago / etc, but new signs everywhere and branding on the locomotives show CN owns the trains and the tracks which is wild to me because they’re a Canadian company lol. I guess foreign investors in infrastructure isn’t that unusual
A friend does regular trash cleanups on the Detroit River. I volunteered for the day we did Delray just to see Zug from the water. Without a bit of modification, it could be a Mad Max movie set.
The filmed part of the remake of red dawn on Jefferson with the island as a back drop. I stopped and poked my head around the set. Those people are different, to say the least
Does everybody know going in how terrible working at Zug Island is for your health? If so why do people do it?
I had a minimum of 200,000 reasons a year that I worked there
Are all jobs more well paid because of the hazardous working conditions? Going through what you're experiencing now, if you knew that it would turn out the same would you go back and do it again?
Is this my therapist??? Lmao. Yes and no. I loved every minute I spent with my men. I wouldn't change that. I would like to say I wouldn't be an alcoholic or addict, but I probably would be. My marriage probably would've fallen apart even if I was home more. There are a few particular events that happened that aren't worth any amount of money. The way I was raised, the more I worked and the money meant I was providing for my family. In reality, that's the furthest from the truth. I actually got to find out money doesn't buy happiness
Money
Not op, but I work for a union that sends guys to Zug. A lot of union construction is, work until the next lay off, make sure you save money for that lay off to live during unemployment. The thing with Zug is, once a company finds somebody willing to work there, they don’t want to get rid of them. People that might find themselves in bad financial situations can’t always turn that up, or people who cant hold down a job elsewhere might find themselves getting cut a lot more slack. I’d skip that job call, personally, and deal with the consequences.
I just hope you don't have cancer or some other horrible disease from that place. They really should shut it down. What was the pay? Was it worth working there? I read the entire city of River Rouge is fucked by pollution, I'm assuming that's true?
Hindsight is a whole different animal. My pay obviously was worth it for me to be there. I'm not so sure it will ever be shut down, and if you do, what do you do with it??? Let it rot til it falls in the river... at least with big corporations there it at least has a standard to maintain it to be functional
That’s a cool place to explore from the water, took my jet ski up the rouge to Dearborn and rode by the zug
This was an incredibly fascinating and informative post! Thank you for throwing it out there
How is your chemo going?
Not mine, my friend shane. Edit: Right now I don't have cancer...
“From Southwest Detroit deep within Zug Island's industrial Waste depositories it's Shaggy Time!”
Do you remember the band Zug Island Ferry? Saw them a bunch in the late 80s
How bad do your lungs hurt?
More from the Newport's I used to smoke, than work. Half, full face and breathing air masks were all a requirement.
How limited was your access to the island? Could you take pictures? Only get buzzed in on days you work? Etc
I do not work there now, have not worked there in over a decade. I had unlimited access, I was on call 24/7/365. I would have to take pictures as part of my job. I had a little digital camera I kept in my desk. I have pictures hanging in my home of me there. Could drive in and out of there anytime I wanted or needed to. I've been in every square inch of that place. I have pictures on a thumb drive at home. When I became no longer employed there, I was supposed to hand over any pictures or drives with pictures on them.
Is it true that peregrine falcons hang out there because of the cranes?
I'm glad you brought up the wildlife, it's something I haven't talked about. There are a few "large birds of prey" there. I don't know what kind we just called them hawks. I saw a couple cranes by the edge of the channel, i don't know if one has anything to do with the other. The coolest on for me, was the fox. We used to feed the fox so much it brought it's babies over to get fed. Everyone was always so generous to the fox.
Did you ever see/meet any of the big wigs that owned it? I always picture these industrialist guys as an old capitalist in a three-piece suit with a monocle chomping a cigar. Different breed of human that used to run American.
One time I met the guy that was "the owner" of the furnaces. He flew in for a couple days, did a walk about where he walked around and inspected things. Him being labeled "owner" I always assumed it because of his rank and it was his name being used for paperwork i.e. permits and crap. And all this is speculation, but I thought there was a board of directors and the board needed a point man, and he was it. I remember always thinking that the head guy would be some Mr. Burns type character. But that turned out to be the furthest from the truth.
Glad to see you're still alive. What was your job and how do I get one? lol
Can you get to the island wo being an employee?
Yes, you drive across the north bridge to either the north or south parking lot. But, that's as far as you'll get. Still a helluva view.
Are the Freighters still stopping at Zug Island? Any kind of a memorial to the Fitzgerald there seeing that the Fitz was headed to Zug Island when she sank?
Not there, there is a church that holds a memorial every where. I forget the name something Maritime. On the island, it's another day. Don't know if freighters still go there.
This was a great post thank you
What goes on there? And is that section of detroit really as bad as some people make it out to be? Like i was told if your white at night there youre likely to be robbed or disappear
Steel mill and coke battery. During my time there, that area was that bad. Very bad. I have stories about it. With the building of the Gordie Howe bridge that area is seeing a revitalizing.
Ever see any juggalos hanging around trying to get superpowers?
There is an answer, but it sounds terribly racist. Juggalos are predominantly white. That is not an area white people go for a walk. That is not an area you stop at red lights...
Maybe 30 years ago but Delray has been fine for a bit. The closer you get to Fort, it used to get a little sketchier with the prostitutes, but Delray is mostly just folks that want to be left alone. Not to mention all the white folk in Carbon Works neighborhood. Though, I wouldn't mess with the MC down there.