Ontario Malleable Iron Company
| Industry | Manufacturing |
|---|---|
| Fate | Dissolved |
| Founder | John Cowan and William Cowan |
| Defunct | 1977 |
| Headquarters | Oshawa, Canada |
Ontario Malleable Iron Company (OMIC) was an iron foundry established in Oshawa, Ontario by brothers John Cowan and William Cowan. The factory was in operation from 1872 until closure in 1977. Ontario Malleable, along with many other industrial firms in Oshawa, enabled comparisons between Oshawa and Manchester, England such that Oshawa was, in the 1920s, referred to as the "Manchester of Canada".
John Cowan and William Cowan, the founders of Ontario Malleable, emigrated from County Tyrone, Ireland in 1841 with their mother and settled in Toronto. There they met their father, Thomas S. Cowan, who had previously emigrated. Shortly thereafter, the father died, leaving the children to be raised by their widowed mother. William F. Cowan moved to Oshawa in 1862 and opened a dry goods firm; later purchasing an interest in Cedar Dale works, a manufacturer of farm implements.
In 1872, the brothers then chose to join forces, divest themselves of Cedar Dale Works and establish the Ontario Malleable Iron Company on Front Street in Oshawa enticed by a bonus offered by the township. The bonus was offered with the expectation that a number of men would be employed which quickly came to pass. Skilled workers, familiar with casting malleable iron, were solicited from New York State to staff the new foundry. Originally, the firm employed approximately 50 men in daily operations and was started to supply the agricultural implement industry with malleable castings manufactured in Canada instead of being imported from the United States. Within a few short years, Ontario Malleable had reached considerable fortitude, earning it the reputation as having the largest molding shop in the Dominion of Canada. The company had expanded business to include small and large castings; the large including castings for both the agricultural and automotive industries. Company payroll included as many as 800 men in many different capacities.
In December 1894, the entire foundry was destroyed in a fire that destroyed over $120,000 in assets but it was only insured for $27,000. The news of this fire was found in newspapers both in Canada and the United States. The New York Times, on 12 December 1894, in its article on the fire, reported that Ontario Malleable was the "oldest and most important industry of its kind in Canada." The fire reportedly started in a "dwelling" room and was fanned by strong winds. As local fire service arrived, they realized that the water tank on the fire engine had been depleted and the firemen had to take the engine to Robson's Tannery which was a half mile away. The firemen could not recover from the delay and the building was lost to the fire.
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