8/25/2023 0 Comments Great lakes dredge & dock company![]() Hopkins (a former mayor of Chicago) and Roger C. Other Chicagoans who had joined Great Lakes included Harry Wild (Lydon's brother-in-law) as treasurer and a board member, as well as John P. Lydon and his wife owned 29 percent of the company and Drews, who was not on the board and no longer an officer, held 9 percent. The new Great Lakes had eight board members and 21 stockholders. Great Lakes also owned and operated two machine shops and had expanded operations into Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin. The latter was incorporated in 1905 in New Jersey because of that state's favorable corporate laws.Īt the time of its creation Great Lakes Dredge & Dock (Great Lakes) owned equipment valued at more than $1.7 million, including 13 dredges (11 with dipper-buckets and two with clamshell-shaped equipment), ten tug boats (with one named for Lydon and another for Drews), dozens of scows (flat-bottomed, squared boats often pulled by tugs), and six derricks (sturdily constructed towers for lifting and moving heavy items). This growth prompted Lydon and Drews to change the firm's name to the somewhat cumbersome Chicago & Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company in 1903 and then to its present incarnation, Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company. In the 20th century, Lydon & Drews had grown substantially through the acquisition of four Chicago companies (Chicago Dredge & Dock Company, Green Dredging Company, Hausler & Lutz, and McMahon & Montgomery). ![]() A New Century and New Name: The 1900s –20s The company's success also allowed it to expand operations to other nearby ports. With a major portion of Chicago's livelihood tied to its waterways, Lydon & Drews became instrumental in the city's growth as a pivotal midwestern port. By the end of the 1890s Lydon & Drews had earned a reputation for excellence and timely completion. A second dredger was built in 1896, followed by a third in 1898. 1," a huge dredging machine with a four-yard dipper or bucket. In 1894 the firm built its first rig, appropriately named "Dredge No. Over the next decade Lydon & Drews finished several successful marine projects, including another water intake tunnel and crib for the city's water supply. Some of what was constructed on Lake Michigan's coastline became the foundation for Navy Pier. Lydon & Drews was tapped to fortify the lake's shoreline where numerous buildings were under construction for the Exposition. The reputation of the entire United States rested with the Chicago Exposition, and leading architects and engineers from around the country contributed to the immense undertaking. The immense World Fair was to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Columbus's discovery of America and to top the festivities of the Paris Exposition when the Eiffel Tower was unveiled. Two years after the company's founding, Lydon & Drews worked on one of Chicago's most amazing undertakings, the 1892 Columbian Exposition. Fortunately, neither Lydon nor Drews was particularly superstitious and the Two Mile Crib was completed without incident. The contract could make or break the fledgling company, especially since the work was set to begin on Friday the 13th of February. The project came to be known as the "Two Mile Crib," and was vital to the growing water works of Chicago. The marine construction company's first job was to dig a brick-lined water tunnel under Lake Michigan from an offshore water intake at Chicago Avenue to a new "crib" under the lake. The partners opened an office in the Unity Building on Dearborn Street, which later became the Chicago Chamber of Commerce building. Lydon served as the firm's engineer and first president while Drews, who had worked in marine construction, served as general superintendent. Formed in 1890, the firm described itself as "Contractors for Dredging, Docking and General Pile Driving," and was adept at building bridges, piers, lighthouses, and tunnels. Drews founded Lydon & Drews as a marine construction company. The story of Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company begins at the end of the 19th century in Chicago, Illinois. Lawrence Seaway between the United States and Canada the Mackinac Bridge in upper Michigan and coastal port and pier work in Africa, the Caribbean, Europe, the Middle East, and South America. Famous landmarks constructed with the aid and expertise of Great Lakes include Chicago's Navy Pier and Michigan Avenue Bridge MacArthur Lock in Sault Ste. In addition to dredging in its namesake waters, Great Lakes also builds lighthouses, bridges, piers, and docks. Its dredging operations generally fall into three different categories: capital dredging (involving ports), beach nourishment (replenishing or fortifying eroded areas), and maintenance (redredging and improvements). Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company has been in the dredging business for 115 years and has made major contributions to the nation's ports and shorelines. NAIC: 234990 All Other Heavy Construction
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