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Hornwright Industrial Mining Company
Hornwright Industrail full logo
Company data
IndustryMining and robotics
People
Key peopleCEO Daniel Hornwright
COO Penelope Hornwright
Locations
CountryUnited States of America
LocationsAbandoned mine site Kittery
Hornwright Industrial Headquarters
Hornwright Estate
Hornwright Air Purifier Site No. 01
The Rockhound
Hornwright Air Purifier Site No. 02
Hornwright Air Purifier Site No. 03
Hornwright Air Purifier Site No. 04
Corporate connections
RelatedGarrahan Mining Company, Atomic Mining Services
 
Gametitle-F76
Gametitle-F76

Hornwright Industrial Mining Company (HWI) was an Appalachian mining company before the Great War.

Background[]

The Garrahans and Hornwrights were the two major families in charge of Appalachia's mining industry. They owned lavish estates in the mountains overlooking their precious mines.[1]

Automation drive[]

Hornwright Industrial Mining Company was a staple of Appalachian mining since the first pick was driven into its soil - and under Daniel Hornwright's leadership, it would be something far more. Embracing Vault-Tec's mantra of preparing for the future, Daniel decided to bring his father's company into it, thoroughly misinterpreting his father's words that "products are only as good as the people who build them". While Daniel's father emphasized the human component, his son took it to mean that the products were only as strong and reliable as the workforce. As such, the moment he took control of the company, he went full throttle on every automated worker program the company had. Without human workers, the company would have no more sick days, no more vacations, no more maternity leaves and sudden deaths in the family. He could reduce the number of people needed to run the company, yet maintain the same output and quality control. The flagship Auto-Miner program was the beginning of an ambitious program to fully automate Hornwright before 2100, becoming the strongest and wealthiest company the world's ever seen.[2] The Rockhound, activated in 2070 atop Mount Blair, may have put Hornwright in the spotlights, but it was the Auto-Miners that would build its legacy.[3]

Hornwright started by sacking miners who worked in Hornwright mines, replacing them with Auto-Miners, and continued with a series of pilot projects to see what other molecules of the human element he could banish from the mining process. This included leaning on contacts in the Department of Defense, which provided him with the plans for VB-01 Vertibirds. The vertical take-off craft, outfitted for long distance flight, air-to-ground combat and reconnaissance could become a platform to carry an Auto-Miner brain and mineral detection system and speed up the pace of mineral surveying by a factor of twenty.[4]

Naturally, his stubborn pursuit of efficiency and profit, Hornwright neglected the impact his work would have on the environment. The Rockhound installed atop Mount Blair has polluted the entire region of Appalachia, devastating the ecosystem and filling the air with soot and ash from the strip-mined mountaintop. As any recovery measures would cut into his bottom line, the CEO refused to entertain such measures. However, when the Clear Skies Alliance approached the company with a proposal for shared ownership of air scrubbers that would purify the air, the CEO was interested. Not because of genuine concern for the environment - the millions of dollars of development costs were too high a price to pay for breathable air - but because of the potential to repurpose the scrubbers to ionize particles and convert them into usable minerals. These secret "ash forges", as Hornwright marketing called them were set up in the Ash Heap to test them in practice and appease the Clear Skies Alliance.[5] To make things worse, in order to feed the ash forges with input, Hornwright deliberately ignited the old, toxic mines around Mount Blair to fill the air with mineral-rich soot. Even Hornwright's own scientists were horrified at such wanton disregard for the environment.[6]

This was one of several signs that Daniel Hornwright's mental state was deteriorating. The biggest hit to his sanity and the company's profile came with the Motherlode Project. Although originally intended to be merely an automated, weak AI platform, the project took on a new meaning for the CEO after the death of Evelyn Hornwright from cancer. The Motherlode became Hornwright's obsession, turning into a single-minded pursuit of its completion to prove to his late wife that her death wasn't the end of him - it was just the beginning. Naturally, the scientists working on the project did not appreciate the obsessive level of scrutiny and micro-management that followed. Brigada, head researcher on the Motherlode project, was eventually fired for his resistance to the CEO and replaced with [7] Hornwright's obsession turned into casual cruelty when he decided to spin the death of Bill Breyer, an investigative reporter from the Charleston Herald, to advance his automation agenda. Breyer trespassed on a Motherlode test site to find out the truth about the project and was promptly shot by security guards, who mistook his recorder for a firearm. To Hornwright, this was merely a PR opportunity.[8]

Of course, such a philosophy led to him trampling over people and eventually, the miners had enough. When AMS forced families out of the town of Welch in early October, the disenfranchised workers of Appalachia rose up against the corporations, leading to riots across Appalachia. The fighting was particularly severe around Charleston and The Ash Heap. On Mount Blair, miners seized the Rockhound, a despised symbol of automation. For eight days, the miners held out, striking and demanding a right to work, until the National Guard sent in specially-designed fleets of combat robots - Strikebreakers, commissioned by Hornwright in the wake of the mine protests - to eliminate off the rioters. Echoing the events of the battle of Mount Blair over 150 years earlier, the Strikebreakers took out the miners and returned control of the Rockhound to Hornwright.[9] The remaining human staff of Hornwright Industrial was disturbed by the violence and the brutality of the response, but to the CEO it was just evidence of the need to expedite automation. With the Motherlode project operating at peak capacity and exceeding expectations (despite Daniel's interference), the company would soon be able to remain in operation with a staff of just twenty. However, there was one item that still needed attending to.[10]

Man vs. Machine[]

The Garrahans needed to be humiliated in order to demonstrate that the Machine reigns supreme in Appalachia. As luck would have it, Hornwright was granted a golden opportunity to prove his philosophy to the world in April 2077. Vivian Garrahan, CEO of Garrahan Mining Company decided to play all-in and challenge Hornwright to a duel where her Excavator power armor and Auto-Miners would compete to mine the most ore in a pre-set amount of time. The challenge was a calculated risk, aiming to raise the profile of the company and the project, while securing lucrative contracts in the increasingly automation-obsessed Appalachia.[11]

The challenge turned out to be the decisive battle of the Hornwright/Garrahan war: 24 hours of non-stop mining.[12] The challenge started on October 18 and lasted the whole day, with Auto-Miners and Excavators effortlessly chewing through the rock at their designated sites. They were a match for one another and by the end of the day, Hornwright won by a thin margin, just 1.85 tons - less than a single truckload - and stood supreme. Hornwright Mining seized on this tenuous victory as an example of machine's superiority to man.[13] What they did not mention is the fact that Hornwright's executives did not play fairly and intervened to ensure that Garrahan would fail. In the end, they succeeded, making Auto-Miners the talk of the region and sending Garrahan's stock into free-fall, making them ripe for a takeover... And folding the groundbreaking Excavator project into the Auto-Miners, creating a fleet of indestructible, autonomous miners capable of pin-pointing mineral deposits with no oversight from human operators.[14]

Hornwright's ambitions did not end there. Daniel Hornwright was one of the biggest supporters of Ballot Measure 6 in Appalachia, which would have increased funds allocated for automation and a mandate to eliminate human employment within a decade. Naturally, that also meant working closely with Governor Evans, both officially and unofficially, providing political and financial backing in return for lucrative contracts for automation once the Ballot Measure passed. The CEO was sure that a local concern rather than a national, impersonal conglomerate like RobCo would help make the measure palatable to the Appalachians.[15] The sheer volume of contributions eventually put the governor on Hornwright payroll.[16]

As with the Excavator, Daniel Hornwright also took steps to eliminate any potential obstacles. Senator Sam Blackwell, an outspoken and charismatic opponent of the measure, was targeted by a goon hired by Hornwright. Threats made against his family forced the senator into hiding, also weakening the Free States in a time of need. Hornwright didn't care - he was just happy to see the senator out of the picture, at least until the Great War erased all of his plans.[17]

Corporate affairs[]

Daniel Hornwright turned a company that focused on its workforce into a brutal, almost completely automated vehicle for generating revenue. His hard anti-union, anti-regulation stance translated into senior executive recruiting practices that emphasized predatory corporate practices, corruption, and utmost loyalty to the company.[18] Daniel effectively forced his HR department to implement his requirements, threatening them with immediate dismissal if they refused to cooperate.[19] As expected, the company took a hardline stance against protesting miners. When Penelope Hornwright expressed reservations about hiring human strike breakers, CEO Hornwright commissioned RobCo Industries to create a fleet of dedicated police robots capable of dealing with protesters without the interference of conscience. These Strikebreakers became an increasingly common sight on the slopes of Mount Blair in the days leading up to the Great War.[20]

Environmental impact was of no concern for the company, as long as their actions generated immediate profits. Perhaps the most notable example of this horrifying philosophy was the deployment of Clear Skies Alliance air purifiers around Mount Blair... Repurposed as ash forges to harvest minerals from the polluted air. To maximize their efficiency, Hornwright set the old, toxic mines around the mountain on fire to fill the air with smoke and soot that the forges could then harvest, horrifying the team that worked to create them.[6] Similarly, the company cared little for the economic impact it had on local communities. It ruthlessly exploited the vulnerable Monongah, It bought the rights to the mine in the struggling town for cash in April 2075, proceeding to strip-mine every remaining bit of ore from its veins for the next two years.[21] Although the city experienced a large monetary surplus by April 2076, thanks to royalty payments,[22] it effectively imploded when the mine was exhausted in July 2076 and Hornwright practically disappeared overnight.[23][24] By September 2077, the town was bankrupt and had to suspend all public programs while scrambling to find a source of financial relief.[25]

While hostile to Garrahan, HWI enjoyed lucrative contracts with Atomic Mining Services. AMS was a reliable market for Auto-Miners, which were cheaper and faster than anything AMS could create. Penelope Hornwright's history with AMS was a major factor contributing to the decision, as she lobbied her father and AMS intensely to form the partnership, combining the efforts of two of Appalachia's most prominent mining companies.[26]

Ironically, while Daniel Hornwright worked to destroy the Garrahans and assimilate them into his empire, his daughter was in love with Bryce Garrahan. The two star-crossed lovers could have ushered in a peaceful merger and a new future of Appalachia, were it not for their parents' hostility and conflict.[27][28]

Projects[]

  • The Rockhound: Created in 2070,[29] the Rockhound is a massive bucket-wheel excavator capable of strip-mining entire mountains in search of raw materials.
  • Motherlode: Semi-sentient autonomous mining platforms
  • Auto-Miner: Fully automatic mining machines derived from RobCo's Protectron.

Gallery[]

Appearances[]

Hornwright Industrial Mining Company features in Fallout 76.

References

  1. Fallout 76 loading screen hints
  2. Hornwright Industrial Headquarters terminals
  3. Bolton Greens terminals: "To: All Parents of Bolton Greens Members From: Thurston Wellingham, Headmaster Bolton Greens I'm pleased to announce that this year's Business Keynote will be delivered by Daniel Hornwright, CEO of Hornwright Industries. Daniel is an amazing businessman, who oversees one of the most aggressive and lucrative mining operations in Appalachia, the Hornwright Industrial Mining Company. All children are encouraged to attend the keynote, as it's likely to be full of insightful and perceptive information about the corporate world. As a special treat, Daniel will be presenting the original prototype scale model of the Rockhound Bucket-wheel Excavator. This device revolutionized the mining industry in Appalachia and helped push Hornwright into the spotlight. If you wish to attend the seminar with your child, please remit the nominal seating fee to our public relations office."
  4. Hornwright Industrial Headquarters terminals
  5. Hornwright Industrial Headquarters terminals
  6. 6.0 6.1 Hornwright Industrial Headquarters terminals: "TO: Hornwright, Penelope
    FROM: Heyward, Dominick
    SUBJ: You Fucking Thieves
    ____________________
    What's it like not having a soul, Penny? Do your insides clang around from all that empty space? My team and I were brought here with a purpose - clean the god-damned air YOU PEOPLE ruined. We SLAVED over this tech.
    Letting you light old, INCREDIBLY TOXIC mines on FIRE to fill the air with more shit you can harvest WAS NOT PART OF OUR DEAL. And you're not using our tech to do it.
    I'd tell you to go to hell, Penelope, but your plan was to just bring it here."
  7. Hornwright Industrial Headquarters terminals
  8. Hornwright Industrial Headquarters terminals
  9. Hornwright Industrial Headquarters terminals
  10. Hornwright Industrial Headquarters terminals
  11. Garrahan Mining Headquarters terminals: "The third Excavator just rolled off of our assembly line, and I couldn't be happier. The first two units have been up and running for almost a month now and we haven't had a single serious breakdown or maintenance issue. Everyone on the mining team wants to get their hands on these suits. Bryce has been continually piloting one of the Excavators... he's already shattered Garrahan's record for amount of ore extracted in a single day. Vivian surprised us all by rolling out a huge ad campaign, pitching our suits taking on Hornwright's Auto-Miners like a friday night boxing match. To say that this project has been a success is an understatement. I think it might be time to take that vacation before things heat up again around here."
  12. Charleston Herald - Man vs. Machine
  13. Charleston Herald - Hornwright Wins!
  14. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Interference
  15. Hornwright Industrial Headquarters terminals: "Governor Evans, I'm thrilled to hear that Ballot Measure 6 will be taken up for referendum this November. Increasing the efficacy of the Appalachian government through automation will establish our territory as a national player for decades to come. We at Hornwright Industrial want to be a part of that. As you know, we have established ourselves as the experts at creating cost-effective automated systems. Our product line is constantly expanding and adapting, meaning we can develop custom tailored solutions for your needs. There is no better partner for the automation of the Appalachia Territory government than Hornwright. Not to mention dealing with a local concern rather than a national, impersonal conglomerate like RobCo will certainly help the pill go down easier with the local populace. Why don't you and the missus meet us for dinner to discuss? My wife Elaine has been dying to get to know the first wife more personally."
  16. Hornwright Industrial Test Note
  17. Hornwright Industrial Headquarters terminals: "It's Daniel. I have a problem I need taken care of - Senator Samuel Blackwell. I need his voice ... quieted until the vote on Ballot Measure 6 has completed. I want you to ... scare him for us. No one's to be hurt. Just give him enough reason to disappear for a while. And, while I'm sure this goes without saying, make sure this can't be traced back to us. "
  18. Senior Executive Exam Answer Key
  19. Senior Executive Exam Updates
  20. Hornwright Industrial Headquarters terminals: "Shaft Elaine was overrun by protesters today, carrying signs like cudgels, fighting their way onto the site to "express their right to assemble" by trespassing on my land and shutting down my business. But this time was different. This time, the men who I gave cudgels to drive off such rabble put them down and walked off the job, joining the protest. At least the protestors are loyal to something. Penny was forced to scramble to bring in some independent contractors to restore order. I know she loathes such work, but I felt it was important she do it. She needs to be toughened up if she's ever going to take this position for herself. But lesson learned, I'd like to avoid putting her through anything like that again. Our work with RobCo has already yielded plenty of fruit for the Auto-Miners. I wonder if they'd be interested in another venture? Something to prevent little Penny from having to hire more strikebreakers."
  21. Monongah terminals: "*Monongah Township Budget breakdown for third quarter 2075 **Coffers are getting low - need to come up with bake sale or charity auction ideas **Special Council address by Daniel Hornwright, CEO Hornwright Industrial **Selling mining rights to Hornwright for cash plus royalties put up for vote - approved 5-0 *Annual Monongah Baseball game vs. Charleston planning assigned to Councilman Fennick *Refreshments Served"
  22. Monongah terminals: "*Monongah Township Budget breakdown for third quarter 2076 **Huge monetary surplus thanks to Hornwright's royalty payments for mining rights **Send Fruit Basket to Hornwright as a thank you put up for vote - approved 5-0 **Budget for 2076 third quarter put up for vote - approved 5-0 *Refreshments Served"
  23. Monongah Mine terminals: "Supervisor's Notes - 01.07.76"
  24. Monongah terminals: "*Emergency Meeting brought to order by Councilwoman Neeley *Monongah Township Vs. Daniel Hornwright **Hornwright is abandoning Monongah Mine due to "low yield" - all royalty payments stopped **Release recreational funds for economic relief put up for vote - approved 5-0 **Cancel recreational activities until future notice put up for vote - approved 5-0 **Discussion about future ideas for economic recovery, no solutions were raised"
  25. Monongah terminals: "*Monongah Township Budget breakdown for fourth quarter 2077 **Coffers empty - all public programs are suspended until further notice **Fundraising ideas put up for vote - lost 1-4 **Draft legal letter to Daniel Hornwright regarding Monongah Mine put up for vote - approved 5-0 **Draft letter requesting financial assistance from State Capital put up for vote - approved 5-0 *Miner's Relief Support Services report by Councilwoman Womack"
  26. AMS Corporate Headquarters terminals: "Hornwright Industrial continues to revolutionize its product lines, and we're going to be purchasing their Auto-Miners as fast as they can produce them. I know some members of the board are still upset that our joint efforts with RobCo did not produce our own version of an automated mining robot, but Hornwright's experience with drilling applications proved to be the key lynchpin. They're just cheaper and faster to make than we were ever capable of doing ourselves. Penny Hornwright also has history with our company, and I want to again emphasize that she did not steal anything during her internship here. On the contrary, all of our license agreements with Hornwright Industrial were signed thanks to her insistence. We're all benefiting from this partnership, so I need everyone to embrace the Hornwright Auto-Miner as our solution moving forward.
  27. Garrahan Estate terminals
  28. Hornwright Estate terminals
  29. Mount Blair terminals: "Copyright 2070 Hornwright Industrial"
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