James Thomas and Capt. William R. (Billy) Jones)

Compiled from various sources, J. B. McVey, 2008

James Thomas was a childhood friend of Capt. William R. Jones - a man who was legendary for his accomplishments in the steel-making trade. As General Manager of Andrew Carnegie's Edgar Thompson Works, Jones and his men set many records for steel production.

James Thomas William Jones

Captain William R. Jones was three years younger than Thomas - born February 23, 1839, in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. He was of Welsh descent, his father, the Rev. John C. Jones being born in Brecon, Breconshire, Wales on February 12, 1805. With his wife, Magdalene, who was born in Ystradgynlais, Breconshire, Wales on February 26, 1809, and two children, he emigrated to America in 1832, and first settled in Pittsburgh. The family removed from Pittsburgh to Scranton, arid later to Hazleton and Wilkes-Barre and finally to Catasauqua.

Owing to his father's ill health William R. Jones was compelled to commence work during the year of 1849, at the age of ten years. He was apprenticed to the Lehigh Crane Iron Works in the foundry department and later was placed in the machine shop of the company, under the tutelage of Hopkin Thomas. By the time he arrived at the age of fourteen, in 1853, he was receiving the full wages of a regular journeyman machinist. Among his fellow trainees was James Thomas who would learn the iron making trade under the tutelage of the master - his father Hopkin.

Hopkin Thomas

By the age of twenty, Jones decided to look for greener pastures. He and James Thomas left Catasauqua and for several months they entered the employ of William Millens, who operated a machine shop at Janesville, Luzerne County. In 1856, they moved to Philadelphia, and worked as machinists in the shops of I. P. Morris & Company, where they worked on two large blast engines for the Lehigh Crane Iron works, and they were sent to Catasauqua with the force of men to erect the same. After the completion of this work William R. Jones returned to Philadelphia while James pursued the iron making trade in the Lehigh Valley.

Both men achieved success, and in the process visited one another and remained close friends. James Thomas returned to Catasauqua in 1879 as president of The Davies and Thomas Company. Capt. Jones became the General manager of Carnegie’ Edgar Thompson Works in Braddock, Pa in 1875.

The Davies & Thomas Works

When Captain Jones became superintendent of the Edgar Thomson Works and had just completed the erection of Furnace F, he invited James's daughter, Mamie (then 20 years old), who was visiting the Jones family, to light the new furnace on October 17, 1886. This furnace produced 224,796 tons of iron in 2 years and 7.3 months which established a national production record before being blown out. This fact induced Captain Jones to send a special invitation to Miss Thomas to relight Furnace F on September 25, 1889. The furnace was called Mamie in her honor. An elegant ring with a sapphire and two brilliant diamonds was presented to Mamie to commemorate the occasion.

Mary C. (Mamie) Thomas

In 1887, Captain Bill Jones and James Thomas arranged a gathering of the friends who had lived in Catasauqua thirty years past. The meeting took place at Onoko Glen and on the preceding day, the group went to Mauch Chunk and took a trip over the "Switchback Railroad. From there the group went on to Onoko Glen, where a fine dinner was partaken of at the Wahnetah Hotel, after which the evening was spent in reminiscing.

One artifact of the relationship between the James Thomas family and the Bill Jones family is known to still exist – an elaborate vase now (2008) in the possession of A. Newton Bugbee of Catasauqua, Pa.

Vase gifted to the Thomas family by W. R. Jones

Two years later, on Thursday evening, September 26, 1889, Captain William R. Jones accompanied Superintendent James Gayley to Furnace C. at the Edgar Thompson to determine the cause of a malfunction.. Several of the employees were tapping the cinder. In an instant a section of about a foot in dimension about seven feet above their heads, fell out, and a stream of hot coal and metal poured upon the group. Captain Jones in his endeavor to escape fell, between a stone wall and a cinder car, striking his head on the car. His face and hands were also severely burned. One of the employees at once shut off the blast to the furnace, and the flame ceased. James Tolan, formally of Catasauqua, was in the machine shop nearby, and when he saw Captain 'Bill" Jones lying amongst the cinder, he ran in and carried him out. Captain Jones was carried to the company office where he conversed in a dazed manner, while physicians were dressing his burns. He was then taken to the Homeopathic Hospital in Pittsburgh and upon his reaching the hospital his mind commenced to wander, and he remained in a semiconscious state until he died at 10:30 o'clock Saturday night, September 28, 1889.

It was reported that ten thousand workmen; widows and orphans; and the greatest steel manufacturers of the country came to pay their last respects to this very popular steelman.. From the Lehigh Valley were Superintendents John Fritz and Owen Leibert, of the Bethlehem Steel Works; Samuel, John and David H. Thomas, of the Thomas Iron Works; George Davies and James Thomas of Davies and Thomas Company; Daniel Milson of Catasauqua. The honorary pallbearers were Andrew Carnegie, New York; Henry C. Frick, Pittsburgh; Robert W. Hunt, Chicago; Owen Leibert, Bethlehem; Andrew Hamilton, Johnstown; and James Thomas.

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