Hornwright Industrial

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

Background
The Hornwrights were one of two major families in charge of Appalachia's mining industry. They owned lavish estates in the mountains overlooking the mines. Hornwright was led by Daniel Hornwright. His desire to bring automation to the company resulted in the Auto-Miner program. The Rockhound was activated atop Mount Blair, capable of strip mining on a large scale. These endeavors polluted Appalachia, filling the air with soot and ash. When Clear Skies Alliance approached the company with a proposal for shared ownership of air scrubbers that would purify the air, the CEO was interested. The potential was there to repurpose the scrubbers to ionize particles and convert them into usable minerals. These "Ash Forges" were set up in the Ash Heap to test them in practice and appease the Clear Skies Alliance.

When Atomic Mining Services forced families out of the town of Welch in early October, the disenfranchised workers of Appalachia rose up against the corporations, leading to riots. On Mount Blair, miners seized the Rockhound. 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.

Vivian Garrahan, CEO of Garrahan Mining Company, challenged 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 lasted an entire day, with Hornwright emerging as the winner.

The company bought the rights to Monongah Mine, strip mining it over two years. Although the city experienced a large monetary surplus thanks to royalty payments, it ended when the mine's resources were exhausted. By September 2077, the town was bankrupt and had to suspend all public programs while scrambling to find a source of financial relief.

Senator Sam Blackwell, an outspoken opponent of measures benefitting Hornwright interests, was threatened by individuals hired by the company. These threats made against his family forced the senator into hiding. The governor was also paid off by Hornwright.

Projects

 * Ash Forge
 * Auto-Miner
 * Motherlode
 * Rockhound

Appearances
Hornwright Industrial is mentioned only in Fallout 76.