The
Hawkesworth Drill
Butte Montana
Arthur Lee Hawkesworth received the patent rights for the Hawkesworth Drill, in the United States, Canada, and Internationally on January 20, 1920.
He was thrilled to have a patent and excited about his future. But his timing was terrible.
The Butte bit just sat in his workshop gathering dust.
Their tale was first told in Montel Hawkesworth Menting’s book “Butte: An Unfinished Story.” A short family history.
I received the “box” that she used for her research. It was full of personal letters, postcards, newspaper clippings, illustrations, and more. My aunt passed the torch. And it ignited a passion.
My father and grandfather were both born in Butte. I grew up listening to firsthand accounts of events in a thriving city. A city that was barren, bitterly cold, and butt ugly. About a people that were “Butte Tough.”
I read my great grandfather’s letters and researched the historical records.
I was left with many unanswered questions.
The internet allowed me to dig deeper into the history of Anaconda and Butte. To find out what really happened.
And set the record straight.
To tell the story of a mechanical genius who was haunted by his ancestors. And pressured by his mother to follow in their footsteps.
Not just ordinary men. But Darwin, Wedgwood, and Ryerson.
Arthur’s invention, in 1920, of the “Hawkesworth Drill” revolutionized the mining industry. Saving lives, steel, improving efficiency, and making the Anaconda Copper Mining Company (ACM), of Butte Montana, hundreds of millions of dollars.
But there are no official documents of his achievements held by ACM. No record of any of his inventions. Not a whisper. And he was not recognized for his revolutionary detachable drill bit, until 2008 when he was inducted into the National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum in Leadville, Colorado.
ACM refused to acknowledge his contributions and scrubbed his name from their archives. Why would they do that?
As I delved deeper into the history of ACM, I uncovered a web of deceit and corruption that went all the way to the top of the corporation.
The powerful snake of Montana was one of the largest corporations in the world. And growing. Nothing was going to stop them from maintaining their monopoly on the mining industry. Especially Arthur.
ACM had a personal stake in keeping Arthur’s legacy and contributions buried because of what they did to him.
Synopsis
The Butte Bit
Set against the rugged backdrop of Butte, Montana’s mining community between 1920 and 1925, “The Butte Bit” is a gripping tale of ambition, engineering brilliance, and the relentless pursuit of a legacy.
A novel within a novel. It follows the lives of Arthur and Mamie, an unlikely couple challenging the era’s societal norms to forge a life together. Arthur, an impoverished English Unitarian, and Mamie, a daughter of a wealthy Irish Catholic family, cross paths in a twist of fate that leads them to defy their communities’ deep-seated prejudice and animosity.
Their relationship faces the ultimate tests of losing their first two daughters and overcoming the entrenched animosity between the Irish and English communities. It is a narrative that not only recounts their personal tales of survival but also illuminates the broader themes of faith, pioneering hardships, and the enduring power of love.
Arthur Lee Hawkesworth, a descendant of Josiah Wedgwood, is a mechanical savant consumed by his legacy. As a loyal employee of a large corporation, he is driven to create his own company. Stepping out of the shadows of the mining giant, Anaconda Copper Mining Company.
His time away from his Irish wife, Mamie, and their children, takes a toll on their family life.
Mamie, steadfast in her Catholic faith, endures the losses and hardships with an unwavering spirit, while Arthur channels his inventive energies into a groundbreaking drilling bit that revolutionizes hard rock mining.
Arthur’s innovation attracts the attention of the corporate heads who would rather undermine his efforts than compensate him. Arthur battles sabotage, duplicity, and industrial espionage, as Anaconda’s desire to replicate the bit turns into grudging respect, forcing them into an exclusive purchase agreement.
Arthur hopes to secure a prosperous future for his lineage, particularly his beloved son, whom he envisions managing the family empire.
Disaster strikes after Arthur’s successful gall bladder operation. He remains in the hospital for a week. His premature death is shrouded in mystery. Who killed Arthur?
Was it ACM, his partner Roy Alley, Patrick the nipper or the mysterious gentleman lingering in the hospital waiting room? They all had a motive and opportunity.
“The Butte Bit” is a story of hope, despair, and the struggle against corporate Goliaths.
It is a narrative that highlights historical cultural conflicts and promotes religious and cultural tolerance. A love story unfolding amidst the backdrop of a burgeoning America, where the promise of freedom and opportunity is shadowed by the complexities of cultural integration and religious tensions.
It is a captivating story of love, loss, and the power of determination and persistence that will stay with readers long after they turn the final page.
Short Stories
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Darwin -Wedgwood Family
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