It was a Sunday in May of 1980. We were deeply engaged in the final installation and start-up of the completed modernization of a 30 x 36 molding line that I had designed, at Spokane Steel Foundry. I was supervising a five-man maintenance crew and three or four laborers, and we were on the final day of the three-day job.

Everything we needed had been staged on Thursday, and at 7 AM Friday we went to work clearing and cleaning the entire pouring floor. On Saturday, all the semi-automatic pouring-floor powered distribution conveyors were set in place, bolted to each other and to the concrete floor. At the same time, the contracted electricians set about connecting all the proximity switches to the controller in the sand return system trenches under the pouring floor. On Sunday there was still a lot of final assembly to be done and the hydraulic system had to be connected before testing and debugging could begin.

That afternoon I heard the office telephone ring several times, but I didn’t pay attention. We were all busy, tired, and hot, but kept working. We had to be done by 7 AM the next day so the foundry could go back to work. Finally, late in the afternoon, I got tired of the ringing so I went into the office and answered it. I was surprised to hear it was my wife Patti’s voice. She asked, “Aren’t you coming home?” I said, “No, we still have work to do.” She then asked if I had looked outside. I said no and she said I had better.  

At the time, no one heard of cell phones and the foundry had no windows except in the office. When I looked outside, I was astonished. Everything was covered in six inches of gray stuff; the sky was dark and there was absolutely no sound. I went back to the phone and learned that Mt. St. Helens had erupted and we were covered in volcanic ash.

After I hung up, I went back into the foundry and told the crew what had happened. Of course, they all looked outside and were also shocked. I then told them to call their families. 

After that I asked them if they wanted to go home, but they all decided to stay and finish the job since the police said to stay inside and off the streets since no one was sure what to do.

Around 9 or 10 PM we finally finished and decided to call it a weekend. 

Driving home was very eerie. I never saw another living thing. It was very silent and great clouds of dust billowed up behind me as I drove. It seemed like a fantasy.

Everyone was advised to stay home the next day, but we had to get the foundry running so I went to work about 8 AM and found the production manager had already gone to House of Hose and purchased a couple hundred feet of fire hose and a shut off nozzle. The maintenance crew had hooked it up to a hydrant outside the shop and a couple of employees were busy cleaning the ash off the foundry roof. The maintenance crew and electricians continued to test the new system and by that afternoon everything was up and running.

On Tuesday morning at 7 AM the foundry was one of the few businesses in the Industrial Park that was back in production as if nothing had happened. 

I guess I can say I love it when a plan comes together. It was great to have a dedicated crew of skilled persons to work with.

Of course, I still had to deal with the six inches of ash on my house roof and at the bottom of my swimming pool. But that’s for another story.

Ken Kaiyala
5-18-2024