9 Questions for Ypsi Fire Inspector John Roe, Former Customer of Ypsilanti Iron and Metal

Kind readers may recall that city Fire Inspector John Roe very kindly gave of his time to accompany Dusty D and her ninja corps to Water Street. Turns out he was a former customer of this metal salvage and recycling operation. Mr. Roe kindly answered some follow-up questions, which I post here with thanks to him.

1. You related getting I-beams from YI+M when you worked in
construction. When was that?

1. BETWEEN 1975 AND 1984

2. Is it correct to say YI+M was both a metal salvage and recycling
operation? What sorts of things might they buy from you if you had
scrap metal? And what sorts of things did people go there to get aside
from I-beams?

2. DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE RECYCLING. I-BEAMS, BASEMENT POST, FLAT STEEL STOCK, LINTEL'S FOR OVER WINDOWS AND DOOR OPENING, FOR LAYING BRICK ON, ANGLE IRON, ROUND AND SQUARE STOCK, RE-ROD FOR BASEMENT FOOTINGS, WIRE MESS FOR PLACING IN DRIVEWAYS AND SIDEWALKS.

3. In the first building we visited, there were electrical switches
hinting that there might have been heavy machinery in there. Was this
the building where they sawed up metal?

3. THE HOLE IN THE FLOOR WAS A SCALE FOR WEIGHTING STOCK AND THE BUILDING HOUSED THE TRACTOR THAT WAS USED FOR MOVING THE STEEL AROUND.

4. The second building was a big aluminum warehouse. Was something stored here?

4. THIS BUILDING WAS USED FOR BUILDING AND WELDING CUSTOM PIECES FOR CUSTOMERS.

5. What was the function, if you know, of the third small building,
where we climbed in the window?

5. DON'T KNOW.

6. We found slag--was there a smelter or incinerator on the site?

6. I DON'T BELIEVE THERE WAS, BUT A LOT OF CUTTING STEEL WITH TORCHED HAPPEN ON THIS SITE.

7. There was a junkyard here too, possibly preceding YI+M--did it
become part of Ypsi Iron and Metal?

7. DON'T KNOW.

8. Was this a noisy site? What might someone hear and see when
visiting here back when it was active?

8. NOT TOO BAD FROM WHAT I REMEMBER.

9. What else about the site is interesting that I haven't asked?

9. THIS WAS A PLACE WHERE YOU WENT TO GET VEHICLES, TRAILERS AND OTHER THING WEIGHTED FOR YOUR LICENSE PLATES. A YARD WHERE CONTRACTORS PURCHASED STEEL FOR COMMERCIAL AND RESIDENTIAL BUILDING.

Thanks to Mr. Roe for sharing his recollections of this Water Street site.