The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1854-06-07
For the Register.
Letter from the West.


| per-cast steel, &c, &c Coal Hill and
consumption of coal,
PITTSBURGH, Pa, May, 1854.
Having desire to see Pittsburgh and
Philadelphia, VIC made up our mind to
that route, and accordingly took the rail
way leading to the former city. A con-
slant ride from 9 o'clock A. NJ until 0
o'clock, p. NJ, enabled us to reach Pitts
burgh-the greatest manufacturing city
of the west, if not of the Union. 1t is
situated west of the mountains, at the
confluence of the Allegheny aud Monon-
gahcla rivers Including Birmingham
and Allegheny cities. situated on the op-
posite forks of the rivers, it has popu-
laton Of 10000, or about equal to that
of Boston. We determined to spend
day here in viewing tho productions of
art and genius
Our first visit was at the foundry Of
steamboat engines, which are numerous
ly manufactured here, From 40 to 90
steamboats, arc built here yearly, for the
western rivers. We were struck with
the peculiarly heavy and burdensome ma
ture of this business The machinery
including boilers, of an ordinary sized
steamboat weigh from 400 to 600 tons,
while in some of our largest Ocean steam
ers, they reach the enormous weight Of
1000 tons. The brace iron in boats Of
this class often weighs 45 and even so
tons.
We next visited the rolling Mills
They are l3 in number, with capital
of about S5,0O0,000, and employ $500
hands These mills consume about GO,
600 tons of pig metal, and produce bar
iron and nails amounting to 81 900, 900
annually.
The founleries, of which there are 80
large, besides many smaller ones, rcxt
took our attention. They use capital
in all amounting to about $4,000, 900,
and employ not less then $500 hands
These founderios consume 10000 tons
of pig metal annually, and yield with the
labor employed various articles amount
to about $4,000 900.
We next sought the phial and bottle
furnaces. There are seven of these, be-
sides eleven window glass manufactures.
\ blower of half ounce phials gets "A
cts gross, and will blow from 5 to 6
gross per day. Phials and bottles are
formed into shape by tho compressivc
force of the air from the blowers pipe,
acting and the semi-nuid mass, and forcing
it from within to yield and hug the sides
of mould, which were first opened to ro
ceive the mass and then closed TO give
shape TO tho phial or bottle within. A
gain they open and the blower pulls out
a perfect bottle, except the neck needs
cutting off, and banding, to resist tho
pressure Of tho cork A capital Of $780,.
900 is invested in this business, giving
employment to GOO hands, and produc,
ing 100000 annually.
From this point we walked to find the
flint glass manufactures. There are s of
these, with capital Of 100000 invest,
ed, employing 500 hands and consuming
$50 tons lead, aud 200 tons of pearlash
and producing various articles of glass
ware amount to 100000 The sand,
used in the composition Of glass, is as
white as pulvorized sugar. and is brought
from Missouri An inferior quality can
be had in Pennsylvania, but the best ar
ticle in the UnitedStates is found in Mis-
souri,. Tumblers are pressed in moulds
at tho rate of co an hour. Sauce plates
and preserve dishes are pressed also be-
tween moulds, found to give the desired
fashion and appearance, and are turned
out rapidly--about so an hour The
dish and leg is formed in separate parts
and then united by heat Pressed ware
is not so strong as cut glassware, owing
to the different processes in making. A
cut glass tumbler is first blown and then
ground Ii. e, cut) to the desired shape
Pressed glass is moro brittle than any
other. SO at least we wore informed by
one of the forenoon.
We next found our way to the Norcl-
ty u0ILS There are Q of these cstab
lishments manufacturing knobs, locks,
latches, coffee mills, patent scales, and
great variety of other mallsbl castings
with capital Of s250,000, employing
500 hands, consuming 200 tons of pig
metal, and producing goods, amounting
to $1,000 daily.
There is one copper smelling estab
lishmont producing eco tons of refined
copper annually valued at $3.50 per ton
and amounting to s25O,Ooo There is
also a copper rolling mill, now In in op-
Grafton, producing 500 tons of shecting
and braziers' copper, amounting to $780,
600
There IRE flvo extensive cotton factor
les, besides many smaller one, with a cap
ital in all Of about sl,5oo,ooO aud en-
ploying 500 hands. These establish
ments consume soma Is 600 bales of cot.