Chr. Salvesen & Chr. Thams's Communications Aktieselskab
Encyclopedia
Chr. Salvesen & Chr. Thams's Communications Aktieselskab, Salvesen & Thams, Comms. AS or S&T is a Norwegian
company based at Løkken Verk
in Meldal
that was responsible for electricity
production and railway operation for Løkken Mine operated by the Orkla Mining Company. After the mine closed in 1987 it has been turned into a development company to try to created new jobs at Løkken.
of Denmark-Norway had opened the mine. At this time all mining was a privilege
of the king
. Later, in the 1800s, the mine was privatised and owned by Løkken Kobber og Kisværks Interessentskab.
In 1868, Wilhelm Thams (1812-1884), the owner of lumber company Strandheim Brug in Orkanger
, Norway and Christian Salvesen of Turnbull, Salvesen and Company in Leith
, Scotland
founded the mining company Ørkedals Mining Company and bought a number of small mines around Løkken. In the early 1880s Wilhelm's grandson, Christian Thams
returned from Switzerland
and took over the running of the mining company. He realised that to make money from mining, he had to purchase the largest mine of the all, but didn't succeed until 1896 when it no longer was feasible to manually pump
out the water, and bought Løkken Mine.
At this time it was fully possible for foreigners to own mines in Norway, but they could not own power plant or railways. So while the mining company was financed primarily be foreign capital, Salvesen & Thams was owned only by Chr. Thams and Salvesen, both originally locals, and could thus get the necessary permissions. Despite this, the company was bought by the mining company in 1904. The initial responsibility was to construct a hydro electric
power plant at Skjenaldfossen, build the railway Thamshavnbanen
between Løkken Verk and Thamshavn
and operate the steam ship D/S Orkla between Thamshavn and Trondheim
. After World War I
the company also started with bus transport, and among other things started the company Trondhjem-Orkladal Billag.
In 1931 Orkla Metall (now Elkem Thamshavn
) was established as a smelter
at Thamshavn, and Salvesen & Thams was responsible for the running of the plant. This lasted until 1963 when the corporation was reorganised and the company became a pure holding company
, owning the power plant and railway, but not operating them. It later sold its ownership in bus transport while the shipping had been terminated in 1959.
When the mine closed in 1987 the company got a new life with responsibilities for creating new local jobs in Meldal to replace the jobs lost due to the closing of the mine. The company has ventured into tourism
, fishing
and real estate
. The greatest incomes have though been made in bus transport. In 1989 the Kyrksæterøra
-based company Hemne og Orkladal Billag
was in great economic trouble, and along with the Municipality of Hemne
and Kredittkassen Salvesen & Thams went in and made a great success out of the company. In 2001 it was merged with Trondheim Trafikkselskap
to create Team Trafikk
and it was sold to Nettbuss
with great profit.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
company based at Løkken Verk
Løkken Verk
Løkken Verk is a village in the municipality of Meldal in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located south of Svorkmo , east of Bjørnli, and north of the municipal center of Meldal....
in Meldal
Meldal
Meldal is a village and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Orkdalen region.The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Meldal. The village of Meldal has a population of 609. Other villages include Løkken Verk, Bjørnli, and Storås...
that was responsible for electricity
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
production and railway operation for Løkken Mine operated by the Orkla Mining Company. After the mine closed in 1987 it has been turned into a development company to try to created new jobs at Løkken.
History
Mining at Løkken Verk had its roots back to 1633 when King Christian IVChristian IV of Denmark
Christian IV was the king of Denmark-Norway from 1588 until his death. With a reign of more than 59 years, he is the longest-reigning monarch of Denmark, and he is frequently remembered as one of the most popular, ambitious and proactive Danish kings, having initiated many reforms and projects...
of Denmark-Norway had opened the mine. At this time all mining was a privilege
Privilege
A privilege is a special entitlement to immunity granted by the state or another authority to a restricted group, either by birth or on a conditional basis. It can be revoked in certain circumstances. In modern democratic states, a privilege is conditional and granted only after birth...
of the king
Monarch
A monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...
. Later, in the 1800s, the mine was privatised and owned by Løkken Kobber og Kisværks Interessentskab.
In 1868, Wilhelm Thams (1812-1884), the owner of lumber company Strandheim Brug in Orkanger
Orkanger
Orkanger is village and former municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located in the present-day municipality of Orkdal at the end of the Orkdalsfjorden, and arm of the Trondheimsfjord. Orkanger is the administrative and commercial centre of the municipality of Orkdal...
, Norway and Christian Salvesen of Turnbull, Salvesen and Company in Leith
Leith
-South Leith v. North Leith:Up until the late 16th century Leith , comprised two separate towns on either side of the river....
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
founded the mining company Ørkedals Mining Company and bought a number of small mines around Løkken. In the early 1880s Wilhelm's grandson, Christian Thams
Christian Thams
Christian Thams was a Norwegian architect, industrialist, businessman and diplomat.-Background:Christian Marius Thams was born in Trondheim, Sør-Trøndelag, Norway. His parens were Marentius Thams and Emilie Christine Ullitz...
returned from Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and took over the running of the mining company. He realised that to make money from mining, he had to purchase the largest mine of the all, but didn't succeed until 1896 when it no longer was feasible to manually pump
Pump
A pump is a device used to move fluids, such as liquids, gases or slurries.A pump displaces a volume by physical or mechanical action. Pumps fall into three major groups: direct lift, displacement, and gravity pumps...
out the water, and bought Løkken Mine.
At this time it was fully possible for foreigners to own mines in Norway, but they could not own power plant or railways. So while the mining company was financed primarily be foreign capital, Salvesen & Thams was owned only by Chr. Thams and Salvesen, both originally locals, and could thus get the necessary permissions. Despite this, the company was bought by the mining company in 1904. The initial responsibility was to construct a hydro electric
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
power plant at Skjenaldfossen, build the railway Thamshavnbanen
Thamshavnbanen
The Thamshavn Line was Norway's first electric railway, running from 1908 to 1974. Today it is operated as a heritage railway and is the world's oldest railway running on its original alternating current electrification scheme, using 25 Hz 6.6 kV AC. It was built to transport pyrites...
between Løkken Verk and Thamshavn
Thamshavn
Thamshavn is a small port village in the municipality of Orkdal in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is the site of the port for Orkanger and the ferrosilicon plant Elkem Thamshavn...
and operate the steam ship D/S Orkla between Thamshavn and Trondheim
Trondheim
Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
. After World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
the company also started with bus transport, and among other things started the company Trondhjem-Orkladal Billag.
In 1931 Orkla Metall (now Elkem Thamshavn
Elkem Thamshavn
Elkem Thamshavn is a smelting plant owned by Elkem located at Thamshavn just north of Orkanger, Norway. The plant produces ferrosilicon and microsilica and was started in 1931.-History:...
) was established as a smelter
Smelting
Smelting is a form of extractive metallurgy; its main use is to produce a metal from its ore. This includes iron extraction from iron ore, and copper extraction and other base metals from their ores...
at Thamshavn, and Salvesen & Thams was responsible for the running of the plant. This lasted until 1963 when the corporation was reorganised and the company became a pure holding company
Holding company
A holding company is a company or firm that owns other companies' outstanding stock. It usually refers to a company which does not produce goods or services itself; rather, its purpose is to own shares of other companies. Holding companies allow the reduction of risk for the owners and can allow...
, owning the power plant and railway, but not operating them. It later sold its ownership in bus transport while the shipping had been terminated in 1959.
When the mine closed in 1987 the company got a new life with responsibilities for creating new local jobs in Meldal to replace the jobs lost due to the closing of the mine. The company has ventured into tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
, fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
and real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
. The greatest incomes have though been made in bus transport. In 1989 the Kyrksæterøra
Kyrksæterøra
Kyrksæterøra is a village and the administrative center of the municipality of Hemne in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It was known as the "white town of the Hemnfjorden" at one time, because there were only white houses. The village has a population of 2,480, and it is located at the end of the...
-based company Hemne og Orkladal Billag
Hemne og Orkladal Billag
Hemne og Orkladal Billag or HOB was a Norwegian transport company based in Kyrksæterøra, Sør-Trøndelag. HOB was founded in 1937 and merged with Trondheim Trafikkselskap in 2001 to form Team Trafikk.-History:...
was in great economic trouble, and along with the Municipality of Hemne
Hemne
Hemne is a municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Fosen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Kyrksæterøra. Other villages include Heim, Hellandsjøen, Holla, and Vinjeøra...
and Kredittkassen Salvesen & Thams went in and made a great success out of the company. In 2001 it was merged with Trondheim Trafikkselskap
Trondheim Trafikkselskap
Trondheim Trafikkselskap or TT was the city public transport company for Trondheim, Norway between 1974 and 2001. It operated both the city buses, and the Trondheim Tramway until 1988. The company was owned by the city council....
to create Team Trafikk
Team Trafikk
Team Trafikk is the bus company in Trondheim, Norway and is owned by Nettbuss. The company has 225 buses, 600 employees, a revenue of NOK 270 million and a daily ridership of ca 70,000 passengers. The company receives subsidies from the City of Trondheim for their operations...
and it was sold to Nettbuss
Nettbuss
Nettbuss AS is the largest bus company in Norway owned by the Norwegian State Railways . It was until 2000 known as NSB Biltrafikk. The company has 14 operating subsidiaries throughout Norway and in Denmark and Sweden....
with great profit.
Sources
- Tokle, Bjørn (1998) Communication gjennom 100 år (Chr. Salvesen & Chr. Thams's Communications Aktieselskab)