The History of Electricity
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This site archives the life of James F Metcalf, a key player that helped form the induction heating industry.
This is the cut-throat story of the world's businesses developing modern metallurgy, from lodestone's humble beginnings to the latest space-age materials.
The work on chapters 4 and 5 on electricity are possibly the most accurate and complete history that has been recorded. All in all, the pages are a very good history for the last century. It is very good for superalloys and jet-engine history.
James Farol Metcalf, 77, of Weaverville, NC, died Monday, April 27, 2009.
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Website Sorted By Location
Filename |
Author |
When |
What |
| 000-Introduction.htm | Jim Metcalf | Introduction to Memoir | |
| 001-Photos.htm | Jim Metcalf | List of Photos | |
| 003-TableofContents.htm | Jim Metcalf | List of Links | |
| 421-Pelton.html | Jim Metcalf | Metcalf buys the control division of the Pelton Water Wheel Company | |
| 430-SovietHistory.html | Jim Metcalf | Early Soviet Union History | |
| 431-WoodingFired.html | Jim Metcalf | Rowan's account of firing Consarc President | |
| 432-Vera.html | Jim Metcalf | Vera | |
| 433-Designers.html | Jim Metcalf | Russian Designers | |
| 203-Renaissance.htm | Jim Metcalf | 1500 - 1700 | From the Renaissance to the battery |
| 004-Battery.htm | Jim Metcalf | 1745 - 1862 | Battery discoveries, Volta, Tesla |
| 340-Page1838.htm | Dr. Charles Page | 1839 | Dr. Charles Page's apparatus |
| 005-Electricity.htm | Jim Metcalf | 1855 - 1920 | Continuing history including motors and generators |
| 350-Rowland1868.htm | Jim Metcalf | 1868 | Rowland motor patent 1868 |
| 341-HelmhotzononFaraday.htm | Hermann von Helmholtz | 1881-04-05 | The Faraday Lecture, London |
| 353-Rowland.htm | Henry Rowland | 1892-09-16 | Rowland reviews the bids for Niagara Falls power station |
| 006-Progress.htm | Jim Metcalf | 1900 - 1931 | The father of induction melting and heating, Edwin Finch Norhtrup |
| 360-Northrup.htm | EF Northrup | 1910 | Father of induction heating, Edwin Finch Northrup |
| 374-HistoryAjax.html | Jim Metcalf | 1912 - 1953 | History of Ajax Magnethermic |
| 434b-Amtorg.html | Jim Metcalf | 1913 - 1928 | Soviet Amtorg Trading Corp |
| 419a-Houghton.html | Jim Metcalf | 1914 - 1960 | George Houghton, Aerojet Inspector gives Metcalf Rocket history |
| 362-RussianTreaty.htm | Jim Metcalf | 1918-03-03 | The Peace Treaty of Brest-Litovsk |
| 370-Trotsky.html | Trotsky | 1926-03-25 | Problems of Russia's Policy With Respect to China and Japan |
| 363-Charlie.htm | Jim Metcalf | 1929 | Charlie Metcalf was charged with kidnapping |
| 371-MyYouth.html | Jim Metcalf | 1930 - 1954 | Jim's early life as a hillbilly |
| 351-TeslaCoil.htm | Nikola Tesla | 1931 | Tesla claims radio invention |
| 007-EarlyYears.htm | Jim Metcalf | 1932 - 1953 | Early Years until 1954 |
| 380b-Beryllium.html | EF Northrup | 1937 | Beryllium in space travel |
| 383a-NukeEngine.html | Jim Metcalf | 1946 - 1961 | Nuclear Engine |
| 375-Hunterdon.html | Jim Metcalf | 1950 | The most important event for Inductotherm |
| 008-EarlyWork.html | Jim Metcalf | 1950 - 1960 | Early work to Salesman |
| 380c-Fright.html | Jim Metcalf | 1951 | Fright Flight |
| 380-Allvac.html | Jim Metcalf | 1953 - 1963 | James D. Nisbet, Allvac |
| 389b-GM.html | Jim Metcalf | 1955 | Metcalf at General Motors Research from April 1955 to Oct 1955 |
| 389a-GE.html | Jim Metcalf | 1955 - 1956 | Metcalf pouring superalloy at GE from Oct 1955 to June 1956 |
| 434f-Chrome.html | Jim Metcalf | 1955 - 1958 | Role of chromium in vacuum melters |
| 382-Polaris.html | Jim Metcalf | 1955 - 1961 | Polaris Missile |
| 413-Polaris.html | Jim Metcalf | 1955 - 1961 | Development of Polaris missle |
| 410-Aerojet.html | Jim Metcalf | 1955 - 1973 | NERVA (Nuclear Engine for Rocket Vehicle Application) and all I know about carbon |
| 389c-Waimet.html | Jim Metcalf | 1956 - 1957 | Metcalf at Waimet (later Howmet) from June 1956 to July 1957 |
| 389-Cannon.html | Jim Metcalf | 1957 | Cannon Muskegon Corporation |
| 440-Raufer.html | Jim Metcalf | 1957 - 1987 | Long lasting friendship with a Catholic friend |
| 384-Crucible.html | Jim Metcalf | 1957-02-04 | Molten metal eats through and explodes |
| 392-AjaxNASA.html | Jim Metcalf | 1959 - 1964 | Project to test NASA hot hydrogen engine |
| 381-Jessie.html | Jim Metcalf | 1959 - 1993 | Jess Cartlidge |
| 383-Nuke.html | Jim Metcalf | 1960 | Nuclear Airplane |
| 411-ControlRod.html | Jim Metcalf | 1960 | NERVA Engine Control Rods |
| 412-Nuke.html | Jim Metcalf | 1960 | same as 383-Nuke.html |
| 415-AjaxNASA.html | Jim Metcalf | 1960 ca | Ajax NASA |
| 418-PinkPussycat.html | Jim Metcalf | 1960 ca | California strip club is home of war protest song |
| 419-CarbonArt.html | Jim Metcalf | 1960 ca | Production of carbon fabrics and threads made from rayon |
| 009-Salesman.html | Jim Metcalf | 1961 - 1966 | Salesman to entrepreneur |
| 419b-Fostoria.html | Jim Metcalf | 1963 | Rayon to carbon to graphite |
| 446-Hoover.html | Jim Metcalf | 1963 | Hoover-Ugine Company |
| 394-SpecialMetals2.html | Jim Metcalf | 1966 | Special Metals Number 9 |
| 010-Cragmet.html | Jim Metcalf | 1966 - 1968 | Vacuum furnaces |
| 402-Charger.html | Jim Metcalf | 1967 | Device to load materials into a furnace for melting |
| 400-Agreement.html | Jim Metcalf | 1967-06-14 | Metcalf joins Inductotherm group |
| 011-MarsRocket.html | Jim Metcalf | 1968 | Henry Rowan, Mars Rocket |
| 012-Cheston.html | Jim Metcalf | 1971 - 1972 | Cheston, Cragmet, IRS |
| 434-Kama.html | Jim Metcalf | 1971 - 1978 | Kama Purchasing Commission, Ukraine |
| 013-SovietUnion.html | Jim Metcalf | 1972 | Visit Russia, Meet Vera |
| 447-Nixon.html | Jim Metcalf | 1972 - 1976 | |
| 442-ASEA.html | Jim Metcalf | 1973 | ASEA wins contract for isopress |
| 014-Watergate.html | Jim Metcalf | 1973 - 1975 | Around the world, Meet the president |
| 445-Cannons.html | Jim Metcalf | 1974 | Induction heating to re-refile tank cannon |
| 015-Kramatorsk.html | Jim Metcalf | 1975 | Kramatorsk |
| 016-Consarc.html | Jim Metcalf | 1975 | Consarc |
| 461-Mortimer.html | Jim Metcalf | 1976 | John Mortimer in Rancocas |
| 460-LetterHank.html | Jim Metcalf | 1978-05-10 | Letter to Henry Rowan at Inductotherm |
| 017-ConsarcUK.html | Jim Metcalf | 1979 - 1982 | Consarc UK |
| 018-CarbonContract.html | Jim Metcalf | 1982 - 1983 | Carbon contract |
| 105-Communications.htm | Jim Metcalf | 1982-05-10 | New business in the Soviet Union |
| 480-ConsarcBoard3Feb83.html | Jim Metcalf | 1983-02-03 | Consarc Board of Directors Meeting |
| 107-ConsarcBoard8Feb83.htm | Jim Metcalf | 1983-02-08 | Consarc Board of Directors Meeting |
| 106-ConsarcBoard15Apr83.htm | Jim Metcalf | 1983-04-15 | Consarc Board of Directors Meeting |
| 481-ConsarcBoard15Apr83.html | Jim Metcalf | 1983-04-15 | Consarc Board of Directors Meeting |
| 019-Russians-in-Scotland.html | Jim Metcalf | 1984 | Russians in Scotland |
| 020-EmbargoisComing.html | Jim Metcalf | 1984 - 1985 | The Embargo is Coming |
| 490-NewsReports.html | Steve Twomey | 1984-05-13 | Philadelphia Inquirer: Inside Moves |
| 501-Amendment.html | Jim Metcalf | 1984-12-20 | Amendment #5 |
| 516-BritishPress1985.html | Jim Metcalf | 1985 | British Telegraph 1985 |
| 520-LetterRowan1985.html | Jim Metcalf | 1985 | Letter to Hank Rowan |
| 023-AfterBEPA.html | Jim Metcalf | 1985 - 1987 | After BEPA |
| 021-EmbargoAftermath.html | Jim Metcalf | 1985-01 | Embargo and Aftermath |
| 526-RowanWrote.html | Jim Metcalf | 1985-02 | Rowan wrote in his book |
| 510-EmbargoRegulations.html | Jim Metcalf | 1985-02-08 | Embargo Regulations |
| 511-Seizure.html | Jim Metcalf | 1985-02-13 | Seizure of Goods |
| 512-DTI-15Feb85.html | Jim Metcalf | 1985-02-15 | Minutes of Dept of Trade, London |
| 513-ECGD-8Mar85.html | Jim Metcalf | 1985-03-08 | Minutes of ECGD Meeting |
| 514-RowanInterview.html | Jim Metcalf | 1985-03-25 | Rowan Interview |
| 515-Bombshell.html | Jim Metcalf | 1985-03-30 | Bombshell looks like dud |
| 022-BEPA.html | Jim Metcalf | 1985-07 | BEPA |
| 530-Tax.html | Jim Metcalf | 1985-08-19 | Rule #1 British Tax for Expatriates |
| 521-ConsarcBoard20Aug85.html | Jim Metcalf | 1985-08-20 | Consarc Board Meeting |
| 522-DTI-6Sep85.html | Jim Metcalf | 1985-09-06 | Minutes of DTI Meeting, London |
| 523-Stansted.html | Jim Metcalf | 1985-09-20 | Stansted Fluid Power |
| 525-RowanStops.html | Jim Metcalf | 1985-10-04 | Rowan Halts Work |
| 524-DTI-3Oct85.html | Jim Metcalf | 1985-10-30 | Minutes of DTI Meeting, 3 Oct 85 |
| 531-DickLetter.html | Jim Metcalf | 1985-10-30 | Memo to Tom Dick, Vacutherm |
| 532-Korea.html | Jim Metcalf | 1985-12-07 | Superalloy Furnace, Korea |
| 533-FarEast.html | Jim Metcalf | 1987-05 | Far East |
| 502-RussianContract.html | Jim Metcalf | 1987-11 | Newsday, late 1987 |
| 542-Newsday.html | Jim Metcalf | 1987-11-08 | Newsday 1987 |
| 543-Aftermath.html | Jim Metcalf | 1987-11-09 | A follow-up story in Newsday |
| 544-Time.html | Jim Metcalf | 1987-11-23 | Time International on Consarc |
| 111-ABC.htm | Peter Jennings | 1987-12-09 | ABC television report on Metcalf |
| 102-Blame.htm | Knut Royce | 1987-12-10 | Blame |
| 108-LocalNewspaper.htm | Tim Kelly | 1987-12-11 | Consarc Officials Deny Wrongdoing in Sales to Soviets |
| 547-BurlingtonTimes.html | Jim Metcalf | 1987-12-11 | Local news coverage in Consarc's home town |
| 100-AppealFMI.htm | Jim Metcalf | 1988 | Fiber Materials Appeal |
| 024-Press.html | Jim Metcalf | 1988 - 1989 | Story of Knut Royce and resulting arms limitation news coverage and corrections |
| 548-MysteryMan.html | Jim Metcalf | 1988-01-06 | Local news coverage of the Russian contract |
| 549-ManyLetters.html | Jim Metcalf | 1988-05-10 | Exchanges with Rowan about misunderstanding |
| 380b-BurnedBridges.html | Jim Metcalf | 1988-05-11 | Rowan-Metcalf Memos |
| 025-Deported.html | Jim Metcalf | 1988-08-05 | Britain attempts to deport Metcalfs |
| 551-NewsdayDeported.html | Jim Metcalf | 1988-08-06 | Newsday prints Metcalf is deported |
| 552-LetterRowan.html | Jim Metcalf | 1988-08-30 | Letter from Rowan about deportation |
| 555-Commerce25Jan89.html | Jim Metcalf | 1989-01-25 | Exchange of letters with US Department of Commerce |
| 556-HomeOffice5Mar89.html | Jim Metcalf | 1989-03-05 | Information about Vera's visa after Metcalf was deported |
| 567-Rowan26Jun89.html | Jim Metcalf | 1989-06-26 | Letter to Rowan about IMM |
| 568-IMM.html | Jim Metcalf | 1989-06-28 | Letter to IHI Master Metals |
| 569-Letter-to-Roberts.html | Jim Metcalf | 1989-07-11 | Letter to Roberts (Consarc President) about IMM |
| 026-Boston.html | Jim Metcalf | 1990 | Jim Metcalf moves to Boston |
| 569a-Guardian.html | Jim Metcalf | 1990-01-01 | Fight with British Press |
| 571-Arrowood.html | Jim Metcalf | 1990-01-15 | Metcalf purchases home on Arrowood Road |
| 572-VeraLetter.html | Jim Metcalf | 1990-03-06 | Vera's letter to Allcarb |
| 572a-NC.html | Jim Metcalf | 1990-05-15 | Letter to Allcarb about office in Moscow |
| 574-Telex.html | Jim Metcalf | 1990-09-08 | Telex to Allcarb |
| 027-StartingOver.html | Jim Metcalf | 1991 | Starting over in 1991 |
| 575-Rowan11Mar92.html | Jim Metcalf | 1992-03-11 | Exchange of letters with Rowan about IMM |
| 110-NotesfromRowan.htm | Henry Rowan | 1996-04-15 | Memos from Henry Rowan to Metcalf |
| 405-Fleet.html | Jim Metcalf | 2000 | Inductotherm private airport |
| 112-Gemzar.htm | Jim Metcalf | 2000-01 | When surgery is not an option |
| 113-Talcumpowder.htm | Jim Metcalf | 2000-01 | Lung tumor growth stunted by talcum powder |
| 002-CancerDetails.htm | Jim Metcalf | 2004 - 2008 | Cancer details for James Metcalf |
| 103a-Cancer.htm | Jim Metcalf | 2005-04-06 | Cancer |
| 103b-CNN.htm | Jim Metcalf | 2005-04-06 | ABC anchor Peter Jennings announces lung cancer |
| 114-Tarceva.htm | Jim Metcalf | 2009-01 | Alternative to standard chemotherapy |
| index.html | 2025-11-04 | Directory listing for ~microns | |
| index.html | 2025-11-04 | Directory listing for ~zero | |
| index.html | 2025-11-04 | Directory listing for ~eighty | |
| index.html@D=A.html | 2025-11-04 | ~eighty sorted by description ascending | |
| index.html@D=A.html | 2025-11-04 | ~microns sorted by description ascending | |
| index.html@D=A.html | 2025-11-04 | ~zero sorted by description ascending | |
| index.html@D=D.html | 2025-11-04 | ~zero sorted by description descending | |
| index.html@D=D.html | 2025-11-04 | ~eighty sorted by description descending | |
| index.html@D=D.html | 2025-11-04 | ~microns sorted by description descending | |
| index.html@M=A.html | 2025-11-04 | ~eighty sorted by modified date ascending | |
| index.html@M=A.html | 2025-11-04 | ~microns sorted by modified date ascending | |
| index.html@M=A.html | 2025-11-04 | ~zero sorted by modified date ascending | |
| index.html@M=D.html | 2025-11-04 | ~eighty sorted by modified date descending | |
| index.html@M=D.html | 2025-11-04 | ~zero sorted by modified date descending | |
| index.html@M=D.html | 2025-11-04 | ~microns sorted by modified date descending | |
| index.html@N=A.html | 2025-11-04 | ~zero sorted by name ascending | |
| index.html@N=A.html | 2025-11-04 | ~eighty sorted by name ascending | |
| index.html@N=A.html | 2025-11-04 | ~microns sorted by name ascending | |
| index.html@N=D.html | 2025-11-04 | ~microns sorted by name descending | |
| index.html@N=D.html | 2025-11-04 | ~zero sorted by name descending | |
| index.html@N=D.html | 2025-11-04 | ~eighty sorted by name descending | |
| index.html@S=A.html | 2025-11-04 | ~zero sorted by size ascending | |
| index.html@S=A.html | 2025-11-04 | ~eighty sorted by size ascending | |
| index.html@S=A.html | 2025-11-04 | ~microns sorted by size ascending | |
| index.html@S=D.html | 2025-11-04 | ~zero sorted by size descending | |
| index.html@S=D.html | 2025-11-04 | ~eighty sorted by size descending | |
| index.html@S=D.html | 2025-11-04 | ~microns sorted by size descending | |
| 202-DarkAges.htm | Jim Metcalf | 378 - 1492 | Dark Ages to Columbus |
| 201-Beginning.htm | Jim Metcalf | 384 BC - 313 AD | In the Beginning to Christmas |
| 361-Wilderness-Road.htm | Jim Metcalf | ? | Metcalf's father's poem, and Metcalf genealogy |
| 380d-CarbonCloth.html | Jim Metcalf | ? | Black art of carbon production |
| 389d-CarbonCloth.html | Jim Metcalf | ? | Black art of carbon production |
| 434d-DeathBeam.htm | Jim Metcalf | ? | Tesla about his death beam. A folly. |
| 448-Inspectors.html | Jim Metcalf | ? | Inspectors |
| 450-BurlingtonTimes.html | Jim Metcalf | ? | Burlington County Times |
| 451-Tamara.html | Jim Metcalf | ? | Dancing in Russia |
| 482-Hillbilly.html | Jim Metcalf | ? | Hillbilly |
| 500-HowtoProduce.html | Jim Metcalf | ? | How to produce Calcarb |
| 534-Brazil.html | Jim Metcalf | ? | Brazil |
| 540-KnutRoyce.html | Knut Royce | ? | Story about Knut Royce, Newsday reporter |
| 577-SpeechforIMM.html | Jim Metcalf | ? | Metcalf speech to IMM about their superalloy furnace |
| 354-Tesla.htm | Nikola Tesla | 1919 | Excerpt from "The Autobiography of Nikola Tesla" |
| 401-Moontrip.html | Jim Metcalf | 1937 | Northrup’s trip to the moon |
| ZerotoEighty.htm | EF Northrup | 1937 | Science-based fiction of reaching the moon |
| 352-Steinmetz.htm | Floyd Miller | 1965 | Charles Steinmetz "The Man Who Tamed Lightning" |
| 104-Chapter33.htm | Henry Rowan | 1995 | From Henry Rowan's book with Metcalf comments |
| 109-NorthrupRowan.htm | Jim Metcalf | 1995 | Rowan's and Metcalf's lives compared |
| 386-RunOut.html | Jim Metcalf | 1995 | Part of Chapter 11 from The Fire Within |
| 403-Provident.html | Jim Metcalf | 1995 | Bank reneged on a commitment to finance a job in Russia |
| TheFireWithin.htm | Henry M. Rowan | 1995 | The story of Inductotherm Industries |
| 342-HallEffect.htm | E. H. Hall | 1879-11 | The Hall Effect |
| 541-CookeRoyce.html | Cooke Royce | 1987-09-14 | Cooke at Consarc Scotland |
| 550-Deported.html | Jim Metcalf | 1988-08-05 | Memo from British Home Office that Metcalf is deported |
| 553-LetterHomeOffice.html | Jim Metcalf | 1988-09-15 | Letter to British Home Office |
| 554-HomeOffice.html | Jim Metcalf | 1988-09-28 | Letter from British Home Office |
| 570-UkraineCarbon.html | Jim Metcalf | 1989-09-14 | Details of the new Carbon business in the USSR |